Today we went on a three hour tour, first we started in the train station which is basically a mini museum. They had some old pipes, a skeleton, and bits of pottery. Then we got to see the changing of the guards in front of the parliament building. It was so funny! They had pom-poms on their shoes and wool leggings! They stuck their legs really high in the air and touched their toes. Then we went to Zeus's temple of which there are only a few columns left. After that we went to the acropolis which was really amazing. It was soo big and there were tons of columns. After one of the wars they had the acropolis was completely destroyed so they dug a big pit and shoved all the ruins into it, then they covered it up and left. Then we went to a museum *Yawn*. Lots of pottery and statues... not very interesting. But they did have some helpful dioramas. And that's the end of the day...
Bye!(pics tomorrow...not loading!)
Emy
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Sea Turtles!
Today we had to wake up early, at 8 and walk to the tram. Then we had an hour ride before we reached the Sea Turtle rescue center, where we volunteered for the morning.We began to chop up squid and fish, with the help (or not) of the four cats who lived there. Then we got to feed the. Most of them, we dropped the food into the bottom of their tub, but some we got to feed with tweasers. Most of those wouldn't touch their food, but I had two who did, a tiny little Loggerhead, but he took a long time to chew, and a bigger loggerhead who was blind in one eye. The biggest turtle was as big as a... car wheel, if not bigger. The smallest one was smaller then a cookie.
After that we got back on the tram, and went to the agora. We got in, and went straight up the the best preserved temple in the world. It was a black smith's temple, it was rather small, and under construction, but beautiful all the same. Then we went for lunch just outside before going back to the hostel. We leave for London tomorrow.
P.S. Dad didn't feed the sea turtles... Sucks to be him!
Josephine
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Athens March 24th
Hello all
We are safely in Athens! The worries that I had about getting here never came so I thank you all for your prayers.
We arrived on the 22nd and so far we have put a lot of Km on our shoes, however we have not gone to see the sites yet, we are going to see most of the ruins on Friday with a tour guide.
The Greek food here is amazing and we are loving the flavors. Yesterday I went to the war museum and I was surprised by all the people that have fought with Greece and how many times they were defeated by the Grecian people. As a Canadian I am happy that we didn't have to fight so many different nations. The loss of life must have been high! After I left the museum there was a demonstration however it was quite peaceful and nothing really happened.
Today we went to a sea turtle rescue centre and were taken aback by the size of the leather backs. Jane and the kids will probably go back on Sat to help out, I think I will stay here and protect our valuables. It was quite difficult to get out to the centre since today there was a parade downtown with all the school kids. Something to do with a national holiday, not that anything was closed. Tomorrow is the big day Greece independence day. There is a big parade down town which we are hoping to catch, since nothing is going to be open anyway, so why not hey!
Bye for now from Greece where the temp is around 20 every day so far, sweet.
Mike
We are safely in Athens! The worries that I had about getting here never came so I thank you all for your prayers.
We arrived on the 22nd and so far we have put a lot of Km on our shoes, however we have not gone to see the sites yet, we are going to see most of the ruins on Friday with a tour guide.
The Greek food here is amazing and we are loving the flavors. Yesterday I went to the war museum and I was surprised by all the people that have fought with Greece and how many times they were defeated by the Grecian people. As a Canadian I am happy that we didn't have to fight so many different nations. The loss of life must have been high! After I left the museum there was a demonstration however it was quite peaceful and nothing really happened.
Today we went to a sea turtle rescue centre and were taken aback by the size of the leather backs. Jane and the kids will probably go back on Sat to help out, I think I will stay here and protect our valuables. It was quite difficult to get out to the centre since today there was a parade downtown with all the school kids. Something to do with a national holiday, not that anything was closed. Tomorrow is the big day Greece independence day. There is a big parade down town which we are hoping to catch, since nothing is going to be open anyway, so why not hey!
Bye for now from Greece where the temp is around 20 every day so far, sweet.
Mike
Sunday, March 21, 2010
House of Mary
Today March 21st was a fantastic day in Turkey, it was warm and we had an exciting day in and around Ephesus.
The city/ruins of Ephesus covered a vast area and most of it was toppled due to earth quakes that have occurred over the past several centuries. I have to say that it was kind of awe inspiring to walk in the same area that John would have walked several thousands of years ago. 
The site has been some what restored however but since it was one of the biggest Roman cities out side of Rome it will take many more centuries to uncover it all. The amphitheater and the library were quite impressive.
After lunch, which is not worthy of mentioning, we headed off to see a weaving factory! Yea... We saw how they made carpets and how the different types of carpets felt. They had pure woolen ones and some that were made from pure silk. Of course they tried to sell our group some carpets, but we avoided buying one. Once we escaped the carpet factory we headed off to Mary's house. This is supposedly where Jesus's mother had stayed while in Ephesus. You can believe the story or not that is what our guide said. He explained all of the facts concerning this belief and left it up to us to judge for our selves. Personally I could believe it!
The day was so nice out that you could see Greece from Mary's house as well as the islands that belong to Turkey. Then we headed over to one of the great wonders of the world, the Temple of Artemus, enough said it was just a bunch of rocks
on the ground...and people trying to sell us crap. Now was the time we were all looking forward to going to the beach! (Ephesus was once very close to the sea however over time the land filled in with sediment and now the sea is about 7k's away.)The beach was only 6k's away and the weather was nice and so sitting on the beach for awhile was going to be nice! We got to the beach and the guide pointed it out we turned around and headed back to town, what a huge disappointment for all of us on the bus! No one was happy that we just got to see the beach, we wanted to feel the beach and thought since we were ahead of schedule that we could spend some time there. NOPE nada nothing of the sort. We were heading off to another factory!! This time it was a leather factory, we were not impressed by this, we had enough and just wanted to go home, however since we were captives on this bus we had to go.
Once inside of this factory we had a fashion show, yes a fashion show, where male and female models came out wearing wonderful jackets. The best part of the show was when Jane and I were picked to be models, yes you got it Jane and I were models for a moment in time. I think the kids shot some action shots of it and if you ask nicely maybe you can see them. Once we got out of the coats we and the factory we headed to our hotel, the Paris Hotel, not sure why it is called that but it is.
Tomorrow we are off to Greece and I ask all of you to pray for us while we are there. The reason why is that Greece is going through some turbulent times right now and we need God's protection while we are there. Thanks for reading my blog.
Mike
The city/ruins of Ephesus covered a vast area and most of it was toppled due to earth quakes that have occurred over the past several centuries. I have to say that it was kind of awe inspiring to walk in the same area that John would have walked several thousands of years ago. 
The site has been some what restored however but since it was one of the biggest Roman cities out side of Rome it will take many more centuries to uncover it all. The amphitheater and the library were quite impressive.
After lunch, which is not worthy of mentioning, we headed off to see a weaving factory! Yea... We saw how they made carpets and how the different types of carpets felt. They had pure woolen ones and some that were made from pure silk. Of course they tried to sell our group some carpets, but we avoided buying one. Once we escaped the carpet factory we headed off to Mary's house. This is supposedly where Jesus's mother had stayed while in Ephesus. You can believe the story or not that is what our guide said. He explained all of the facts concerning this belief and left it up to us to judge for our selves. Personally I could believe it!
The day was so nice out that you could see Greece from Mary's house as well as the islands that belong to Turkey. Then we headed over to one of the great wonders of the world, the Temple of Artemus, enough said it was just a bunch of rocks
on the ground...and people trying to sell us crap. Now was the time we were all looking forward to going to the beach! (Ephesus was once very close to the sea however over time the land filled in with sediment and now the sea is about 7k's away.)The beach was only 6k's away and the weather was nice and so sitting on the beach for awhile was going to be nice! We got to the beach and the guide pointed it out we turned around and headed back to town, what a huge disappointment for all of us on the bus! No one was happy that we just got to see the beach, we wanted to feel the beach and thought since we were ahead of schedule that we could spend some time there. NOPE nada nothing of the sort. We were heading off to another factory!! This time it was a leather factory, we were not impressed by this, we had enough and just wanted to go home, however since we were captives on this bus we had to go. Once inside of this factory we had a fashion show, yes a fashion show, where male and female models came out wearing wonderful jackets. The best part of the show was when Jane and I were picked to be models, yes you got it Jane and I were models for a moment in time. I think the kids shot some action shots of it and if you ask nicely maybe you can see them. Once we got out of the coats we and the factory we headed to our hotel, the Paris Hotel, not sure why it is called that but it is.
Tomorrow we are off to Greece and I ask all of you to pray for us while we are there. The reason why is that Greece is going through some turbulent times right now and we need God's protection while we are there. Thanks for reading my blog.
Mike
Calcium hurts your feet!
Today we went to Pammukale, an old Roman city along the silk road. It's mostly ruins though there are a few things still standing. There are a lot of graves in the Necropolis, (city of the dead) did you know that after 15 years the graveyard committee would come to the graves, take out the bodies and give them to the families, then they would take out all the jewelry and put the grave up for rent! Then we went into the city and saw the latrine! Definition of Latrine: Large communal bathroom of ancient times. Women were separated from men, no toilet paper or sinks just a small stream of cold water. All of this = Nasty, and very unpleasant! Then we went to the Antique bath which we didn't swim in. Then we went to the theater which was very big.
After that we went to the calcium deposits and walked down the so-called travertine.
The dry parts hurt my feet a bit but the rare wet parts were nice. Then we had lunch which was very good. After that we went to the red spring which was full of very hot water. It was about 35 degrees! I wouldn't touch it though. Then we went to another Onyx factory! Then we got on the bus to go to Selcuk.Bye,
Emily
Cappadocia
We left Istanbul on the over night bus, which was not a fun experience, because we didn't get much sleep. We arrived at Cappadocia at around nineish, I think and went to our hotel which had been carved out of a rock. It was cool. We went to the tourist's office, and found there was nothing to do in the town except climb a hill. After that we went back to the room, and relaxed for the rest of the day. The next day we went on a tour. We first drove to Rose Valley, and hiked to the top of one of the hills for a great view. There where hoodoos everywhere, and some yellow rocks, that Mom thought might be sulfur. Next we drove to an ancient village carved out of rocks. I thought the houses looked a bit like wyers (Dragon Riders of Pern) There was some really nice engraving on some of the houses. Then we went for lunch, which was pretty good, but I was sitting beside people who didn't speak English very well, so I couldn't ask for any food! Then we drove to an under ground Hittite village built 3,000 bc. It was really cool. They had huge round door with holes in the middle so they could stab people. They also put wedges under the doors so that they couldn't be moved. Then we went to an onyx factory, and Emy got an egg. It was a bit boring. Then we drove to see pigeon valley, which was very pretty. We now have to take another night bus....
Josephine
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Our time in Istanbul has been a quiet one. Josephine's illness resurfaced with avengence. She had a fever again and a horrible headache in which she couldn't get out of bed. We were blessed though with great people. We met a women in our small hotel who is a molecular biologist from Croatia. She specializes in cancer research, spoke perfect English and had a pharmacy along with her! We tried a couple of things and finally found medication that relieved her headache. She still spent two days in bed so we only did a few things. Mike and I went to the Sultan's palace and were amazed by his treasury. The guide said that if they sold all the pieces they could pay for all of Turkey's debt, 30 billion! The most magnificent piece was a set of solid gold candle stands, 48 kgs and they were covered with 6666 diamonds - the # of verses in the Koran! Wow! We've done a lot of walking around the old part of the city and met up with Adem, a man we met in Seville, who showed us around. Mike's been very happy with the Starbucks and I've had time to finish my second scrapbook of the trip. One more to go!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Turkish Baths
We are in Istanbul today! First we went to the blue mosque which is one of the most well known mosques out of the 3,500 mosques in Istanbul. We got a tour guide there but he wasn’t very good. 
The blue mosque got its name for the blue ceramic tiles that cover the walls. It was a very pretty mosque but I thought it was a bit boring because they are not allowed to have any icons. Then we went to the Hagia Sofia which means house of wisdom. (?) We got a really good tour guide there; he spoke perfect English and was very informative. There were a bunch of pretty mosaics over the doors and in one of the domes. When they converted it into a mosque they covered all the Christian iconography (except the scene of Mary holding Jesus) with plaster and ended up preserving it! The reason they didn’t cover up the mosaic of Mary is because they still believe in Jesus except to them he’s just a prophet not a son of God. There were eight big discs covered with calligraphy which had some names of important Islamic people; such as Mohammed and Allah.
They tried to move them into the blue mosque but they couldn’t get them out of the door! The Ottomans had assembled them inside! Then we went back to our hotel and did some homework. Then our driver picked us up and we went to the Turkish bath! First we changed into the clothing they provided. The pants they had there did not fit me whatsoever so I improvised and used a towel. Then we went into the hot room where you lay on a hot marble slab for about 35 minutes going to dump cold water on yourself whenever you got too hot. The temperature in there was 35 degrees Celsius! Then we got scrubbed and some people dumped cold water on us. Then we lay down again on a bench and got scrubbed with soap in a bag! After that I got a massage. Then we got some fresh dry towels and sat in the tepidarium (lukewarm room) and drank ice tea! It was really awesome and I am really clean!
Bye
Emy
The blue mosque got its name for the blue ceramic tiles that cover the walls. It was a very pretty mosque but I thought it was a bit boring because they are not allowed to have any icons. Then we went to the Hagia Sofia which means house of wisdom. (?) We got a really good tour guide there; he spoke perfect English and was very informative. There were a bunch of pretty mosaics over the doors and in one of the domes. When they converted it into a mosque they covered all the Christian iconography (except the scene of Mary holding Jesus) with plaster and ended up preserving it! The reason they didn’t cover up the mosaic of Mary is because they still believe in Jesus except to them he’s just a prophet not a son of God. There were eight big discs covered with calligraphy which had some names of important Islamic people; such as Mohammed and Allah.
They tried to move them into the blue mosque but they couldn’t get them out of the door! The Ottomans had assembled them inside! Then we went back to our hotel and did some homework. Then our driver picked us up and we went to the Turkish bath! First we changed into the clothing they provided. The pants they had there did not fit me whatsoever so I improvised and used a towel. Then we went into the hot room where you lay on a hot marble slab for about 35 minutes going to dump cold water on yourself whenever you got too hot. The temperature in there was 35 degrees Celsius! Then we got scrubbed and some people dumped cold water on us. Then we lay down again on a bench and got scrubbed with soap in a bag! After that I got a massage. Then we got some fresh dry towels and sat in the tepidarium (lukewarm room) and drank ice tea! It was really awesome and I am really clean!
Bye
Emy
Friday, March 12, 2010
The dead sea, and my 13 B-day
We left Petra at 7, and drove for 3 hours to the Dead Sea. The ride wasn't boring, because I was reading the best series ever:Dragon Riders of Pern. I thought the Dead Sea was small, but I was wrong. It is 25 miles across. We checked into our awesome hotel, which is very nice, and went to our room. It is very cool, but the beds are very small, and we are sharing a room! Then we went down to the Dead Sea, and we walked in, and lay on our backs, we were floating!
It felt like we were wearing life jackets. It would be very hard to drowned, unless you swallowed the water, but let's not be negative. It was tons of fun! We kept rolling over, and over, and trying out different poses. Then Mom and Dad had a mud bath, and Emily and I fooled around some more before showering off, and laying on our beach chairs. Then we (Emily and I) read the e-book for about three hours before jumping into the cold pool. It wasn't very fun, so we went back to our room. For dinner, we went down to the buffet. There were lots of choices, but I like the fillet of fish with lemon sauce the best! For dessert we had chocolate mousse, Mom outwitted a bar tender, and stole(no, sorry acquired, stealing is such an ugly word) a candle for my "birthday cake". It was really good! This has to be the best birthday EVER!!!
Josephine!
It felt like we were wearing life jackets. It would be very hard to drowned, unless you swallowed the water, but let's not be negative. It was tons of fun! We kept rolling over, and over, and trying out different poses. Then Mom and Dad had a mud bath, and Emily and I fooled around some more before showering off, and laying on our beach chairs. Then we (Emily and I) read the e-book for about three hours before jumping into the cold pool. It wasn't very fun, so we went back to our room. For dinner, we went down to the buffet. There were lots of choices, but I like the fillet of fish with lemon sauce the best! For dessert we had chocolate mousse, Mom outwitted a bar tender, and stole(no, sorry acquired, stealing is such an ugly word) a candle for my "birthday cake". It was really good! This has to be the best birthday EVER!!!
Josephine!
The graves of Petra
Hello!
Today we are in Petra. We woke up early to go to Petra but Josephine was sick so she stayed in the hotel. Then we went to Petra. I thought it was more of a city built into the canyon but it was mostly graves. When we got there we saw a lot of horses pulling carts and carrying people around. You had to listen for them or else you would get run over! When we went into the city there were lots of people and it was very hot. In 1999 the street level was about 5 feet higher then it is now! Then we saw a treasury which wasn't really a treasury, it was just named that because they thought there was treasure in a jar that is on the roof. There was no treasure.
There were a bunch of people who had camels there and you only got to ride the camel for an average of 48 seconds! (I timed some people.) Then we walked around for a bit and saw a cute camel and an amphitheater built by the Nabitians and the Romans. After Petra we went back to the hotel and Josephine and Dad swam in the frigid pool because Josephine was still sick. Then Mom went to a Jordanian cooking class and we went out for supper. (She'll have to cook a lot of nice food when we get home)
Bye,
Emily
P.S. Tom. is Josephine's birthday!
Today we are in Petra. We woke up early to go to Petra but Josephine was sick so she stayed in the hotel. Then we went to Petra. I thought it was more of a city built into the canyon but it was mostly graves. When we got there we saw a lot of horses pulling carts and carrying people around. You had to listen for them or else you would get run over! When we went into the city there were lots of people and it was very hot. In 1999 the street level was about 5 feet higher then it is now! Then we saw a treasury which wasn't really a treasury, it was just named that because they thought there was treasure in a jar that is on the roof. There was no treasure.
There were a bunch of people who had camels there and you only got to ride the camel for an average of 48 seconds! (I timed some people.) Then we walked around for a bit and saw a cute camel and an amphitheater built by the Nabitians and the Romans. After Petra we went back to the hotel and Josephine and Dad swam in the frigid pool because Josephine was still sick. Then Mom went to a Jordanian cooking class and we went out for supper. (She'll have to cook a lot of nice food when we get home)
Bye,
Emily
P.S. Tom. is Josephine's birthday!
Mount Sinai & the Burning Bush
Today started early with a drive from Dahab to Mnt. Sinai. We met our guide and toured St. Catherine's monastery, a truely amazing place. It is home to the second biggest library of ancient text after the Vatican and has the oldest bible in the world! It was written in the 2 century! They also have the old icons in the world. They have them because during the 5 and 6th c. icons in Europe were destroyed (thought they were idolatry), but the monastery was cut off from Rome so they didn't. We saw the "burning bush" where God spoke to Moses and then headed up to Elijah's basin. It was a tough climb! 
Super steep and very hot. We had to stop every 10 - 15 min. to slow the heart rate. Once at the basin we had a Bedouin picnic! The meal was super and made from the olives and herbs found in the area. They had had 3 days of rain just before we came so the plants were out in full force. Before that they hadn't had rain for 10 years! I can't imagine living with no rain! They do have wells but, but were having to dig a lot deeper as they were drying out. Everyone was very happy and grateful for the rain. 
We had lunch with our Bedouin guide who told us many interesting thing about the region. Did you know that the Bedouin's cut out their uvula? They do this because they think it is the source of thirst and they pride themselves on not drinking very much. Unfortunately they have a lot of kidney problems! After a short easy hike around the camp to look at herbs we went the rest of the way to the summit. It was a great sunset on the top. Most people (1000 usually) come in the morning, so we were happy to have the spot almost to ourselves. We descended the mountain an easier way since it was dark, and had to avoid camels taking more people up to the top! Excellent day!
Jane
Super steep and very hot. We had to stop every 10 - 15 min. to slow the heart rate. Once at the basin we had a Bedouin picnic! The meal was super and made from the olives and herbs found in the area. They had had 3 days of rain just before we came so the plants were out in full force. Before that they hadn't had rain for 10 years! I can't imagine living with no rain! They do have wells but, but were having to dig a lot deeper as they were drying out. Everyone was very happy and grateful for the rain. 
We had lunch with our Bedouin guide who told us many interesting thing about the region. Did you know that the Bedouin's cut out their uvula? They do this because they think it is the source of thirst and they pride themselves on not drinking very much. Unfortunately they have a lot of kidney problems! After a short easy hike around the camp to look at herbs we went the rest of the way to the summit. It was a great sunset on the top. Most people (1000 usually) come in the morning, so we were happy to have the spot almost to ourselves. We descended the mountain an easier way since it was dark, and had to avoid camels taking more people up to the top! Excellent day!
Jane
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
March 20th Turtles and Noisy Camels
Today we went snorkeling in the Red Sea! First we got on our camels and walked to the snorkeling place. My camels name was Super Camel, Josephine got Beauty, Daddy got Mr. Pinkie, and Mom got Bubbles. The reasons they got those names is because; my camel was the best, Josephine's was the prettiest, Dad's camel was called Mr.Pinkie because that's what I wanted his name to be, and Mom's camel made funny noises such as gargelling!
When we got there we changed into our wetsuits and got in the water. At first I had a bit of trouble with my snorkel but I eventually got the hang of it. We saw a really pretty sea turtle, sea cucumber, clams and a lot of beautiful fish. The ocean was very cold and I went out early. Then we had a really yummy lunch of potatoes and rice and chicken. We also fed the cats our leftovers,
and then Mom and Dad went snorkeling again.
After a very bumpy camel ride back, our bumbs were sore, we went to the beach to have dinner at Nemo's. It was a really nice restaurant with a funny waiter who called himself Marco Polo!
Back at our apartment we were creeped out by the ants killing the cockroch in the bathroom! ugh.
Emily
When we got there we changed into our wetsuits and got in the water. At first I had a bit of trouble with my snorkel but I eventually got the hang of it. We saw a really pretty sea turtle, sea cucumber, clams and a lot of beautiful fish. The ocean was very cold and I went out early. Then we had a really yummy lunch of potatoes and rice and chicken. We also fed the cats our leftovers,
and then Mom and Dad went snorkeling again.
After a very bumpy camel ride back, our bumbs were sore, we went to the beach to have dinner at Nemo's. It was a really nice restaurant with a funny waiter who called himself Marco Polo!
Back at our apartment we were creeped out by the ants killing the cockroch in the bathroom! ugh.Emily
March 6 Up Up and Away
We woke up early, and left for the hot air balloon ride. It took about five minutes to get there, and them we jumped into a balloon. The flames shooting up onto the balloon looked just like what I think dragon fire would look like. We rose very quickly, and then leveled off. At our highest point we could still hear the donkeys braying.
When we landed, we then drove to Hatshepsut’s temple. She was the only female Egyptian pharaoh to rule Egypt (Cleopatra was Greek) When she died, her successor destroyed her temple, and they have only recently put it back together.
Then we went to the famous Valley of the Kings. We saw three tombs. My favorite was of King Ramses the 3rd, because it was so brightly colored and big. We didn’t go in King Tut’s tomb because it was $20 a person to go in.
Next we went to Karnack Temple. It was very big, and very beautiful. There I learned that there are only 10 erect obelisks in Egypt, and 50 elsewhere in the world! We left rather quickly, because it was so hot.
Then we went for lunch at the Oasis Café, I had a very good grilled cheese sandwich, and fresh lemonade. There we met our tour guide from Cairo, with some other tourists from Rhode Island (they were funny!). We went shopping together, and had dinner together at our hotel. Emy and I got a pendant with our names in Hieroglyphics!
March 5th, Edfu
We started off the day by walking up on the felucca and having breakfast. Then we drifted around for a bit until we got to a dock. Then we waited till our car came. We got in the car and drove to the temple in Edfu. When we got there it was already really hot. It was very pretty. The Romans defaced a lot of Egyptian stuff and chipped away at the figures in the temples and tombs. 
The temple is dedicated to Horus who was the god of protection in Pharonic times. Then we had a traditional lunch in our tour guide’s house. It was very good. Then we drove to Luxor and went to our hotel. After half an hour we got in some rented bikes and biked for about an hour through West Bank of Luxor. Mom enjoyed seeing the crops and watch the people work the land. We saw a donkey fall over, and then its master started beating it and stamping on it! Then we went back and had supper.
The temple is dedicated to Horus who was the god of protection in Pharonic times. Then we had a traditional lunch in our tour guide’s house. It was very good. Then we drove to Luxor and went to our hotel. After half an hour we got in some rented bikes and biked for about an hour through West Bank of Luxor. Mom enjoyed seeing the crops and watch the people work the land. We saw a donkey fall over, and then its master started beating it and stamping on it! Then we went back and had supper.
Abue Simbel & Feluca
We had to wake up at three, so we could drive for three hours to get to a temple called Abu Simbel.
It was moved up the hill, and the landscape was recreated when they built the Aswan dam.When we got there we spent about 1 hour looking at the two amazingly beautiful temples. There where four large statues at each of the temples, one for Ramses, and one for his wife, whose name I don't remember. Her's was slightly smaller then his. The paint was mostly gone, but what we could see of it was spectacular. Twice a year, the sun lines up with the entrances, and lights up the statues of some of the gods at the end. Then we wandered around in the sun on the site for awhile until our van came back. I think I found my sesitive plant in an adult form there! Then we had the three hour drive back. We stopped for about three minutes at the Aswan dam. It doesn’t look as exciting as it is, and the road goes right on top of it. Then we went down the Nile, and boarded our sailing boat, it was nice and sunny, so we lay down on our mattress, and I read the ebook. We had a very good dinner, of meat and bread. We also saw some donkeys. Unfortunatly, the Eco-toilet didn't arrive....We put the walls of the boat up, and were in bed by nine. The sail boat seemed like a lot more fun then the big cruise boats that rocked our boat when they went by.
Josephine
It was moved up the hill, and the landscape was recreated when they built the Aswan dam.When we got there we spent about 1 hour looking at the two amazingly beautiful temples. There where four large statues at each of the temples, one for Ramses, and one for his wife, whose name I don't remember. Her's was slightly smaller then his. The paint was mostly gone, but what we could see of it was spectacular. Twice a year, the sun lines up with the entrances, and lights up the statues of some of the gods at the end. Then we wandered around in the sun on the site for awhile until our van came back. I think I found my sesitive plant in an adult form there! Then we had the three hour drive back. We stopped for about three minutes at the Aswan dam. It doesn’t look as exciting as it is, and the road goes right on top of it. Then we went down the Nile, and boarded our sailing boat, it was nice and sunny, so we lay down on our mattress, and I read the ebook. We had a very good dinner, of meat and bread. We also saw some donkeys. Unfortunatly, the Eco-toilet didn't arrive....We put the walls of the boat up, and were in bed by nine. The sail boat seemed like a lot more fun then the big cruise boats that rocked our boat when they went by.
Josephine
March 3, Garbage City
Today we started the day by going to Garbage City. In Cairo, a city of 18 million, the garbage is collected by 50,000 people (Coptic Christians) by hand and taken to the abandoned quarries of the pharaohs on the outskirts of the city. They essentially live and work in the garbage dump. In Garbage city all the refuse is sorted, reused and recycled. We were privilege to see an amazing group of people who have organized this work force to produce products from the garbage. 
They weave rugs and purses, sew quilts and make paper from what they collect. Not only are the young women are taught viable skills, they are taught to read, write, and are trained how to be entrepreneurs. They even provide child care for young babies, nursery school and primary school for any children the women have. We toured their facility, bought some purses and paper and then visited the church that has been built into the rock face there. 
We then met Hana, a most inspiring man. He only looked about 21, but he has begun the long struggle to revolutionize Garbage city. Hana, with help from a professor from the university (can’t remember which one), he built a solar panel from the scraps in the dump and now supplies his home with electricity. He has also built a bio-fuel generator to supply his home with methane for cooking. He uses organic waste from his home and from the dump to make it. He is now working to build more and slow switch the people of Garbage city over to the new system so that they can be independent of the government. He was so inspiring in his desire to help people in a sustainable way. 
(Picture of Mike doing exercises with the kids!)
After our tour of Garbage city we went into Islamic Cairo to look at a few Mosques with our great guide Sahr. She also took us to her favorite restaurant in Cairo which made Egyptian pancakes! They are like inside out pancakes filled with chicken and veggies or fruit for dessert! We had one filled with bananas that were amazing! After lunch we were whisked away to the airport for our trip to Aswan. It was a quick flight and then we were driven to a Nubian guest house where we were served a great Egyptian meal and then headed off to bed since we had to get up at 2:30 a.m. to meet the convoy to Abu Simbel.
Jane
They weave rugs and purses, sew quilts and make paper from what they collect. Not only are the young women are taught viable skills, they are taught to read, write, and are trained how to be entrepreneurs. They even provide child care for young babies, nursery school and primary school for any children the women have. We toured their facility, bought some purses and paper and then visited the church that has been built into the rock face there. 
We then met Hana, a most inspiring man. He only looked about 21, but he has begun the long struggle to revolutionize Garbage city. Hana, with help from a professor from the university (can’t remember which one), he built a solar panel from the scraps in the dump and now supplies his home with electricity. He has also built a bio-fuel generator to supply his home with methane for cooking. He uses organic waste from his home and from the dump to make it. He is now working to build more and slow switch the people of Garbage city over to the new system so that they can be independent of the government. He was so inspiring in his desire to help people in a sustainable way. 
(Picture of Mike doing exercises with the kids!)After our tour of Garbage city we went into Islamic Cairo to look at a few Mosques with our great guide Sahr. She also took us to her favorite restaurant in Cairo which made Egyptian pancakes! They are like inside out pancakes filled with chicken and veggies or fruit for dessert! We had one filled with bananas that were amazing! After lunch we were whisked away to the airport for our trip to Aswan. It was a quick flight and then we were driven to a Nubian guest house where we were served a great Egyptian meal and then headed off to bed since we had to get up at 2:30 a.m. to meet the convoy to Abu Simbel.
Jane
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Awesome Egyptians
Today we went to the most famous places in Egypt: The pyramids, The Sphinx, and the Egyptian museum. It was awesome! The pyramids were amazing! They were so huge! The largest one covers 13 acres! It was so cool! I've always wanted to see the pyramids. Then we saw the sphinx whose nose was allegedly shot off by Napoleon's troops. That was awesome to. Then we had a yummy lunch of hamburgers and Falafels. Then we went to the Egyptian museum. My favorite part was all of the stuff that was in Tutankhamen's tomb. They had 5 chariots, some beds (Including the Pharaoh's so called 'camping bed' which is a folding bed), some games, chairs, boxes and more. But the most impressive and beautiful was Tutankhanen's funeral mask. I really liked it and I've seen so many pictures of it. Then we navigated through the horrible traffic back to our hotel.
Emily (the Egypt fanatic)
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