Here is the story of my great adventure with my three friends, Hanna, Kelsey, and Jana, in the land of koshery (delicious food), pyramids, creative pick-up lines, and lots of sun (aka Egypt)!

We arrived in Egypt the morning of the 8th and were picked up at the airport by our travel guide Sameh (Sam for short). Straight from the airport he took us to Giza where each of us rented a camel and prepared for a two-hour tour of the three largest pyramids (there are nine total), the cemetery where the slaves who built the pyramids are buried, and the sphinx, the guardian of the pyramids. My camels name was Moses and he had a saddle mounted to his humps. Since he was so tall, he had to lay down so I could climb onto his back and when he stood up, I was literally about 6 feet off the ground. Camels are not the fastest creatures in the world but they are definitely the best mode of transportation when touring the pyramids, which after seeing in person I understand why they are one of the seven wonders of the world.

After saying goodbye to Moses, Sam took us to a private villa on the Mediterranean. We drove for three hours with nothing to look at except for flat desert and then just like that we were driving along the coast line, watching the turquoise waves crash down onto the white sand beaches. I thought I was in heaven, it was by far the most beautiful beach I had ever been to. We spent the next day and a half here, playing in the waves, swimming in the pool, and soaking up the sun. We also took a little trip into the city of Alexandria where we saw a citadel and the Alexandria library. The library was amazing, it was several stories tall and had rows and rows of books in all different languages.

Our next stop was Dahab, a small town on the Red Sea. It was about a nine hour drive to get there but we drove all through the night so we wouldn't waste any daylight. In Dahab we ate at a restaurant called The Funny Mummy, where instead of chairs and a table we sat on big pillows on the ground, the atmosphere was very relaxed and colorful. Since Dahab is known for it's coral reefs, we decided to rent some snorkels and check out the fish. The Red Sea is very different from the Mediterranean, but it was still beautiful and standing on the shoreline of the beach, I could look across the Red Sea and trace the outline of Saudi Arabia.

At midnight we drove an hour to the base of Mt. Sinai. Mt. Sinai is the mountain Moses climbed when he heard the ten commandments. Also at the base of the mountain is St. Catherines Monastery which is built on the site of the burning bush. We started hiking the mountain at about 2:00 AM so that we could reach the top in time to see the sunrise. The hike consists of a 7 km walk and then 750 winding stone steps. To add to the difficulty of the task, it is absolutely freezing. The achy muscles and numbing cold were all worth it as we sat and watched the sunrise slowly light up the vast rocky landscape of the Sinai area. After thoroughly soaking up the beauty of our surroundings, we headed back down the mountain and started the drive back to Cairo.

Once we got into Cairo Sam took us to a perfume shop where you can buy pure Egyptian perfume. I have never worn perfume before but I thought it might be nice to smell good when I get back to the states, a nice change from my current status. So, I splurged and bought a bottle of lotus flower perfume. Hopefully I don't get tired of the scent because there is probably enough to last the rest of my life. After making our purchases we checked into a hotel and got a good nights sleep. The next day was spent touring the Egyptian museum which houses most of the artifacts and sautes from the pyramids and temples found throughout Egypt. After the museum we visited the largest Mosque in Egypt, the Mohamed Aly Mosque, and then we caught the 10:00 PM train from Cairo to Luxor, a ten hour trip along the Nile.

In Luxor we visited the Karnak Temple, the Luxor Temple, the Citadel of Salal Al-Din, the Valley of the Kings, and the Al-Deir Al-Bahari Temple. All of these sites had something new or different to offer. I am amazed not only by the beauty of all of them but also by the architecture and man power it took to construct such massive and intricate structures. Other highlights of the two day stay in Luxor are eating at McDonalds (yuuumm!), taking a sail boat ride down the Nile, and shopping at the local market where I bought some scarves, jewelry, tunics, and bags for really cheap. That night we got back on the train and returned to Cairo where we had two hours to shower and take a quick nap before setting out on our desert camping adventure, by far my favorite part of the trip.

After driving for three hours into the Oasis, we met our desert guide Loly and switched vehicles to a Land Cruiser. We also had to be accompanied by and armed guard strictly because we are American (I will explain this later on). After the car was packed and everyone was ready to go we headed out into the desert first stopping at the black desert, then the old white desert, and finally the new white desert where we made camp for the night. The desert landscapes were amazing and Loly let us sit on top of the Land Cruiser as we drove, which was very thrilling and the best way to take in all the scenery around us. At night we ate rice, veggies, and chicken, all cooked over an open fire. Tired from the long day we set up our sleeping bags and mats on the sand and laid in awe of the star-filled sky above, counting the shooting stars and wishing the night never had to end. As we drifted off to sleep, a pack of desert fox came sniffing around our camp and sleeping bags, curious but otherwise harmless. Some of them were close enough for me to reach out and touch, but I was too tired to care. The next day we headed back the way we came in, stopping at a natural spring to take a dip and get clean. This was pretty much the end of our trip, we headed back into Cairo and flew home the next morning.

On the 20th I crossed the Ghana border back into Togo and immediately felt a sense of relief mixed with sadness. Relief because I was back in the land of familiar, in a way I was home. Sadness because my summer of fun was over and because after traveling from Egypt and Ghana, two of the most developed countries in Africa, Togo looked lacking and worn down. But I reminded myself that this is why Peace Corps is here and it shouldn't discourage me, but motivate me to try and influence change. When I got to Egypt, I had no idea what to expect and I have to admit I was awed by how developed and thriving the country is, largely due to the tourist industry. Another thing that shocked me was the general attitude towards Americans. Egypt is the first place I have been where Americans are not liked. Add the fact that I am a woman and you can probably imagine how my friends and I were looked at by the locals. Most of the time we pretended to be Canadian, when we were in places that required we show our passport, the Egyptian government required we be escorted by an armed guard. I never felt in danger or thought that these measures were necessary, but I understand the reasoning behind the regulation.

So now I begin my second year of work in Koudassi. I feel more prepared for this year and hope I can accomplish more than I did last year. I also hope that, thanks to the stories my friends and parents will share, all of you back home can begin to understand life here a little better. Having "outsiders" come visit me and my village educated me just as much as it educated them. It is strange how living here day to day for a long period of time desensitizes you to life going on around you. Poverty, hungry children, beatings, etc all start to seem like a normal part of life. But spending time with people who are seeing this for the first time reopened my eyes and reminded me how grateful I should be for my life back in America.

I am so thankful I got to travel to Egypt and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good adventure. I hope you all enjoyed your summer and are ready for the fall. As always I miss you all lots and I am sending lots of love from Togo. Until next time- Whit