Walking Like an Egyptian

Sorry for the delay, but here is more juice from our amazing trip to Egypt. After getting out of Cairo we took a night train down to Aswan, a city in the south of Egypt. We had a nice hotel right on the Nile, yes the Nile River was just sitting there when we walked out of our hotel. I don't know if I can ever get used to how amazing and different each place is that we visit. Just the idea that we rode a camel or that our hotel is on the Nile is enough for me to want to pinch myself to see if this trip is real. Anyway, in Aswan we had a half day tour of the city on a felucca boat around some of the tiny islands on the Nile, the botanical gardens, and Elephant Island. We then took the much anticipated camel rides. Mary and I were fired up about the camels, how could you not be, they are just such cool looking dudes!?! We rode on the camels for an hour, talk about a butt work-out, to view the Monastery of St. Simeoren. We were honestly just on the camels traveling somewhere in the middle of the desert, it could have been 1,000s of years ago. Surreal. Pinch me.

One of the coolest things we did was go to a Nubian (local people in Aswan) village. All the kids in the village were running after our trucks yelling hello to us and waving, so cute. At the village we went into a Nubian families home where they served us dinner, the Egyptian usual combo of flat bread, random assortment of veggies with peas and tomatoes, chicken, rice, and eggplant mush-stuff which is pretty awesome. It was such a pleasure to be a guest in a family home with all the children of the house dancing around and waving at us.

Maybe our best day in Egypt started off with a 3 am wake-up call followed by a 4 hour bus ride to see the all impressive, Abu Simbel Temple. It might be the most magnificent thing that I saw in Egypt (yes I said it). We were walking on the dirt path to see this Temple and suddenly it appeared, the TEMPLE of Abu Simbel. It consists of four huge statues showing Abu Simbel at different stages in his life. These statues are so massive I cannot even imagine what it must have been like to be the person that first uncovered them; they took my breath away. Inside the Temple are some of the most amazing statues and engravings and paintings that I have ever seen in one room. The inside area is huge with several rooms, high ceilings and all of them are decorated with the symbols such as the God of protection, the key of life, or the God of fertility. Awesome. Next to the Temple is the temple of his most beloved wife, Nefertiti. He had about 70 wives but Nefertiti was his favorite, so sweet. Her temple was also covered with gorgeous statues on the outside and engravings on the inside. Egypt is so impressive...

Later that day when we got back to our hotel we just spent time with our awesome group by the pool relaxing and napping. That night we did some bargaining at the local market, and I love a good bargain. Then it was off to bed before our all day fellucca boat trip to Luxor and my Birthday!