Trains, Planes, Boats, and Automobiles!!!

I just went to Egypt for 8 days and it was so amazing! Here are some of my pictures of the highlights. Enjoy :) I love you all so much.


The Wilderness of Zin. Where the Israelites started wandering


Only in Egypt.


This is one of the things that took some getting used to...paying to use the toilet?



Advat. – ancient ruins



This was the perfect playground. It was so fun climbing all over the ruins. Thank goodness we climbed a lot before we saw the “no climbing is permitted” signs.



GQ pic on the fake camels



First view of the pyramid



Once again, a sign that I was in a third world country ☹



First view of the Nile!



So when you’re at a place with 80 other students, do not yell out GQ PHOTO! People just love to be in them and they just do not turn out with this many people. Ha.


I’m obsessed with palm trees because palm trees = warmth and they are so cool looking. I fell in love with the palm tree forests ☺



About to get the kiss of a lifetime. Pucker up sphinx baby


SCORE!!!



GQ in front of the sphinx


This picture is deceiving. Looks like I’m inviting him to join me in the picture huh? NOT. Because the Egyptians think they are so dang hot, they ask to be in your pictures or say they will be and then they charge you money for it.




First time at the pyramids!


Heidi and I in front of the Luxor Temple.



THE ALL SEEING EYE. This was EVERYWHERE. Aren’t Heidi and I so good at imitating it?



At the valley of the kings where King Tut is buried. See how the mountain behind me is shaped like a pyramid? Ancient Egyptians picked this place to be buried because they believed that the pyramids brought them closer to Heaven. Cool, huh? Valley of the Kings was one of my favorite sites. There was so much symbolism in all of the hieroglyphics and I wish I could have taken pictures!



You thought traffic in America was bad? No lanes exist in Egypt. The sound of honking is still in my ears.



The step pyramid at Saqqara. The most primitive pyramid.


GQ in an ancient Egyptian temple. Look at all the hieroglyphics on those pillars.


Standing by one of the 140 pillars in a temple at luxor.


Some of the hieroglyphics I saw. It is incredible that the color has been preserved for so long. I <3 hieroglyphics!



The Sheraton hotel in Luxor. Right next to the Nile:)


Talk about contrast....lush grass in the desert!


Chris and I rocking the fanny packs in front of the temple. I used to think moms were so nerdy for wearing fanny packs, now I am a big advocate for them because they are so handy.


Airplane ride from Cairo to Luxor.


Riding a train for the first time.


"Bread surprise" - our breakfast on the train. It wasn't as bad as anyone said it was going to be, it was so worth the experience.




Dance Party at the hotel. A cool Egyptian worker said he would play "teen American music" for us. There were a bunch of Chinese tourists there that were taking pictures of us and videotaping us. Then "Shu Ten" in the middle of this picture :) decided to dance with us and he yelled, "I dance because I do what I want!" I even taught him how to say "eye of the tiger" for karaoke. It was so fun.


Camels in the back of a truck. Never thought I would see this.



Matt Morgan and I on the Egyptian bus. Notice the classy colors.



The camel ride! This has to be one of my favorite parts of the trip. My camel's name was James Bond (Others were Bob Marley, George Clooney, etc.---to cater to the tourists:) ). For a time I thought his name was "Gemsquat" because my guide didn't speak English very well. My guide's name was Ebtu and he was the cutest thing. He didn't look a day past 13 but of course he said he was 17 when I said I was 20. He was very sweet and tried so hard the whole time to make sure I was comfortable and make conversation. He also complimented my eyes the whole time and told said "Don't forget me" and told me when he didn't have school so I could meet him. Oh man.....Egyptian boys..... at the end of the camel ride we were only allowed to give them a $1 tip. It broke his heart and mine because I could tell he needed more. When I left, he kept calling at me, "Tis little, tis little." It was sad.


Mounting a camel for the first time.


My legs came out of the straps on the side, so Ebtu suggested that I ride "Egyptian style" with my legs over the camel's neck. It was so fun! Ebtu even made the camel run to spice up the ride.



The falukah we rode on the nile. Some shady things happened while we were on our ride. Here's the story: there were two guys steering our boat. Half way through our ride, a motor boat filled with like 5 guys smoking and drinking drove up, and one of our guides got onto the boat. And they drove away. Five minutes later, a different boat came up and handed our guide a strange brown drink. Quite shady.


Our horse got slapped on his rump a lot and he still didn't run very fast. dang it.


Carriage Ride!!!


This picture (taken by Ms. Heidi Lambert) captures how you don't need money to be happy. You can find joy in the greatest poverty.


The sunsets are beautiful in Egypt.