I Said No

Some pick up lines that don't work:

Marry me!
Hello! 90% Egyptian?! Sexy!
Nice knees! [nice what?! Marissa got this one.]
Wanna Egyptian husband? 100% handmade in Egypt!

- random men


The one "pick up line" that did work:

Stay for drinks? No pay.

-little guys on the felucca

No, we are not interested in 12 year old boys, but are happy with the honest offer for friendly drinks over marriage proposals.

Getting Lost in Egypt

The pushiest place I've been to thus far is Egypt. People would follow me for 10 minutes down the street trying to sell me something or take me to their hotel or something else that I am not interested in.

I find the best strategy is ignoring people, even when they shout out a friendly "Welcome to Egypt" because sometimes that leads to being hunted. I'm so cautious with being friendly with people it's not fun sometimes.

The best time I had was in Aswan when we spent the afternoon on a felucca with 2 really awesome guys and 2 little guys who taught us Egyptian card games. We wandered about the Nile around little islands, had tea and talked. It was the best.

In Luxor I wandered past the tourist market and ended up surrounded by locals buying fresh veggies, live chickens and other things. It was intense, colourful and a little intimidating. I loved it.

Borders

So out of the 3 of us when we cross borders it is only me that gets the most questions and my bag emptied. Hmm... wonder why?

love the world we live in.

I hope I don't have trouble leaving tonight, I am ready to go home.

Lucky in Luxor

Some highlights of the past few days...

Learning that my traveling companions and I are worth 30 camels (10 camels each, that's not too shabby)... don't worry the negotiation was never finalized (we stumbled away down the market alleyway laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation as the guy we were with grinned with delight at the possibility of trading his new found friends for camels he didn't need.)

Riding a camel into the Sahara then having a cup of tea overlooking Cairo.

Praying for my life in the backseat of cars driving through Cairo traffic which is way more of a wild west than Phnom Pehn is... I think Cairo traffic is the craziest I've ever seen and had the displeasure of being in!! Israel was a little crazy but Cairo is simply mad! Horses, carts, donkeys, camels, and so many cars, and people everywhere!! Traffic lights don't seem to work and the lane markings are mere decoration on the road.

Melting in 50 degree temperatures and burning in the hot hot hot sun of Egypt.

Politely declining to a father who offered me to marry his 10 year old son.

Singing the Indiana Jones theme song while crawling about inside a Pyramid of Giza (and also reminding myself to stay calm and not start hyperventilating at the claustrophobic environment.)

Crossing a road in Cairo!! It's like playing chicken with your life. (I hope my parents aren't reading this.) A really nice guy gathered us in his shadow and helped us cross. The best strategy ever! Find a local and hover right behind them and follow as they cross.

Everyone saying "Welcome to Egypt!!" Everyone is so friendly here! And this one sweet old man today at the train station said to us with a huge grin, "Welcome to the station!"

Andrew and Noa's Wedding

So the whole point of this trip was to come to the wedding and it was absolutely gorgeous! It was on the seaside and at sunset. When Andrew and Noa walked out I got all teary eyed, they looked really happy and stunning. It was an alternative wedding because Andrew isn't Jewish, but it had elements of a Jewish wedding. They took sips from blessed wine, broke the glass and he put the veil on her. It was so cool to see! Andrew read something in Hebrew (very impressive) and we all cheered loudly for him.

The food was delicious and I had this chocolate thing in a cup for dessert and almost died. I could relive that moment forever and be happy. That good. We danced the night away and had a very happy drunk bus ride back to Tel Aviv later that night. We stayed at the beach for awhile and randomly saw a white horse while we were there. I love Vancouver but the beach here is so much better. The sand is fine and soft and the water warm.

The first night we were in town ( I think the first, that time kinda blended together), Noa's parents had a welcome dinner for folks from out of the country. There were heaps from The Netherlands, and the rest of us were from America, Belgium, Canada ...

A Falafel a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

I brought some dried squid from Japan to Israel for my friends and right now I can hear them debating which one to open first (the hardcore squid or the other one?) The hardcore one refers to the package with a rocker character on it. Hilarious.

I've been in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the most part for the past week. It's been amazing. There are beautiful beaches in TA and Jerusalem is so gorgeous, I think it's one of the most photogenic places I've ever been to. There are small old (really old) streets and buildings and communities and ruins everywhere (of course). I saw the knesset and the supreme court buildings the other day. It's too hard to try to capture everything that's happened in the past week.

I had a few hours in Amsterdam on the way here and I checked my bag into a locker and ran out into the city for a bit. I a very thankful for my Canadian passport, it's so easy to travel! I wandered around and saw chinatown, the red light district, the Dam square area and even had time for some Indian food and a Heineken. I have more time on my way back so I'll do it again! I loved the bicycles! Everywhere! Yay Amsterdam!

I have been eating delicious food and I honesty don't want to leave (mostly because of the food) and also because I love traveling so much. I find people here to be very friendly and outgoing; it's refreshing after, what I feel is, my part reserved part of Japan. Tel Aviv is a beach city, everyone is dressed really casually and in flip flops. Love it!

Jerusalem is intense, really intense. There is SO much history and it's so beautiful. I hope to go back again before I leave. It's only about an hour from TA. There's obviously much more to write about, like the wall, the one between the west bank and Jerusalem, and there's just not time to sit, absorb it and write about it right now. It took my breath away in a very anxious and depressing way. Barbed wire running back and forward as far as the eye could see...

Today is shabbat so everything will close down and buses will stop running. Last week we got groceries and food out and went down to the beach Friday night and also Saturday all day. The sand is fine and the water wonderful. It gets hot but then you can just jump in the ocean. This week for shabbat I am going to Josh's family's kibbutz!

Gotta run! There's talk of going to a market nearby. I saw piles of cherries taller than me at this market. !!! YUMMY!!