Walk Like an Egyptian

So I went to Egypt this past week. It was pretty much the most amazing thing ever!

Day 1

Wake-up call is at 5:30 am for breakfast and loading the bus. We start our drive and stop every 1 ½ hours for field trip stop or bathroom breaks. We stopped many places but I think my favorite of the day was this lookout place overlooking the Wilderness of Zin. It had this Grand Canyon feel to it, but it was all one color, gray. We stop at this Kibbutz close to the boarder to sleep. A Kibbutz is a small socialist community. We got a tour of the place, they fed us dinner then we got to go to bed.

Day 2

Wake-up call is at 6:00. The Kibbutz feeds us breakfast and we get sack lunches as well. Then we head to the boarder where it takes about an hour to cross. At one point we could see Israel, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan all at once. We also got to see the Red Sea and it was so beautiful. After we crossed the border we drive the Cairo with a few pit stops on the way. They take us to the Oasis Hotel and we see the Pyramids for the first time on the way. They were amazing! Later that night we got to go to the sound and light show. It was really cheesy, but I am glad I got to go.

Day 3

Wake-up call is at 6:00. We went to the Pyramids first because we wanted to buy tickets to go into the big Pyramid. They only sell 200 a day and each person has to be there to buy the ticket. Oh, I forgot to mention that every tour bus is required to have armed guys on the bus for our protection. We are in line to get these tickets and all these people try to cut us. Our bodyguards form this line around us and it was awesome. We all ended up getting our tickets and I went to the biggest Pyramid!! So cool, and so different then I thought. The place where they found his actual body was this black room with smooth walls and that is it. We also saw the sphinx. We saw lots of pyramids, and walked a lot, and it was a long day. We then went to this papyrus factory and that was pretty cool. After that we took a plane to Luxor. We stayed at this Sheraton Hotel and it was so nice.

Day 4

Wake-up call is at 6:00. First thing I do is open our balcony door and there is the Nile, looking big and beautiful. It was so great! This day we went and saw lots of temples and tombs. We went to the valley of the Kings and I went inside King Tuts tomb. His body was in there and I was not expecting that at all. His mummy is the smallest thing ever. After dinner, we got to ride a boat on the Nile to go ride a Camel. Our group got to go at sunset and it was so amazing! This night we also had free-time so we decide to take a carriage to do some shopping. These carriage guys are paid by shop owners to bring us to their shops, so it was an interesting night. I did get some cool stuff though. 

Day 5

Wake-up call is at 6:00. Today we get to go to the Luxor temple and Karnack temple. We go in style though. We take a boat to the Luxor temple, then a carriage to the Karnack temple and then a carriage back to or hotel. So awesome! Karnack is my favorite temple so far. It  was just so cool, and most of it was still standing. A lot of the temples I have seen you only have the outline of what was there. This temple had these huge pillars and statues and markings and it was just awesome. Then we had the whole afternoon free. Leanna was really sick this day and I was really tired already. So I went swimming in the pool, which is right by the Nile. It isn’t a good idea to actually go swimming in the Nile so I had to pretend a little. Later that night we load an overnight train to take us back to Cairo. Haha. I don’t even know what to say about this train. This room for two people was so small I could touch all four walls at one time. I ended up sleeping pretty well though.

Day 6

Wake-up call is at 5:00. Train arrives and we go back to the hotel for breakfast. We went the most beautiful Mosque. I took a lot of pictures of it, but none of them do it justice. I just wanted to sit in it all day and look at everything. Ill post pictures eventually again. We got to go to the Museum. This was pretty awesome as well. Saw all of King Tut’s belongings and lots of statues. Our tour guide read some hieroglyphics to us as well. He was a really smart guy. After the museum we got to go to Hard Rock Café! American food! It was like a whole new world in that place. I almost felt clean for a split second. They also took us to this market and I did some pretty awesome shopping. I really enjoy bargaining. I am not very good, but I had some moral support with me.

Day 7

Wake-up call is 9:00! We leave to drive down to Mt. Sinai. We make a few pit stops along the way, and make it to the Morganland Hotel. I had to kill about 9 cockroaches in our room, but it was nicer then any place I expected to stay while in Egypt.

Day 8

Wake-up call is 2:00. This was my favorite day by far. We wake-up early and we drive 10 minutes to the base of the mountain. It takes about 1 ½ hours climb. I make it up there before sunrise and it was unbelievable. We were also able to hold an Old Testament class up there and a testimony meeting. We sang hymns and wrote in our journals. I still can’t believe I had the opportunity to climb this holy mountain. We leave Mt. Sinai and head for the border. It takes us about 2 hours to cross because they are a little strict with who they let in. A couple of my fellow students were asked some intense questions but we all eventually made it through. We finally made it back to the Center around midnight and I felt at home. It was kind of weird, but I liked it. I am no longer living our of a suitcase, so I guess it is my home for now. I live in Jerusalem, the place where Jesus Christ walked. Who would have thought?

Now it is time to get back to real life. Study, study, study. Paper due in a few days, but I could not be happier right now.