Egypt part 1

Egypt Trip Overall: during the long (in distance and time but not feeling) bus rides we had almost constant commentary from our two professors Dr. Muhlestein (OT) and Dr. Chadwick (Ancient Near East) about what we were seeing out our windows. Loved it! Group bonding-quarters in the JC are close but this trip brought us even closer. I am surrounded by amazing, incredible people who push me to be better. By the end of the week I was too tired to keep counting but I’m pretty sure we were putting in at least 16 hour days outside our hotels. I was exhausted but not tired at all if that makes sense.

Sun Jan 23

Left the center at sunrise-saw it rising beautifully over the West Bank as we drove out. First stop Be’ersheva. Actually we just went to Tel Sheva (a tel or tell is a hill with stratified ruins, typically a fortified city). Be’ersheva as it is mentioned in the scriptures was visible to the south. It was the southern tip of Israel. Here I learned a lot about warfare/city defense tactics. I got to stand in my first ancient Israelite temple. We also read all the scriptures about things that happened in Be’ersheva. Then we drove to Tel Arad and learned all about it. There was another temple here-even better preserved and we sang the Spirit of God inside. Then it was lunch time and huge cats tried to eat our food. We got to hear Brother Muhlestein’s engagement story on the bus—those are always fun and he is a great story teller!

The road we were driving on in the afternoon was most likely the way Lehi/Nephi would have traveled on their way to the Red Sea (and back and forth on subsequent trips). Dr. Chadwick gave us a great lecture on their journeys. Looking out the window I could see at least partially why Laman and Lemuel murmured. Sand, sun, and sun-baked hills as far as you can see. I loved looking out the window and capturing the mental image and context that I came here for. Close to the Red Sea we turned off Lehi’s trail and went further into the desert.

We met a guide named Marcello from our sleeping place (more on that…) who led us on a hike out in the desert. We came to some sand dunes with sand as fine as flour. (We were told to leave our cameras on the bus because the silicate sand would get in and jam mechanics up) You sunk in at least 6 inches with every step. Our hike brought us to the top of a 100 yardish long sand slope, with smaller dunes to the side. We got to play for about 30 minutes, running up and down was a workout! It was nice to get energy out after sitting so long. Then we gathered for our “desert experience.” Marcello handed us all a paper and pencil and had us spread out so we were by ourselves. After five minutes he rang a bell and then we read what the paper said. The paper had 1 Nephi 2:4-5 and the words “How do you feel now—sitting alone in the wilderness, “by the borders near the shore of the Red Sea?” What specific characteristics of the desert affect your experience?” We then had 20 more minutes of silence, contemplation, and writing. I think I could have stayed there for at least an hour. I am comfortable with silence. At the second bell we gathered back and had four bonfires. We gathered in groups and shared thoughts from the silence of the desert. We also sang hymns (we do that a lot and I love it!).

We ate dinner at the place we spent the night—hamburgers and hotdogs in pitas. We stayed at a Kibbutz. I learned what a Kibbutz is—a group of people living communally. They often involve a dairy and this one runs a hotel-like accommodations. I was impressed with the dedication exhibited by Kibbutz members to the good of the community.

Monday Jan 24

Saw the Red Sea at Eilat. From the Egypt/Israel border you can look across the Red Sea and see Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The border crossing was much more relaxed than I had expected. Once in Egypt, we posed for pictures with our Egypt-stamped passports before they got taken away again for safe-keeping. We got juice boxes from our travel company to welcome us-I got mango and it was delicious. Brother Muhlestein let us look at the Red Sea for as long as possible but started the official “on the bus OT class lecture” as soon as we started through the mountains at the north part of the Sinai peninsula. Perfect for note taking right? The lesson was on the Exodus and possibly the most singularly-impactful lesson I have ever been taught in my life. I am still trying to sort out all the thoughts and feelings and personal applications associated with the great insights gained.

Most of the bus fell asleep during or after the lesson but I was determined to not fall asleep because I wanted to see where we were going. We stopped at a lot of check points before reaching the Suez Canal. We couldn’t actually see the Suez Canal, just big boats that looked like they were sailing in the middle of the desert, which was cool. We went under the Red Sea on dry ground—through the tunnel under the Suez Canal. I counted to 95 Mississippi while under and then I was in Africa!!

The drive into Cairo can only be described as jaw-dropping. (I even took a picture of myself after I realized I had been sitting there for at least 10 minutes with my mouth open) Traffic on the freeway where lines are for decoration, crossing over the Nile, and seeing the Giza pyramids kept the ride a bit exciting. It was an epic journey. We were running late because of traffic so went straight to the Giza pyramids, singing Circle of Life. We watched the sound and light show at the pyramids then went to our hotel.

I successfully made it through my first brush-my-teeth-using-water-from-my-huge-1.5-Liter-waterbottle-so-I-don’t-get-sick-from-Egyptian-water-from-the-Nile episode. I also had a neat experience where I locked the hotel room door then felt like I should check it again after I was almost asleep. It was unlocked.

Tuesday Jan 25

Pack everything I need for four days and three nights into a backpack and back to the Giza pyramids! I pretty much felt like I was in a post card except for when I was inside the smallest pyramid and felt like I was about to be crushed by billions of tons of red granite (yes I’m sure the red granite part could be on a test). I was the most impressed by the immensity and grandeur displayed by these blocks of stone stacked in the desert. Each level of stone blocks is almost as tall as I am. It amazes me that the ancient Egyptians were able to construct on this kind of volume. Of course while we were there we had to get classic poses with the Sphinx. I found it quite amusing watching (ok, and participating in) the line of girls all posing for kisses at the same time from different angles. I do have to say it was a great spot for a first kiss!

Our next stop was at a papyrus factory. We watched a man demonstrate the steps for making papyrus in a museum-like room with beautiful paintings on papyrus. We then could buy paintings. I got a small one of my name in a cartush (oval shape + line that protects whatever is inside it, only allowed for kings and queens to use) surrounded by the hieroglyph alphabet.

We ate lunch at a buffet out in the countryside. After dinner I walked with a friend to take pictures and made friends with a farm family across the canal. The kids wanted us to come over but we couldn’t. So we waved. I was taking pictures of the contrast between the fertile green land close to the Nile and the desert just beyond. Contrast is a good word to describe Egypt. Grandeur of the artifacts contrasts greatly with the living standards of the people.

On to Memphis and a huge statue of Rameses II. Left foot forward=statue subject was alive when the statue was built. As we were leaving Brother Chadwick pointed out temple ruins that we didn’t have permission to go see where there are sacrificial altars that look like the one in the book of Abraham. There were some goats roaming around the temple and the joke of the day from the back of the bus was “we should sacrifice them.”

Crossed the Nile again to go to Saqqarah. First we went into a tomb of a hairdresser that had the first hieroglyph-covered walls I’ve seen. I was dutifully impressed, wide eyes, not open mouth. Time was short and we had ten minutes to see the stepped pyramid of Saqqarah before it closed. Even better than the joke of the day was Brother Muhlestein’s “it is harder for them to tell us no when we are already inside” as we ran past the guards and into the temple entrance. We had a guard following us and blowing a whistle but we saw as much of that temple/pyramid complex as we could and had a blast doing it. Brother Muhlestein is an Egyptologist and excavates yearly at one of the pyramids.

At dinner I discovered I like fish. Not a perfect substitute for the fruits and vegetables that we are spoiled with at the JC but edible. We flew from Heliopolis to Luxor, getting there pretty late. The Sheraton hotel bed was heavenly. I love BYU’s policy that allows me to sleep in my own queen bed with four pillows and super-soft Egyptian cotton sheets.

Wednesday Jan 26

First stop: Valley of the Kings. We went in three tombs and then the most exciting-King Tut’s. I was feeling pretty sick for most of the time we were here. Still I was impressed with the detail and color of the hieroglyphs. Tour guides aren’t allowed in the tombs but since we had Brother Muhlestein with us he knew more that the average tour guide and “talked to himself out loud” as we went through. Our Egyptian tour guide would tell us what we would see from the outside as well before we went in so we got double the ______ (I couldn’t think of a word that fit that spot because the experience was somewhere between fascinating and torture because I really was not feeling well-my guess is dehydration because I was fine later). I did enjoy King Tut’s tomb. We got to see one of his funerary masks inside as well as his mummified self. None of the other tombs had artifacts and (in hindsight since we missed the museum) these were two of the few non-building-related Egyptian artifacts we saw.

Next was Hatshepsut’s funerary temple. I liked learning about Hatshepsut. She was a successful woman in a man’s world. She made herself a king of Egypt. From Hatshepsut’s temple we walked to Tomb 33. Here is one of the reasons I love being with the group/leaders I am with: Tomb 33 is not a typical tourist destination. It lies among the noble’s tombs and has no historical marker. However, in the ten minute version of the “seven hour story” I learned the significance of this tomb. Tomb 33 is the only known place where Antonio Lebolo excavated (because his name is written on the wall). He is the one who found artifacts including the book of Moses that eventually found their way to Joseph Smith. How cool is that?!

Next we drove to the Ramesseaum. I liked this place a lot because it was grand. It belonged to Rameses II who was the most likely pharaoh of the Exodus. There were granaries behind the temple that were dated after Joseph but similar to what he would have been working with as he stored grain for Egypt. Before returning to our hotel for lunch we stopped by two statues-the Colossae of Memnon. I got a great picture of a dog wiped out asleep on the sand in the shade. I gained context for “dog tired.” Within the lunch time was a nap break and then we got on Falukahs to ride on the Nile to our camel ride.

The Falukahs were awesome! They were large sail boats-each fit about 20 people. It was very peaceful on the Nile. I’ve heard it is very dirty and there was some floating trash but it didn’t look as bad as I expected. Not that I wanted to touch it still. Dr. Chadwick talked about how the Nile used to flood over 30 feet high before the Aswan dam and reiterated how essential the Nile has been throughout history to the life of Egypt. We watched kids playing soccer and a horse running along the edge of the river. Our boatmen zigzagged back and forth across the Nile as we floated downstream. We could get up and walk around the boat so it was fun to stand at the front and look off.

We docked and climbed up a ramp to where 40 camels and their drivers were waiting for us. We turned into the most tourist group possible-“oh my gosh” J and were directed one by one to mount a camel. I got a nice boy named Maukmood who took great care of me! The camel’s name was Ali Baba. Getting up was kind of scary because first you go way backwards and then way forwards and feel like you are going to fall off. Camels are a lot rougher riding than horses. My stirrups weren’t equal length but other than that I was fine. Once everyone was on their camel we started off in a long line. We paralleled the Nile for a ways then turned right and went between fields. One little boy handed out flowers and all the little kids waved and were happy to see us. We passed a sugar cane field with the cane stacked in piles on the ground. The boys who were leading the camels got pieces for us. We got to see a beautiful sunset above the palm trees-one of my favorite pictures. I was surprised about how long we rode-over an hour! I was feeling pretty saddle-sore by the end. It was a great ride though! I gained appreciation for people like Nephi who traveled by camel-I bet they walked.

We got back on the falukah and pushed up the bank for a ways before a tug boat came and threw us a rope. Most of the group stood at the front singing songs. I sat back enjoying the ride and singing along quietly. Then the tow rope broke and the whole group up front almost ended up swimming in the Nile. Luckily no one fell in! They all sat down after that.

After dinner I took a taxi to the sauk (market) and spent the evening there. I tend to get bored shopping and the salesmen are pretty intense so I hopped groups as necessary for my comfort/tolerance zone. I didn’t buy anything because I was holding out for the big market in Cairo (which ended up not happening-sad) I ended up getting back to the hotel before my roommate Ashling with no desire to be a hotel room alone so I hung out in the lobby and went through the process of checking my e-mail. I got an e-mail from my Mom-the first I had heard about any unrest in Egypt. The news didn’t have anything and internet time was premium so I didn’t really know at that point what was going on. I also had other exciting news in my in-box which I missed seeing so I didn’t find out until we got back to the JC.