Hey everyone! Sorry it's taken so long to post, it's been crazy! But we finally got over to Hebrew U to use the fast internet! So here I go! Might be long....read what you want.
EGYPT!
Holy Hannah, SO incredible! We got home Sunday night after a crazy insane 8-day trip. We were constantly on the go. I took 1,900 pictures...pathetic, I know. James informed me that that is a picture every 4 minutes I was awake. Ma bad...We got to see and do so many amazing things. I don't even know where to start! How about with Day 1?
We left on the bus early Saturday morning. We made a few stops that day. First, we stopped at Tel Be'ersheva where we saw the ruins of an administrative center dating back to King Solomon's time, including the remains of an Israelite Temple. Then, we stopped at Tel Arad, where we saw an old fortress, also with a temple, and an Early Bronze Age settlement. That evening, we made it to the Kibbutz Keturah, a Jewish community where we would be staying. Our guide took us out to the desert near the Red Sea, where we got to play in this HUGE sand dune! It was the coolest thing ever. Haha, definitely one of my favorite moments. After we played for awhile, he gathered us together for a little spiritual activity. We had some time to just sit and think. I can't believe how quiet and peaceful it was out there, so easy to feel the Spirit. He gave us each a paper with a scripture from 1 Nephi on it, keep in mind he is Jewish, about how they wandered in the wilderness near the Red Sea on their way to the Promised Land-that's where we were!!!! It was incredible to read this and think that they could have traveled through that place or somewhere very close. It was a really neat experience. I love it when our teachers tie in stuff about the Book of Mormon. That night, we had a barbecue and a pool party, complete with chicken fights and underwater pictures, at the Kibbutz. Kosher burgers on pita....Mmmm.
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| Ally, Meg, and Miriam at Tel Arad. |
The next day, we left early for the Taba border crossing. LOTS of security. It took us about an hour to get through to EGYPT! and then we set across the Sinai Peninsula! Lots of driving this day...as we drove underneath the Sinai Peninsula, they announced we were in AFRICA!! Woohoo!! 3 continents in one month. Our first glimpse of the pyramids was way exciting. That night, we made it to the Oasis Hotel in Giza. Kind of a bad start....after hours of orientation on how to stay healthy in Egypt that could make anyone paranoid, my roomie Chels
ea and i brushed our teeth in the tap water! After panicking a little, taking some Pepto, and drinking a Coke at dinner, we calmed down and were completely fine. Ha, it was hilarious. We then headed to the light show at the pyramids! So cheesy, but so awesome.
The next day, we met our tour guide, Islam. Coolest guy ever. He was with us the whole time we were there, and I think it’s safe to say we were his favorite group eva. He named us “Group Tut” (pronounced “Toot!”) I will forever hear his voice in my head saying, “Come on lazy Toot!” “Do you believe this?” “Yes or not?” So we set out on our adventures! First, we went to the pyramids! Holy cow, these things are huge! Who would have thought I would get to visit them in my lifetime. We got to go into the middle one, the pyramid of Khe’fran, who reigned in the 4th dynasty. We got to get into his tomb….crazy stuff. That day, we also visited Sakkara to see the stepped pyramid of Djoser. I won’t go into detailed history on all this stuff, google it :). We visited a few other places as well. That night, we had a flight to Luxor, where we stayed in the beautiful Sheraton!
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| The view from our balcony! The Nile and Valley of the Kings :) | | |
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The next day, we visited the Valley of the Kings! So cool! We got to visit the tombs of Tutankhamen (AKA King Tut), Thutmoses III, and Ramses III. They were awesome. Then, we visited Queen Hatshepsut’s temple, also way cool.
Later, we took a felucca ride from right outside our hotel and across the Nile to ride CAMELS! WOOHOO! Ha, it was so so so SO awesome.
Later that night, we had free time! We took a carriage ride to this little market. Wow, this was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. It was a real eye-opener riding through the streets of Cairo. It was really sad to see the poverty that exists there. It was an interesting experience that a lot of tourists don't get to see.
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| My Egypt roomie, Chelsea! |
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| Ahmed, coolest kid EVER! |
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| Me with Omar and Rambo! |
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| Our carriage driver, Mohammed. |
The next day, (ok, sorry I keep saying this, I completely lost track of time while I was there) we took a boat up the Nile to the Karnak Temple and then took a carriage ride to the Luxor Temple, which were both incredible. Holy cow, I don’t think I’ve ever had so much information hammered into my head in a week’s time. Egypt has such an interesting history! By this time, we were all exhausted. We would sit down on the bus for 15 minutes and I would be fully dreaming by the time we made it to our next stop. Hahaha, so funny. My feet hated me, but it was so worth it. That day, we took a trip to the Souk, the market in Egypt. It was a lot like the Old City, only the shopowners were WAY more aggressive. Don’t worry, Mom, I could have come home with an Egyptian husband, but I decided I would just get a bracelet. That, night, we took an overnight train back to Cairo-SO fun! The food was definitely not food….and who knows how many people had slept in the bed, but it was a really fun experience.
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| You can call me Captain Meg. |
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| "Meg, when you die, can I mummify you?" |
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| Luxor Temple :) |
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| "It's beautiful, I love it." "I love you." |
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Okay! Next day! Made it to Cairo on the train. We visited a few places, including the Egyptian Museum, which is very famous for its collection. It was so neat! We got to see all the treasures that were found in King Tut’s tomb, including his golden mask. My favorite part though, I think of the entire trip, was the mummy room, especially the mummy of Ramses II. Holy cow, what an incredible experience. Ramses II was pretty much the most powerful and memorable pharaoh of Egypt and was most likely the pharaoh of the Exodus. This means that I got to look into a face that Moses looked into as he worked to free his people. It really was such a neat experience for me. We had been to so many places and seen so many artifacts that showed the history of this amazing place, but to actually see the people was an indescribable experience for me. :D We had a yummy meal at Hard Rock Cafe and then spent some time at the market.
The next morning, we visited the Mohammed Ali Mosque, which was really neat. My favorite part was hearing Islam, who is a Muslim (ha), talk openly about his religion. It was really cool to hear him talk about what he believes and what he does each day to show his commitment to God. Loved it. Then! We had an...interesting KFC box lunch on the bus and then headed for the Sinai Peninsula. We made it to the Morgenland Hotel and got a few hours of sleep before our wake up call at 2 AM. Then we hiked Mt. Sinai!!!! So coooooool! We watched the sun rise and had an awesome devotional by the amazing Brother Judd at the top.
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| Jake likes to jump into pictures. |
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| Mohammed Ali Mosque |
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| Me with Islam. What a cool guy :) |
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| Hiking down the 3,870 steps. |
After swimming, showering in the dark with shampoo that was probably not shampoo, and getting locked in the bathroom, we headed back to Israel!!! The bus ride home included a dance party, inspired by Dr. Christine and our other leaders, complete with the "Waka Waka" dance, our center theme dance that we do in front of some the places we visit. What a blast haha. As we drove into the city listening to “Jerusalem” by Matisyahu, I realized how happy I was to be HOME! Here are some things I missed about Jerusalem:
1. Clean bathrooms that you don’t have to pay for and that provide toilet paper.
2. Fruits and veggies! No more eating meat, potatoes, rice, and bread for every meal.
3. Being able to drink the tap water!
4. Having my own bed for more than 2 nights in a row.
5. Seeing the city every day :D
There ya go! Sorry it's kinda' crazy...just wanted to get it all up. Ah, I seriously am so blessed to be here. I am so happy and am having the experience of a lifetime. I feel so at home here. And to those of you who have been watching the news, don't worry hahaha. There were some riots while we were in Egypt and one the other night that we watched from the balcony, but things are okay. Life is so good :) Love and miss you all!
Okay! Next day! Made it to Cairo on the train. We visited a few places, including the Egyptian Museum, which is very famous for its collection. It was so neat! We got to see all the treasures that were found in King Tut’s tomb, including his golden mask. My favorite part though, I think of the entire trip, was the mummy room, especially the mummy of Ramses II. Holy cow, what an incredible experience. Ramses II was pretty much the most powerful and memorable pharaoh of Egypt and was most likely the pharaoh of the Exodus. This means that I got to look into a face that Moses looked into as he worked to free his people. It really was such a neat experience for me. We had been to so many places and seen so many artifacts that showed the history of this amazing place, but to actually see the people was an indescribable experience for me. :D We had a yummy meal at Hard Rock Cafe and then spent some time at the market.
