Technical Difficulties

So, about that plan to post...

Much of my blog posts rely on the many pictures I took while in Egypt. I really can't explain what happened each day without visual reference.

However, as I hope to print many of those pictures, all of them were taken in the best photo quality manageable. This great photo quality means that they will make killer prints but also means they take up an enormous amount of memory space and are really unwieldy on the Internet. Blogspot, Flickr, and Facebook all have limitations on the file size of photos and video they will take and I am already dangerously close to going over my limits.

So, once again I will need to postpone my posts until I can make time to batch my photos into smaller, more manageable sizes in order to post them. Regrettably, I only know how to do this on Photoshop - a program I only have access to in my campus' library. Sorry everyone but I promise that I will post ASAP.

Home Again, Home Again

Above - Because my camel driver wasn't the greatest photographer (he cut my head off in 4/5 pictures taken), I took a picture of my shadow while on my camel on Thursday, Jan. 21st.

I am very sore, very tired, and all smiles after returning from this fantastic journey to Egypt. I averaged about 150 pictures or so a day, took some great videos of Egyptian daily life and of the sweeping views of ancient temples, and I tried a lot of new things - including riding a camel, smoking a hookah, and haggling.


My original plan of blogging whilst in Egypt didn't work out so well as only the Sofitel El-Gezirah had regular, free access to the Internet and we were kept so busy, that I barely had time to relax and process each day's events, let alone blog about them during the total three days that we were at the hotel.

On the M/S Tulip, the Nile cruise ship we were on from Friday, Jan. 15th until Friday, Jan. 22nd, the Internet was about $7 for a half hour and the connection was iffy at best.

So I've kept a careful log of each day's events, as well as each day's pictures and videos, so that I can share them now that I'm back in the States, where the Internet flows freely. My plan is to post on the corresponding day what happened while on the trip, so tomorrow I will post what happened on the first Monday of the trip, the day after will be about the first Tuesday's events, and so on and so forth. The really good stuff won't be reached until Wednesday, but the short posts on Monday and Tuesday will give me time to catch up, prepare for classes, and prewrite some of my blog posts. That, and it'll build a little anticipation.

~^-^~

Day One - And Then Some

Above -I am experimenting with posting my pictures via a Flickr photostream. So far, the photos are not showing on my laptop via Mozilla or Internet Explorer. Hopefully this is just a minor glitch and the photos will show soon.

There was so much awesome-ness today that we couldn't fit it all in one day. I have been, mostly, awake for the last 34 hours. Yesterday, I left off the blog while at the Minneapolis airport.

From there, I took a quick trip over the lower Great Lakes to New York's JFK airport, traveling the furthest east in the United States than I have ever been. For most of the flight over, we were above the clouds. From my window seat I was able to see the sun come up in the horizon ahead and the receding darkness behind us.

At around 9:30 - 10:00 Central Time (10:30 - 11:00 Eastern Time), I landed in New York. I was pretty amazed at how non-descript the airport was. I easily could have been convinced that they had taken us up in the air for 2.5 hours and taken us back down to another part of the same airport, it was so similar. If I hadn't caught a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean as we circled above the runway, I may have convinced myself.

We parked our group in a little seating area nestled within shops and fast-food stops within the airport to wait until our Egypt Air flight boarded. The 7 hour wait was quickly filled with check-in lines, baggage lines, food lines, and many games of cribbage and gin.

We boarded Egypt Air around 6:00 PM Eastern Time and took off around 7. That particular part of the journey I really could have done without, as the 11 hour flight was absolutely miserable. I only managed a few minutes of dozing spread throughout the flight. I was stuck in aisle seat within the center section of seats next to a young Egyptian man who seemed to have some serious personal space issues. It didn't help that an aisle up there was a pair of young children who were very vocal of their dislike of high altitudes or that the attendant responsible for my section's beverages and foods was constantly giving me the evil eye. I'm sorry for wearing a Transformers T-shirt?

When we mercifully landed however, the flight from hell was quickly forgotten as we were met by our Wings Tour guide. We were quickly whisked through customs onto our personal coach bus, where we were given a brief tour of the city of Cairo on route to our gorgeous hotel, the Sofitel El Gezirah.

This is a panorama of my view from my 8th floor hotel room, overlooking the Nile and the Cairo Tower. In the distance, across the river, is downtown Cairo.
After my roommate and I finished squealing about our room (see video below), we took a quick nap and woke for dinner at 7:30 with the group in the elegant Sud restaurant. I tried Egyptian hummus, babaganoush, baklava, and fresh Kalamata olives. My roommate and I also ordered Sprite for our dinner beverage, which proved to be a big no-no. While we were aware that stateside, name-brand beverages were expensive, we were not expecting a $40 price tag for just two Sprites.

Also unexpected is the Internet access. My first night here at Sofitel is on the house but after that it is subject to charges. What those charges are, I haven't the faintest but after the experience with the Sprites, I'm not all that willing to find out. Friday we will be boarding the MS Tulip, our Nile cruise ship, and it is unclear whether or not we will have Internet access. So, although my plans were to update daily while abroad, my photos and videos may have to wait until my return trip.

However, the view, the hotel, and the people are so worth the miserable flight, expensive sodas, and touchy Interwebs. As will be the rest of this amazing tour.

Tomorrow, we will begin bright and early by visiting the Cairo Museum, then move on to touring the older Coptic and Jewish quarters of Cairo, as well as several synagogues and mosques. I cannot wait! Much love to all!

My roommate and I wax fangirl over our amazing room. I apologize for the grainy quality of this video - my camera takes great video but converting the file into a flash file is the only way to make the file size manageable.


Click here to visit the home page of the Sofitel El Gezirah to see more professional photos of this beautiful hotel!

Today's the Day!

I am currently sitting in MSP airport at the D4 gate, waiting to board my flight to JFK!

I woke up, bright and early, at 3:30 at my boyfriend's house. We stumbled into our clothes, into the car, drove in a stupor to the airport, and kissed goodbye. As per my usual luck, I was stopped in security for a random check but still made it to my gate with an hour to spare. :P

However, I forgot to charge my electronics - so focused on making sure I had everything packed -that now I sit with all these dead gizmos meant to entertain me. Thank goodness I brought a book.

Egypt, here I come!

Christmas Review!

Picture of my family's Christmas morning, taken with my amazing new camera. Woot for panorama shots! Many thanks to my boyfriend's wonderful mom for this fantastic camera!

I am incredibly grateful to my loving co-workers, friends, and family for a lovely Christmas and holiday. After the many hurried preparations and stressful finals, the relaxing break with loved ones was just what was needed.

As a bonus, Santa apparently knew all about my trip. Who woulda thunk? :)

Mentioned and demonstrated above, my boyfriend Chris' mom, Mary, gave me a great new camera that takes stunning panorama shots, great video, and beautiful pictures. I'm so excited to use it on my trip. My own fantastic mother gave me a great webcam for use with my laptop so that I can keep in touch with everyone, on my trip and while in school. She also got me a Kindle, the Amazon.com e-book reader, my own proverbial Red Ryder BeeBee Shooter. I'll have plenty of downtime between New York and Cairo to catch up on my reading.

These were just a few of the many wonderful gifts I received this year, specifically the ones I'll be using on my trip. Best of all though, was the time spent laughing and relaxing with friends and family. So again, many thanks to all my loved ones - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Itinerary

So, with only 6 days left before I depart, I finally have the final draft of all we'll be doing and seeing in Egypt.

On January 11th, at 7 am I will fly from Minneapolis/St. Paul airport to New York's JFK, arriving around 10:45 am. From there, I will meet up with my tour group and depart for Cairo at 6:30 pm, arriving in Egypt around noon on January 12th, a total of about 10 hours in the air.

The following is our official itinerary given to us by our travel agency, Friendly Planet. It details what we will be doing, and where, from Wednesday, January 13th through Saturday, January 23rd.

Monday, January 11 ~ USA/Egypt
Depart on the first leg of our overnight flight to Egypt via Egypt Air jet service.

Tuesday, January 12 ~ Cairo
Arrival in Cairo, where we are warmly greeted by our guide, assisted through customs formalities, then escorted to our private touring coach and transferred to our Cairo hotel. Sofitel El Gezirah.

Wednesday, January 13 ~ Cairo
Today's visits include the Cairo Museum, regarded as one of the most prominent in the world, where we can view remarkable treasures dating back 5,000 years. Here we'll visit the priceless antiquities of King Tutankhamen's tomb and the intriguing Mummy Room. Our tour continues to the Coptic Quarter, centerpiece of Old Cairo, where we visit the Christian and Jewish Quarters of the Old City, the Abu Serqa Church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Citadel of Mohamed Ali, built on the remains of a Crusader-style fortress dating from the time of Saladin, and Sultan Hassan Mosque which was built from the alabaster cover stones of the Pyramids of Giza in 1369. Return to our hotel in Cairo for dinner and overnight.

Thursday, January14 ~ Memphis/Sakkara/Giza/Overnight Train
We drive along the Nile this morning to the ancient capital of Memphis. Though most of the city has been destroyed by time, the magnificent Alabaster Sphinx and the mammoth statue of Ramses II remain. We continue to the Necropolis of Sakkara, City of the Dead, where we view the famous Step Pyramid of King Zoser, Pyramid of Teti, Mastaba of Mereruka and the Wall of Cobras. We continue to Giza where we see the Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus, the Solar Boat, and the mysterious Sphinx and Valley Temple. Continue to the railroad station in Giza to board our overnight train to Aswan. Our accommodations are in private sleeping compartments,
and dinner will be served on board.

Friday, January 15 ~ Aswan
After breakfast aboard the train, we'll begin our touring in Aswan. Our visits include the High Dam and the lotus shaped monument to Soviet-Egyptian cooperation, where it is possible to enjoy a wonderful view of Lake Nasser. We continue to the unfinished obelisk. Fractured during cutting and abandoned, this work of art shows how these magnificent monuments were painstakingly hewn by hand and polished to a glassy smoothness. On to Philae Island, one of Egypt's most impressive sights before being flooded after the first Aswan Dam was built. The new site represents a complete restoration of the original. Take advantage of an optional camel ride to San Simeon Monastery and Qubbet el-Hawa Tombs, then transfer to our cruise ship for embarkation and dinner. MS Tulip

Saturday, January 16 ~ Abu Simbel/Edfu - MS Tulip
Early morning flight to Abu Simbel of Ramses II, one of the most moving and thrilling sites in all of Egypt. Here at the limits of Upper Egypt, Ramses II built his temple in honor of Harmakhis, guardian of the Gates to the Nether World, Amon-Ra, Solar God, Ptah, God of Creativity, and Ramses II himself. After our tour, we'll fly back to Aswan to board our cruise ship and continue sailing to Edfu.

Sunday, January 17 ~ Edfu/Luxor - MS Tulip
After breakfast, we visit the Temple of Edfu, a Greek-built monument to Horus, the falcon-headed son of Osiris. It took about 200 years to complete this temple, which has helped fill in many gaps of knowledge about Pharaonic architecture that it imitates. Return to the ship for lunch aboard as we sail to Esna. Cross Esna Lock and sail to Luxor.

Monday, January 18 ~ Luxor - MS Tulip
This morning we explore the West Bank of the Nile including the Valley of Kings, where some 64 of Egypt's Pharaohs have their royal tombs hewn into the sheer rock, visit the Howard Carter House, the Valley of the Queens, the impressive Deir El Bahari mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, an architectural wonder built against the backdrop of a looming cliff face, the Tombs of the Nobles, Medinet Habu, the great Funerary Temple of Ramses III, the tomb of Tutankamoun, and the Colossi of Memnon, two huge seated statues of Amenhotep III.

Tuesday, January 19 ~ Luxor/Esna - MS Tulip
This morning we visit the Temples of Karnak and Luxor. Karnak is possibly one of the most overwhelming monuments of the Pharaonic legacy, with work carried out on the temples over a period of 1500 years. The Luxor Temple is strikingly graceful and was added to over the centuries by Tutankhamun, Ramses II and others. This afternoon we'll enjoy a change of pace as we take a carriage ride into the countryside and visit the Coptic Christian village of Ngaa el Syagh. We'll return to our ship to continue sailing to Esna.

Wednesday, January 20 ~ Edfu/Kom Ombo - MS Tulip
This morning we'll sail to Edfu. After lunch, we'll visit Kom Ombo, where we'll explore the Tombs of El Kab and the Temple of Kom Ombo, unique in all of Egypt and shared by the two gods, Sobek and Haroeris.

Thursday, January 21 ~ Aswan - MS Tulip
Sail to Aswan this morning. Visits this afternoon by felucca include Elephantine Island, where we find the ruined Temple of Khnum, the work of many pharaohs down to the Ptolemies and even the Romans. We'll also view the Agha Khan Mausoleum and the botanical gardens of Kitchener Island. Enjoy our final night aboard our Nile cruise.

Friday, January 22 ~ Aswan/Cairo/Roda & Gezira Island
This morning, disembark from our cruise and transfer to the airport for the short flight to Cairo. Our touring in Cairo begins with a visit to Roda Island, which contains on its northern reaches the Manial Palace. On to Gezira Island with its parks and El-Borg, a 600-foot tower offering a marvelous view of Cairo and the Nile from its observation deck. Later we'll visit Sadat's Tomb. End the day with a visit to the fascinating Khan el-Khalili Bazaar.

Saturday, January 23 ~ Cairo/USA
Say a reluctant goodbye to Egypt as we transfer to the airport early this morning to board our return flight to the USA, arriving in New York later this afternoon.

A reluctant goodbye indeed. We will leave Cairo at 10:10 am, arrive in New York 3:15 pm and I am due back in Minneapolis/St. Paul around 8 pm. I will then only have Sunday to re-group, unpack, repack, and move my things back into 415A South Fork Suites in preparation for my 2010 Spring Semester starting Monday morning. So worth it though.

Crunch Time!

So this is Christmas. And what haven't we done?

Honestly, between Christmas shopping, Christmas wrapping, Christmas planning, Christmas partying, project here, paper there, finals looming everywhere... my poor blog has had to take a backseat.

However, things have finally started to wind down as my fifth semester at UW-River Falls comes to a close. And while my semester runs down, the preparations for Egypt are speeding up!

On the 6th, the group going to Egypt met at the tour leader's home in St. Paul to discuss the knitty-gritty details, such as spending money, appropriate clothing, flight itineraries, and social expectations. Over hibiscus tea, dates, and seasame sticks, we sat for two hours getting briefed on where the best shopping will be, what regions are known for what, and, my personal favorite, how to haggle.

For those of you who have me on Facebook, you may have already heard about my camera dying on me last week. The night before a portfolio was due my camera decided that it just wasn't in the mood to turn on or take pictures anymore. Fortunately, I have many fantastic friends and family members whom are willing to lend me their cameras for the trip.

And finally, yesterday, the paperwork for my alternative loan for the bulk of the trip's expense was sent in and I am anxiously awaiting a reply on that. While I have no doubt that we will get the money, I keep having nightmares about the money not turning up on time.

So that's what's new 'round here. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!