Pyramids, Papyrus, and Pushy Camel Jockeys

Once again time has lost all bearing; jet lag, overwhelming experiences, and long waits have collaborated to create what I can only call "time traveling". This experience is common among oversea excursions and leaves the host unable to comprehend simple everyday tasks. Survival mode takes over, giving food, rest, and bathroom breaks primary importance. The last five days are a blur, spinning around my head like fruit in a blender. But I will try to organize what I can and articulate it in a way that bears some understanding.

Lets start with Tuesday. The plane ride over the North Atlantic was with out a hitch. Flying seems to have lost it's excitement although I still cannot find a way to sleep. Landing in Amsterdam at noon on Wednesday was a highlight for Dad I am sure, as it was his first time to see Holland–his parents homeland. A quick rail ride downtown brought us to our hotel located beside the Central Train Station. With only 24 hours on hand no much could be accomplished, however we did swing by Anne Franks house, the Rijksmuseum, and the Dutch Resistance Museum.

An early flight to Cairo got us to the airport first thing in the morning bringing us to Egypt by three o'clock local time. This was my first step out of my comfort zone. Arab countries can be intimidating but I am thankful I took World Religions and Cultural Anthropology last semester to give me a little cultural understanding. Thursday night was spent getting to the hotel and settling in. Friday gave us a first real taste of this amazing place. Because the tour we booked did not start until Saturday we found a guide and car to tour some of the more low key sights. We toured some of Old Cairo which contained the proposed sights of Moses being found in the Nile and the refuge location of Jesus, Joseph and Mary. Mosques and Castles followed along with a interesting trip to the Nation Papyrus Museum where we learned how to make the worlds first paper and had a chance to pick up some awesome souvenirs.

Although the intricacy of King Tutankhamuns Mask equally compares, the vastness of the Pyramids at Giza cast a large shadow over the memories of today. The great sphinx and three famous pyramids lived up to the hype and provided an impressive representation of Egypt's amazing history. Pictures don't do it justice but until you see it for yourself it will have to do. The Egyptian Museum containing over 300,000 artifacts is located right downtown next to the Tahrir square where 2 million protested for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak a few months ago. Protest are still going on calling for peace between Egyptian Christians and Muslims. Yesterday 1.5 million took the streets, so don't be surprised if Theo makes a few jokes about causing a riot when he came to Cairo.

Well that is all I have for the moment, much more to come though, believe me.

-Kevin