EgYpT day#3

Tuesday was our first full day in Egypt and we did not waste any time- we hit the ground running! Here is a checklist of our day:

Giza Pyramids

Sphinx
Memphis and the largest statue in the world of Rameses II
baby sphinx!Tahna and Amy- the two cowgirls trekking out in the Sahara Saqqara:

Tomb of Ti where i saw my all time favorite wall painting! i studied it in ap art history and even had a test question on it. its called Ti hunting Hippos. we made some new friends while there- as in he followed us around the entire timefunny story:

as rach and i walked out of the Tomb of Ti this guard waved at us.

we waved back and then he got his camel to smile at us.

(zoom up on the camel and there is a smile on it. coolest trick)

of course i took a picture of it and so did rachel.

we all laugh and then the guard holds out his hand.

he starts asking for money.

(over here some people will ask for money if you take a picture of them.

its their way of earning money)

i thought "no way. 1) i am not even in the picture 2) you aren't dressed up in a traditional dress or costume 3) you already have a job, which you are currently at meaning you have a way to earn money."

so maybe we are bad people but we just said sorry we don't have any change (which was true and if i knew he would have asked for money i wouldn't have taken the pic)

then proceeded to skip/jog/run/sprint away.

hahah oops.

walking into Ti's tomb. there were beetles down there. just like in the movie "The Mummy"!!!! I got freaked out and could only stay for a few minutes.

"oh the Arab and the Cowgirl should be friends!" - little shout out to the song in Oklahoma

Stepped Pyramid! 1st pyramid in the world

we also went to a papyrus factory at lunch. After all this we had a night flight to LUXOR! What a glamorous life JC students live! This was an Egyptian dream day! This is Talia and I cruising on Egyptian Air.

EgYpT day#2

After we woke up and left the Kibbutz, we crossed the border INTO AFRICA!!!!!! We drove for a really long time across the Sinai peninsula and desert. On the drive down we were reminded of the rules for Egypt:

1. NO WATER - you can only use bottled water, even to brush your teeth

2. no fruit

3. no veggies (oh how sad because i eat those all the time. this was the hardest rule for me......)

4. bathrooms are NOT free

5. bathrooms do not have soap

6. bathrooms do not have toilet paper

7. bathrooms do not have toilets sometimes. turkish style baby- aka hole in the ground.

8. no cold foods- only eat hot things.

We drove under the Suez Canal and then we were in CAIRO!

I really really loved Cairo- it was super green along the Nile, the traffic was cRaZy, the apartment buildings were all red brick with each window a different frame and color with laundry hanging out. and trash everywhere. it gave it a certain charm. (weird i know but i liked the trash haha)

the biggest thing about Cairo was the juxtaposition of ancient with modern. i would see flashy cars driving next to men wearing turbans riding a donkey cart. i would see skyscrapers and then the Pyramids peeking in between them. (ps i literally screamed when i saw the pyramids- they just flashed before me unexpectedly. awesome moment) i liked to wave at all the people on the street- especially the little kids going to school.

we stayed at a posh hotel the Oasis. it was an outdoor complex with private rooms and green lawns everywhere. we dropped off our bags and headed to a light and sound show at the Pyramids and Sphinx! I actually got teary eyed sitting in my seat thinking that I was actually at the Pyramids. I remembered all the times as a little girl I wished to go to Egypt and promising myself that I would make it there one day. (in 6th grade I got a little obsessed and started passingnotes to my bff in hieroglyphics... i am just a nerd) AMAZING FIRST NIGHT!!!!!

light show:

EgYpT day#1

Hello from Israel!

I am proud to report we all made it home

(and by home I mean Jerusalem! isn't that fun to say?!) safe and sound.

No sickness or accidents- just a magical time spent in Egypt!

There is no possible way to say everything I want to say about Egypt so the best way I think is to split it up into a post a day and just give an overview with a few details.

Day #1 we loaded onto busses and drove down towards the Red Sea along the same route that Lehi took out of Jerusalem. We stopped at two Tels- Beersheba and Arad. Tel Beersheba was a place Abraham, Jacob and Isaac spent time in. It is the where Abraham built a well and it used to be a government outpost. Tel Arad was a fortress and the only surviving Israelite temple complex. We actually got to go into the Holy of Holies!

attractive archaeologists

(we went underground to the water system to see the well at Beersheba)

justin and andrew. two of my fav guys here

Rach and I in the Holy of Holies at Arad

That night we spent at a Kibbutz near the border of Israel and Egypt.

The people at the Kibbutz took us up into the Mountains to the sand dunes.

The sand dunes were outrageous! Soft cool sand, moutains, sun-setting, moon rising and billions of stars.

We played in the sand (flung ourselves down and tumbled around) then had a spiritual devotional.

After the sand dunes the Kibbutz put on a BBQ and pool party.

We had american burgers and swam!

Such a wild night!

Back to the Bible!

we had our 3rd field trip to a Biblical reserve called Neot Kedumim. (can i pronounce it? heavens no.) It is basically acres and acres of nature and Biblical replicas. The point was to live a day in Bible! You can hear, smell, taste and touch everyday life back then. Here is what we did:

1. drew water from a well

2. herded sheep (but really we did. we had to gather them and herd them into a circle)

3. gathered spices and made hyssop

4. made homemade pita bread

5. watched a legit Torah scribe at work

6. made a sukkah for the Jewish holiday coming up (Feast of the Tabernacle- everyone makes special huts out of boughs to pray/sit/sleep in)

We learned about all the plants, nuts and herbs in the bible and the symbols they carry. Oh highlight- I dried date honey! Never in my life have I ever wanted to eat a date, but it was part of the experience so I tried it. It was just like a sweet sugary syrup- delicious! It was fun to go back in time for a day- I make quite the domestic Bible woman!

TOMORROW WE LEAVE FOR EGYPT!!!! no big deal or anything. hahaha. while we are there we are going to: Cairo, Luxor and Sinai. Also I will be 20! Yes ladies and gentlemen I will be having my 20th birthday on top on Mount Sinai (we climb it that day). Booyah! We will make sure to fill you all in when we get back.... if we get back. hahaha just kidding! I refuse to get a) lost/left behind b) SICK c) carried off into the dessert on a run away camel.

Old City and Jericho Field Trip

GIRLS DAY OUT IN THE OLD CITY:

it was the last day of Ramadan so we first got a special holiday treat

aka hot pancake with warm sugar in the middle.

yummy!

shopping at Ali Baba's for genie pants

(mom- i didn't buy any haha)

candy stand- don't worry, i saw flies buzzing around on the candy.

only in the old city.

lunch date at the Pizzeria Basti across from the Austrian Hospice

notice the Sprite!

decorations for Ramadan

MaGnUm IcE cReAm BaRs!

on the sabbath we went to the Garden Tomb, it was absolutely gorgeous

every stinkin time i enter the Center from being out in the city all us girls run to the 2nd floor AC vent. we let our hair down and enjoy the cold air.

just a moment in the everyday life of a JC student.

CONQUEST FIELD TRIP:

Inn of the Good Samaritan and museum of Byzantine mosaics commemorating the Good Samaritan

(these pics are illegal and sneaky.... we didn't know at the time but no pics were allowed inside. haha oops!)

overlooking the road from Jericho up to Jerusalem

where the parable of the Good Samaritan took place:

reenactment of King Herod drowning his Brother-in-law at his Winter Palace.

muahahahah!

tree of zacchaeus

the walls of Jericho Joshua made tumble down

drinking the waters of Jericho!

with Dr. Chadwick- the most educated LDS person on archeology and geography of the Middle East. legit.

our bodyguards. they are my favorite. but really, they are.