كَايَاكٌ عَلَى النِّيلِ

فِي صَبَاحِ يَوْمِ جُمُعَةٍ، ذَهَبْنَا إِلَى مَكَانٍ أَخْضَرَ عَلَى النِّيلِ، فِي الْجِيزَةِ. كَانَتِ الشَّمْسُ مُشْرِقَةً، وَكَانَ الْهَوَاءُ بَارِدًا قَلِيلًا. وَضَعْنَا أَغْرَاضَنَا فِي كُوخٍ صَغِيرٍ. وَكَانَ النِّيلُ أَمَامَنَا، هَادِئًا جِدًّا. ثُمَّ مَارَسْنَا الْيُوغَا سَاعَةً، أَمَامَ النَّهْرِ. بَعْدَ الرِّيَاضَةِ، أَكَلْنَا فُطُورًا مِصْرِيًّا كَبِيرًا. وَكَانَ فِي الْفُطُورِ فُولٌ، وَجُبْنٌ أَبْيَضُ مَعَ الطَّمَاطِمِ، وَبَيْضٌ، وَفَطِيرٌ. وَبَعْدَ الْفُطُورِ، ارْتَحْنَا قَلِيلًا، وَشَرِبْنَا الشَّايَ. وَبَيْنَمَا كُنَّا نَشْرَبُ الشَّايَ، جَاءَ مُدَرِّبٌ مِنْ شَرِكَةٍ لِلرِّيَاضَاتِ الْمَائِيَّةِ. شَرَحَ لَنَا أَسَاسِيَّاتِ الْكَايَاكِ، وَكَيْفَ نَسْتَعْمِلُ الْمِجْدَافَ. وَكُنَّا نَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْهِ بِانْتِبَاهٍ. ثُمَّ رَكِبَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنَّا كَايَاكًا وَحْدَهُ، وَدَخَلْنَا النِّيلَ. وَكَانَ الْمُدَرِّبُ وَزُمَلَاؤُهُ قَرِيبِينَ مِنَّا دَائِمًا، فِي قَارِبٍ صَغِيرٍ. فِي الْبِدَايَةِ، كَانَ الْأَمْرُ مُخِيفًا قَلِيلًا لِمَنْ يُجَرِّبُ لِأَوَّلِ مَرَّةٍ. لَكِنَّنَا لَمْ نَكُنْ وَحْدَنَا، فَالْجَمِيعُ كَانُوا حَوْلَنَا. وَبَعْدَ قَلِيلٍ، شَعَرْنَا بِالْهُدُوءِ وَالثِّقَةِ. كُنَّا نُجَدِّفُ، وَبَيْنَ كُلِّ كَايَاكٍ وَآخَرَ أَمْتَارٌ قَلِيلَةٌ. وَأَحْيَانًا، كُنَّا نَتَوَقَّفُ فِي وَسَطِ النَّهْرِ. فَنَجْلِسُ بِهُدُوءٍ، وَنَنْظُرُ إِلَى الْمَاءِ وَالشَّمْسِ وَالشَّجَرِ. كَانَ مَنْظَرُ النِّيلِ مِنَ الْكَايَاكِ مُخْتَلِفًا تَمَامًا! لَقَدْ كَانَ صَبَاحًا جَمِيلًا وَهَادِئًا.

One Friday morning, we went to a green place on the Nile, in Giza. The sun was bright, and the air was a little cool. We put our things in a small hut. The Nile was in front of us, very still. Then we did yoga for an hour, facing the river. After the exercise, we ate a big Egyptian breakfast. The breakfast had fava beans, white cheese with tomatoes, eggs and feteer. After breakfast, we rested a little and drank tea. While we were drinking tea, an instructor came from a water-sports company. He explained the basics of the kayak to us, and how to use the paddle. We listened to him carefully. Then each of us got into a kayak alone, and we went out on the Nile. The instructor and his colleagues were always close to us, in a small boat. At first, it was a little scary for anyone trying it for the first time. But we were not alone; everyone was around us. After a while, we felt calm and confident. We paddled, with a few metres between one kayak and the next. Sometimes we stopped in the m