As you awake you hear the calming, lapping of the water against the side of the boat, in the distance an Imam calls the faithful to prayer from a Minaret just visible above the reeds on the bank, the sound only being broken by a water pump irrigating the land by the banks of the river. You open your eyes, you look around, you realise that, yes this is real, you are in Egypt, you are on the Nile and, yes you are ensconced in sheer luxury aboard a dahahbeeyah!

You smile to yourself as your mind wonders back to the wonderful lunch that ensured that you enjoyed your afternoon siesta upon the cushions that have been laid out for your comfort; the wonderful dessert that blew the “I’ll just have one piece rule!” In this instance mango and bananas marinated in hibiscus coulis served with sliced apple. A mint tea is served by one of the attentive staff who are there not just to serve but to enhance your experience of the dahahbeeyah.

Before lunch you were thrashed at Dominoes, Om Kolthoum played on a radio in the kitchen whilst the Chef prepared the next wonderful meal; how they prepare the wonderfully fresh and flavoursome food in such a space is remarkable, each meal individually prepared and always, of course, excellent. After dominoes you watched the Nile glide past; a million miles from anywhere! The crew sheltering in the shade, chatting, drinking tea, playing dominoes; properly and smoking Cleopatras.

You close your eyes and your mind wanders back to the rigours of the morning. The crew in the rigging preparing for the day’s sailing; all you need to do is lay back, throw away the watch, turn off the mobile phone and enjoy. This is pure relaxation; it does not come better than this!

As the remainder of the day passes, the book you must simply read lays unattended by your side as you just chill and watch the daily rhythm of the Nile. Youngsters swim and bring livestock down for a cooling drink. A boy from a local village shimmies up a palm tree to get dates, the children waving at you from the bank; this is the real Egypt, this is the Egypt of the Pharaohs.

The sun sets in a blaze of fire behind the Theban Hills. You saunter to the back of the dahahbeeyah, the breeze and the river current tilts the boat gently from side to side, the full moon rises over the Palms on the opposite bank. This is heaven!

And it’s not over yet.

Dinner is then served under the full moon. This is romance: candles, the lapping waters, the sway of the boat, the company. If I were to propose this would be the place to do it, it’s perfection.

To end the day you retire to elegance of the drawing room. Over a pot of hot karkaday or a mint tea you discuss the day, the sights you have seen. You glance at the map to see where you are, but to be honest you don’t really need to know, you have fallen off the tourist trail and awoken on a voyage that shows you the wonders of the real Egypt; this brings a sense of overwhelming relaxation and inner peace.

You retire to your room – you turn the lights off, open the cabin window and fall asleep as you mind recalls the events of the day, the boat sways from side to side and as you fall into a wonderfully relaxing sleep you wonder what joys tomorrow may bring; this is more than heaven this is perfection!