WHEW, be warned y'all, this is gonna be a long one....
SORRY for the delay in updates. For those that might have been wondering, I'm safe, I'm happy, and I'm healthy. :) I'm currently sitting in the cozy little internet room at our hostel in CAIRO-yes, that's in EGYPT!!!! We've been here in Cairo for about three days now-wait, four I guess if you count the night we arrived? For the last two weeks or more my travel companions and I have been, as my friend Scott always says: "Livin the Dream." Life has never been more exciting I don't think! So, bare with me as I try to give a short recap really quick??
We started our journey in Jerusalem, which now, seems like a lifetime ago. I love Jerusalem, and I loved being able to return with now friends to make new memories with. I was able to return to the Old City-and realized that it is STILL one of my all time favorite places in the world-I even walked right by the hotel I stayed at last time I was there! THAT brought back memories! We took a trip to the Dead Sea one day as well, which brings my total dead sea trips up to THREE in my lifetime so far-pretty good for only bring 20 right?? Haha..I feel EXTREMELY lucky to have been given so many chances to see such an interesting and unique part of the world. I'm going to repeat a sentiment I've said many a time before-I think EVERYONE should take a dip in the dead sea at some point in their lives..it's just too indescribable and too different from anything else out there.
But anyway, after a few days in Jerusalem, we made our way across the border in to Jordan. We traveled via the King Hussein/Allenby bridge, just outside Jerusalem. This experience taught me one very important lesson..crossing borders via land incurs a LOT more fees than flying does. I'm fairly certain they would add up to be almost equal as far as pricing goes once you consider the exit taxes and the entrance fees and the visa charge..lets just say it was one of the most expensive two hours of my life. BUT happily, that's all the time it took-2 hours, and then...I was back!! I was in Amman again for the first time in TWO YEARS. It felt like home. I knew the streets, I knew the places-it was an indescribable feeling of utmost comfort and relief. But it didn't stop there-I was able to return to my host family!!! My sister, Rawan, was the first person I called right after arriving. Soon we were in the taxi to their house, and I was rocked with deja vu at walking up their street again, and happy I remembered exactly where to go! After some [very] excited hello hugs and kisses, I introduced my new friends to my family, and we were invited to stay for dinner that day. This was all happening of course during the month of Ramadan, so my family was fasting during the day BUT after the sun went down, dinner was EVERYTHING I remember and more. There weren't enough seconds in each minute to do all the catching up we had to do or to eat all we wanted to eat. I was again surprised and awed by their hospitality..although I'm not sure why-I should have known. EVERYONE remembered me and greeted me as family, and seeing all the cousins and grandparents again..even now writing about it, I can't help but smile. After dinner we all went out to one of my old favorite haunts downtown for some hookah and ice cream. I wish I could describe the feeling of happiness and content that spread throughout my entire being all night. I think that night might have been the happiest I've been in a VERY long time. I was with new friends who were eager to see the city and to hear the Arabic and who's excitement couldn't help but be felt in the air around us, and I was reunited with a family that I consider as much my own as my family back in Wisconsin-it was pure bliss, and a feeling I'm going to remember for a very long time. Right around the time that we had planned to separate (three of my friends were going to stay at a hostel we had booked in advance, while myself and Carolyn were going to stay with my family) Rawan, Basel and their parents AGAIN surprised me, and offered to let ALL FIVE of us stay at their place for the remainder of our time in Amman. I was blown away. This is why I love them, and why I will always return. So all five of us took over their home for two days, which meant that my sister and mother had to keep covered at all times, as my friend Chris was along-quite a sacrifice for them. But, in light of there still being much to say about my journey, I will cut short this section for now..just know that I had more fun in those two days than I ever could have imagined, and I'm already planning my return. Saying goodbye the morning we left was one of the hardest things I think I've ever done, but I know it won't be the last time I see them all.
SO THEN, after some tearful goodbyes, our group headed on to Petra. I have of course, already been to Petra, but, its one of those things that is SO big that you really can't see it all in just one visit, so I was happy to return with our group, as it was their first time to Jordan, and so, first time to Petra. Petra was just as beautiful as I remember, as was Wadi Rum, the desert we made our way to the next day. We spent the night with a Bedouin family in a tent, and I was reminded of the most AMAZING night sky I've ever seen. From there we made our way to Aqaba, on the Red Sea, and had plans to catch a ferry to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
Here's where we hit our first bump in the road. The ferry boat company offers two boats going from Jordan to Egypt everyday, the fast one, and the slow one. We were told by a friend before leaving Haifa to NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, take the slow boat. Of course, when we got there, the fast boat was full, and after much debating...we decided to take the slow boat. NOW, I'm going to preface this section with saying that the slow boat wasn't all THAT bad-just SLOW, and crowded, and expensive...it's become kind of a running joke now to us all..ANYTHING is better than the slow boat haha...but we DID make it to Sinai!!!
In Sinai we stayed at little joint called "Harby's Place." IT. WAS. PARADISE. They are little huts RIGHT off the water's edge on the beach, with no electricity and no real floors. We crashed after arriving pretty late that first night but were awaken by the sound of waves crashing right outside, and we opened the door to the most perfect picture I think I'll ever have the pleasure of seeing. We spent five days in this paradise, snorkeling, swimming, sunning, eating...taking a vacation from our vacation in a way I guess? (And as everyone knows, I KNOW how to vacation!!) Just about the only productive thing we did the whole time was a night hike up to the top of Mount Sinai. We arrived at the summit right around 1am and proceeded up to the very top during the wee hours of the morning. It was a rough climb, and I'm STILL sore from it. We made it to the top right around 3 am, and subsequently froze our BUTTS off for the next two hours in the frigid cold that one can only experience at the top of a mountain. BUT, just after 6 in the morning, it was all worth it, as the sun began to peak over the Sinai range and brighten the sky (as well as thaw our toes), all the hard work was [mostly] forgotten. It was so incredibly picturesque, and an experience I'm glad I now have in my repertoire. The stars before the sunrise were pretty fantastic too, and between those few hours and the night we spent in Wadi Rum I think I probably saw over 100 shooting stars-guess there are times when it pays to be a little superstitious?? :)
When we made it back to our beach huts at around noon, we all crashed from the lack of sleeping, but, as I said, it was more than worth it. Our last morning in Sinai was a sad one, and we began the long and frustrating journey to Cairo. We ended up changing cars three times? And showing our passports five? I think? It wasn't the easiest road trip of my life, that's for sure, but after about 7 hours, we made it to CAIRO.
The initial walk to our hostel was more than intimidating. It was Eid, the celebration after Ramadan, and the streets were PACKED. And as a group of five young Americans loaded with bags...we were an easy target for slews of harassment that I wish could have been avoided, but..alas, we made it safe and sound. The next day we went to the Egypt Museum, hung out with some REALLY old Mummies and such, no big thang. :) We got to see King Tut's mask too, which I thought was pretty cool..and afterwards we walked around the downtown area, went a market, saw a dance show, and did an excellent job of tiring ourselves out. Then the next day, yesterday, we decided to meet up with a friend of ours we met on the ride down here. Some people might scold us for doing so, but all five of us assessed the situation and decided we would take him (Ahmad) up on his offer to show us around his village outside of Cairo. (He's a student studying in Cairo, but lives in a village just outside the city, that we STILL can't find on a map...haha) SO we took a little day trip to Zagazig...which turned in to a day trip to various other villages that we never learned the names of. Ahmad and his friends showed us around their favorite places, and took us on a "safari." I wish I could go in to more detail now but this post is already too long...I will say only this, it was the most ridiculous situation I've ever found myself in, and one of the most fun. We didn't get back until very late last night, and we're planning to return before we leave Egypt. (He sort of invited us all to a wedding this weekend!!!) SO our plans now are a little up in the air, but we'll figure it out soon....today we visited the Pyramids, which was AWESOME. I can't wait to upload pictures to share with everyone.
There are so many more stories to tell, and so many more characters we've met, and SO MANY more things I've learned about life, about traveling, about myself...I wish I had more time to share it all. Maybe soon...for now, its nap time, then..who knows?? I'm not sure where the next few weeks will take me..we're kind of running out of planned itinerary...but I'm sure each day will be more exciting than the last, and I'm sure I'll love every second of it..even the not so enjoyable parts. SO, here's to unforgettable adventures, and being able to share them with everyone I love. Not sure when the next update will come, but until then...
Paz, Salaam, Shalom, Peace
:)
No comments:
Post a Comment