Home at last!

Boy, am I tired! Got back home about midnight last night and even though I had a completely amazing time in Egypt, it is nice to be back. Back where I can brush my teeth using tap water, I don't feel it necessary to cross myself when riding in a taxi and using a public toilet is not a potentially life threatening experience.

The last few days in Cairo were a lot slower in pace. We went to Giza (of course!) with a taxi driver who only knew how to say 'Hello' in English. So prices and times were agreed mainly through the use of hand gestures and the occasional interpreter. It was fantastic to see the Pyramids but I can't say I enjoyed the atmosphere at Giza. Too many tourists, pushing and shoving and the cat calls from Egyptian men. But climbing up the 40 metres up inside the Great Pyramid to the burial chamber of King Khufu is something I will never forget. It was pretty scary and damn hot but it was worth it just to see those huge stones in the Grand Gallery.

I think my time in Egypt has given me a bit of an insight into what it might be like to be a celebrity. We would walk down the street and everyone would stare, or shout hello and wave, or come over and talk to you. I had several people ask to have their picture taken with me, which is a little odd. But I suppose because I am naturally so pale I am something of a novelty.

I won't miss the attention from the Egyptian men though. You'd think that having people tell me that I'm beautiful would make me feel good. It doesn't. I hate people looking at me and I think because I was the plainest of the girls they targetted me. Perhaps they figured I'd be flattered.

I wasn't.

In a way it'll be nice to be overlooked again.

How not to be elegant #9

As a sophisticated traveller to foreign climes (no sniggering at the back), poise and elegance are essential.

Therefore when walking down the street carrying a 12kg backpack wearing only sandals on my feet, slipping off the kerb and landing on your arse in the street is perhaps inevitable.

Except due to said weight on my back, I couldn't get up. So I had to take off my backpack, stand up then haul my bacg back up onto my back and carry on walking as if nothing had happened.

(Luckily all I have is a small graze, a bruised but not twisted ankle and some damaged dignity).

I am so poised.

Happy Birthday to me!

23 today. Although I reckon I might just stick with 22.

So the felucca trip was great. But I have to admit that having to go for a pee in the bushes along the banks of the Nile is not going to be my favourite memory of this holiday! Nor is the fact that the temperature dropped far more than anyone expected and we were all freezing at night! My legs were so cramped the next day from sleeping curled up in a little ball.

Kom Ombo and Edfu were very impressive but were blown out of the water by yesterday's trip to The Valley Of The Kings and the enormous temple complex of Karnak as well as Hatshepsut's temple at Deir El Bahri and the tomb builder's village at Deir el Medina. The columns in the Great Hypostyle Hall there make you feel so tiny! Some of the bases they stood on were as tall as me! We stayed for the light and sound show at Karnak which was as kitschy as promised but walking through the temple in the dark was a phenomenal experience, even if I was surrounded by other tourists.

I can't really describe the feeling of looking in the tombs at the Valley Of The Kings. We went very early so there were few people around which only heightened the experience. To look at the beautiful reliefs which were to aid the King's journey to the solar barque of the Gods is just gob-smacking. The detail is so intricate such thousands of gold stars painted on the ceilings to represent the night sky, or the sarcophagi having even toenails and creases on the knees carved upon the Pharaoh's image. I am so glad that I studied Egyptian art in quite a bit of detail before the trip as it really helped to understand what the Pharaoh's had been trying to achieve.

Today is going to be a bit of a quiter day. We're going to a couple of museums, the Luxor temple and to do some shopping (I have to get myself a birthday present after all) and hopefully for a camal ride. Which I am looking forward to lots.

Walking like an Egyptian

Hi there! Greetings from Aswan.

I've been in Egypt for four full days now (and one travelling) and you won't believe how much we've packed in!!!

We arrived around 3am local time on Friday and were up at 7am to go to Tanis, an ancient capital city which is possibly the city mentioned in the Exodus. As Friday was Paddy's Day we managed to find probably the only bar in Cairo which had a St Patrick's Day celebration. We all got a bit tipsy on Saqqara Red, this really nice local beer.

This didn't stop us from going to the Cairo Museum the next day. The gate guard told me he loved me. It is really strange as we get stared at everywhere we go. I've never known anything like it. That night we spent 12 hours (no exaggeration) on a train down here to Aswan. Our hotel here is great and the food is phenomenal!

Yesterday was the best yet as we got a trip which included Rameses' II temples at Abu Simbel (one of which he dedicated to his beloved wife, hell of an anniversary present!), plus the Aswan High Dam, the beautiful island temple of Philae (which is too gorgeous for description) and the Unfinished Obelisk. It was knackering as it was a half 3 start but it was sooooooo worth it.

Today we are taking an overnight felucca cruise up to Kom Ombo where the crocodile god Sobek was worshiped. Then we join an overland convoy to the Ptolomeic temple of Horus at Edfu before heading on to Luxor.

I am having a whale of a time and touch wood, it'll stay that way. I'll post more when I get home and hopsefully start a Flikr account for my pics!!!

TTFN

Lazy old me!

You Are Likely a First Born

At your darkest moments, you feel guilty. At work and school, you do best when you're researching. When you love someone, you tend to agree with them often. In friendship, you are considerate and compromising. Your ideal careers are: business, research, counseling, promotion, and speaking. You will leave your mark on the world with discoveries, new information, and teaching people to dream.

The Birth Order Predictor

Found this on Goddy's site. It came out true for me! And not just cos I am the oldest.

Will be at the airport this time tomorrow, but due to the morons at Paypal sitting with their fingers up their rears my backpack has not arrived. So I now have to buy another and return the one which will arrive while I am away. I love being me sometimes.

Relief, tinged with resignation

So that's that then. The first half of the course is done. The presentation went quite well (I think) and this was followed by a really enjoyable night out.

So while I am relived that all the exam hoopla is over, I am a little down at the situation between myself and TBIOLAAF. It seems that he singles me out for conversations and other things, but at other times completely ignores me. Such as when we were all out dancing last night.

Meaning I have now given up any hope of anything happening between us, and to be honest considering we are going to spend almost a fortnight together in Egypt I can see us falling out over his attitude sometimes.

Sad but true. But I have no intention of letting it get in the way of the fantastic holiday I intend to have. If my backpack ever arrives that is!!

Two days to go! Am starting to get excited now!

Gulf Stream, my arse!

This whole 'snow' thing is getting out of hand. My Daddy wakes me up this morning by telling me,

"I don't think you'll make it to work today?" When I asked why he just told me to look out of the window.

It would appear that our home had been transported to the frozen north. There were drifts of about one foot in places.

When I walked the mile or so to my Nanna's house I did so in a T-shirt, one wool jumper, one fleece jumper, two pairs of socks (one thermal), jogging pants, jeans, big parka, hat and gloves.

I hate the cold. Plus how am I supposed to get to Manchester tomorrow in this?

10 things you might not know about me.

• I'm left-handed (or cack-handed, whichever you prefer).

• I have this really embarrassing tendency to snort when I laugh really hard.

• I have one tattoo. It is The Eye of Horus and is above my left hip bone.

• My favourite band ever is Nine Inch Nails.

• My eyes are green.

• I can recite the whole of 'On The Ning Nang Nong' by Spike Milligan.

• I have what can only be described as an addiction to Cadbury Mini Eggs.
  

• I was in this play. Can you spot my pic?
  

• When my mum was pregnant with me, amniocentesis indicated I would have spina bifidia. My parents found out when our GP turned up on the doorstep and he was in tears. My mum said she knew I was fine and decided (against some medical advice) not to have the pregnancy terminated.

• I don't have spina bifida.
  

Back!

Yes, I know I said it would be longer but I was surprised by how much I missed blogging. Boring as my life is I still enjoy writing about it.

My exams ended today and I went for a few drinks. I had a lot of fun and was in the pub from noon today until around 6. I am such a reprobate! Anyway we played Truth or Dare and according to coursemates I have the best boobs on the course and one bloke (unfortunately not TBIOLAAF) said if he had to kiss any girl on the course he would pick me. Bit of an ego boost!

I think I've done alright in my exams. Enough to pass at least. Feel far more confident than I ever did about my undergrad exams. I hope that isn't a jinx!! :S

So after I've given my assessed presentation on Monday morning, I am done until its time for the dissertation in April. This means I will be out on the town on Monday getting horrendously pissed!

Consider thyselves warned!!

Terminal Velocity

Been a tough couple of days. I am still feeling totally unprepared for my exams next week. And am now bricking it that it'll snow and I won't be able to get to Manc!

Had to yell down the phone at my ex-gym in London as they have taken £134 from my account they don't deserve. What with me cancelling my subscription and everything.

And now I have to go to the shops for food even though it looks like a scene from The Day After Tomorrow. It was hailing when I was up in the hills last night, but where the fuck did all this come from!!!!

Anyway, what am saying is. I am having a short hiatus for a couple of weeks while I have a breakdown and fail my exams. Then am away in T'egypt. So I might post from there.

Toodles!