AAfter almost three days solid of traveling, we made it. For one hour we were privy to be part of a family of mountain gorillas! We started on a taxi, then three airplanes, a couple shuttles, another set of experiences in the horrible Cairo airport, another taxi and a nine hour jeep ride. It was an intense experience, and to add to it all I was extremely car sick during the last stretch of driving into the rainforest, Nathan told me after that he was concerned I wasn't
going to make it, but I pushed through the sickness and hiked up yet another mountain only to descend into a valley. We were accompanied by two professional guides, and a guard carrying an AK47, for our protection, in case we come across an elephant they said. Whatever. And once we penetrated the impenetrable forest we met up with the trackers whose job it is to follow the gorrillas in the morning from their last known location to where they are that we can see. I was impressed by the professionalism and the pride and protectionism of this amazing natural treasure. Currently in the world there are just over 700 mountain gorillas living in the wild, spread between Uganda, Congo and Rwanda. We tracked a family consisting of 32. Our first sighting of them was an adult female lounging in a tree. After watching her for a few minutes we caught a glimpse of the Alpha male, the king, the Silverback. The vegetation was very thick where we were and we had to keep moving in order to keep them in sight, our trackers were kind enough to keep cutting vines and pointing out movement in the bush. We also saw a mother with a baby and some other adults. We spotted about 9 in total. The highlight of them all being a 2.5 year old who was not against standing up and mimicking his father by beating his chest and engaging in other antics. The only time i have been scared on this trip, minus a few times trying to cross a road occurred when suddenly we realized we were surrounded by gorrilas in close proximity, although we could not see them and the silverback started making a fuss. Our trackers gathered around us and started making noise back and hitting the bushes, everything was ok. In due time we were ushered out as the magic of it all was beginning to sink in. They are protective and only 8 people per day are allowed to see them only for an hour. During the time we were with them fragments of books and papers I had read before kept coming to mind, but overall it was an honor to spend time in the company of one of man's closest relatives. I can't wait to share my pictures, and check Nathan's facebook page for an uploaded video of the first fleeting time we saw the Silverback.
July 29, 2011
July 24, 2011
Sunday July. 24 Biblical Sites and Splashing Around By Krystal
GSunday July. 24
Biblical Sites and Splashing Around
By Krystal
Our first tour is officially complete; although it ended just as good as it began - I know it is hard to believe anything could compare to camel riding by the pyramids. Our final days were spent visiting some Biblical sites and splashing around. It started with a trip to a crusaders castle - seeing interesting sights like the stones used in catapults and secret passageways. This was followed by the long anticipated floating in the Dead Sea. It was an incredible experience - it was impossible to sink. In fact you could still float standing straight up - if you could balance yourself. The sea lived up to all it's expectations and since it may disappear in the next 50 years I feel privileged to have the experience. We also saw the apparent remains of Lot's wife - oddly she looks very similar to a rock. After some fun in the water it was back to the past visiting Mt Nebo - where Moses saw the Promised Land. Sadly after this we had to say goodbye to our new found friends. The Jordan River was our next aquatic adventure. We saw the baptismal site of Jesus - it was great to see but was unexpectedly dry. Still we got to stand in the actual river as well. This was also where Joshua crossed on the way to Jericho which was apparently just over the hill on the other side. Next we headed to Wadi Mujib where we hiked up a river, climbed up some cascades, played behind a waterfall - diving into it from a rock - only to climb back by sliding down the cascades like a water slide and gliding down the river on our backs or stomachs. Finally we have spent some time relaxing at our hotel pool and visiting local sites like the mosaic map at St. George Church. A good way to prepare for our many flights looming in tomorrow's wake.
Biblical Sites and Splashing Around
By Krystal
Our first tour is officially complete; although it ended just as good as it began - I know it is hard to believe anything could compare to camel riding by the pyramids. Our final days were spent visiting some Biblical sites and splashing around. It started with a trip to a crusaders castle - seeing interesting sights like the stones used in catapults and secret passageways. This was followed by the long anticipated floating in the Dead Sea. It was an incredible experience - it was impossible to sink. In fact you could still float standing straight up - if you could balance yourself. The sea lived up to all it's expectations and since it may disappear in the next 50 years I feel privileged to have the experience. We also saw the apparent remains of Lot's wife - oddly she looks very similar to a rock. After some fun in the water it was back to the past visiting Mt Nebo - where Moses saw the Promised Land. Sadly after this we had to say goodbye to our new found friends. The Jordan River was our next aquatic adventure. We saw the baptismal site of Jesus - it was great to see but was unexpectedly dry. Still we got to stand in the actual river as well. This was also where Joshua crossed on the way to Jericho which was apparently just over the hill on the other side. Next we headed to Wadi Mujib where we hiked up a river, climbed up some cascades, played behind a waterfall - diving into it from a rock - only to climb back by sliding down the cascades like a water slide and gliding down the river on our backs or stomachs. Finally we have spent some time relaxing at our hotel pool and visiting local sites like the mosaic map at St. George Church. A good way to prepare for our many flights looming in tomorrow's wake.
July 23, 2011
Magnificent marvelous mountains and monoliths (by Jess)
Magnificent marvelous mountains and monoliths (by Jess)
July 21 - What an adventure we have been having! While we were still in Aswan we joined an armed caravan which left at 3 in the morning to travel waay out into the desert to visit Abu Simble - giant statues of Krystal's boyfriend - King Ramses at four different stages in his life.
Last week we were in Luxor in Egypt and we went to the Valley of the Kings. It is a very quiet, peaceful resting place for many of Egypt's kings. King Tut is still residing there, some of our group elected to pay the extra ticket to go and say hello, we did not go in, though we did go into three other's tombs. They were lavishly decorated and inscribed, we learned to read some of the hieroglyphs and recognize some of the gods and goddesses.
After leaving the more metropolitan areas of Egypt we headed to the desert of Sinai, actually located on the Continent of Asia (so we have visited three continents of this trip!). I was blown away by the awsome size of the mountains. We hiked up mount sinai, Nathan and Krystal took the more difficult "steps of repentance" and met a monk along the way. I took the easier route, but enjoyed some beautiful views. We arrived at the summit just in time for sunset then hiked all the way back down in the dark.
This past couple days we have been in the weird and wonderful desert landscape of Wadi Rum. What I found most interesting was how skewed my perception of distance was when everything is mammoth and brown. We got in our jeep from our picnic location and were driving to a location at the base of a mountain that did not appear to be too far away. After driving for 5 minutes it did not appear to be any closer, after driving a while longer I thought that we must be almost there, then I looked out to see another jeep driving towards us, also in front of the mountain and it appeared to be the size of an ant! We still had a huge distance to go. I could not imagine getting lost in here, even driving though was impressive - our driver using rock formations as street signs. When we finally arrived at the base of this mountain, we saw some ancient camel carvings/paintings, depicting a camel caravan that traveled through the area. That night we camped out under the stars and our bedouin hosts prepared dinner for us that was cooked underground. We told our group that it was our anniversary and in lieu of champagne they all prepared mini speeches with marriage advice for continued happiness and each told us something they percieved us doing well in our relationship, it was very special. Then our Bedouin hosts sang us some wedding songs.
July 21 - What an adventure we have been having! While we were still in Aswan we joined an armed caravan which left at 3 in the morning to travel waay out into the desert to visit Abu Simble - giant statues of Krystal's boyfriend - King Ramses at four different stages in his life.
Last week we were in Luxor in Egypt and we went to the Valley of the Kings. It is a very quiet, peaceful resting place for many of Egypt's kings. King Tut is still residing there, some of our group elected to pay the extra ticket to go and say hello, we did not go in, though we did go into three other's tombs. They were lavishly decorated and inscribed, we learned to read some of the hieroglyphs and recognize some of the gods and goddesses.
After leaving the more metropolitan areas of Egypt we headed to the desert of Sinai, actually located on the Continent of Asia (so we have visited three continents of this trip!). I was blown away by the awsome size of the mountains. We hiked up mount sinai, Nathan and Krystal took the more difficult "steps of repentance" and met a monk along the way. I took the easier route, but enjoyed some beautiful views. We arrived at the summit just in time for sunset then hiked all the way back down in the dark.
This past couple days we have been in the weird and wonderful desert landscape of Wadi Rum. What I found most interesting was how skewed my perception of distance was when everything is mammoth and brown. We got in our jeep from our picnic location and were driving to a location at the base of a mountain that did not appear to be too far away. After driving for 5 minutes it did not appear to be any closer, after driving a while longer I thought that we must be almost there, then I looked out to see another jeep driving towards us, also in front of the mountain and it appeared to be the size of an ant! We still had a huge distance to go. I could not imagine getting lost in here, even driving though was impressive - our driver using rock formations as street signs. When we finally arrived at the base of this mountain, we saw some ancient camel carvings/paintings, depicting a camel caravan that traveled through the area. That night we camped out under the stars and our bedouin hosts prepared dinner for us that was cooked underground. We told our group that it was our anniversary and in lieu of champagne they all prepared mini speeches with marriage advice for continued happiness and each told us something they percieved us doing well in our relationship, it was very special. Then our Bedouin hosts sang us some wedding songs.
July 19, 2011
July 13 (by Nathan) Oh captain my captain
July 13 (by Nathan)
Oh captain my captain
Today we sailed the Nile river on a felucca - a triangular sailed boat. It was hot hot but the wind was good. Sailing was slow as we made about 20km on our 24 hour journey. We made friend with the captain Mustafah and my highlight was sailing the boat myself.
Oh captain my captain
Today we sailed the Nile river on a felucca - a triangular sailed boat. It was hot hot but the wind was good. Sailing was slow as we made about 20km on our 24 hour journey. We made friend with the captain Mustafah and my highlight was sailing the boat myself.
Hot hot heat (by Jess) July 11
Hot hot heat (by Jess)
July 11: As it is so hot out we elected to stay inside the hotel room for much of today. The boys went to the bar and the girls watched Egyptian music videos - adding our own lyrics, and Arabic soap operas - adding our own dialogue, (so the wealthy man bribed his housekeeper to sleep with him but in the end she died, or was a narcoleptic. :)
We went on a Nile river cruise where we picked up Mr. Hamdi the elder of the Nubian village, a Dickens quoting wizened little man, and he was able to tell us some stories about the history of the area and his people. After that we walked up a sand dune and had a swim in the Nile (crocodile free!)
We had arranged to have dinner with a Nubian host family. We sat on their floor and shared a meal with Australians, English and us from Canada, in a home open to the sky (it rains every 30 years or so). Truly an exercise in multiculturalism
July 11: As it is so hot out we elected to stay inside the hotel room for much of today. The boys went to the bar and the girls watched Egyptian music videos - adding our own lyrics, and Arabic soap operas - adding our own dialogue, (so the wealthy man bribed his housekeeper to sleep with him but in the end she died, or was a narcoleptic. :)
We went on a Nile river cruise where we picked up Mr. Hamdi the elder of the Nubian village, a Dickens quoting wizened little man, and he was able to tell us some stories about the history of the area and his people. After that we walked up a sand dune and had a swim in the Nile (crocodile free!)
We had arranged to have dinner with a Nubian host family. We sat on their floor and shared a meal with Australians, English and us from Canada, in a home open to the sky (it rains every 30 years or so). Truly an exercise in multiculturalism
July 8: (by Krystal)
July 8: (by Krystal)July 8: (by Krystal)
One of my favourite days of the trip since it was one of the main reasons I signed up for the crazy adventure in the first place. We headed out to the famous Giza pyramids with our new found friends. Armed with our previous knowledge and advice from our guides and a few more tourists most of the persistent street sellers were avoided with a firm la or no. We started the pyramid adventure into the largest one a steep climb up a narrow and short tunnel especially for our new 6'2 friend Sean. The tunnel lead to the burial chamber empty for all but a sarcophagus. The walls were empty and the whole thing was made creepier by a low eery hum coming from a mysterious source okay maybe the source was not so mysterious as it stopped when we left. After the pyramids we went camel riding! My camel was named Charlie and my camel riding partner was Anika from Australia. The key to riding - now that I am clearly an expert is to lean back when the camel is standing and to hold on to your hat or you will lose it in the sahara desert (lucky for me Jess camel guide retrieved mine) I throughly enjoyed the experience especially when we got to trot for a few moments plus the breathtaking view of the pyramids and the Indiana Jones sound track being sung in the background. The whole experience ended with a visit to the sphinx. The day ended with an overnight sleeper train ride.
One of my favourite days of the trip since it was one of the main reasons I signed up for the crazy adventure in the first place. We headed out to the famous Giza pyramids with our new found friends. Armed with our previous knowledge and advice from our guides and a few more tourists most of the persistent street sellers were avoided with a firm la or no. We started the pyramid adventure into the largest one a steep climb up a narrow and short tunnel especially for our new 6'2 friend Sean. The tunnel lead to the burial chamber empty for all but a sarcophagus. The walls were empty and the whole thing was made creepier by a low eery hum coming from a mysterious source okay maybe the source was not so mysterious as it stopped when we left. After the pyramids we went camel riding! My camel was named Charlie and my camel riding partner was Anika from Australia. The key to riding - now that I am clearly an expert is to lean back when the camel is standing and to hold on to your hat or you will lose it in the sahara desert (lucky for me Jess camel guide retrieved mine) I throughly enjoyed the experience especially when we got to trot for a few moments plus the breathtaking view of the pyramids and the Indiana Jones sound track being sung in the background. The whole experience ended with a visit to the sphinx. The day ended with an overnight sleeper train ride.
Tombs of the Pharaohs (by Nathan) July 7
Tombs of the Pharaohs (by Nathan) July 7
We ventured out today in search of the desert. Our cab ride took us through some Egyptian farm land, a few rough roads and a police check point. Finally we found the desert and the statue of king Ramses in Memphis (the first capital of Egypt not Tennessee). Further into the desert we found the step pyramid of Saqqara. The first ever pyramid. Through the tombs we went guided by our new egyptian friend and his son (these "guides" are harder to shake than you think). We learned a little, bakshished a lot, and really enjoyed our first taste of mummies and their tombs
We ventured out today in search of the desert. Our cab ride took us through some Egyptian farm land, a few rough roads and a police check point. Finally we found the desert and the statue of king Ramses in Memphis (the first capital of Egypt not Tennessee). Further into the desert we found the step pyramid of Saqqara. The first ever pyramid. Through the tombs we went guided by our new egyptian friend and his son (these "guides" are harder to shake than you think). We learned a little, bakshished a lot, and really enjoyed our first taste of mummies and their tombs
July 13, 2011
Up and down the Nile (by Jess)
Greetings from Luxor.
We've been up and down the Nile. We have seen pyramids, temples and tombs. A mummy, some hierogliphs, paintings and carvings.
We are off on Friday to the Red Sea for a couple of days.
There are some more posts to come that we have written on our ipod, but we need wifi in order to post them.
We've been up and down the Nile. We have seen pyramids, temples and tombs. A mummy, some hierogliphs, paintings and carvings.
We are off on Friday to the Red Sea for a couple of days.
There are some more posts to come that we have written on our ipod, but we need wifi in order to post them.
July 7, 2011
July 5, 2011
To Cairo by rail! (by Jess)
July 5: Now both Nathan and Krys are out on our balcony absorbed in the mayham that is driving in Alex. It's nice to get a high vantage point rather than being in the middle of it.
Today we went to the Kom el Shoqafa catacombs, they were very creepy, i couldn't bring myself to peek over into the sarcaphogi because there was that little voice in my mind telling me that there could be a mummy! Thanks Brendan Fraiser. There were some bones, but they were of important race winning horses that the King wanted to have with him in the afterlife.
We went to a few other sites today, nothing spectacular to note. A lot of walking! I am very appreciative of the boisterous, question-filled welcoming we have received (what's your name? Where are you from?) but I am looking forward to being in a place where perhaps being a white tourist is not such a rarity.
We are heading to Cairo tomorrow by rail, finally. After two trips to the train station, where both times their computer system was down, standing in very hot, very pushy lines, we have our first class tickets! This means we have reserved seats in an air-conditioned car, for a three hour train ride for about 7 dollars. For those of you who know Nathan know that he wanted to take the third class car, riding with the goats (?) for about 1 dollar
We have been very spoiled in the gilded opulence of the Metropole Hotel (very much recommend) including lavish breakfast and free wifi. I don't know the next time we will get on the Internet, so don't worry if there is a long pause between now and our next Internet appearance. But do keep us in your prayers, we need to make sure we continue to have a covering as we still have some streets to cross.
Today we went to the Kom el Shoqafa catacombs, they were very creepy, i couldn't bring myself to peek over into the sarcaphogi because there was that little voice in my mind telling me that there could be a mummy! Thanks Brendan Fraiser. There were some bones, but they were of important race winning horses that the King wanted to have with him in the afterlife.
We went to a few other sites today, nothing spectacular to note. A lot of walking! I am very appreciative of the boisterous, question-filled welcoming we have received (what's your name? Where are you from?) but I am looking forward to being in a place where perhaps being a white tourist is not such a rarity.
We are heading to Cairo tomorrow by rail, finally. After two trips to the train station, where both times their computer system was down, standing in very hot, very pushy lines, we have our first class tickets! This means we have reserved seats in an air-conditioned car, for a three hour train ride for about 7 dollars. For those of you who know Nathan know that he wanted to take the third class car, riding with the goats (?) for about 1 dollar
We have been very spoiled in the gilded opulence of the Metropole Hotel (very much recommend) including lavish breakfast and free wifi. I don't know the next time we will get on the Internet, so don't worry if there is a long pause between now and our next Internet appearance. But do keep us in your prayers, we need to make sure we continue to have a covering as we still have some streets to cross.
July 4, 2011
Safe in Alexandria (by Krystal)
Taking some time to use the Internet access and Jess'ipod in our hotel to let everyone know we got here safely since Jess is too fascinated by the constant stream of traffic, chorus of horns and sea of people outside our window. After three flights, long layovers of sitting in the airport(no munich for us)we arrived yesterday to a beautiful hotel but more importantly a bed!
Today started out with a trip to the library which was also had museums in it. We looked at some books, saw part of the book of the dead in the manuscript library and got a whirlwind guided tour of the different artifacts found in the city (my Greek lit prof would be proud as I recognized the Greek gods!)
After the library walked along the seaway and around the town. Everywhere we went we have stood out ... (Just a bit)but it has earned us a fair amount of welcomes and hellos. Armed with our tourist guide free from the library we will hit a few more key spots in the city tomorrow. Still it really is the little things that make an adventure. To prove my point some highlights of the past few days for the three of us have been a cab ride,the hotel bed,a German swim team,the book of the dead parchment,the antiquities museum and a hail of welcome to Alexandria out of a cab window (I will let you figure out whose was which)
This experience has been an adventure so far but God has been watching our steps every moment. so far.
Today started out with a trip to the library which was also had museums in it. We looked at some books, saw part of the book of the dead in the manuscript library and got a whirlwind guided tour of the different artifacts found in the city (my Greek lit prof would be proud as I recognized the Greek gods!)
After the library walked along the seaway and around the town. Everywhere we went we have stood out ... (Just a bit)but it has earned us a fair amount of welcomes and hellos. Armed with our tourist guide free from the library we will hit a few more key spots in the city tomorrow. Still it really is the little things that make an adventure. To prove my point some highlights of the past few days for the three of us have been a cab ride,the hotel bed,a German swim team,the book of the dead parchment,the antiquities museum and a hail of welcome to Alexandria out of a cab window (I will let you figure out whose was which)
This experience has been an adventure so far but God has been watching our steps every moment. so far.
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