I've been procrastinating writing this blog because there is way to much to tell about my recent trip to Egypt and Jordan. So, I'll start with the itinerary and just hit the highlights:

-2 days in Cairo

-Sleeper train to Aswan (awesome!)

-2 days in Aswan

-3 day Nile cruise (stops- Kom Obno and Edfu temples, the town of Esna and Luxor)

-Military convoy to Hurghada

-Ferry to Dahab on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt

-2 days in Dahab (which turned into 3 almost 4... story later)

-Ferry to Aqaba, Jordan

-Wadi Rum, Jordan

-Petra, Jordan

Cairo

Ready for the break from school, but not quite sure what we'd find on a trip to the Middle East 4 Koc School ladies anxiously got on a midnight plane to... Egypt. As we flew over Cairo, I leaned over the completely covered woman next to me to catch a glimpse of the pyrimids from an aerial view. As soon as we landed we were met by our most amazing tour guide, Moustafa, who told us that he went to the mosque to pray because he didn't know how he was going to handle four foreign women!




The next morning, after a delicious breakfast of fresh dates, cheese, pasteries, cumcumbers, tomatoes, foul (Egyptian bean dish) and hard boiled eggs, we headed began our tour of Cairo. Moustafa kept telling us that the traffic was really bad in Cairo, but after living in Istanbul we kept looking for all the cars.

We saw Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt. Lots of impressive statues of dead pharohs. Especially this one of Ramses II.



I was completely shocked as we were driving through town and then saw the top of a pyrimid peaking over a stoplight. That's right. The pyrimids are in the suburbs. The pyrimids are massive--and that's an understatement. I took about a million pictures from the bottom up trying to capture the enormity of them and it's impossible. Oh and btw, going into a pyrimid is not as much fun as it sounds. There is no room to stand up, no air and then you remember that it is a cyrpt.

The Sphinx, well, she (actually he, but I like it better as she) speaks for herself.

The sad thing about the pyrimids is that left of these guys is really huge, unfinished stadium seating. They were building it for an outdoor opera, but then the show was cancelled and they stopped building it.


Then we were off to a trip to the Egyptian Museum. It is literally jam packed with Egypt's ancient history. The museum is so full of artifacts that there is barely enough floor space to fit everything. But of course, this museum's crown jewel is the King Tut collection because it is the only tomb found thus far where the archeologists beat out the tomb raiders. Tut was gilded and blinged out to the max. He even had gold toe and finger covers! Oh, to be a pharoh.