Egypt

I am limited on time, so this may have to be a quick blog... will update again.. soon?

There isn't much else to say about the Greek Islands. I had a great time with my friend Nancy, and really hope to visit her next summer at her home in Chicago. I am having a more diffucult time trying to persuade her to come to Canada and visit me in Kelowna, or Calgary or where ever the heck i will be living in 9 months. The only other adventure was the almost pickpocketing! We were on the train back to Athens when some jerk-a-ma-holic next to me decided it would be a good idea to try and open my purse and have a free for all with my belongings. Fortunately i noticed the 5 finger discount happening and yelled at him on the train. After perfuse denial, he and his friend made a quick exit at the next stop. I am lucky that i caught him, and he didn't make off with anything! That had me quite riled up, i was ready to tear some heads off once i got over the initial shock, but i have had a good 10 days to get over it!!

The next stop was Egypt where i flew into Cairo and met my Mom and Brain at a beautiful hotel just across the street from the pyramids!! How can you be disappointed in that. They were sitting by the pool waiting for me to meet them. The hotel is called the Mena House Oberi, and has been there since the 1800's!!! They have done alot of updating, but you definatly get the old time feeling and it is very Egyptian. It was so beautiful and i really didn't mind the pampering they provided me with. You couldn't stand in the reception lounge for more than 45 seconds before about 2 or 3 people are rushing you to see what they can do for you. The economy relies very very heavily on the tourism industry, so they actually have their own police force for tourism and antiquities!!! The roads in Cairo are somethign to be seen. It is the definition of organized chaos, only the only form of organization is only apparent to the locals. People swerve around one another, a series of quick honks or beeps, and the flashing of headlights the only signal that you are planning to swerve into oncoming traffic, or between two cars on a one lane road!! It is facinating to watch, with a slight cry from your own mortality as you sqeeze between a bus, a dump truck and then blast through a group of people trying to cross the road, entering the chaotic highway with a hand stuck out to signal their crossing and hoping that someone will not hit them.
On my way to the hotel to meet my family i kept watching these people standing in the middle of the highway, one arm stuck out, and hoping that i didn't have to postpone my trip to help some poor soul who had been flattened on the highway. I just kept saying ABC's, airway, breathing, circulation....
We have seen and done so much here in Egypt. We had the most fantastic guide in Cairo, a lady who is raising 3 children, has her degree in archeology, and was currently trying to be a mom, tourguide, wife, and write her masters thesis on Egypology. She used to work down at one of the pyramids translating hyroglyphics!!! She was a master!
We visited the steps pyramid, the 3 great pyramids, the museum, the citadel, the Mohummad Ali Mosque (not to be confused with the boxer!), the Cairo Musuem, and saw so many absolutely amazing things!! Eman (pronounced Ee- maun) was so thorough in her descriptions and pointed out so many incredible things on the carvings in some of the tombs we saw. We were amazed to see 5000 year old hedgehogs carved into the walls! The artists even had humor and she would show us some of the ironies or humor that was carved onto the wall. We learned alot about the history and the culture of the ancient egyptians.
We even got to go into the Cheyops pyramid, or the pyramid designed byt Kufu! It was completely amazing. You have to climb up this tunnel which is only abotut 4 ft tall, and you are going up this long, dark tunnel that has no air, and no end in sight. Finally you reach a small room, only to have to go up another slanting, short tunnel. There is only one way in and out of the pyramid so you are trying to sqeeze yourself up against the wall when you are already scruched down, so it is not the place for anyone with claustrophobia! Finally you reach this room that is pitch dark besides the one light that they have placed in the room. It is made of black granite, and the only thing that was found after the tomb robbers was a granite sarcophagus, which the pyramid would have had to be built around. You can hear yourself breath the musty air in the place as it is all surrounded by granite. It literally smells like "old". It was amazing. Brian and I were bad children and as we were in the tomb by ourselves for about 5 minutes jumped in and layed in the sarcophagus! Eerie!

We have done and seen so much. Been in places that are over 5000 years old, seen paint and art in forgotten tombs that has survived for 3000 years, still beautiful in its colors and astounding in the definition and beauty that has been given to the carvings! I have loved this time here and will write much much more about my adventures, but have to go. Leave tomorrow to meet my dad in Thialand! Very exciting!
Only 6 more weeks. Am already sad to leave!
Love you