Today was a long day. I am exhausted and not feeling the greatest. The new types of food are making my stomach upset and the sun is making me worn down. Why the sudden change? Because today we traveled to the desert. It is time for our camping extravaganza.
We left Cairo at about 8am. The majority of us slept for the 5
hour drive to Bahariya oasis. Unfortunately, that probably wasn’t the greatest
idea. Many of us were dehydrated when we arrived at the hotel- this led to some
interesting experiences for the rest of the evening.
The Sand Rose Hotel
After checking into our awesome hotel, we headed to lunch.
Once again, we had chicken, pita, and rice. This time, however, there were a
few other options. We had potatoes which were very good. I ate a lot of those,
leaving the rest of the meal relatively untouched. Still, I felt full and I was
thankful for the change. One thing of note, there are a lot of flies in Egypt.
Seriously, there are A LOT! Another thing of note, I really don’t like flies.
There are more flies here than on the farms of my relatives- that is saying a
lot. For the majority of my lunch, I was in a constant state of swatting away
flies. I am positive I looked like a mad woman but everyone else did, too.
More Mummies!
After dinner, we went on a tour of the area. First, we went to
the Museum of Golden Mummies. These mummies were different than the mummies we
saw in Cairo on Friday because they are from a different time period. The
golden mummies are more recent than the others. These mummies were created
during the Greek and Roman era of Egypt. During this time, mummies began being
wrapped in more linen and began being covered masks made entirely out of gold
(at least for the royal family). Most importantly, these mummies had their
hearts removed whereas Egyptian mummies did not. Seeing the bodies was eerie-
especially because there was a six month old and a six year old mummified in
the museum. Once again, pictures were not allowed- sorry!
After this, we went to two tombs which really stand out in my
mind due to their sheer beauty. We were able to enter the Tomb of Bannantiu and
the Tomb of Zed Amun Iuf Ankh of the 26th dynasty. You wouldn’t
believe how bright and vibrant the colors on the walls of these underground
burial chambers are. Thousands of years later, I still am impressed by the
artwork and the paint. I can only imagine what it looked like when it was
first.
The Desert
After visiting the tombs, we got our first look at the desert!
We traveled around in our amazingly fun jeeps, stopping at various points to
take pictures and enjoy the sand. First, let me talk about these jeeps- they
are so much fun! It is like riding a roller coaster. They are bumpy, fast, and
exciting. Our drivers are incredibly fun. They joke around while they drive,
making the experience even better. One thing I have learned is that in Egypt,
certain honk rhythms mean different things. It is like Morse Code. I’m
definitely considering bringing this back to the States! While driving around,
we listened to a unique mix of music that included tradition Egyptian music,
The Backstreet Boys, Rihanna, Celine Dion, Egyptian dubstep and more. It was
great.
After visiting a few places, we stopped at a large desert
mound to watch the sunset. It was gorgeous. I love it here. The desert is hot
and tiring but totally worth it.
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