Let me just start by saying Egypt was one of the most unforgettable experiences I have ever had. As far back as I can remember, I had always had a firm answer to the common question ‘‘if you could visit anyplace in the world, which would it be?’’ I would shout Egypt without hesitation every time. Three days ago I stared across the Sahara desert at the pyramids, numb to the four o’clock morning chill, my eyes became moist as I felt such a captivating feeling of happiness and fulfillment for something I have longed to do for as long as I can remember. I will continue to be enticed by this moment for as long as I live. We ported into Alexandria the first day, and a group of friends and I caught a cab to the train station. After driving the first few blocks, I fell in love with Egypt. I recollect on how strange it felt to be in the Middle East, where their history is filled with controversy and has yet to cease. The people, however, were great and very welcoming to everyone. After the three hour train ride to Cairo, we met up with an old friend, Cole, who is going to Graduate school in Cairo. He set us up with his friend, Amir, who manages a hostel close to the Egyptian museum. Amir was great, he set everything up for us, and arranged tours and drivers for the entire trip. That night we went out with Cole, had some Kosha, a traditional Egyptian meal consisting of rice, noodles, beans, meat, and a few other things foreign to my knowledge. After dinner, we went to a Hooka bar and shared the traditional Muslim Hooka pipe, standing about three feet tall and loaded with Sheesh, a traditional tobacco. We met some Egyptians there and talked about politics with them, both American and Egyptian. After the Hooka bar, we had a few beers and conversed with Cole about how it felt to live in the Middle East and caught up on some old times. The next morning, we got up at three o’clock to meet our driver who was to take us to the Giza district, where we would receive our camels. We each got out own camel, and trekked about four miles through the chilly night into the Sahara desert, over sand dunes and through valleys. We perched up on the highest hill we could find, and bundled up to stay warm. I never thought I would be freezing in a desert. The stars were mystical, their shine illuminated the edges of the pyramids, giving us our first glimpse of the magnificent structures. I remember looking up at the bright stars, and becoming fascinated knowing these great pyramids were built under the same ceiling thousands of years ago. As the sun came up, the pyramids revealed themselves slowly. We all stood up. In one direction, we could see the city of Cairo, in another, the endless stretch of the Sahara, and in the other, the Great Pyramids of Egypt. We stayed here for about two hours, and I had to go sit alone to marvel at my dream coming true before my eyes. The experience was captivating. It was the first time I saw a childhood dream of mine reveal itself, and it was doing so with the rising of the sun. It was a feeling of ecstasy, and now that I know how that feels, it makes accomplishing more of my dreams seem all the more worthwhile. We took our camels back and hopped on some horses to ride into the pyramids. Our guide took us a back way, to avoid entrance fees and we galloped closer. We left our horses about two hundred yards out and spent the next couple of hours exploring the three thousand year old ancient wonder of the world. The blocks that made up the pyramids were massive, and the collaboration of them stacked one atop another confused the hell out of me. We went inside the middle pyramid, but much of it was closed off. I met a vendor outside who spoke ten different languages, acquiring them all in the five years he has spent selling necklaces outside of the pyramid. I speak three languages, and he made me feel quite inferior. I watched him converse in French, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. We continued around back of the middle pyramid and began to climb up. We got about half way up, took some pictures, collected some pieces of the pyramid, and sat for a bit and talked about how surreal it was that we were sitting on top of the Great Pyramids of Egypt. We were then motioned to get down by a guard. There were very few tourists around until about noon, when the busses began showing up, so we decided to leave. This morning was truly a dream come true. I am so appreciative of my parents to have provided me with such a great opportunity. That afternoon we went to the Museum of Egypt, where we saw everything from tombs, live mummies, and the actual gold head mask of King Ramsey II, Egypt’s most famous king. That night we took a sleeper train to Luxor, about eleven hours south. I met another student from Colombia, Andres, and conversed with him in Spanish for much of the night. He was very nice and when I visit Colombia here very soon, I am going to call him. The first day in Luxor, we were picked up and provided a guide. Luxor was the center of Egypt in Ancient times. The East bank consisted of the temples and structures of everyday life. In ancient times, the East bank was the center of life, since the sun rose in the east, and the West bank was the bank of death, where the tombs of kings and queens lie, because the sun sets, or ‘‘dies’’ in the west. The ancient Egyptians believed the mother of the sky gave birth to the sun in the east, and the sun died in the west, so that is how they mapped their lives. We visited Karnak and the temple of Luxor the first day, which were magnificent. Everything you see in your history books about ancient hieroglyphs, giant statues, and elongated pillars, etc. is all located here in Luxor. We visited Karnak (picture above of me in front of two figures), and the Luxor Temple (picture of the sphinx face) later that night. After the tours, we sat outside a Hooka bar and smoked Hooka, played cards, and had deep talks about politics with some Egyptian men. We ended up having very similar opinions and distastes, especially and obviously and Bush and what he calls his administration. The next morning in our hotel lobby, I noticed a woman who didn’t speak much English trying to get something across the receptionist. After listening a bit, I realized she was trying to explain in Spanish. I went over and spoke to her, telling her in Spanish I could translate for her. Her eyes lit up and she was so happy. I told the receptionist in English that she wanted to leave note for her friend who was coming later that day and wanted him to relay the message to her. After relaying the message, the woman asked me if I was from Mexico, because I had a thick Mexican accent, I though that was pretty funny. She was such a nice lady, and I met her friends later in the day. They were from Colombia as well, and we got the chance to talk quite a bit. We exchanged information and when I backpack through Colombia, I will be sure to visit them, as they were so great. That day we explored the West bank, which included the Valley of the Kings, where all of the great kings were buried, the Valley of the Queens, and the temple of Queen Hatchitsup, which you see in the above picture. The last night before we took our train back, we took a felucca ride down the Nile river. A felucca is a small sailing boat with curving triangular sails dating back to ancient times. We watched the sun set while on the boat. We caught our train that night at about ten o’clock, and it was one of the most disgusting places I had ever spent the night. Some of were so tired we slept on the floor, and spent the next day smelling quite awful. I thanked everything holy the next day when we got off the train, and spent the next afternoon in Islamic Cairo, exploring a Mosque and the marketplace. In summary, Egypt, along with the many memories it gave me, has been my favorite place thus far. I will be back to Egypt, with anyone who wants to share the experience. It was just so interesting to be in the Middle East, so different from anything we know back the US. Seeing married women completely covered in black veils was fascinating as well, and all women have to cover their hair in public. Many men have multiple wives, including the brother of our guide. Life is just so different in Muslim countries. Egypt was great, and I loved every minute of it, well except of course the dirty trains. We ate at McDonalds one day in luxor, and we sat up on the third floor. I remember looking out of the window and seeing the ruins of the Temple of Luxor across the street and thinking, ‘‘well, here I am eating a quarter pounder from an American restaurant, staring out at a three thousand year old temple in Egypt, how is that for globalization?’’
