Aswan and beyond

Hi guys,

Once again I hope you are all well and looking after each other. I am good and having a great time exploring Egypt.

On Monday we caught the over night train to Aswan. I spent 16 hours on the train most of which I spent sleeping. We got off the train at 2pm and went straight to the hotel. At 3:30pm we went on a boat over to Elephantine Island where there is a Nubian village. Our tour leader Asam took us there and showed us around even though it was his day off and he didn't have too. He told us many stories about the Nubian people. He knows everybody in the village so there were men coming up to hug him and little children that he would play with. Our boat driver was a Nubian man and he invited us all into his house and gave us drinks. It was so so nice of him to let strangers into his house. We are so lucky that we have Asam as a tour leader as he is so passionate about what he does and because he is Egyptian he is able to talk to everybody and tell us what's going on. He also knows so much about Egyptian history and how the people live, their culture.

We then got back on the boat and saw hieroglyphs on the side of rocks by the river, it is amazing that they are just everywhere. We went to another island where we rode camels into the sunset. It was so peaceful the rhythmic motion of the camel the cool breeze flowing around you and the quiet. Just being part of nature, no cars honking, no need to rush anywhere just being. We then got back on the boat where Kasha and I ("Kash" is a lovely 22 year old girl from Sydney) went on the roof and watched the stars. We saw a shooting star, a satellite and what we are going to say was a comet (we're not sure what it was as it was more yellow then white). The strange thing is that with the moon here in Egypt the crescent is shaped like a "U" instead of a "(" shape as it is in Australia. This a question for all of you out there, especially Juha, why is that so? Is it because of the latitude that we are at? Something to do with the curve of the earth? Let me know if you have any ideas. It would probably be the same reason that Orion is the right way up in the Northern hemisphere.

So we were watching the stars when all of a sudden.... BANG.... we hit a rock. We all fell to the deck and it took a minute or so to get us unstuck from the rock. It was ok - no body fell into the Nile!

We then went to another Nubian village where we had dinner and danced to music. It was so much fun! The boys in the village were playing drums and singing and got us all up to dance. It was really great. I started dancing with this really sweet little boy, he must have been only four or five. He was so excited to be dancing with someone. The music was great with a very strong rhythm. Some of the singing was call and response so we were able to join in. WHAT A GREAT DAY!!!
We went back to the East bank and Sue (Sue is really my big sister, she is so nice) and I walked around the markets to buy food for the next day. It was 12:30 am by the time we got back to the hotel and there were still lots of people up and about wandering around the markets or sitting in the park. Egypt comes alive at night - when it is cool everyone comes out with their families to shop and socalize.

The next day we had to get up at 3 am to catch the convoy to Abu Simbel that left at 3:30 am. We got to the temples at 7:30 am. We had two and a half hours at the temples to wander around - we had a guide but she wasn't allowed in to the temples so she had to tell us about them before hand. The temples are just amazing! Just overpowering in their size and also in the very fine detail. Every wall was covered in hieroglyphs telling tales about Ramses the Second and the Egyptian gods. In some way it was more amazing than the pyramids because the pyramids are bare inside but the temples are so colouful and inspiring. The temple dedicated to Nefertiti was amazing as well.
We then got back on the bus and drove the three hours back to Aswan stopping at the High Dam to take a look. I'll have to speed up now as I am about to get on a felucca to sail down the Nile for the next two days. We also went to Philae Island which was full of more amazing sights - walls covered in stories and halls that echo with history.

While in Aswan we have kept running into another Intrepid group so we have more people to chat with. I haven't told you yet but I'm sure you will all find this amusing. I have a small toy wombat attached to the back of my bag so he is able to see everything that I see.

Sue and I went to the Nubia Museum which was great because it actually told you what was what so that you could understand what was the meaning behind the exhibits.
I now have a very great respect for all of the people that helped to save the temples at Abu Simbel that were going to be submerged in water following the construction of the High Dam. It took years and years and they saved and preserved so much for everybody. It is incredible to see such amazing sights. I am so thankful to them! What a tremendous effort.

Just one last note before I go.
I nearly got married yesterday! Yes, married! I was talking to a man who worked in the museum chatting about his family and so on when he started talking about going to see his family. I thought he was inviting Sue and I out for dinner. Then he was talking about a wedding which I thought he was going to. So there I was trying to understand what he was saying smiling and nodding along. When all of a sudden Sue is telling me that what he is talking about is a marriage proposal! She was tuned in to HOW he was talking to me and not WHAT he was saying. As you can imagine the conversation quickly stopped. He said that we would get married "Inshalla" ("God willing" .... not I'm pretty sure "Acushla willing" and I was SOOO not willing!!! ) We got out of there pretty quickly and as soon as he was out of hearing we cracked up laughing!!! I'm now a laughing stock. But seriously WHO goes around proposing to foreign women? He was already married and almost thirty five years OLD!!

So all in all it has been a VERY eventful couple of days!!

Love you all.

Thanks so much for the emails I love to know what you're up to!
All my love, your nearly married Acushla 'Muhmed'.

Giza

Hi all,
Guess what i did today???
I saw the Pyramids of Giza! And I went in to the Great Pyramid!! I climbed all the way inside bent double. Up and up I went until I finally emerged in the tomb. It is so still the air doesn't even dare to move. I let the others (some other people in my group) go down first so I was left alone in the middle of the Great Pyramid! Such an amazing experience!! So still there, just so massive, just another example of how amazing people are, to build, even to imagine, that they could build such amazing things.
There are not enough exclamation marks in the World to express the wonders I get to see every day. From the ancient monuments to the people on the streets, the great food and cacophony of sounds.

(This is for Sasha)
Cairo
It smells like perfume after one step then the next step is sewerage then another step and it's exotic spices all wrapped up in cigarette smoke
It tastes like cardamon coffee, and tahini and falafel.
It looks like chaos, cars, people, buses, bikes, people everywhere doing everything, sleeping laughing smoking, selling.
It sounds like music, cars honking, blaring, beeping. The call to prayer five times a day. Men laughing, women chatting. "Welcome!" "Where you from?" "Very beautiful, beautiful lady" "Come look at my shop" "Salaam" "Hello" "La lal la" "For you I give you 2000 camels" (that was a man trying to buy me from my 'husband' Grant).
It feels like paper money, dry heat, sweat. Cool nights, fresh breeze, sand in your hair.
It is wonderful.


So I went to the Pyramids today which was fantastic! Also to the Egyptian Museum where I think I got only a quarter of the way through. It was amazing seeing Tutankhamen's head mask and all the treasures he had with him in his tomb.

Because I have not been able to get onto the internet for a while I'll have to get you up to date.


From Petra we went out into the desert to Wadi Rum four-wheel driving. Sliding down sand dunes, following in the footsteps of 'el Lawrence'. We stayed in a Bedouin camp where I slept out under a million stars. It was so good to see Orion a familiar constellation in a different sky. We then caught a ferry to Egypt and then spent 2 lovely days sitting on a beach. I went scuba diving in the Red Sea which was so much fun. We then went inland to Mount Sinai where we walked around Saint Katharine's monastery and saw the "descendants" of Moses' burning bush. In the afternoon we climbed the 3780 Stairs of Repentance to the top of Mount Sinai . That was crazy - very hard on the legs but the view was spectacular. It took us two and a half hours to walk up then we watched the sun set and then took two hours to walk back down in the dark (we walked down a camel trail so it was easier).
The next day we drove the 6 hour trip to Cairo where I went walking around Coptic Cairo . I caught the Metro which was an experience within itself (a good one). That night we all went out to dinner where I met the new people joining our group and the new leader. He is really nice, an Egyptian man, who took us around the Giza Plateau even though he doesn't get paid for it. I have to go now as we have to catch an overnight train to Aswan - I think it takes 13 hours.

I love the emails - please send more.
Congratulations to Michelle about getting her licence.
All my love, Acushla xoxoxoxoxoxox

Petra

Hi guys. I am now in a town just 3 minutes walk from Petra. It is absolutely amazing! Everything you could imagine and more. Just wonderful. My feet are now aching from all the walking I have done over the last two days. We went up to the monastery where I got a scarf from "The Last Shop In Petra" - because it is on the very edge of a cliff. Here we met Artuf a Bedouin who is friends with Jony (our group leader) he gave us Bedouin tea and we chatted with him for over a hour. That was yesterday(we also had a 2 hour guided tour around Petra with our Jordanian guide Audi) and today we got up early and did the 3 hour walk up to the high place of sacrifice. Then chilled for a while then walked up to a lookout over the Treasury (the main sight) where Meg and Grant and I just sat and hungout in one of the most amazing places. I filled my memory card so that's 440 photos in 6 days! Ill try and upload some. Last night we went to the Cave Bar and learnt to dance Bedouin style which is lots of fun but can get quite difficult!

Thanks for all your responses they have been great! Keep them coming!! PLEASE

If you would like a post card please send me your address and where you would like a card from as there are so many of you and it would take me forever to send everyone a post card every time.

The group is fantastic it feels like we have known each other for a long time not just 2 1/2 days. Sue my room mate is lovely, she is my "yeonni", my big sister in Korean. There are the two Australian guys that are great and love to drink (how odd as they are Australian) but being in a Muslim country finding alcohol can be hard. Then there's Grant who has an Indiana Jones costume and has being wearing it for the last two days. Then there is Katharine and Jason who are cousins traveling together - they are so nice and happy. Then there's Bell who is an artist from CollingwoodMelbourne. Then there's Emmy a woman from England and Gina. And of course there's me......

Love to all, Acushla.

Jerash

Now the sun is shining.....
Well really its not because a cloud has just come and decided to rain upon us, but in a happiness way the sun is shining and the birds are singing and all is right in the world. I'm sorry to shock you all with the last blog..... WHAT a day!
And then on Friday I was in the hotel in Amman and I met two really nice American guys that live in Ugander (not sure if that's how you spell it) in Africa. I asked them if they wanted to go to the Dead Sea and Jerash with me the next day. We went out for dinner and had hummus, bread, another bean dip, falafel, chips and Coke (it was all they had that was cold Erik.... I'm sorry) and tea. It was FANTASTIC and for the three of us it only cost 5JD (Jordanian dollars) which is like $8 Australian. We went back to the hotel and started chatting with a Jordanian guy that works at the hotel. We all got on well and so he took us out to the Irish pub a 5 minute cab drive away. It was good fun even if his jokes were a bit rude and he called me a Muslim for not drinking to excess. We had a great night getting a cab back to the hotel at 12:30 where the Jordanian dropped us off and then said he would catch the cab home. We all went straight to bed - as for me my body thought it was like 9 in the morning. So half an hour later there is a banging on my door, I open it up and there is someone from the night shift at the hotel and a police man. They are saying that the taxi driver wants more money (he already got 3JD which is the right amount for the ride) but he says he wants more. The police man then wakes up the boys (Phillip and William - the Americans) and takes one of them to the police station. Will ends up just giving the driver 10JD so that he can just go back to sleep. After this I can no longer sleep and spend the rest of the night trying to get some rest - that night has to be one of the worst nights ever -touch wood I don't have any more like it.

Sorry I should probably put in some paragraphs.

So the next day, Saturday (I have to put here that right now I am eating Jordanian pastries which are so good - like the Greek baklava ), so on Saturday we all go to Jerash all four of us plus the driver (the fourth passenger is Meg an Australian who works in London). Now Jerash is just amazing! A whole Roman city right next to a modern town. I have never seen such wonders! You just feel amazed that people thousands of years ago and with no cranes or electric saws created such ingenious architecture. It was so much fun walking around imagining what it must have been like. I have also learnt two words that make my life so much easier - "Shukeren" which means "Thank you", and "La" which means "No". Put together or separately you can scrape by. Also Meg is learning Arabic so when I'm with her she can understand what they are saying - most on the time if it's a guy its "My dear, my love".

We then went to Mount Nebo which is where Moses first saw the Promised Land. Unfortunately he died before he reached it. We then went to the Jordanian River to where Jesus was baptised (Phil filled a bottle with holy water) and I saw Israel for the first time. The river is the border and so Israel was only two meters away. There is a map of the Middle East in the hotel which doesn't recognise Israel only Palestine.
We then went to the Dead Sea. It is so much fun floating in the Dead Sea. The water feels thick and presses in on your legs as you wade in. When you get up to you waist you just sit back and float.
But it gets in to every cut! Cuts I didn't know I had. We then went back to Amman and I went to sleep.

Today, Sunday, Meg and I got up lateish and just walked around the city. The weather was great it only started raining 1 hour ago. We stumbled on a great market where I got some oranges (which I ate sitting at the Roman theater in Amman) and just took everything in. Amman is a modern Arab city not like Cairo at all. I then went to the Roman theater where I talked to Oma and Opa on the phone and Mum, Dad and Sasha. By the way I want to thank everybody for your emails - I appreciate every one! Sorry that it is too hard to reply as I only have so much time on the computer. Talking of time I should go soon. I then went to the citadel where there is a great museum (wonderful statues and mosaics) and some more ruins - the best being the Temple of Zeus.

Ok time's up.

I love you all. Thank you for all your support and I'll try to keep you updated.
Please let me know how you're all going.
Hugs and kisses, Cush.

Update on Cairo and Amman-Jordan

Here are some updates on where Acushla has been staying in Cairo - great hostel, and Amman. Also included are the transcript of the chats we have had at night. (actually I could not load these)

She has asked for them to be posted.

Osiris in Cairo and Farah in Amman

Good news is she has met another Australian young woman who is doing the 21 day Intrepid tour with her. 

The tour starts tonight.

 Fiona

Well howdy!

Hi guys I hope you are all well and looking after each other.
I am great and have finally had time and energy to sit down and type. At the moment I am in Amman, the capital of Jordan, having arrived a couple of hours ago. It is 5:43 in the afternoon here on my second day. The flight was good but it was such a relief to see the sun rise again because I had spent nearly 24 hours in darkness as i followed the night around the globe.
Instead of repeating myself I am going to post an email I sent yesterday to Mum, Dad and Sasha . Since yesterday things have changed and I am well and happy. I am just about to go out and eat.
I was not in a great mood when I wrote the email so take that into consideration. Happy reading...


Hi guys. The flight was great, except for the whole being on a plane for 22 hours, my butt was SO sore! Sorry was that "TMI", anyway so the connection was fine and I had the pilot and one of the flight attendants thinking I was pretty cute. So everything was splendid, I even got to sleep on the plane to Egypt a little. I got stopped at Customs because I didn't put an address on the entrance form (because I am travelling and don't know where I will be all the time) but they soon let me through. Finally got out in to the arrivals lounge and guess what???!!! There was no one there to pick me up! No nice little sign with my name on it. So I waited and waited and rung the hotel which told me that I hadn't organised a pick up so I got them to send out a guy and then I waited and waited some more until nearly two hours after arriving in Egypt I rung the hotel again and they said that they had sent a driver out but he couldn't find me so he had left. At this point I am finally in tears (proud to note that I had sucked it in until then) at which point a guy comes over asking what's wrong saying that he can get me a cab (which actually consists on him getting some guy that can't speak English to get his friend that can't speak English either to drive me).

At this point I really just what to get to the hotel so because they can't speak English the address has to be translated into Arabic which OF COURSE is translated wrong so that after picking up two other passengers (who also don't speak English by the way!) we get completely lost!! So here I am braving the crazy death trap they call roads ;) and because the driver didn't have his seat belt on having to listen to the the car alarm beeping at him so that he would put the seat belt on - this continued through out the whole saga ( as I AM a sensitive muso this got me very annoyed). Anyway back to being lost.... then I am trying to call the hotel on my mobile so that they can talk to the driver and direct him to the hotel but my phone won't work! (no idea what's wrong with it as it was working at the airport - that's why I couldn't ring you which I have been trying to do) so I finally get the driver to call the hotel so he gets the directions....... but the other two passengers want to be dropped off home so we go in the opposite direction to where the hotel is to drop them off. At this point I am back in tears because it has been one and a half hours since I left the airport! So we're back on the way but the driver and his mate are hungry so we take another detour to get them some food. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO over it by now.

We finally make it to the hotel, I tip the driver (by the way he wouldn't accept my first tip - how rude) put my heavy bag back on and go up the rickety lift to the 12th floor but getting out of the lift are the owners of the Osiris which for some reason starts me crying again. So I get to the Reception in tears and check in but my room isn't ready yet and all the men are giving me strange looks as they just can't handle a crying woman in their foyer. So i store my bag and go on to the roof where I try again to ring you with no avail. So here I am sending you an email - it is now 11 o clock (I got to the hotel at 10:15 only four hours after I arrived in Cairo). I don't have enough time to really do anything before I have to leave tomorrow. I'm sure I'll think of something.

I send all my love to you all, Acushla.

PS - the staff here seem really nice and the building is amazing (even if the rooms are really small)

PPS - try calling me on my mobile or you could ring the hotel and get to me that way, love Cush xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo


Update........

Since this morning it has been great! I wandered the streets of Cairo and an Egyptian showed me around which was great. I have slept in a foreign country which is surprisingly exactly the same as sleeping at home. I had better go now and eat some dinner.

love you all lots.

PS - if you want to know more I am going to put my internet conversation with Mum and Dad in a link so that you can read that if you really want because it is too hard to write the same thing again and again.

Love you all, Acushla

New link

I have added a "interesting links" section to this blog. It is situated on the right side of the page. I have just put a link up to my itinerary - the link is cunningly called "My Itinerary", so you can have a look at what I'll be up to.