Home Again in Jerusalem.

We made it back from Egypt. I have never had a week full. The entire week was non stop. I try to highlight some of the best. We left the center early Sunday morning and made 2 stops at Beersheba and Arad. Then we arrived at Kibbutz Ketura which was one of 2 Kibbutzem we would visit on our trip. Kibbutzem are very popular throughout Israel. It is the only place on earth that communism has worked completely. They are mostly occupied by Jews and is voluntary. It kind of reminded me of the Dharma community on Lost. There is a center building with a cafeteria, synagogue and meeting rooms and there is a beautiful pool and tiny little houses surrounding. Kibbutzem have several outsources. This one had cattle, a hotel and they filtered water from the dead sea for expensive minerals and vitamins. To be a member of the Kibbutz you have to go through an intense background check and have to go through several trial runs and they all the members vote if they want to make them a member. Then it isn't official until they have lived in the Kibbutz for a year without any problems. It was really fascinating. We had a really neat guy who showed us around and took us to the sand dunes where we played. The sand is like flour! So incredibly fine. Then he asked us to ponder about the peacefulness the dessert offers and we spent some time spread out throughout the dessert to think. It was very enlightening and there really is a special feeling in the dessert. Then we shared some of the things we thought about and it was very special to hear him share his feelings based on his Jewish beliefs and I think he really enjoyed hearing what we had to say.

We then headed to Cairo. When Professor Chadwick directed our gazes to the pyramids for the first time the entire bus gasped. And the same happened when we crossed the Nile. Cairo is a crazy city. To think that I used to think Israel driving was bad... I learned several things before even getting off the bus in Cairo.

1. On several busy highway streets there are no lines. Not that it matters because when there are lines most cars stradle them. 
2. It seemed like the majority of the buildings were unfinished and abandoned. It gives a really eerie feeling. A sad result of the Egyptian economy. 
3. More people ride on top of vehicles than inside of them. Whether it be a car, truck or trailer lots of people just sit on the roof as they drive around town.
4. All the city buses and shuttles drive with the doors wide open and completely full to capacity. 
5. Women really do carry things on their heads. Whether it be trash that they're about to throw into to Nile, groceries or clothes. 

 The hustle and bustle of Cairo is really exciting! But one thing it isn't is friendly. Absolutely nothing is free in Cairo. And that is a strange concept. A tip is expected on everything. Often times someone will come up to you offering to take a picture with you or offering help with something and you will be so flattered that someone would be so nice then they ask for money. And as soon as you turn them down they are not so nice.

We got the see the pyramids the next day! They are unbelievable. I remember in 5th grade learning about ancient Egypt and being fascinated by the pyramids and I felt surreal to be standing in front of them. We even got to go inside the 2nd pyramid of Khafre. We went to lots of other temples and ruins around Cairo. Then we caught a quick flight to Luxor. Luxor is beautiful! It is a lot smaller than Cairo and not quite as dirty. The Nile appears to be much cleaner and there is a lot of green! We stayed at a 5 star Egyptian hotel, the Sheraton, that was beautifully set on the Nile! Our view was incredible. The opposite side of the Nile is where all the agriculture and that is where we went on our camel safari! I rode a camel named Rambo through
the green pastures with sheep, cows and goats, sesame and corn fields and groves of date palms. I got to see where a lot of the poorer people live.

In Luxor we visited the Valley of the Kings first where we got to go inside 4 tombs including the tomb of King Tut. I got to see his sarcophagus and his mummy! That is certainly something I never thought I would be able to see! The other tombs we visited were far more impressive though. Completely lined with colorful hieroglyphics. I was so jealous of Professor Chadwick and Muhlstein who can read all the stories lining the walls of the tombs!

We went to the Luxor temple and the Karnak temple. Karnak temple is unbelievable. It's full of ginormous pillars etched with millions of hieroglyphics. On the underside of some of the structures where the sun wasn't hitting them the heiroglyphics still had some color. I cannot imagine what such a huge place would have looked like covered with color. It doesn't even begin to compare with any modern architecture of today.  I think my favorite place in Luxor was Queen Hatshepsut's temple. I was really impressed with Queen Hatshepsut when I learned about her in My art history class because she is a woman who was actually the Pharaoh of Egypt in 1479 B.C. She was a very influential pharaoh. She had to of been to of had such an impressive temple complex built! Later I got to see her mummy in the Egyptian museum. She was obese and they called her mummy the "fat mummy" until they recently discovered it to be the famous Queen Hatshepsut.

I got to take several carraige rides through Luxor. Horse drawn carriages are a regular form of transportation and they ride right on the street with all the crazy cars. Which really is not a good idea because horses do not understand red lights, turn signals, brake lights and lanes. The first carraige ride I took on our first evening in Luxor was quite an experience. We rode through a busy market street and it was so interesting and humbling. I did not know the definition of street rats until then. Lots of small children were rummaging the streets begging for money. It's so, so sad. Lots of men have big guns strapped to their backs and there is lots of yelling and pushing.

We saw dozens of other places throughout Luxor but I'll fast forward to the adventure of our overnight train back to Cairo. We left at 7:30 and arrived at 5:30 the next morning. I hardly slept and the conditions didn't feel too sanitary. It was very grossed out. But I loved opening our curtain and watching all the lights go by of the small towns we went through. It felt very peacful.