DAY 4 Planes and Trains and Falukahs and Camels and Taxis and Carriages TOO!!

As you can see, we travelled around Egypt in just about every form of transportation you could possibly imagine! We've been told it's all for the experience...whatever. Wednesday was filled with more tours of old, historic buildings which was actually pretty cool. I know I'm a geek and I'm really ok with that. We started off the day at the Valley of the Kings which consisted of the tombs of Pharaohs such as King Tut, Sety II, Ramses the IV and VII, Thutmose the III and IV and a bunch more that you probably don't really care about. It was way sweet to say the least and was amazing to see the symbolism portrayed on the walls of every nook and cranny of the tombs. I can't wait for the day where I will have the opportunity to go to the temple for the first time and better understand the limited knowledge I have now. It will be so cool to make some crazy connections since I obviously have no clue what it all means at this point in my life. We visited the Funerary Temple of Ramses the III next which was a perfect picture of what ancient Egyptian temple-building was really like. Just as the floor level in our temples advance higher and higher as you proceed toward the holiest place, the Egyptians follow that same pattern in their architecture as one moves closer to the sacrificial altar. How cool is that?! We had some free time after our morning adventures, which was very rare, before we experienced a falukah ride (it's like a little motor boat) for the first time. We floated across the Nile River where a humongous herd of camels were waiting to take us for the ride of our lives! My camel's name was Mike Shoemaker and I don't remember my guide's name but he proposed to me right before our journey was over. I kindly declined and told him that I was not available. HAHA it was awesome!! I would have to say that the camel ride was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip; not just because it was totally crazy and may never happen again (unless my parents need a tour guide for their future trip to Egypt) but because my eyes were opened to how the majority of Egyptians really live. There were lush fields where sugar cane and onions grew at the start of our ride and then suddenly I was immersed in a small village with children alone on the streets waiting outside their homes to greet us along the way. Knowing me, I took as many pictures as I could of these sweet souls as I saw the light shining in their eyes and the innocence of their young age. The reason I adore children so much is because there is an aura about them that is absolutely contagious and never ceases to make me happy and laugh as I talk with them and see their curious faces exploring the world around them. It was a blessing for me to step outside of myself for a mere 45 minutes and realize the stark contrast between the luxurious life I was living in our 5-star hotel. That night was my first experience shopping in Egypt which was totally ridiculous and annoying. The shop owners were way more aggressive than the Old City which makes shopping in Jerusalem seem like a piece of cake. Next post...NASTY TRAIN ADVENTURE