Pyramids, Now South...

I arrive in Eilat by bus early Tuesday morning. Here I met up with Catharina, the girl that was also planning on going to Cairo. Its always better to travel with someone else. Just as long as they are not a crazy person. Luckily Catharina is far from that. We arrived in Cairo early afternoon yesterday and booked a tour with one of the local travel agencies. We stayed in a great hostel in downtown Cairo and woke up early this morning to tour the Great Pyramids. We rode camels through a traffic jam that was half camel half car. Not something you see everyday. After the chaotic mess we broke away from the tour buses and people trying to sell you mini pyramids. I have to say it was pretty amazing. Still has not really set in that I saw them this morning. Almost like a dream. You read about something and see pictures of it your whole life and then your actually there.....It was pretty surreal. After that we visited some more of Egypts 97 pyramids. Next, we toured the Cairo Museum and got to see the beautiful artifacts from King Tuts tomb along with many, many others. Now we are about to go catch a 12 hour train to Aswan close to the border of Sudan. Here we will tour the temples of Abu Simbel on a Nile cruise. I got to go...I'll be sure to post pics ASAP. Probably won't write for the next 6 days b/c of the cruise....Bye!!! : )

Things Don't Always Go As Planned

Well, I'm leaving to go to Egypt in a couple of hours. However, a few things have changed. Bill is not going to be in Cairo because of something that came up with one of the tennis tournaments. This is not a big deal as I can just stay in a hostel. So today I pretty much spent all day researching the different accomidations and tours available for Egypt. After a day I feel like I got nothing done. There are about a million choices!! I think I will just end up booking a tour when I arrive in Cairo. I don't know if you have ever heard of the burden of choice, but I'm feeling it right now! Sometimes it is easier when there are fewer options. My kite will not be repaired on time so I will not be kiting in Egypt. Kind of sucks, but I could have far worse problems then a broken kite : )....Trying to be optimistic!!!....But sometimes....I mean I brought all 30+ pounds of kiting gear halfway around the world then bought another kite in Isreal for $500 (which broke after using it twice) and have not really kited more than 5 days. More hassle than it is worth!!! But sometimes we do things out of love or passion that we cannot explain. I love kiteboarding, and this time she broke my heart! Oh well, ancient Egypt will be amazing and instead of riding the wind on the water I will get to spend more time exporing whats underneath it.

To The Pyramids!!!

Just got back from the Kinneret where I was kiteboarding for the last three days. It is a beautiful place to ride. Any place that the wind blows everyday is good! My kite has been giving me problems so hopefully I will have it fixed before I leave for Egypt Monday night. I am going to take the midnight bus from Tel-Aviv to Eilat Monday night. I will arrive around 6 AM and then take a taxi to the Taba border crossing. At the border I am planning on meeting up with a friend of a friend who is also traveling to Cairo. It is not the safest place for girls to travel by themselves so she will tag along for the ride. The bus from the border leaves at 10 and is supposed to arrive in Cairo around 5. Wednesday I am planning on touring the pyramids and Thursday the Cairo Museum. I will be staying with my friend Bill in Cairo. Bill is a professional tennis coach who recently took a job there running a tennis academy. He is coaching a player in the olympics this year. Pretty cool....I know Bill from St. Pete where we kiteboarded together. Friday morning we are driving 3 hours to Ras Sadr Egypt to do some riding. After that it is pretty much up in the air. I might stay and kiteboarder in Ras Sadr for a couple of days or go back to Cairo and tour around some more. No set plans. Also, I am planning on relaxing in Sinai again before my trip is over. The picture above is of Ras Sadr where I will be riding....Looks nice!!!

Wanted: Travel Partner

Kyle left two nights ago to return to Florida. Funds were running low so it was time for him to go back to reality. I don't speak for Kyle, sometimes Kyle doesn't speak period, but if I had to guess I would say he had a great time. It was nice to share some amazing experiences with my brother. He returned in one piece and niether of us gave each other black eyes. Based on these facts I would say it was a success traveling together. Now he is going to serve tables so he can save up beer money for when school starts. Just kidding Mom. The money is for textbooks and study guides ; ) Now I am staying at a friends house outside of Tel-Aviv. Thursday I am going with my kiteboarder friend Dan to the Kinneret for some riding over the weekend. Friday I turn 22 so it should be fun celebrating it with some time on the water. It's all downhill from here. 21 was my last significant birthday. Yeah, I'm 21, now I can get into bars! 22 doesn't have much significance besides that it is the first time I've had an age with two of the same numbers in it since I was 11. Thats pretty cool.....I guess. Once I turn 111, now that will be a milestone. Triple 1's ! Anyway, today I got my visa for Egypt. Next week I am going to Cairo to see what those large triangles in the desert are all about. I have a friend who is a pro tennis coach working in Cairo . I will go stay with him and tour around and then head torwards the Red Sea for some kiteboarding. After that I think I will go around the Sinai Peninsula sightseeing. The southern end is home to some of the best coral reefs in the world so I definitely can't pass that up. I have 4 weeks left and I'm going to do my best to see as much as I can.

Serenity in Sinai : )

Kyle and I just crossed the border from back into Israel from Sinai. I don't think I have ever had a more relaxing 3 days in my life. After entering Sinai throught the Taba border crossing we grabbed a cab and headed down the coast. That would be the last time we were aware of the time and day. After an hour drive south we arrived at our Beduine camp. Kum Kum 3 was the name of our camp. It was located on an empty stretch of beach with mountains behind it and a coral reef in front. 10 miles across the Gulf of Aquaba is Saudi Arabia. The Sinai region is amazingly beautiful. I will let the pictures do the talking. We basically woke up whenever the sun poured through our hut and went to bed when the moon was setting behind the mountains. I can't tell you any times. Time was left at the border. So we would wake up, take about 4 steps and go swimming out to the coral reef. After exploring around the reef we would eat a nice breakfast at the kitchen in our camp. Egyptain pancakes were our favorite. Sweeter than pancakes at home, covered in chocalate and fruit. Then we would sit and read in a hammock or on some of the many large pillows under the tent. Usually I would fall back asleep and wake sometime in the afternoon. Now it was time for another swim and then maybe some paddle ball with Kyle. By now the sun is getting close to the mountain peaks, so I know its time to shower. After a refreshing outdoor shower its time to read and take another nap. Dinner comes as the moon begins to rise over the mountains on the Saudi side. After dinner we play some cards and listen to the beduines play traditional music under the glow of the moon. Its a hard life! : ) It was like we were in a time warp. Everything goes by at a pace that you don't get anywhere else. Complete silence surrounds you like the mountains and the reef. I think I am going to go back before I leave in August. I almost forgot the best part. We paid 15 Egyptain pounds per night. Thats roughly $3.....Enough said.....

Going South!!!!!

Kyle and I have just been relaxing in our apartment the last couple of days. Going to the beach and chilling out. We went up to Haifa for Shabbat dinner with the Israeli soldier that we know. Her and her family really made us feel welcomed. Her dad is an amazing guy. He is 78 years old and a retired Israeli army commander. He looks like he is 60 and acts like he is 20. He fought for Israel's independence in the Independence War of 1948. Founded and commanded Israels first elite diving division, kind of like the Navy Seals. Now he is retired after over 40 years served and operates a dive company as head dive master. Saturday he took us out on his dive boat and we swam around a wrecked ship just off the shore. Really a great man...Right now we are heading down to the Red Sea and then Sinai. Sinai is a region that is part of Egypt that is also on the Red Sea. Just going to be relaxing and doing some snorkling. I got to go before we miss our train...Will post when we get back towards the end of next week..

Up North....

After visiting the Ba'hai Gardens and Haifa Kyle and I headed to our next stop, the old city of Akko. Akko is about 30 north of Haifa. The city was first mentioned in Egyptian texts from the 19th century BC. Alexander the Great established a mint there in 333 BC and operated for 600 years. In 636 Akko fell to the Arabs until the time of the crusades. The Crusaders established it as thier principle lifeline and port. In 1291 the Mamluks pounded the city to rubble where it remained that way for 450 years. After that an Ottoman by the name of Al-Jazzar, a.k.a. the butcher, brought the city back to life. He was not called the butcher because he was good at cutting meat. Al-Jazzar had 37 wives. After returning from a trip he was told that one of his wives had cheated on him. He could not tell who had done it, so he killed them all. Not someone you would want to play a practical joke on. By 1799 the city was important enough for Napolean to have interests in conquering it. He was denied and Akko remained in Turkish hands until the British captured Palistine in 1917. This is just a brief outline of the Akko's turmulous history. This is one of the coolest parts about being in Israel. There is so much history everywhere you turn. Over 3,000 years since its beginning, the city still houses many families and a large market. After Akko we headed north to the border of Israel and Lebanon where there are a series of grottos (caves), carved into the cliffs by the ocean. It was pretty crazy seing the border and all of the Israeli soldiers stationed there. It brought to life the harsh reality of living in this confined country with enemies on all sides. After the caves we headed south back towards are apartment in Herzliya. I stopped in another old city called Cesarea, while Kyle was tired and headed home. Cesarea was built by the Phoenicians in 332 BC and in 6 BC it became the headquarters of the Roman government in Palestine (Israel). However, much of the ruins that I saw where from the crusader period. These old cities have been conquered and re-conquered so many times that it makes it really hard to keep the facts in order. It is really amazing being in these old places. There are definitely opportunities to use my degree as a student of anthropology. Many of the sites are continuing to be excavated. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the history lesson for today. As for the pics.....From top left working down...Cesarea looking across the main part of the city. Ruins in the central part of Cesarea. Underground tunnel used by crusader knights in Akko. Akko city streets at night. The west fortification wall of Akko. Cave in the north. Cliffs that the caves are carved out of.

Haifa and The Ba'hai Gardens

Yesterday Kyle and I arrived in the port city of Haifa in the north. The public transportation is great here in Israel. We just took about an hour long train ride along the coast. Pretty much from our doorstep in Herzliya to the hostel in Haifa. Haifa is a decent size city set on Mt. Carmel facing Haifa Bay. It's main attraction are the Ba'hai Gardens located along the side of Mt. Carmel. The gardens belong to the Ba'hai faith. Ba'hai is the worlds newest religion and was started around 1830 and today has over 7 million followers. They believe in one god and preach world peace and unity. Not a bad concept. The gardens are part of a memorial for the faiths founder. He is buried in the large golden dome pictured above. The gardens are over 1 km long, have 120 full time gardeners, 1400 steps, cost 250 million to build, and are semetrical to promote unity and equality. We took a tour this morning. Many of the Ba'hai faith make pilgramage here every year. However, there is a 10 year waiting list to get in for those who practice the religion. The reason for this is because of an agreement with Israel. The Ba'hai said they would only allow 400 faithful a month to visit. Everything was cut and cleaned to perfection. The gardens are a truly remarkable landmark. We literally saw people cleaning the marble with toothbrush size brushes. A small stream runs along the steps all the way down through various fountains and to the bottom. In the picture on the right you can see part of the city of Haifa in the background. If anyone is interested in learning more about it you can check out www.bahai.us On a different note....Kyle and I ran into a soldier that was with us on the Birthrite part of our trip at the beach yesterday. I know like a total of 8 Israelis and I already ran into one! This truly is a tiny country. So today she is going to take us around and then we will probably go to the next city to the north, Akko. This city has what are said to be the most amazing Roman ruins from the time of the Roman occupation. Until next time, bye! With emphasis on the aye. That is hebrew for goodbye : ) So now you know some easy hebrew....

Happy 4th of July!!!

Yesterday we celebrated the 4th of July in Tel-Aviv. There is an American bar called Mikes Place on the beach in the city. Definitely not as lively as I would have expected, but still a fun time. During the day we went to the beach. Unlike in Florida on the 4th, we were not dodging fireworks being set off by un-supervised 8 year-olds. Tomorrow we are taking the train up to the port of Haifa in northern Israel. From there we will visit the surrounding coastal cities of Akko and Cesarea. Both contain Roman ruins from thier occupation in what was then called Palestine. Should be interesting.......I'll be sure to post some picks ASAP...The picture above is from the 4th. The guy in the black hat behind Kyle is Dan, the pro kiteboarder who I was in touch with before coming to Israel. He has been showing us all the local spots. Next to him is Tomer, a DJ in Tel-Aviv. Shy is the guy next to Kyle. All of the guys are really cool and have helped to make Kyle and I feel at home here in Israel.

Living Israeli style

Nothing new really going on....We are still chilling at our apartment and going to the beach pretty much everyday. Tomorrow we are going to the Kinneret to do some kiting and then going to see the movie, Don't Mess With The Zohan. Should be cool to see it here as it is about an ex-Israeli Masad agent. Just thought I'd talk about some everyday things that we do and see here that are a bit different from the states. Pretty much everywhere we go we see Israeli soldiers. This is because everyone is required to serve 3 years in the army when they turn 18. So while we are graduating and getting ready for college they are beginning thier service. Most times you will see them on the bus or at a resturaunt, never without a semi-automatic rifle by thier side. When you go to malls or other crowded places there are always metal detectors and security guards. When you go to a parking garage guards check your trunk for anything (explosives). But it is not as if I ever feel this is really out of the ordinary. It is just a part of Israeli life. A friend that we met served in the intelligence department during her term. She is not allowed to go to or fly over any Arab nations for the next 3 years due to security reasons. She is "not allowed to tell us anything." Believe me, we tried : ) Most showers don't have a curtain and are small enough that we just put soap on the walls and spin around to get clean. You have to use a squeegee* ? to push the water that has gone all over the bathroom floor down the drain. Toilets have two flushes #1 and #2 . The weekend starts Friday afternoon and going through Saturday, as Saturday is the Sabbath (day of rest) for the Jewish religion. Sunday is like a work day here. Cities pretty much shut down and everyone flocks to the beaches or country-side. Hummus is eaten with many meals. Not a bad thing. Israeli citizens are not allowed to travel to 2 bordering states (Syria and Lebanon), as they do not recognize Israel as a state. Egypt, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai region are all pretty much off limits. Pretty crazy....could you imagine living in Georgia and not being able to go to Alabama, well who really cares about Bama? But South Carolina, Florida, or Tennessee? No road trips to Panama City for Spring Break 09'!!!!! There are 32 political parties in Israel. The government is one area that most Israelis do not even understand. In its 60 year history one party has never had a majority vote. You thought our political system was messed up! Jerusalem has been conquered more than any other city in the world. The Dead Sea is not so dead after all....there are over 300 types of micro-organisms living in and around it...O.K., thats enough Israel facts....lol. Hope you enjoyed and I'll be sure to post some more if I think of any.