Egypt

Today was definitely a highlight for Susan and me. It was to be our first time in Africa and our first time to ride camels through the desert.

We woke up early on Monday. It was to be a long day. Our tour of Egypt began at 7:30 and we arrived back on ship after 9. Our bus picked us up at the port in Alexandria. Alexandria was developed from a small fishing village by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. This was also where Julius Ceasar met Cleopatra. But more important Mark brought the Gospel to the large Jewish population in 62 AD

Quickly we headed through the 5 million peopled city to Cairo, with its 18 million people. Cairo sits by the fertile Nile River and is bordered by the barren Great Western Desert

Among many other ancient sites the one most of us wanted to see was the Great Pyramid of Cheops. It sits above the several other tombs of the Pharoahs. No wonder these 5000 year old structures are considered to be among the 7 wonders of the Ancient World. One Pyramid consists of 2.5 million Limestone blocks each weighing a minimum of 2 1/2 (some up to 15) tons each. King Cheops started building his tomb as soon as he took the throne and with 100,000 slaves it took him 20 years to build. He figured it would ensure his immediate transport to heaven.

We were awed by the various types of pyramids, the Sphinx and various other 5 million years old buildings and artworks, but our desert highlights were a jeep ride over the sands. The driver loved scaring the girls by jumping over the dunes. We were pretty shaken up by the time we were done. He thought it was the Indy 500 and he wanted to win!

And then came the camels. From the drop off point in the middle of no-where we climbed on our camels and set off by caravan for about a half hour ride. Susan and Diane were really good sports and it was a lot of fun!

After an authentic Egyptian dinner we set out for our 3 hour drive back. We were surprised how poor and dirty Cairo was. Our driver guard and guide were Muslim. Because it is the month of Ramadam they fast every day from 5 am till sundown no food or water. Very disciplined but they were very happy when 7 pm came and dove into their dinner.

Tuesday we spent on the ship to relax and today is Wednesday. We've docked in Athens for a visit with a new friend.