EGYPT

DAY ONE Tuesday, February 18, 2003

Our first day in Egypt brought us to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Great Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza and a short but bumpy camel ride.  The mask of King Tut, one of the wonders of the ancient world and a ride on a spitting mammal--All in one action-packed day!

DAY TWO Wednesday, February 19, 2003

Our second day in Egypt and the first on our cruise ship.  Our day started off early as we flew south to Aswan, where we visited the temple at Philae, saw an unfinished obelisk and enjoyed a relaxing felucca ride on the Nile... Then, to finish it off, we danced the night away to classic early 90s techno!

DAY THREE Thursday, February 20, 2003

Our first day of sailing on the Nile brought us to the small temple of Kom-Ombo and a carriage ride to the massive temple at Edfu.  We experienced the ridiculously forward merchants in the marketplace and ended the day with a theme dinner/dance party as we dressed up in traditional Egyptian garb.

DAY FOUR Friday, February 21, 2003

Our third day on the cruise ship began with a beautiful Nile sunrise as we awoke on the top deck ...For our tours, we docked in Luxor where we visited the massive Temple of Karnak in the afternoon, and the Temple of Luxor after sunset.

DAY FIVE Saturday, February 22, 2003

We kissed the Nile goodbye as our last day in southern Egypt brought us to the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Workers, the palace of Hatshepsut, and the temple to Rameses II. Then, after a long and hot day in the Egyptian desert, we flew back to Cairo for our last few days in Egypt...

DAY SIX / SEVEN Sunday & Monday, February 22-23, 2003

Sunday brought us to the step pyramid at Sakkara, Coptic Cairo and a Muslim mosque.  On Monday, our last day in Egypt, we set foot on three continents as we traveled to the land of Goshen, the Suez Canal and Marah, the place of the bitter water, before heading back home to Athens.

This week was incredible.  While we were sailing on the Nile, viewing the pyramids, and getting sunburned in the deserts of Egypt, Wichita Kansas was blanketed in 10 inches of snow.  I feel so overwhelmingly blessed--this trip is one that I will never again experience in my lifetime.  5-star hotels.  A cruise on the Nile River!  The pyramids of Egypt!  The Sphinx.  King Tut!  Memories to last a lifetime...  The whole time, we felt totally safe (of course we had a small army escort weilding semi-automatic weapons) and the culture of Egypt was a totally new experience.  Everywhere we went we went we were haggled by the locals for money.  They would try to get us to buy their trinkets, literally throwing them at us!  People would offer to take our pictures (yeah, like I am going to just fork over my camera) and whenever we went to the bathroom, a dude would stand there and point out the sink and the soap, hand us some toilet paper for our hands, and then say, "Tip?..."   Unbelievable.  We were also so very lucky to have our guide, Osmond.  He speaks English perfectly and grew up in Luxor, so he knows the country like the back of his hand.  Everywhere we went, he would bargain for us and show us the best spots.  He is a Muslim, but knows a lot about Christianity, so maybe he will find the Lord...  Anyway, the best parts of the trip, in my mind, were spent on the Nile.  The sunrises and sunsets were absolutely gorgeous, and our felucca ride was SO peaceful.  God has truly created a perfect world, and I thank Him every day that I am gettin to see just a little glimpse of it.  Praise God!!