Egypt Explorers: Home Sweet Home

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At 11:00 pm last night we took our last wild ride through Cairo at about 90 miles an hour. It had been an exciting trip full of new sights and stories, but I was glad to see the city from the back window of the car for the last time. I was tired and ready to head home. We boarded our plane bound for Paris, France and took off minutes later to leave behind the golden lights of Cairo.

We landed in Paris and it was raining with 61 degree temperatures. It was so cold compared to the 110-120 degrees we had grown accustomed to. Missy and I had hoped to be able to board a bus and tour the city of Paris since this was the first time either of us had ever had the opportunity. We found the city tours Kiosk to be empty and read signs that informed us they were closed for the dates of July 7th and 8th. We attempted to ride a bus into the city and see the sights ourselves, but were told that it would take an hour to get to the Eiffel Tower and other renouned sites. We decided we did not have enough time and it was such a disappointment, but it could not be helped. So, we ate at one of the cafes in the airport. The food was a nice change from what we had eaten for the last 12 days.

At 11:30am we boarded our plane and prepared for the 9 hour flight to Cincinnati, Ohio. We watched movies, slept, ate, and looked over the pictures from our expedition to Egypt as we traveled back across 7 time zones. Seeing the sites of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky were delightful. When we landed it was so great to be back in the United States! We were home!!!!

We are greatful to Raymond Plank and Fund for Teachers for this opportunity. We will return to the classroom with excitement to share our great adventures in Egypt!

By Michele

Missy's Favorites:

*Gap Adventures and our wonderful Egyptologist Mayer!
*The Sheraton in Alexandria
*The Isis Hotel in Aswan
*The Samamak Restaurant in Alexandria
*Seeing Ramses VI tomb
*Seeing King Tut's Treasures
*Riding a camel to The Great Pyramids
*Sailing on a felucca on the Nile and around Aswan's islands
*Eating dinner at a Nubian home
*Petting a baby Crocodile

Missy's Not So Favorites:

*Lugging around heavy luggage
*Keeping sand out of my camera
*Being Rushed by our guide
*Climbing the stairs at Valley of the Kings
*The fear of eating meat
*The Heat!!!!!!
*Squat Toliets
*The Train Station

Missy's Unforgettable Experiences:

*The crazy traffic and nonexistent road rules
*Unreliable internet
*The Egyptian Hustlers
*Snake Charmers
*Taxi Rides
*Crossing the street


Michele's Do's

*Travel with GAP Adventures
*Get to know the Egyptian people
*Appreciate the Egyptian way of life
*Shop in the marketplace
*Enjoy the views of the Nile
*Ride a camel at the pyramids
*Ride a Felucca
*Visit the Elephantine Island Village
*Be prepared to tip everyone everywhere
*Take quality sunglasses
*Keep lots of kleenex
*Use sunscreen
*Get your vaccinations before traveling
*Travel with an antibotic
*Use durable luggage
*Pack lightly
*Buy bottled water
*Practice squatting for long periods of time

Michele's Don't

*Brush your teeth with tapwater
*Eat meat that hangs outside
*Eat desserts made with cream
*Fly for 20 hours
*Ask the French for help
*Wear revealing clothes
*Be afraid of Egyptian people

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Photos

Cairo
Sites from the street in Cairo

Egyptian Souveniers
Some of the souveniers Michele and I bought to use during our unit.

Egyptian Souveniers
Michele and Missy in our authentic Egyptian tunics.

Comments

[Penny Hammons]

Mayer
Missy, Why am I not surprised to see Mayer at the top of your Favorite List! I enjoyed looking at all of this. It did 2 things: Reminded me of my old days in social studies and made me wish that I could have been with you both on the trip. Question? Did you ever see a cloud in the sky? I wished we had some of that beautiful weather. Seriously, it makes you appreciate the good ole USA and the life that women have here in our country.