"Thank you," he says, even though the other man can't understand him. He wipes his face and head, but his robe is dripping everywhere and won't stop until he has a chance to undress and wring it out. It's not too cold, so he ignores it and hopes he doesn't have to go indoors soon.
...he will wait for at least a few minutes. He's not in any real hurry and he can use the time to think.
What went wrong with his first portal? There was an explosive wind, like that one time he opened a portal chain far far up where there's no air, but there was air in the river he ended up in, and no more wind once he closed the portal... Yeah, he has no idea.
Where is he? A few hundred miles around his village could mean Osirion - he's not sure if Sothis is in range - or it could be north Katapesh, or maybe over the border in the Mwangi? They have more water there, a water-garden wouldn't necessarily belong to an incredibly rich person, just a very wealthy one.
The sun is higher than he expected, which could mean he went east but more likely means he's really bad at keeping track of time when he's working.