Oh hi! I went to Egypt and got back almost a week ago! And have yet to write anything about it! There are reasons for this. Specifically: (a) we had no internet until Wednesday night; (b) I brought home with me some sort of unpleasant King Tut’s Revenge-style stomach ailment about which we shall never speak again; and (c) as soon as that cleared up I was felled by a massive headcold. PLUS I got ANOTHER terrible Jennifer Anniston-style haircut, and while that is not technically a reason for delay in posting, it is still clouding my outlook today, so I thought I should mention it.
Ahem.
So I went to Egypt!
I saw pyramids:
It's so big it doesn't fit in the frame!
I rode a camel:
Me, on a camel. No big deal.
I allowed myself to be photographed with my husband while he was wearing a neckerchief:
Christmas Card 2009
But I wasn’t pleased about it:
Neckerchief? Really?
Perhaps we should look at the camels again.
awwww. camel.
My camel was non-plussed at being ridden. He made loud bellowing noises of displeasure the entire time, which caused all the other camels to look at us in alarm, like I was doing something to HURT my camel, like perhaps wearing jagged spurs instead of innocuous sandals. As soon as I dismounted, my camel threw himself to the ground and started flailing dramatically, as if to illustrate how annoyed he was:
Diva.
John looked so comfortable on his camel that his camel-handler let go of the lead rope and let John go off on his own. John’s camel promptly took off at a trot towards some distant hills, away from the group, as John tried calmly and rationally to instruct the camel to go back the other way. It was hilarious.
I still can’t really believe it. I went to Egypt. I saw the great pyramids, and the sphinx. I endured 113 degree heat. I sailed on the Nile. It seems so unlikely that I would do these things, and yet, there is photographic evidence indicating that I did.
That feeling of disbelief was with me for much of our time in Egypt, actually. The scale of the pyramids and temples is awesome (in the literal “awe-inspiring” sense as well as the “cool, dude!” sense). How could a these possibly have been built 4000 years ago, with no modern machinery? Seeing the burial mask of Tutankamen in real life was totally surreal. Looking at the unbelievable riches that were found in his tomb, it’s hard to imagine the workmanship and time and effort that went into preparing these items that were always intended to be buried with him. (And he was a minor pharaoh! Major Pharaohs would have had much more!)
After two days of touring temples and tombs I realized that I was becoming inured to the heiroglyphics and carvings and paintings and sculptures in these amazing sites because there were just so MANY of them. It’s not unlike the feeling you get in the Met or the Louvre, where there is so much amazing art that it’s impossible to appreciate it all, and one can start to get a little cavalier about it- “oh that old thing? Just some 4,000 year old carvings that are full of rich meaning and tell the history of an ancient culture. No big deal.”
I am SO GLAD that we went on this trip- without saying too much about Things Which Shall Not Be Blogged, we went with a group, and I initially felt some trepidation about tagging along with this particular group, but I am very glad I talked myself into it. They were lovely people, and I saw way more with the tour than I would have been able to see on my own. And in case you were worried that the culture shock would be too much, and that we would feel lost and adrift, fear not: American culture has been successfully exported and is alive and well in Egypt:
McArabia
(As much as I hate to admit it, it was delicious.)
So cute! And so much fun! I want a vacation…and travel…and maybe even the stomach ailment in order to lose 3-4 pounds.
That trip sounds amazing. What an experience of a lifetime!
I am laughing out loud at your camel – ha! Like he had to rid himself of the feel of you afterwards.
Which foreign locale is Neckerchief traveling to next?
I cannot. Get over. The hilarity. The camel flailing on the ground? OMG YOU ROCK.
First off, your hair is very cute! It doesn’t look bad or like a mullet AT ALL.
I’m still so jealous of your trip! What an amazing opportunity! I’m glad you had a great time!
What an amazing experience, it sounds like you made a lot of incredible memories and photos.
I so would love to see more pictures.
Um, didnt you JUST go to Croatia? And Italy? And now Egypt? You suck, my friend!
Ummm, is this the big reveal. Where you no longer chop photos off at the neck? Where you no longer put black bands across thee face? Where you actually show photos with this husband of yours? I am floored.
Now, did you say something about Egypt?
Egypt! Woo! Congrats.
I am jealous.
I have been itching for some time to flee the States for a bit. A friend just moved to Albania and I am working on planning a trip out that way in a year. It simply MUST happen.
Thanks for sharing the photos. I love that John’s camel trotted away. Hee!
My dad and his wife went last fall to Egypt. It looks amazing, I can’t even imagine really.
McArabia is too freaking funny!
Your trip looks amazing! I’d love to go sometime, but my boyfriend has already been (can you believe it?) and I think he’d rather see some other places first before going back. I don’t know if I could handle 113 degree heat though… ACK!
My family went to Egypt when I was a senior in high school. So, 1994. I wonder how much has changed since then?
I had the same experience your husband did with the camel…mine just took off! I wish I could say “took off galloping into the Sahara,” but what’s funny is that the pyramids are, like, pretty much right there in town. They were amazing, but not what I was picturing. Anyway, my camel took off because my camel guide got into a fist fight with another camel guide. Something territorial. It was scary! And I ride horses – riding a camel is NOT like riding a horse! And you are really high up there!
Glad you had a good trip! This post brought back some good memories for me
SO AWESOME. I would love to go there one day. My husband and I took a trip to Italy a few years ago- our 2nd honeymoon/last big thing before having a kid- and I remember being in awe of everything at first. And then like you said, after a while I felt myself being all ‘hey look, an old statue of a naked dude.’ I tried to consciously soak in everything I could and NOT be so casual about it.
We also went with a tour group. We were the youngest ones on the tour but we really had a great experience. The company we used did a great job of putting together the events and tours and I didn’t at all feel like a huge dork
heh
Egypt! You were in Actual Egypt! So….it EXISTS? Ker-razy.
Oh my goodness I am so jealous that you went to Egypt! Your pictures are great!!
Hi, jealous of you…. nice to know you had a great time, loved the pics (and the comments under them!!).
BTW, I don’t see your blog with the new design…what happened? Is it me…or is something wrong with the blog…its all blue, like the default wordpress layout…and the blog name is missing….?
GAH!!! SO AWESOME! and SO JEALOUS! i’m glad you didn’t die in the heat, AND got to ride a camel. and see the pyramids! SO MUCH AWESOME! and welcome back too
Dude, awesomeness abounds!
I would love to go to Egypt, but Greece is first on my list.
Funny about your camel – I was just talking to a friend of mine about the horses we used to have on the farm — as soon as we were done riding them and brushing them down, they would go and roll around in the dirt as soon as they were back in the pasture. It helps keep the biting flies (and other irritating bugs) off their skin!
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