Along the Nile

This is it! The last post on my travels to the Middle East. When I started this,

I had no idea it would take me twelve posts to journal my experiences on
this trip.  If you've been virtually traveling along with me, I hope you've had
a great time.  I've decided blogging is definitely the best way to answer
that oft asked question, "how was your trip?"  Although sometimes all the
inquirer wants to know is if I  had a good time, I have many friends who
have been genuinely interested and have wanted to see pictures and
"hear all about it".  I've been sending those folks to visit my blog, and
have enjoyed reading their comments.   Sometimes when you get someone
started on their vacation stories and pictures,  it can be hard to get them to
stop - you know, all that excitement from a recent trip can be hard to contain.
I'm afraid I'm guilty of this myself.  But the beauty of a blog is you can turn
them off any time you want and they won't be offended at all, because they
won't know! Ha!  And the best part is you can travel along from the comfort
of your own home, wearing your jammies, while eating your favorite snack.
Definitely a win-win situation.

So if your with me for one last post, I'm going to take you to southern
Egypt to see some amazing history along the Nile River.

The Nile is the longest river in the world and the lifeblood for the people
who live near it's banks.  Everything is green and fertile for a few miles
on each side and then it turns to desert.  Rain is rarely seen here- like years
between rain falls.  Can you imagine?

When we got off the bus in The Valley of the Kings, I felt like I was
stepping into an oven.  It was so hot and dry!!!  Walking from tomb
to tomb, I was seeking even the smallest spot of shade as a respite
from the heat.  No photography was allowed in the tombs, but the
hieroglyphics on the walls were amazing.  Having been protected from
the elements for thousands of years, the colors were vivid and bright.
(Don't worry, I have plenty of good pictures of hieroglyphics.)  The
valley was surrounded by high cliffs, which were supposed to help
keep the tombs safe from tomb raiders.  Unfortunately that didn't
work out so well.   There are 64 tombs in the valley.  We were able
to tour three of them.

The temple and tomb of Queen Hatshepsut was next on the itinerary.
Do you remember reading stories of the Egyptian queen who ruled
as a pharaoh?  A woman pharaoh was a very unusual thing.  She is
often depicted dressed like a man.

It doesn't seem practical to spend the time to learn to read hieroglyphics, 

but wouldn't it be so cool to to be able to read it?

 We took a boat to the Temple of Osiris.

Sometimes we would ride for hours before we came to the next temple. 

I enjoyed "people watching" from the bus.

We drove through farming communities and saw the people working

in the fields and animals being herded down the streets.

Doesn't this just make you want to get up and get a piece of fruit?

The temple of Horace is the best preserved of all the ancient temples 

because it was completely covered with sand.

When you walk through the temples, there are often local people

who are more than willing to give you a "special" tour.  We were

warned to be careful of these people who would take you away

from the safety of the group and then want money.  It creeped me 

out and we were careful not to wander.  After all, we didn't have

LaRon to protect us with his cane, like he did at the pyramids. 

(Part of our group has already returned to the states.)   

 

Karnak Temple is the largest excavated temple and we did a lot

of walking here.

The sacred lake was the place for ceremonial washings before the

priests entered the temple.

The Hypostyle hall was the most impressive part of this temple to me. 

There were rows and rows of these columns (there were originally 134 

of them) with engravings and original paint still on many of them.  

Just so you can see how truly massive these were...

This pharaoh has lost his head, but is still pretty impressive.  He is holding

the key of life in both hands, symbolic for eternal life.

The last temple we visited was the Luxor Temple.  It was especially pretty

because we had a night tour.  It was a completely different experience than

the temples we visited during the day.

After a day of walking and riding, this hotel room was a welcome

sight. Isn't it a beautiful room?

Our time in Egypt was over and we were ready to head home.  Before
we left though, we had a scarf tying lesson by our guide, Shereem.
We had been admiring the Egyptian women's headdresses and
wanted to know how to do it ourselves.

Isn't this lovely? Especially with Sherri's new scarf.  

We fit right in with the other women around us.  This is a perfect

solution for a bad hair day.

Very tired and ready to go home, we were all traveled out.  What a treat
to enjoy this trip of a lifetime with my sister.  It exceeded all my expectations.
I learned so many things and met so many wonderful people.   I especially
love this quote which sums up perfectly how I feel about travel experiences.

"The real meaning of travel, like that

of a conversation by the fireside, 

is the discovering of oneself through 

contact with other people."

Paul Tournier

This is why I love to travel.  It's not just to see new things, although I do
enjoy that.  It's not just to expand my little world, which it surely does.
It's because every time I go somewhere new, I am a different person when
I return.  You simply can't be the same as you were before you left.  Every
day, every encounter with new people,  added something new to my life
that I will never forget.  Yes, my trip to the Middle East was a success,
because it has changed me...hopefully for the better.

Some Practical Things I Learned:

* Pack more clothes on my carry on bag.

* Carry more snacks and a greater variety

We got so bored with our snacks and there were days we 

relied on them because it was the only safe thing to eat.

 Or there was no place to eat!

*Carry lots of medicine for upset stomach

If you don't need it, someone else will.

*Carry extra fuses for converters

We had some problems with our electrical "stuff"- 

one hair dryer, one flat iron and one converter bit the dust

*You can't take too many pictures or

take too many notes 

Even though you think you won't forget, you will.

*Carry a bathroom bag with you

This was Sherri's idea and I made fun of her for taking it.

I was sooooo grateful that we had it.  So what's a 

bathroom bag, you ask?  A bag with toilet paper,

hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, etc.  

Most Commonly Overheard:

"Are  you sisters?"

"Are you twins?"

"Come, come closer."

"What are we doing today?"

"Is it safe to eat this?"

"Habibi, I would like you to know..."

"What did you buy?"

"Can you believe this?"

"How much in American dollars?"

"Are you feeling better?"
"Where's Norma and Evelyn?"

Memories for the Taste buds:

 falafel, khobiz, eggplant, feta
cheese, hummus, schwarma,
olives, zatar, pomegranate juice,
chili lime chips, lamb,
chocolate on dessert bars,
McDonalds in Egypt

Wonderful, wonderful memories!

*MYOF Goal #25 - Visit Israel.