And the Walls Came a Tumblin' Down

I don't know if you can tell from the title, but I went to Jericho today. We had a half-day field trip. We went to the New Testament Jericho site, first. (Right - In the background, just above the green are the remains of Herod's palace in the area that was called Jericho during the time of Jesus Christ. By the way, ignore me in the pictures since I am sick). There we saw the remains of one of Herod's palaces. We also saw a goatherd. Do you know what the difference is between a goatherd and a goat herder? Or a shepherd and a sheep herder? With the goatherd and the shepherd, the goats and sheep follow. It was really quite interesting. This kid was sitting on a donkey and just riding up front and all the goats followed along behind. It was very cool. (Left - the lonely goatherd leading his animals on his donkey).
Next we went to the Old Testament Jericho site. There we saw some walls (though not the walls that Joshua helped crumble to the ground - they haven't found those walls yet). The best part was reenacting the battle of Jericho. We saw Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho (I'm still sick, so I didn't really sing along) while one person blew a ram's horn and we all marched in a circle. It was fun.
After spending some time there and listening to the story of Jericho where it actually happened, we went to the Quruntul Monastery. (Right - At the Old Testament site of Jericho. The walls you see in the back and to the right are the walls from the early Bronze Age. This is before the time of Joshua. Also visible if you look to the left, are the Middle Bronze Age walls which are also before Joshua's time. They haven't found any Late Bronze Age, Joshua's time, walls here). inside which traditionally is the rock the Savior was tempted to turn into bread. We learned a little of monasticism there, too. It is actually a really nice monastery. (Left - blowing the ram's horn). If I didn't have to be a monkIt is a Greek Orthodox monastery nearby on the side of the mountain. It was quite a hike for a sick person, but I made it without falling off the side, so that is good. This monastery commemorates Christ's temptations in the wilderness. There is a rock to live there, I think it would be pretty cool. Right now only about 2 or 3 individuals live in that monastery.
That was the last stop of out field trip. (Right - sign for the Quruntul Monastery with the Monastery on the mountain in the background). We came back to the center and after eating a quick lunch, I went to sleep. That was nice. I am feeling better than yesterday, though, so that is good. I hope that tomorrow will be even better. Tomorrow we just have two classes and then a free day. A few people are going to Tel Aviv, but I am going to stay here and sleep . . . and maybe get some Egypt blogged.

The traditional rock of temptationInside the Monastery

I have returned!

So, I have spent the past week in Egypt. It was awesome. I am going to blog my escapades, but I'll do them back dated on the dates that it all actually occurred. I'll hopefully have time to do that over the next week. We got back late last night, but I am sick right now, so I haven't had a chance to do any blogging yet. Don't worry, though. I will get to it and post pictures soon!
I am so glad to be back in Jerusalem. I hate living out of a suitcase, and it is nice to not have to worry about the water. It is also nice to be able to eat fruits and vegetables.
Yeah, you'll here more about that, but you'll have to check back.

Mount Sinai at Sunrise

I am so miserable right now. I woke up at 2am this morning to hike Mount Sinai. My throat was hurting and I felt like I was losing my voice. (Left - In the morning, we got some hot chocolate, which was more like hot water, and we waited for everyone to be ready. This kitten climbed on my lap while we were waiting. What can I say, animals love me!) That should have warned me off, but I was determined to hike Mt. Sinai and watch the sunrise.
Lyle was my hiking buddy and I am grateful for him because he was willing to stop with me. My cough got worse and worse as we climbed higher and higher and my throat really began to hurt. By the time they stopped offering camels, I was ready to give in, but I kept trudging on. The “stairs,” which are really boulders of unequal sizes and uneven shapes, were easier at first. Towards the end, I didn’t think I would make it. I was so glad when I did but that gave the cold a chance to seep in while waiting for the sun to rise! It rose around 6:30 which is 9:30pm MT, too late for our sunrise to be their sunset. (Right - singing on Mount Sinai). That would have been really cool.
Anyway, people sang hymns while we sat on top. I couldn’t sing because my voice was pretty well gone, but I listened. The coolest thing was when a group of Koreans joined in singing a couple of hymns. They got really excited when they recognized Nearer My God to Thee. Going down was a lot easier, but I still went slowly. People kept passing me and asking me how I was doing. I guess I looked pretty sick. (Left - sunrise on Mount Sinai). We had a devotional at the bottom that was hard for me to sit through. We then went back to the hotel to pack up, eat brunch and head for the border.
I was miserable the entire way. It didn’t help that when we got there I had to stand in a long line. We didn’t have too many problems except the guy at the border into Israel put a sticker on the back of my passport. That meant that they kept my passport for a while. (Right - watching the sunrise). Plus, they searched my backpack, too. I swear that they singled me out to make me even more miserable. The truth be told, I probably looked so bad that the guy thought I was a terrorist because they checked my passport for residues.
Finally I got across, put my stuff on the bus, and went down to the Gulf of Aqabah to sit on the beach and throw stones in the water. I was glad to leave, though. Our next stop was Kibbutz Yotvata for a break. I was freezing and Meghan determined that I had a slight fever. I slept fitfully and woke up in a sweat. I couldn’t seem to regulate my body temperature. (Left - the mountainous area near Mount Sinai). I was miserable.
Next we stopped at a place along the Dead Sea. It was dark by this time, so I couldn’t really see the Dead Sea, but I did touch it. I guess there are a lot of Russians in that area because all the signs were in Russian. I was so glad to get on the bus and get back home! We had to come in through the garage so as not to disturb the concert which was going on upstairs. Claire carried my suitcase to my room and I lay down for 2 hours. I am exhausted, sick, and cold. I hope I will feel better tomorrow.

Toilet atop Mt. Sinai Hiking down from the top Showing where we came from St. Catharine's Monastery The Gulf of Aqabah

Muhammad Ali Mosque

This morning dropped our luggage off to be ported and went to breakfast. Many people commented on my new shirt I bought at the market in Luxor. (Left - Me and Clare in front of the Muhammad Ali Mosque). We loaded the buses and went to the citadel. The Muhammad Ali Mosque is inside (that is where Muhammad Ali is buried). That is really amazing. When we walked out, there were a couple of guys out there who started talking to me. One offered 500 camels for me. I said, I’ve had a better offer. He laughed but then followed me and asked for a picture with me. I said no, but he kept following me and asked again. (Right - inside the courtyard of Muhammad Ali Mosque). I said, “$10!” He laughed and said that is too much for 1 picture. He offered a post card, so I agreed. I probably shouldn’t have, but I didn’t know if he would leave me along otherwise. That is really the only place we went.
We got on the bus and had to wait for our lunch to come (which was KFC). We are now at Morganland, our hotel near Mount Sinai. We at first had a hard time getting our door to lock, but we finally got some help locking it. The room is small, my bedspread is really stained, but at least we have a place to see. Tomorrow we are to wake up at 2am to hike Mount Sinai.

Inside the Muhammad Ali Mosque Stained bedspread at Morganland Hotel

Mummies, mummies, and more mummies

Wakeup call this morning came at 4am! I was so confused when I looked at my clock. We arrived in Cairo about 30 minutes early, so we had to wait for our buses to arrive. (Right - Me and Catharine at our poolside sacrament meeting ). We drove to the hotel and had a short time before we held sacrament meeting by the pool. We were all dirty and in pretty much the same clothing as the day before. It was definitely interesting. The bread and water was passed on hotel plates. Other than that, we had a normal sacrament service with three speakers.
After that, we got back on the bus for a drive to Memphis. (Left - at Memphis). We had a short time there because there isn’t much to see. Next we went to the third oldest mosque in Egypt and probably the biggest. We had to wear booties and that was pretty interesting. We even had to pay for that. As we were driving away, we drove through the City of the Dead. (Right - Ramses II statue at Memphis). That is a huge cemetery (Necropolis) where Muslims bury their dead. But nearly 1 million people live in that area. They actually live in the tombs! The security guard changes a small fee and people who are very poor live there.
Our next stop was the Egypt museum. That was cool. We saw Tutankhamen’s gold. We had to pay $9 extra to see the mummy room, but I looked on the face of the man who talked with Moses. Queen Hatchepsut is also in that room. I also saw the animal mummy room.
(Left - At the Mosque, me and Clare with our booties). After the museum, we went to the Hard Rock Café for lunch. They had a dance part. It was pretty fun. The bathroom also had a funny sign on the stall doors. Each stall said: “Please no drugs or nuclear weapons.” Our last stop was the bazaar. I went in a group with a couple of big guys, so I felt really safe. I got a small blue scarab for free. It was funny because the shopkeeper said to me something about free stuff. I said I didn’t believe him, so I went inside his shop to get my free gift just to prove it. It was amusing. As far as I know, our entire group made it through grope free! If that is the case, it is also the first time.

City of the Dead Hard Rock Cafe Cairo Funny sign on the stalls in the Hard Rock bathrooms Me, Catharine, and Bethany at the Hard Rock Cafe - Cairo