After five weeks in Egypt, on December 22 I flew from Cairo to Amman, Jordan with the hope of making it to Jerusalem and Bethlehem in time for Christmas. Goodbye, Egypt Cairo is a place you either love or hate, depending on the day. On some days, the chaos, hustle and bustle, and people-watching are great. You revel in the cars and donkey carts vying for position in the streets, haggling over prices and making sure you're not getting ripped off, and listening to heated arguments and discussions emanating from the coffeehouses. You find yourself thinking Where else could I experience all of this? On other days, the noise, overcrowding, and pollution are too much and you crave just one moment of complete silence or a few breaths of clean air. So while I had a
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