Friday May 2nd (still catching up on the posts):
This was a hell of a way to start the trip. After waking up late due to a malfunctioning clock, we all drove into Giza. Driving down the highway, we turned a corner and could see the magnificent pyramids in the distance. I always knew they were big, but seeing the size of them from this far away really made it sink in.
We drove into a small village and boarded camels to ride into the desert. They were easier to ride than I thought, and actually were pretty comfortable (if you could find the right place to sit, of course).
I can't really describe to you how amazing the next few hours were; it is something you cannot really get a good feel for unless you do it yourself.
Gazing into the vast expanses of the Sahara desert alone is an eye-opening sight, but then riding camels right up to one of the seven wonders of the world is something I will probably never have the opportunity to do again. Being an engineering student made me marvel even more at these incredible structures. The fact that they were built thousands of years ago without any machinery at all, and are still standing today truly shows the intelligence of the people who inhabited Egypt during these times. This was truly something I will remember for the rest of my life.
We then walked to the Sphinx, and although this was a much different experience, it was very cool to see. This was a very touristy spot, with many locals trying to sell things or collect "baksheesh" (spare change or money for the poor). The Sphinx itself was amazing in that it was made from only one piece (or so we were told). A great amount of detail was seen in all parts of the face (of a man), head (of a woman), and body (of a lion).
On the way home Abdu (a friend of Professor Sullivan's and our sort of liezon for the trip) and all of us visited a very nice Papyrus shop in Giza to learn how paper is made from the papyrus plant. This was fun to see, and we then looked around the shop at a lot of magnificent pieces of hand painted art made on papyrus.
I finally got to try the local food at a restaurant we went to for lunch. It was very good...a buffet of mostly vegetables (with a great deal of spices and flavorings), meat, and bread.
Arabic Phrase of the Day (A new thing I'll be doing):
Shukran--"Thank you" (obviously this is just how the word sounds, as the Arabic alphabet is different)
This was a hell of a way to start the trip. After waking up late due to a malfunctioning clock, we all drove into Giza. Driving down the highway, we turned a corner and could see the magnificent pyramids in the distance. I always knew they were big, but seeing the size of them from this far away really made it sink in.
We drove into a small village and boarded camels to ride into the desert. They were easier to ride than I thought, and actually were pretty comfortable (if you could find the right place to sit, of course).
I can't really describe to you how amazing the next few hours were; it is something you cannot really get a good feel for unless you do it yourself.
Gazing into the vast expanses of the Sahara desert alone is an eye-opening sight, but then riding camels right up to one of the seven wonders of the world is something I will probably never have the opportunity to do again. Being an engineering student made me marvel even more at these incredible structures. The fact that they were built thousands of years ago without any machinery at all, and are still standing today truly shows the intelligence of the people who inhabited Egypt during these times. This was truly something I will remember for the rest of my life.
We then walked to the Sphinx, and although this was a much different experience, it was very cool to see. This was a very touristy spot, with many locals trying to sell things or collect "baksheesh" (spare change or money for the poor). The Sphinx itself was amazing in that it was made from only one piece (or so we were told). A great amount of detail was seen in all parts of the face (of a man), head (of a woman), and body (of a lion).
On the way home Abdu (a friend of Professor Sullivan's and our sort of liezon for the trip) and all of us visited a very nice Papyrus shop in Giza to learn how paper is made from the papyrus plant. This was fun to see, and we then looked around the shop at a lot of magnificent pieces of hand painted art made on papyrus.
I finally got to try the local food at a restaurant we went to for lunch. It was very good...a buffet of mostly vegetables (with a great deal of spices and flavorings), meat, and bread.
Arabic Phrase of the Day (A new thing I'll be doing):
Shukran--"Thank you" (obviously this is just how the word sounds, as the Arabic alphabet is different)
2 comments:
Ben:
What you are speaking of seems unreal. I am so excited for you. Please take everything in completely; as you said, this is a chance of a life time.
What are the Egyptian people like? Friendly? Skeptical of you folks, welcoming? I am very interested in the culture.
Hope all is well!
Love Ya,
Lou
The culture here is completely different from anything you could imagine. Although you have been to Belize, so there may be some similarities there...but I have a ton to write about for that, so I'm going to be putting together an entire post just regarding the culture here ASAP.
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