Hoefling Exodus Tour 11/4-5/07
Our trip was amazing. I am starting backwards and beginning with the last day first. besides the order, you will notice that I am putting Mary's journaling first, then I will add my comments. some may be long, and some shorter than others, if at all. I will begin with a link to the pictures for that day for each day we were on the trip. there are usually hundreds of pictures in each day's album. please be patient as it may take a LONG time to load if you are accessing the Internet via a MoDem.
Also, you will notice in the link that there are Google maps showing WHERE and when each picture was taken. some of the pictures may not have GPS information for various reasons, but about 90% do.
Another note about pictures, I took over 7000 pictures. I (ab)use the multi-burst capabilities of my camera, so I can be sure to get a "good" shot of the subject matter. It also allows me to take pictures in less than optimal lighting situations, with relative surity that one will catch the "still" image. Since I am not a professional photographer, my technique is to way-overshoot any given subject, so that I can get a got picture.
When I got home and downloaded them, I removed about 5000 as "trash" and kept a bit over 2000, and as expected, I got some great shots of each subject I was shooting (in my humble opinion). then I synchronized the GPS info with the images left for EXIF updating. This took me a couple days to figure out since DST changed the first day of our trip, and I had forgotten to change the time on my camera for that.
One other note about the journaling. Mary's notes became outlines towards the end, as our time-crunch began to increase and there was less time available to actually do any detailed journaling.
http://picasaweb.google.com/rambopreacher/Exodus1145
Sunday, November 4
Egypt Air Flight #748 departing Athens at 1:30 pm (3:30 pm arrival in Cairo, Egypt)
Transfer to hotel:
Ramses Hilton (2 nights)
1115 Corniche El Nile, Cairo, Egypt
Flight from Newark to Athens was on time – also very cold and mostly sleepless. Left Newark about 5:30, and arrived in Athens at 9:30 a.m. All luggage arrived with the flight, and we were ready to get tickets for our next flight before the boarding gates opened.
We were only on the ground for about four hours before continuing to Cairo. Airport security was much more lax – no problems clearing immigration or gate access. Athens’ airport is about the size of Des Moines. I thought we would have the some unique Greek shops while there – no such luck. Connecting flight on Egypt Air was a small plane – two hours flight time. We were bused from the tarmac – every thing at Cairo’s airport reminded folks of air travel 20 years ago – not much was automated or clean.
Luggage was all present and accounted for, and we started our 25 minute bus ride downtown to the Ramses Hilton. I believe the driving in Cairo will be the one thing that sticks with all of us after this trip. Cairo has 17 million people, 5 million cars, and 3 stoplights. Lane lines are merely suggestions, and three lanes often hold 5 rows of traffic. There were no pedestrian rights, and people often walked in the streets rather than the sidewalks.
Since there are no stoplights there are no crosswalks, so pedestrians cross wherever they can – usually between moving traffic. Most cars were about 20 years old, mostly European, and gas costs about $1 for 4 litres, as opposed to $2.79 a gallon when we left home. Eqypt is required to export no more than 30% of its oil.
After checking into the hotel (slowest process anywhere along the trip) we opened the doors to the best view I have had from a hotel room. It was about 5:30 p.m., and we were overlooking the Nile River and downtown Cairo from the terrace off our room. It was a great place to listen to the heartbeat of Cairo – or the symphony of horns, which are used in place of turn signals for almost every vehicle.
Supper could not come soon enough tonight. Buffet dinner at the hotel. Lots of choices – and the greatest variety of foods over the two nights we were there. The food was good, but very safe choice – nothing too spicy or out of the ordinary. The biggest adjustment for dining was to pay for water to go with the meals. It was recommended that we not drink the water, so we purchased large bottles for $3 each ($5.50 exchange rate).
To bed at 9:00 p.m. – wiped out. Egyptian sheets did feel extra wonderful - wish I could say they kept us asleep all night.
Monday, November 5
Morning at leisure, Giza Pyramids, Old City, Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue
6:30 wakeup call; 7:00 breakfast, 8:00 start (morning at leisure???)
Our first trip of the day is to Giza to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx. These are actually located very near the city limits of Cairo, instead of in the middle of the desert. Much to learn here – tourism is the main source of income for many. Almost everyone in our group ended up with Egyptian headdress and many “relics” of ancient Egypt. A few had $1 camel rides – this is the inexpensive part of the experience – getting off the camel can be very expensive. It was hard to enjoy the sites when we were constantly accosted by the vendors.
The pyramids were amazing to see, and we got some great pictures from a scenic overlook. Then on to the Sphinx and into town to visit gold and papyrus stores (supposed very cheap in Egypt).
After lunch, we traveled to the Old City/Coptic Quarter and visited the Hanging church and Ben Ezra Synagogue. The synagogue is said to be where Joseph, Mary and Jesus stayed while they were exiled in Egypt – 3 months at this location, and 13 months total in Cairo. During the Six Day War with Israel in 1967, the 12 pillars (representing each of the apostles) were documented as crying blood. During times spiritual movement in the church, and columns have been “warmed” by the Holy Spirit.
After the Coptic Quarter, we visited the Egyptian Museum (http://www.egyptianmuseum.gov.eg/home.html), which houses the remains of King Tutankhamen tomb. The Roman’s built the museum as a gift to the Egyptians, and the government has required that all those visiting must stay on the grounds for at least one hour. We could have spent the whole day.
King Tut’s tomb was found in 1923 in Luxor, Egypt. The site had not been raided because King Tut was the poorest of the Pharaoh’s and thieves did not think is was worthwhile to raid his tomb. He was Pharaoh for 10 years, between the ages of 8 and 18, when he died. He and all of his belongings were buried within 10 gold plated boxes in the tomb. Items included four beds, three chariots, many urns, and ship, food for the journey to the “other” life, and his thrones, which are about the size of kitchen chairs.
A copy of the Rosetta Stone is also at this museum. The most impressive artifacts were the walls and walls of hieroglyphs – truly amazing in detail, scale and scope. Most of the displays were not hermetically sealed, and the hieroglyphic walls could be touch – so amazing. The museum was only a block from out hotel, so a short ride back for dinner. Many went shopping – we showered to wash away the desert and downloaded pictures for the evening. Early to bed – still not over jet lag yet. I slept for an hour an then was awake for four – bad way to start the day.
My Notes:
this is the first (last) of the notes and comments for this trip. I have been posting the days starting from the end. The pictures for this section are grouped together for the 4th and 5th, so wanted to make my comments together for the one album.
I highly suggest using the map view, if your Internet connection is fast enough. the pyramids are a site to behold. and when you can see them from the satellite view as well as my pictures, it makes it more clear just how big they are.
I will say one thing about the people here. If they weren't sales people, they seemed to be friendly. the challenge for me was that just about everyone we came in contact with wanted to sell us something. one dollar, one dollar was heard a lot. the scams that were allowed at the pyramids was unacceptable, but at least we were warned ahead of time. I will not use this blog as a complaint session about this, but one couple from our group did get taken by a camel jockey, it nearly ruined their trip.
but back to good stuff. when we saw the Sphinx, it wasn't as impressive as I was expecting, it is closer to the city and so more hustle bustle around it. Pictures don't do it justice as to the size and proportions of it. to me it is very clear that the "original" had the head of something/someone else and the current pharonic head was carved out of that, simply because of the smaller proportion. that is pure conjecture on my part, but it sure seemed obvious to my common sense as I looked at it from the ground.
I couldn't help myself thinking about that this would be a great place to play paintball as we went through the ruins around it (in fact, this was a continuing thought in many of the places we visited). the large pillars, and sturdy rock walls., the terrain - it all pointed to me as a paintball field. :)
There was not really any Biblical significance to the area, but I have to assume that the Israelites were at least aware of these structures, and knew about them. they would probably have been further north in the Nile delta area. but to get to see a wonder of the world is something I will not forget. even if I make another trip over there, I will probably not revisit the pyramids. After all is said and done, I think that most of the things that I felt like I wanted more of was in Israel.
With that said, I need to reiterate that just because we were one of only two couples in the group that spoke English only, I don't feel like we missed anything from the tour. the volunteer translators did a great job.
Also, you will notice in the link that there are Google maps showing WHERE and when each picture was taken. some of the pictures may not have GPS information for various reasons, but about 90% do.
Another note about pictures, I took over 7000 pictures. I (ab)use the multi-burst capabilities of my camera, so I can be sure to get a "good" shot of the subject matter. It also allows me to take pictures in less than optimal lighting situations, with relative surity that one will catch the "still" image. Since I am not a professional photographer, my technique is to way-overshoot any given subject, so that I can get a got picture.
When I got home and downloaded them, I removed about 5000 as "trash" and kept a bit over 2000, and as expected, I got some great shots of each subject I was shooting (in my humble opinion). then I synchronized the GPS info with the images left for EXIF updating. This took me a couple days to figure out since DST changed the first day of our trip, and I had forgotten to change the time on my camera for that.
One other note about the journaling. Mary's notes became outlines towards the end, as our time-crunch began to increase and there was less time available to actually do any detailed journaling.
http://picasaweb.google.com/rambopreacher/Exodus1145
Sunday, November 4
Egypt Air Flight #748 departing Athens at 1:30 pm (3:30 pm arrival in Cairo, Egypt)
Transfer to hotel:
Ramses Hilton (2 nights)
1115 Corniche El Nile, Cairo, Egypt
Flight from Newark to Athens was on time – also very cold and mostly sleepless. Left Newark about 5:30, and arrived in Athens at 9:30 a.m. All luggage arrived with the flight, and we were ready to get tickets for our next flight before the boarding gates opened.
We were only on the ground for about four hours before continuing to Cairo. Airport security was much more lax – no problems clearing immigration or gate access. Athens’ airport is about the size of Des Moines. I thought we would have the some unique Greek shops while there – no such luck. Connecting flight on Egypt Air was a small plane – two hours flight time. We were bused from the tarmac – every thing at Cairo’s airport reminded folks of air travel 20 years ago – not much was automated or clean.
Luggage was all present and accounted for, and we started our 25 minute bus ride downtown to the Ramses Hilton. I believe the driving in Cairo will be the one thing that sticks with all of us after this trip. Cairo has 17 million people, 5 million cars, and 3 stoplights. Lane lines are merely suggestions, and three lanes often hold 5 rows of traffic. There were no pedestrian rights, and people often walked in the streets rather than the sidewalks.
Since there are no stoplights there are no crosswalks, so pedestrians cross wherever they can – usually between moving traffic. Most cars were about 20 years old, mostly European, and gas costs about $1 for 4 litres, as opposed to $2.79 a gallon when we left home. Eqypt is required to export no more than 30% of its oil.
After checking into the hotel (slowest process anywhere along the trip) we opened the doors to the best view I have had from a hotel room. It was about 5:30 p.m., and we were overlooking the Nile River and downtown Cairo from the terrace off our room. It was a great place to listen to the heartbeat of Cairo – or the symphony of horns, which are used in place of turn signals for almost every vehicle.
Supper could not come soon enough tonight. Buffet dinner at the hotel. Lots of choices – and the greatest variety of foods over the two nights we were there. The food was good, but very safe choice – nothing too spicy or out of the ordinary. The biggest adjustment for dining was to pay for water to go with the meals. It was recommended that we not drink the water, so we purchased large bottles for $3 each ($5.50 exchange rate).
To bed at 9:00 p.m. – wiped out. Egyptian sheets did feel extra wonderful - wish I could say they kept us asleep all night.
Monday, November 5
Morning at leisure, Giza Pyramids, Old City, Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue
6:30 wakeup call; 7:00 breakfast, 8:00 start (morning at leisure???)
Our first trip of the day is to Giza to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx. These are actually located very near the city limits of Cairo, instead of in the middle of the desert. Much to learn here – tourism is the main source of income for many. Almost everyone in our group ended up with Egyptian headdress and many “relics” of ancient Egypt. A few had $1 camel rides – this is the inexpensive part of the experience – getting off the camel can be very expensive. It was hard to enjoy the sites when we were constantly accosted by the vendors.
The pyramids were amazing to see, and we got some great pictures from a scenic overlook. Then on to the Sphinx and into town to visit gold and papyrus stores (supposed very cheap in Egypt).
After lunch, we traveled to the Old City/Coptic Quarter and visited the Hanging church and Ben Ezra Synagogue. The synagogue is said to be where Joseph, Mary and Jesus stayed while they were exiled in Egypt – 3 months at this location, and 13 months total in Cairo. During the Six Day War with Israel in 1967, the 12 pillars (representing each of the apostles) were documented as crying blood. During times spiritual movement in the church, and columns have been “warmed” by the Holy Spirit.
After the Coptic Quarter, we visited the Egyptian Museum (http://www.egyptianmuseum.gov.eg/home.html), which houses the remains of King Tutankhamen tomb. The Roman’s built the museum as a gift to the Egyptians, and the government has required that all those visiting must stay on the grounds for at least one hour. We could have spent the whole day.
King Tut’s tomb was found in 1923 in Luxor, Egypt. The site had not been raided because King Tut was the poorest of the Pharaoh’s and thieves did not think is was worthwhile to raid his tomb. He was Pharaoh for 10 years, between the ages of 8 and 18, when he died. He and all of his belongings were buried within 10 gold plated boxes in the tomb. Items included four beds, three chariots, many urns, and ship, food for the journey to the “other” life, and his thrones, which are about the size of kitchen chairs.
A copy of the Rosetta Stone is also at this museum. The most impressive artifacts were the walls and walls of hieroglyphs – truly amazing in detail, scale and scope. Most of the displays were not hermetically sealed, and the hieroglyphic walls could be touch – so amazing. The museum was only a block from out hotel, so a short ride back for dinner. Many went shopping – we showered to wash away the desert and downloaded pictures for the evening. Early to bed – still not over jet lag yet. I slept for an hour an then was awake for four – bad way to start the day.
My Notes:
this is the first (last) of the notes and comments for this trip. I have been posting the days starting from the end. The pictures for this section are grouped together for the 4th and 5th, so wanted to make my comments together for the one album.
I highly suggest using the map view, if your Internet connection is fast enough. the pyramids are a site to behold. and when you can see them from the satellite view as well as my pictures, it makes it more clear just how big they are.
I will say one thing about the people here. If they weren't sales people, they seemed to be friendly. the challenge for me was that just about everyone we came in contact with wanted to sell us something. one dollar, one dollar was heard a lot. the scams that were allowed at the pyramids was unacceptable, but at least we were warned ahead of time. I will not use this blog as a complaint session about this, but one couple from our group did get taken by a camel jockey, it nearly ruined their trip.
but back to good stuff. when we saw the Sphinx, it wasn't as impressive as I was expecting, it is closer to the city and so more hustle bustle around it. Pictures don't do it justice as to the size and proportions of it. to me it is very clear that the "original" had the head of something/someone else and the current pharonic head was carved out of that, simply because of the smaller proportion. that is pure conjecture on my part, but it sure seemed obvious to my common sense as I looked at it from the ground.
I couldn't help myself thinking about that this would be a great place to play paintball as we went through the ruins around it (in fact, this was a continuing thought in many of the places we visited). the large pillars, and sturdy rock walls., the terrain - it all pointed to me as a paintball field. :)
There was not really any Biblical significance to the area, but I have to assume that the Israelites were at least aware of these structures, and knew about them. they would probably have been further north in the Nile delta area. but to get to see a wonder of the world is something I will not forget. even if I make another trip over there, I will probably not revisit the pyramids. After all is said and done, I think that most of the things that I felt like I wanted more of was in Israel.
With that said, I need to reiterate that just because we were one of only two couples in the group that spoke English only, I don't feel like we missed anything from the tour. the volunteer translators did a great job.
posted by RamboPreacher | 7:40 AM
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