took a little trip...

So, it's taken me about 6 or 7 days to recover, although my stomach wouldn't say that it's back to normal (i think a little bit of pharaoh's revenge). But on the whole, I'd have to say that my trip to Egypt last week was amazing. 9 days in a country that has really scene the birth of our civilization and culture. It was surreal: the pyramids, the temples, the Nile, the Souqs. Granted, I may be ruin-ed out for a little bit, but it was worth it.

I won't bore you with all the details, but I'll give you an overview of the highlights:

Cairo - the largest and most populated city in Africa, this city is bustling with life at all hours of the day. With a population of 16 million people, it's huge! We stayed right by the downtown area (Talat Harb), which is a street lined on both sides by clothing stores. Egyptians think that the best marketing strategy is to stick as many mannequins as possible in the windows. These weren't just normal mannequins, but were out of control and had the oddest expressions. It was ridiculous, but really entertaining at the same time. Traffic sucks, the city is dirty, and there are people everywhere. But it was awesome, especially in contrast to Amman.

Giza: Yep, took a stroll around the Pyramids of Giza. 2 Wonders of the World down. Giza is really incredible, really touristy though. The sphinx is spectacular as well. It's so fascinating to see these structures which were built over 4000 years ago still standing. Yes, it's a complete tourist trap, as well. Fortunately, we didn't fall into any...many...of the traps set for tourists because of our fluent arabic. Hahaha...i make myself laugh. But, we had gotten a driver through our hostel to take us to the pyramids, who then proceeded to take us to a bunch of tourist-trap places to buy rugs, or perfumes, or papyrus scrolls. It seemed like a big scheme, so we were fairly successful at not giving in.

Western Desert: Probably my favorite part of the trip. We took at 2 day/1 night camping trip out to the Western Desert and saw the Black Desert and White Desert. The views were stunning, surreal, (insert adjective here). We slept out underneath the stars. Gorgeous. Probably the best part was the Italian couple that was on our tour with us. They spoke little English, but provided for some ridiculously awkward moments.

Luxor: Located in the south of Egypt (or Upper Egypt), a lot of the ruins are located here. That’s after the 12-hour train ride to get there of course. Luxor is the Ancient city of Thebes and used to be the capital of Egypt. Hence why there are so many ruins there: The Valley of the Kings, The Valley of the Queens, Queen Hatshetput's Temple, Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple. The Valley of the Kings is incredible because the tombs still have the original paint in them (unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures).

Aswan: A really relaxing town further south ofLuxor. Saw the Aswan Dam (a huge bone of contention during the Cold War), the Phillae Temple (a temple that had been flooded by the dam and then relocated to another site). Sunset on the Nile.

Alexandria: A Mediterranean coast town. We wanted to go swimming but the weather was too cold. Still, a relaxing day towards the end of our trip hanging out by the water.

Culture: You'd think all of the Middle East would be the same. But I've found out that this stereotype is in no way true. Egyptian culture, at least towards tourists, is completely different than Jordan. Not to say that we didn't have a great time, but it was different. Whereas in Jordan you'll get a "Welcome to Jordan" or "Let me help you", in Egypt you're more likely to get hasseled than anything. Despite the fact that then language is DIFFERENT in Egypt (which completely discourages me from ever thinking I'll learn the language), we were able to pick up a little of the colloquial and get by. But even so, shopowners will yell at you from across the street to come into their stores, only to get mad at you for not buying anything when you never intended to in the first place. And baksheesh, or tips, is a huge part of the way people operate. They'll ask for it after any "service" they provide, even for something as small as giving directions. Egyptians also have a fascination with foreign women. The 4 girls that I was with got at least a couple undying love confessions and marriage proposals while we were there. And walking down the street, I got a couple "Cassanova" or "4 wives...lucky man" or my favorite "Spicy". It takes a little getting used to.

So at the end of the day, I am so glad to be back in Jordan. I've realized what a great place it is to study here. But..only a month left. It's scary to think how quickly this time has gone by. I think it might be time to actually...study? Although, who said studying was part of a study abroad experience....

You know, the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx...

The White Desert. Can you guess why this one is called The Chick?

Sunrise over the White Desert. Stunning.



The Black Desert.

Luxor Temple.

Luxor's "motto". Made me laugh.


The carvings at the Phillae Temple. Still in great condition.

Sunset over the Nile in Aswan.

We went to this Sufi Dance Festival. Sufiism is a mystical sect of Islam that has its own traditions and customs. The music and dancing was really interesting. The guy in the middle here had been twirling for about 25 minutes when I took this picture...gotta give him props!