Tricks of the Trade

    I've grown to appreciate Intrepid Travel's model for a faraway tour. Say they plan a week at Niagara Falls. Of course we'll show you every aspect of the river: Upper Rapids, Three Sisters Island, Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, Terrapin Point, Bridal Veil Falls, Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds, American side, Canadian side, Whirlpool Park, all the way to Lake Erie in Youngstown. You'll see every inch, no worries.

    But while you're here, we may throw in a little Underground Railroad history, some Fort Niagara, a little hydroelectric lesson at the Robert Moses Power Project---local interest sites off the beaten path. We're more than just the Falls, okay? Intrepid, I think, plans its tours with a similar wide net.

    Over the past few days, our group has toured some fascinating workshops. We learned about the essence of oils (aha! "essential oils" finally make sense now!) in a shop in Aswan where a young lady told us about their oils. Southern Egypt and Sudan to the south is the essence capital of the world. Sandalwood, frankincense, lotus flower, eucalyptus: the raw material of so many scents are cultivated here. They bring it by the truckload. They crush the stuff to extract the juices and bottle it, 100% pure. The region is proud that the essences it produces contains no water nor oil nor preservatives. It won't evaporate or spoil. They have found oils sealed in jars in pharoahs' tombs that still smell fresh. 

    We visited a papyrus-making shop in Luxor where we learned about the centuries-old craft of producing the world's first paper. The paper is waterproof and, once again, lasts forever. We visited a family-owned alabaster shop in the foothills of the Valley of the Kings where we watched craftsmen work alabaster from a broken chunk of rock into a vessel so smooth and thin that light can shine through it.

    You could easily see these excursions as just tricks to get us to throw our money away. I prefer to see it as a chance to support local artisans who are practicing skills perfected 3000 years ago. Also, it's a boost to genuine, proud merchants in the town, as opposed to the annoying sidewalk vendors with the crap they shove in your face outside every tourist stop and market. Every place has them, even, I admit, Niagara Falls.