Tomb Raider

Egypt! Pyramids! Fast Internet connections! OK so I may have overdosed on fast Internet connections and American television since I've arrived but I've been a little deprived recently. And yes, the pyramids are just as impressive in person as you would imagine them to be. It is HOT here. It's understandable how the streets are busier at night than during the day. But not any less scary. It seems as though painted lines and crosswalks on the street are just a suggestion.

There's lots to see here in Egypt. I visited three cities, Cairo, Aswan and Luxor. I of course started with the pyramids and the absolutely overwhelming Egyptian Museum. In Aswan I visited the Nile dams and a few temples. I eventually lost track of the names of all the temples and tombs I visited in Egypt but the first was the Temple of Philae. The temple was originally built on an island but was flooded when the dams were built. So it was reassembled on a different island nearby and can only be reached by boat. I've had a very full childhood and it included going to amusement parks like Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens and Disney World. I realized that the boat ride to the temple felt a lot like the cheesy boat rides that take you past recreations of ancient ruins. So upon seeing the real deal it was almost disappointing that there were no shooting flames or a drop down a waterfall at the end. However, the temple itself was still impressive nonetheless.

From Aswan I took a trip down the Nile for a two-day, two-night felucca ride. It's basically a flat sailboat that you lie around on for the duration of your trip. It would have been absolutely lovely with the full moon and everything if I hadn't gotten my first bout of food poisoning. It's a good thing I was planning to lie around all day anyway. I was actually kind of surprised that it took this long to become sick. I've eaten lots of sketchy food so far on my journey. The other five passengers on the ride were very helpful in trying to make me to feel better. I tried to impress the French couple on the boat by speaking French to them. Sadly, they were not impressed. There were some really great conversations on that boat. My favorite part was when we were talking about how Americans are raised to think that they should achieve their full potential and believe they should strive to be the best. The Dutch woman on the boat said that in her culture people are raised to think that average is the norm and that being the best at something will make others look bad. When we asked the French woman, she said that "The French believe they are the best from the day they're born."

Next was the city of Luxor. Occasionally I would enter one of the many tombs or temples and say to myself, "I've seen this somewhere before, but where?" And then I remember that I've seen it probably a million times on a slide projection in Art History class. All the terminology like hypostyle hall and low relief comes rushing back to my memory. It's amazing to think that so much has survived through so many thousands of years. The paintings in some of the tombs look like they could have been made yesterday.

I took a break from Egypt for a while and spent a week in Israel visiting someone I met in Ethiopia. My first impression of Israel was "What have they done with all the old people?" It seems as though the country is run but everyone under 30. Also, there are lots of teenage soldiers running around with large guns. Not that I haven't gotten used to the sight of people holding large guns. I think it's Mozambique that even has an AK-47 on their flag. Anyway, my second impression was "Wow, it's expensive here and why does the dollar have to keep dropping in value?" I really wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived but I found that Israel appeared to me to be a very western and modern country. And you can't tear the shekel (the currency). Many people convinced me to try.

Israel was very much a vacation from backpacking because I took hot showers and stayed in a house. I felt like I was back home after spending so much time in Africa. Dogs are on leashes instead of wandering the street, women wear "revealing" clothing like tank tops and shorts, buses leave on time and there's toilet paper in every bathroom!

I recognized a lot of the names of the towns because it seems that most of them come straight from the bible. I'm always amazed at ancient things in foreign countries because we don't really have that stuff back home. I visited Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Jerusalem became a reality for me and not just a name that I hear on the news. I didn't witness any fighting but what I did see was a city incredibly diverse in culture. And the hummus was pretty good too. Tel Aviv was filled with young people and had a great night scene even in the middle of the week. The Dead Sea is quite a surreal experience. It's the lowest point on earth. The landscape is otherworldly and the water is so dense that you can lie back and float in the water like a sensory deprivation chamber. The Sea of Galilee is famous for being the place Jesus walked on water. It has a few nice beaches too.

Tomorrow I'm off to Italy.