Take one part major trip with no time and little internet, add delay for picture gathering off of 80 cameras, mix in 3 mid-terms = I will not be writing much about my Egypt trip! Alas! But let it be known that it was amazing, and the sights really were legendary. And I didn't get sick once! (Only a few in our group did, when classically most do--the water isn't safe so we can't eat a lot of things and we have to use bottled water for almost everything). Here is a short picture summary. Enjoy! More pictures available here.
In EGYPT!! After the bazillion lines of security checks (Egypt is an Arab country, and not on great terms with Israel—but actually, on the best terms of all other U.A.E. countries)
GIZA!! Yes, I was that excited, and yes, it was. That. Awesome!
The great pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. Interesting facts:
1. They were built about 4,500 years ago, and made to imitate the rays of the sun
2. The largest (Pharoah Kufu's) has an estimated 2,300,000 Limestone blocks
3. Each block weighs an average of 5,000 pounds and the biggest are about the size of an SUV
4. The pyramids were not built by slaves, but by Egyptian citizens. It was a profession/honor to work on the Pyramids (remember: they regarded the Pharaohs as gods).
5. I GOT TO GO INSIDE THE BIGGEST ONE! But alas, no pictures were allowed.
1. They were built about 4,500 years ago, and made to imitate the rays of the sun
2. The largest (Pharoah Kufu's) has an estimated 2,300,000 Limestone blocks
3. Each block weighs an average of 5,000 pounds and the biggest are about the size of an SUV
4. The pyramids were not built by slaves, but by Egyptian citizens. It was a profession/honor to work on the Pyramids (remember: they regarded the Pharaohs as gods).
5. I GOT TO GO INSIDE THE BIGGEST ONE! But alas, no pictures were allowed.
The Great Sphinx. 66 feet high, 241 feet long, and. Just. Awesome. Everyone was taking kissing pictures... not my thing. So here is a picture of the Sphinx whispering to me a legendary, life-changing secret. Ask me about it sometime.
She made fun of the fanny. The gauntlet was cast. We had to rumble. But alas, I forgot one minor rule of the universe: no one wins against Karissa Urry.
Luxor temple with BLAKE BAXTER (he's like, the coolest older brother that everyone wanted to have, but only a few people did).
Not paid models. These are *actually* my friends (Elise Corbett and Jane Cutler). Overlooking the Nile (THE Nile!!).
We took a train through the night, 8 hours from Luxor to Cairo. I didn't sleep at all (it was really hot and stuffy), but other than that, I thought the train was pretty cool. For most of the night I played with one of my souvenirs (omitted here because I want it to be a surprise for my brother).
Hard Rock Cafe, Cairo. Oh, so sweet! Me with my friend Jared Young.
The step pyramid at Saqqara. I forgot that they said not to take the locals up on their offer to take a picture with a camel—sure enough, he wouldn't lower the camel to let me off unless I paid him double our agreed price. So, I just jumped off and ran away.
Me and my super-amazing-friend-of-awesomeness(tm) Abby Rich who is super nice, uplifting, AND is preparing for a *mission*! Because of her, this scene kinda captures the song 'You Raise Me Up' only... we're not standing on a mountain... we're standing beside a ~3500 year-old obelisk built by Queen Hatchepsut... yeah, almost the same thing.
Me with my friends (from L to R) Brooke Robinson, Abby Rich, Brooke Barton, and Grace Jacobson... on MOUNT SINAI!!! This was the coolest thing we did on a suuuuuper cool trip. I hope I can dedicate an entire blog post to what happened to me here.
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