Friday, May 21, 2010 … Rome
In how many languages can you say my feet are tired? It’s late Friday afternoon, Melinda and I are back at the hotel siesta-ing and resting feet while Joe is … not sure where he is … she and I got off the metro at the Repubblica station and he kept going. While eating a delicioso (I think that’s Spanish, but English doesn’t do it justice) 2 pm buffet lunch at Perilli in Prati, a few blocks from the Vatican, Melinda said, “I think we’ve seen everything in Rome.” Joe pulled out our guide book, started flipping pages and said, “No, there are things we haven’t seen ….” Though the word ‘buffet’ is French, I wonder if buffets in restaurants is an American thing … all you can eat … a bit of everything.
The group of 7 adults seated near us ordered off the menu. They were speaking Spanish and one of the women pulled out an Italian/Spanish dictionary from her bag. Melinda half listened to their conversation, sometimes chuckling. It was a wonderful meal, complete with beer and water. We order water with ‘no gas’ so we don’t get carbonated water. Today we ordered it ‘naturale’, forgot to ask Joe if we were charged for it as it came in a carafe, not a sealed bottle. (Yes, paid 2 euro for it.)
Afterward, in the metro, Joe unloaded water bottles and umbrellas from his pack, took the camera and said he was going back to the Roman Forum, or maybe Palatine Hill, or maybe Capitol Hill. It works for us …. gives me a chance to write a little bit and Melinda is snoozing.
Lunch was memorable because we very much wanted a good one. As we were leaving the Vatican Museums, Melinda said, “If we have a lunch today like we did yesterday, I’m going somewhere else afterward and ordering a second one.” Today was a winner. Yesterday, after hours in St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, we saw a little orange store front restaurant on a side street which looked family-run and intimate. It was the worst restaurant meal in the universe. Should have not allowed ourselves to be seated. Should have found a place where a lot of nuns were eating … they must know the area. There weren’t any nuns in this place. It was family-owned and they were fighting with each other, yelling in the seating area, yelling on the sidewalk near the outdoor tables, yelling from the front counter to the kitchen. An expressionless woman came to our table, with pen and pad, “Si?”, and took our order. Looked like Papa was in charge; he seemed to not like the young man (son?) who seemed to not like him. I wonder if the woman was scared of the guy (her husband?) Lots of yelling between the men. Two women quickly paid and left as we came in; a table of 6 people sat very quietly, ate, paid and left. That left us. We ate our marginal meal, paid, and had to literally squeeze between the young man and the dirty counter during more yelling in order to leave.
I’m thinking it wasn’t just a family, but a “FAMILY”. And the restaurant was not really a restaurant, but a front for “family” business. And the young guy had made a mistake … maybe a huge mistake. And the woman didn’t want to be there, but didn’t want to leave her sons, so she was trapped. She was wearing what looked like a blue housecoat over black pants … because the Papa had taken all her clothes? And the ‘good’ son was following orders, doing what he was told. Joe thinks it was just a family who was yelling at each other and serving not very good food.
Two days ago I made an online reservation for 9 a.m. tickets for today for the Musei Vaticani. Left here at 8:15 a.m., took the metro to the Ottaviano stop, and walked. And walked. And walked more past long lines of people waiting to get in and buy tickets. We entered through the “reservation” door, were eyeballed by the clothing polizio (no bare shoulders or too much leg showing), went through security, sailed over to the ticket booth to pick them up. (Should have made reservations before we left the U.S., so I feel fortunate to have received tickets for today.) Rented audio guides … always have to leave your driver’s license or passport at the audio guide counter … does anyone actually want to take those things home?
The Musei Vaticani consists of about a dozen self-contained museums with over 1400 rooms. You can’t see it all. But we tried. You start out listening to every audio guide stop and since the first collection is the Egyptian collection, it’s all pretty interesting. There is an unwrapped mummy in his coffin …. then a woman in her coffin, not mummified with head, hands and feet exposed. The info pointed out that her hair was dyed red with henna. Her right eye had a piece of cloth over it … learned that her brain was most likely removed through that eye. We saw the scarabs placed on her chest to help give her safe passage. Melinda leaned in and said, “Her inside is filled with sawdust.” She learned that during her 2 weeks in Egypt. I wondered who she was, what her life was like. Children? Content? How did she die? Next was the wrapped mummy in his coffin. In about room 8, Joe said, “We need a plan or we’ll never make it through to the Sistine Chapel.” All roads in the museum lead to the Sistine Chapel.
Frescoes, paintings, sculptures, mosaics, marble floors, painted and gilded ceilings and walls … everywhere you look there is something. And then more, lots more. The Rick Steves’ ROME guidebook says that, in his opinion, you leave either because 1) you’ve died, 2) it has closed or 3) 2 ½ hours have passed. We spent 4 ½ hours in it. There’s a rare deep red stone, porphery (something like that … don’t have internet access to check an online dictionary … am saving this as a word document until the hotel’s internet is working and I can send it) … and our St. Peter’s Basilica guide told us yesterday that 75% of the world’s supply of this stone is in the Vatican City (an independent sovereign state, 109 acres, in the heart of Rome.) We walked on a huge circle inlay of it in St. Peter’s. In the museum, we saw an enormous basin made out of this stone, I think it was 13 meters (over 40 feet) in diameter. And tall, very tall. It once stood in a public place in the Roman Forum. Saw two very high and deep sarcophaguses (sarcophagi??), coffins, that were used in Constantine’s family … one for his wife (and later a pope) and one for a daughter. Each had intricate carvings on all sides. I wonder what the “finders” do with the dust and bones or is nothing left inside? Constantine made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire. And the marble … were has all the marble come from? Marble floors, marble statues, marble everywhere.
After a few hours my mind was becoming numb from too much information, too much antiquity, too much history, too much … too much. And I love information and history. THEN … we entered the Sistine Chapel … a long oval room. It was filled with people speaking all kinds of languages, though the Italian guards tried to shush people, said talking was not allowed. Picture taking was definitely not allowed. A hushed atmosphere would have been appropriate, but hard when hundreds of people are standing shoulder to shoulder looking straight up, on all sides, all around. I want to read a biography of Michelangelo … may have one at home … our St. Peter’s guide referred to him many times as a crazy genius. He didn’t want to paint the chapel, but the pope cajoled, begged, threatened and Michelangelo said yes. He spent 4 years (1508-1512) lying on his back painting the ceiling … paint dripping in his face … if he wanted to change something he had to plaster over it and begin again. The room is 5900 square feet of space, he painted the vast majority. Scaffolding was 6 stories high. The pope wanted him to paint the 12 apostles, but he decided he would paint the history of mankind up to Jesus. He also designed the dome of St. Peter’s, based on the Pantheon dome. Yesterday in St. Peter’s, we saw Pieta, the sculpture he did of Mary holding the body of Jesus. Took him 2 years, from ages 22-24. He believed it was as important to find the right block of marble as to do the sculpting; that the figures are in the marble waiting for the excess to be peeled away.
After the Sistine Chapel, we went to the Pinacoteca rooms, paintings and tapestries … saw Rafael’s Transfiguration painting … the last thing he painted before dying at age 37, in 1520, was Jesus’ face in it, considered possibly the most beautiful rendition of his face. Rafael is buried in a crypt in the Pantheon (saw it) and the painting was brought to his funeral. Across from The Transfiguration, in the same room, hangs his tapestry of the Last Supper. It fills up the entire wall and is behind glass. Saw da Vinci’s painting, St. Jerome. Gaunt and harsh.
Joe’s back …. he revisited some ruins, went into a church built in 600 with 120 steps to it from the street. Historically women have crawled up the steps on their knees … to get pregnant, a fertility thing.
We have to check out tomorrow by 10:30 a.m., stash our luggage and take a cab later to the airport (about a 40 minute crazy cab ride from here) as our flight to Heathrow/London leaves at 9:15 p.m. (Joe thought he booked an a.m. flight but this will work fine. We better allow at least 45 minutes for a crazy cab ride.) We’ve rented a car at the airport and will get it Sunday morning. I’m the designated driver for next week in England and Scotland as I have an international driving permit and Joe doesn’t want to drive. His sense of left and right has never been very strong and it’s going to be really important to be aware of left and right. I’m a bit apprehensive. Would like a WalMart parking lot to practice in before driving away from the airport. We’re not going into London … decided to see rural areas by car. We have a 2 night stay in an Edinburgh bed and breakfast next Tues/Wed … can leave the car and take the bus into the city. Other than those 2 nights, we don’t yet have a clue what next week holds. I think we’re all looking forward to simpler towns and villages, more grass and trees, fewer vehicles and crowds. We leave London … volcanic ash willing … May 30, Melinda at 8:30 a.m. and Joe and I two hours later. We shipped 55 pounds of her clothing and books to Nebraska from Bilbao, but we’re hauling the rest with us. Should have shipped 2 boxes.
We flew from Barcelona to Rome Tuesday morning and took a cab from the airport to Hotel Nardizzi Americana … all 4th floor rooms of an old building on a tiny narrow street that is jammed with motorcycles and is across from the ministry of defense or something like that. Lots of polizia in the area. When our cab driver dropped us off, he grunted about the heavy luggage, so I tried to explain in a combination of English, Melinda’s help with Spanish and maybe a French word or two, that she had studied in Spain and was now going home. He drove wonderfully, but traffic is unbelievable … I bet his wife thanks God every night when he walks in alive. I told Melinda and Joe if I ever say I want to drive in Rome to please shoot me.
We’re fairly close to the main train station and close to a metro stop. Cars park on sidewalks if streets are too narrow to allow for both parking and driving. It appears motorcycles park wherever they want to. People cross busy streets, sometimes with 6 lanes of traffic, with no pedestrian lights … you start walking and vehicles are supposed to stop. So far it’s worked. Melinda forges out in front and leads the way. She said this is easy compared to crossing streets in Cairo. There, she and her friends grabbed hands and started running, dodging … said if one got hit they would all get hit. Have been watchful for pickpockets … I’m quite sure the 2 young guys who tore out of a metro car last night at the Flamini stop and ran up the stairs 3 at a time had other peoples’ crossbody bags on them. I didn’t like that area … my gut was saying don’t dawdle, get moving. We crossed the street into the Piazza del Popolo where Melinda turned away a couple men-with-roses-scammers and it got better. The obelisk in that square once stood in/near the palace of Ramses II in Egypt. We walked to the Spanish Steps and the fountain in front of it … sat on the cement benches surrounding the fountain and watched people. Watched the sun set behind the Spanish Embassy (I think that’s what it was, and has been for 300 years.) Watched lights come on. Down one of the streets were Gucci, Dior, Yves St. Laurent. Didn’t go in any of them. The British poet Keats died in the narrow pink building next to the Spanish Steps and Lord Byron lived for a time on the other side of the fountain. I love that stuff.
On the first floor of this building is an opera theater. We’ve heard people practicing. Also on the first floor is an Italian Korean Methodist Church. I think people may live on the 2nd floor. The Oceania Hotel occupies the 3rd floor and Nardizzi Americana is on the 4th … all are a square with the center open to the sky. Very quaint, very old, very unlike American chains. Melinda said it looks and feels like a hostel, smells like a hotel. (She has stayed in some not so nice hostels.) We have a room with a double bed and a single bed and a tiny balcony with narrow French doors that looks across the open area to the entrance hallway to the hotel. We can hear people in the hotel’s reception area from our room. Samy … a 30 something man with lots of curly hair and a beautiful smile … has been very nice. Wish I could speak Italian so I could therefore speak English with the same accent he has. Think I’d like to learn Italian. He was on duty when we checked in, took us to our room, opened the balcony doors, showed us how to use the big old heavy key to unlock and lock our door and then stick it in the holder by the door which allows electricity to turn on. (Same with the key cards from other hotels.) We turn the key into the desk each time we leave the hotel. The huge, heavy wooden doors into the building stand open all day and lock in the evening, but you buzz the hotel and they unlock the door. The one elevator (lift) is tiny. You open the lift’s metal door, then its French doors to enter … close the 3 doors and ride to 4th. Have to remember to close the 3 doors when you exit, otherwise it can’t go. Three women from France squeezed themselves into it last night with a couple small bags, but the man with his bag and backpack rode up with Joe and me.
There’s one hotel computer for guests but internet is spotty. Samy gave Melinda the hotel password so she can use her computer in the reception area. Am writing on her computer and will copy and paste into an email to send when it’s up and running. I know this is long, but it’s also my journaling. Haven’t written about Tuesday … the National Museum or Wednesday … the Colosseum, which is unbelievable, Roman Forum, standing where Julius Caesar was assassinated, standing where his funeral was held ... monuments and statues and ruins and all this in the center of Rome … the Pantheon that evening … we had taken the metro in the morning and walked from spot to spot to spot to spot, then home. Thursday … St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square ... seeing where St. Peter was crucified (though a couple or more layers above it), looking at the spot where he was buried, under the church … Trevi Fountain … watched a whole class of kids stand in front of it and toss a coin over their shoulders.
Rather than eat supper at 9 pm or later, twice we’ve bought fresh crusty bread, a hunk of cheese and wine and had it here. Not sure what tonight will hold other than packing to leave. At the moment, Melinda is sleeping and Joe is watching the BBC. We don’t have a clue what’s happening in the U.S., Nebraska or Lexington. Melinda misses her University of Duesto friends and was sad at saying good-bye to Amelia. She said Spanish people don’t hug, but she gave Amelia a bear hug and Amelia fought back tears. She was exceptionally kind and loving to Melinda for 4 months … doted on her … and Melinda thinks Amelia may request another foreign student. Melinda was her first. Amelia is tiny and energetic and speaks very fast … we spent an hour in her apartment one evening in Bilbao. She served us wine and pate, crusty bread and appetizers of some sort. Neither she nor Carlos (her husband, Melinda called him Carl) ate with us. Melinda said it’s the way they do it. They serve guests, don’t eat with them. Though they must eat with dinner guests … we weren’t officially dinner guests. Joy Roos and Melinda were translating between Amelia, Carlos, Joe and me until conversation was whirling around and Joy started speaking Spanish to me. At 10 pm that evening, Joe, Melinda and I walked to the Crazy Horse bar, had a glass of beer and split one hamburger … tiny sliver of meat but I buy round loaves of crusty bread that look like that bun. Enough for now. Linda
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Last Bilabo Post...bittersweet
I want to thank all of you who have been reading my blog. This is my last Bilbao blog....sad, I know. This whole experience has been more amazing than I can explain. It was changed me in a way that will affect me for the rest of my life….for the better of course :)
My parents arrived in Bilbao on Tuesday night and we left for Barcelona Saturday morning. Friday night we had our goodbye ceremony and party for the college. It was tough to say good bye to teachers and friends, but I’d like to think of it more as a “see you later”…because we all know we will at some point. Saturday morning my parents and I left for Barcelona. I knew saying goodbye to Amelia would be one of the hardest things…and it was. As we said our final goodbyes before we got in the taxi …she started to cry and she told me to write her and send her pictures (which of course I will). She was the best host mom I could have had….I am so glad we connected like we did.
While in the airport waiting for my parents I made a list that I wanted to add in with my last blog….so here we go.
Eleven Things I’ve Learning While Studying Abroad in Spain!!
11. The Rain in Spain falls mainly in Bilbao.
1o. Red wine and Coke really do go together! …try it, you will be surprised :)!
9. Public Transportation = a love and hate relationship.
8. Trust Random people….they may surprise you.
7. Always keep kleenix in your purse…it comes in handy for more than just blowing your nose.
6. Speaking Spanish isn’t as terrifying as you may once believe.
5. You can make a home out of anywhere you are.
4. Be careful or else you may have to buy a new camera…..twice.
3. Life-long friends can be made in 5 months.
2. Saying you are full to your host mom doesn’t ever matter…she will always make you eat the flan.
1. Studying abroad is a life changing experience full of fun, laughter, mistakes, learning and growing.
Thanks again to all you readers!
Love you guys! I will be seeing you in less than 2 weeks...yayayayaya
Xoxoxoxoxox -Mel
My parents arrived in Bilbao on Tuesday night and we left for Barcelona Saturday morning. Friday night we had our goodbye ceremony and party for the college. It was tough to say good bye to teachers and friends, but I’d like to think of it more as a “see you later”…because we all know we will at some point. Saturday morning my parents and I left for Barcelona. I knew saying goodbye to Amelia would be one of the hardest things…and it was. As we said our final goodbyes before we got in the taxi …she started to cry and she told me to write her and send her pictures (which of course I will). She was the best host mom I could have had….I am so glad we connected like we did.
While in the airport waiting for my parents I made a list that I wanted to add in with my last blog….so here we go.
Eleven Things I’ve Learning While Studying Abroad in Spain!!
11. The Rain in Spain falls mainly in Bilbao.
1o. Red wine and Coke really do go together! …try it, you will be surprised :)!
9. Public Transportation = a love and hate relationship.
8. Trust Random people….they may surprise you.
7. Always keep kleenix in your purse…it comes in handy for more than just blowing your nose.
6. Speaking Spanish isn’t as terrifying as you may once believe.
5. You can make a home out of anywhere you are.
4. Be careful or else you may have to buy a new camera…..twice.
3. Life-long friends can be made in 5 months.
2. Saying you are full to your host mom doesn’t ever matter…she will always make you eat the flan.
1. Studying abroad is a life changing experience full of fun, laughter, mistakes, learning and growing.
Thanks again to all you readers!
Love you guys! I will be seeing you in less than 2 weeks...yayayayaya
Xoxoxoxoxox -Mel
Barcelona and Canary Islands
Well these last couple weeks have been pretty darn full and I obviously haven’t done a very good job keeping up with the ol blog. So here we go….this is my last couple of weeks in a nut shell. Sorry it is soooo late.
The week after my birthday (April 20th) I flew to Barcelona for a couple days to see my friend Chris who is studying in the Checkz Republic but was on Spring break. It was the first time I have flown alone, but it went very smoothly. While waiting for my delayed plane in the Bilbao airport that Tuesday night I met a couple that were probably in their late 50’s who were from Ohio and were on my flight to Barcelona as well. The man, a University professor, was on sabbatical and so they were living in Barcelona for a couple of months. They were very nice and we talked for quite a while waiting for our plane. I then asked them if they knew where my hostel was because all I had was an address and I wasn’t quite sure how to get there once I got off the plane. The guy pulled out his blackberry, google-maped it, and then they gave me very good details on how to take the bus from the airport to a certain plaza and then they said there would be taxi’s there…and by doing this it would save me about 20 euros….it sure did….everything went very smoothly….what a blessing that couple was!
Getting to the hostel it was very good to see Chris….always nice to see someone from home when you haven’t been there for so long. That night we went to a club….it was decent....hung out for awhile and then headed back to the hostel. Being the only one who could speak Spanish I was the one directing the Taxi’s for that weekend…I assume I did ok considering we always made it back to the hostel. But to be honest it felt good to be the only one cause it made me speak up.
The next day we headed to the beach. It was sunny but windy so it was blazing hot. Chris was super smart the day before and got fried and looked like a lobster but he said that he wanted to go anyway…(I know im safe putting that in here because he put it in his… ). We laid at the beach for awhile but then it began to get to cold because Chris was burnt so badly so we went and got something to eat at a Chinese Restaurant and then went back to the hostel. We then tried watching a movie but failed and fell asleep for awhile. After waking up Chris and I wanted to cook supper so we found a tiny grocery store and bought stuff to make pasta and cheese bread. After supper Chris and I headed to a club which I thought was the best one of the week.
The next day we did the same relaxing thing and just hung out and what not. Then for supper we did the cooking thing again and so we went to a better grocery store and bought stuff for steak tacos. We cooked….which I can thank Chris for considering I don’t like to touch raw meat….and then we got ready to go out that night with the whole group (all of Chris’s friends that were with him). We started off at one club and then half way through the night we went to the Catwalk which is supposed to be one of the best clubs in Barcelona. It was pretty good…..but the best thing about going out for the night life we got in free to every place because of the hostel we were staying at….pretty nice.
The next day was our last day in Barcelona….Chris and I walked around outside for awhile, got lunch, and then headed back because his flight was a couple hours earlier than mine and at an airport that was outside the city. I then chilled alone for awhile and then headed to the Barcelona airport to head back to Bilbao. Over all it was a great couple of days…thanks Chris for having Spring break in Barcelona!!
The next day (Saturday) was one of my friend’s 21st birthday….so of course we had a good ol American celebration for that. During the day a group of us went to the beach for the day. It was such a nice day to lay in the sand. Then Catherine, Ali, and I decided that we would test out the waters….it was a solid 40-45 degrees, but we went in anyway….I mean after you are completely numb you cant really feel much. Then after the beach, Carmina and Mo (friends from Cali) made a good Mexican dinner for a group of us and then we went out. Good night!
That next week we all wanted to pass by quickly because on Thursday we were heading to the Canary Islands for the weekend. It was by far one of my favorite trips! We took the bus on Thursday night from Bilbao to Madrid and then early Friday morning we flew from Madrid to the Canaries. Getting to our hotel we really didn’t know what to expect but it was very nice…each room had two single beds and a little mini kitchen and a bathroom….and it was cheap which was surprising for as nice as it was. It also had a really nice pool area. So the first day we spent some time by the pool while we ate lunch and then headed to the beach. All of the beached on this particular island are black except one. We laid on the beach for a couple hours and of course swam as well…the water was a little chilly but not nearly as cold as Bilbao’s Bay of Biscay. After the beach we headed back to the hotel and took a nap considering the night before was pretty much sleepless between being on the bus and in the Madrid airport. After our nap we …well Catherine and Mo cooked dinner….quesadillas and veggies….perfecto. Then that night we all sat around in one of the rooms and played games and just hung out with the intentions on going out later considering Ali was going to turn 21 at midnight….(this weekend we celebrated two 21st birthday….Ali’s on May 1st and Morgan’s on May 2nd).
While in the room a couple of the girls had left to go get something out of their rooms and they came back saying that they had been robbed and that we needed to go check our rooms. So we went down to our rooms and sure enough other rooms had been touched. We had four rooms on the 2nd room but each were conjoined with one so we left the dividing doors open so we basically had two big rooms. In one pair of the conjoined rooms a I-touch (ipod) and an American cell phone had been stolen and in the other conjoined room (which was mine) a total of 300 euros and a returning bus ticket from Madrid to Bilbao had been stolen. Luckily enough that was only in one of the rooms…which happened to be the room I wasn’t in. Plus I had all my important stuff with me so the only thing they could have taken of mine were my clothes or shampoo haha…..they apparently didn’t want either. This was a pretty much the ultimate party killer so we all decided to go to bed and sleep it off and get up and start the morning fresh.
The next day four of us girls (out of 13 total) wanted to rent a car so we could take our time and be on our own schedule to go see all of the historical stuff. So Ali, Gracie, Catherine, and I headed to a car rental place that was near our hotel and asked them if this would be possible. They told us that you needed to be 25 to rent a car and that all the cars are stick. We then told them that our only person who knew how to drive stick was only 20 and they said that there was one car that they could let us rent because of our age. We were shocked that they were allowing us to do this considering we were “of age” but we decided to have a look at the car. I think we all maybe burst out laughing…it was one of the smallest cars I have ever seen…but we did some contemplating and we decided to do it. The other funny thing about this was that Catherine (the only one who knew how to drive stick) has never driven on a highway or interstate (because she is from St. Thomas…a small island in the Virgin Islands...and so she has never needed too) but she was our only option. It took a little convincing of me that this would work…but we decided to do it and I am so glad we did.
So we were shown were to go by the guy at the rental place and then we hit the road. We wanted to first go to Teide the Volcano on the island. It takes about an hour and a half to two hours to get there but its all driving up in the mountains and it is sooo gorgeous. At times we would just pull over along the side of the road and get out, take pictures, and then just sit in the silence. It was wonderful! I felt like my family for doing this, because I know that if I was with my mom we would have done the same thing….get out of the car….take pictures….and just take in the beauty of it all.
Once we got to the Volcano we called Mo, Megan, and Carmina to see where they were at because they had taken the bus to get there instead of renting a car. They happened to be at the Volcano at the same time so we met up with them. After the Volcano we decided to drive around for awhile and then go to The Cliffs. It was crazy to see how much volcanic rock was everywhere and also to see random trees and flowers growing up in between the piles and piles of rock. Seeing The Cliffs was amazing…pictures do not do them justice on how beautiful they really are. We decided to eat at a restaurant by the cliffs since it was about 4 and we hadn’t had any lunch. After the cliffs we decided to head back to the hotel. A little over half way back we became a little distracted and stopped at a beach. It was the most beautiful black sand beach I have ever seen. The sand was verrrry black. Ali and Gracie got in the water to swim and Catherine and I just laid in the sand and soaked up some sun.
After the beach we then headed back to the hotel.
We got cleaned up and then headed to one of the rooms were everyone else was. That night we had decided that we wanted to do Karaoke. This was by far one of the funniest parts of the weekend. We sang everything from Spice Girls to Jackson Five. It was very entertaining. After Karaoke we headed to a different club and stayed there until they closed. Then after that Gracie, Mo, Ali, and I wanted to go walk along the beach. There was nobody out there and it was so peaceful. We stayed out there for about an hour and a half and walked up and down the beach in the water. Great ending to a great night.
The next day was our last full day and Gracie’s last day…she had to get back to Rome to take finals. Us girls loaded up in the car again and did so touring before we had to drop her off at the airport. Our touring of course happened to get us lost….we missed our exit because we were talking….imagine that. BUT we were thankful because getting lost led us to see the only white sand beach on the island. It was gorgeous! Then before heading to the airport we stopped at this little family owned restaurant that was packed full of families (because it was Mother’s day in Spain) but there was a small table open so we sat down and ordered some oysters and bread. The food was amazing and the service was sooo good. The guys who owned it were very friendly and talked with us as if they had known us for years.
After dropping Gracie off at the airport we went and met up with Carmina, Mo, and Megan and they joined us in our little but hearty car. We did some more touring…went to see the natural pools which were soooo gorgeous and we stayed there until the sun went down. We then went back to our hotel to pack and get ready to leave early for the airport. We got back into Bilbao at about 8 that night.
The week after my birthday (April 20th) I flew to Barcelona for a couple days to see my friend Chris who is studying in the Checkz Republic but was on Spring break. It was the first time I have flown alone, but it went very smoothly. While waiting for my delayed plane in the Bilbao airport that Tuesday night I met a couple that were probably in their late 50’s who were from Ohio and were on my flight to Barcelona as well. The man, a University professor, was on sabbatical and so they were living in Barcelona for a couple of months. They were very nice and we talked for quite a while waiting for our plane. I then asked them if they knew where my hostel was because all I had was an address and I wasn’t quite sure how to get there once I got off the plane. The guy pulled out his blackberry, google-maped it, and then they gave me very good details on how to take the bus from the airport to a certain plaza and then they said there would be taxi’s there…and by doing this it would save me about 20 euros….it sure did….everything went very smoothly….what a blessing that couple was!
Getting to the hostel it was very good to see Chris….always nice to see someone from home when you haven’t been there for so long. That night we went to a club….it was decent....hung out for awhile and then headed back to the hostel. Being the only one who could speak Spanish I was the one directing the Taxi’s for that weekend…I assume I did ok considering we always made it back to the hostel. But to be honest it felt good to be the only one cause it made me speak up.
The next day we headed to the beach. It was sunny but windy so it was blazing hot. Chris was super smart the day before and got fried and looked like a lobster but he said that he wanted to go anyway…(I know im safe putting that in here because he put it in his… ). We laid at the beach for awhile but then it began to get to cold because Chris was burnt so badly so we went and got something to eat at a Chinese Restaurant and then went back to the hostel. We then tried watching a movie but failed and fell asleep for awhile. After waking up Chris and I wanted to cook supper so we found a tiny grocery store and bought stuff to make pasta and cheese bread. After supper Chris and I headed to a club which I thought was the best one of the week.
The next day we did the same relaxing thing and just hung out and what not. Then for supper we did the cooking thing again and so we went to a better grocery store and bought stuff for steak tacos. We cooked….which I can thank Chris for considering I don’t like to touch raw meat….and then we got ready to go out that night with the whole group (all of Chris’s friends that were with him). We started off at one club and then half way through the night we went to the Catwalk which is supposed to be one of the best clubs in Barcelona. It was pretty good…..but the best thing about going out for the night life we got in free to every place because of the hostel we were staying at….pretty nice.
The next day was our last day in Barcelona….Chris and I walked around outside for awhile, got lunch, and then headed back because his flight was a couple hours earlier than mine and at an airport that was outside the city. I then chilled alone for awhile and then headed to the Barcelona airport to head back to Bilbao. Over all it was a great couple of days…thanks Chris for having Spring break in Barcelona!!
The next day (Saturday) was one of my friend’s 21st birthday….so of course we had a good ol American celebration for that. During the day a group of us went to the beach for the day. It was such a nice day to lay in the sand. Then Catherine, Ali, and I decided that we would test out the waters….it was a solid 40-45 degrees, but we went in anyway….I mean after you are completely numb you cant really feel much. Then after the beach, Carmina and Mo (friends from Cali) made a good Mexican dinner for a group of us and then we went out. Good night!
That next week we all wanted to pass by quickly because on Thursday we were heading to the Canary Islands for the weekend. It was by far one of my favorite trips! We took the bus on Thursday night from Bilbao to Madrid and then early Friday morning we flew from Madrid to the Canaries. Getting to our hotel we really didn’t know what to expect but it was very nice…each room had two single beds and a little mini kitchen and a bathroom….and it was cheap which was surprising for as nice as it was. It also had a really nice pool area. So the first day we spent some time by the pool while we ate lunch and then headed to the beach. All of the beached on this particular island are black except one. We laid on the beach for a couple hours and of course swam as well…the water was a little chilly but not nearly as cold as Bilbao’s Bay of Biscay. After the beach we headed back to the hotel and took a nap considering the night before was pretty much sleepless between being on the bus and in the Madrid airport. After our nap we …well Catherine and Mo cooked dinner….quesadillas and veggies….perfecto. Then that night we all sat around in one of the rooms and played games and just hung out with the intentions on going out later considering Ali was going to turn 21 at midnight….(this weekend we celebrated two 21st birthday….Ali’s on May 1st and Morgan’s on May 2nd).
While in the room a couple of the girls had left to go get something out of their rooms and they came back saying that they had been robbed and that we needed to go check our rooms. So we went down to our rooms and sure enough other rooms had been touched. We had four rooms on the 2nd room but each were conjoined with one so we left the dividing doors open so we basically had two big rooms. In one pair of the conjoined rooms a I-touch (ipod) and an American cell phone had been stolen and in the other conjoined room (which was mine) a total of 300 euros and a returning bus ticket from Madrid to Bilbao had been stolen. Luckily enough that was only in one of the rooms…which happened to be the room I wasn’t in. Plus I had all my important stuff with me so the only thing they could have taken of mine were my clothes or shampoo haha…..they apparently didn’t want either. This was a pretty much the ultimate party killer so we all decided to go to bed and sleep it off and get up and start the morning fresh.
The next day four of us girls (out of 13 total) wanted to rent a car so we could take our time and be on our own schedule to go see all of the historical stuff. So Ali, Gracie, Catherine, and I headed to a car rental place that was near our hotel and asked them if this would be possible. They told us that you needed to be 25 to rent a car and that all the cars are stick. We then told them that our only person who knew how to drive stick was only 20 and they said that there was one car that they could let us rent because of our age. We were shocked that they were allowing us to do this considering we were “of age” but we decided to have a look at the car. I think we all maybe burst out laughing…it was one of the smallest cars I have ever seen…but we did some contemplating and we decided to do it. The other funny thing about this was that Catherine (the only one who knew how to drive stick) has never driven on a highway or interstate (because she is from St. Thomas…a small island in the Virgin Islands...and so she has never needed too) but she was our only option. It took a little convincing of me that this would work…but we decided to do it and I am so glad we did.
So we were shown were to go by the guy at the rental place and then we hit the road. We wanted to first go to Teide the Volcano on the island. It takes about an hour and a half to two hours to get there but its all driving up in the mountains and it is sooo gorgeous. At times we would just pull over along the side of the road and get out, take pictures, and then just sit in the silence. It was wonderful! I felt like my family for doing this, because I know that if I was with my mom we would have done the same thing….get out of the car….take pictures….and just take in the beauty of it all.
Once we got to the Volcano we called Mo, Megan, and Carmina to see where they were at because they had taken the bus to get there instead of renting a car. They happened to be at the Volcano at the same time so we met up with them. After the Volcano we decided to drive around for awhile and then go to The Cliffs. It was crazy to see how much volcanic rock was everywhere and also to see random trees and flowers growing up in between the piles and piles of rock. Seeing The Cliffs was amazing…pictures do not do them justice on how beautiful they really are. We decided to eat at a restaurant by the cliffs since it was about 4 and we hadn’t had any lunch. After the cliffs we decided to head back to the hotel. A little over half way back we became a little distracted and stopped at a beach. It was the most beautiful black sand beach I have ever seen. The sand was verrrry black. Ali and Gracie got in the water to swim and Catherine and I just laid in the sand and soaked up some sun.
After the beach we then headed back to the hotel.
We got cleaned up and then headed to one of the rooms were everyone else was. That night we had decided that we wanted to do Karaoke. This was by far one of the funniest parts of the weekend. We sang everything from Spice Girls to Jackson Five. It was very entertaining. After Karaoke we headed to a different club and stayed there until they closed. Then after that Gracie, Mo, Ali, and I wanted to go walk along the beach. There was nobody out there and it was so peaceful. We stayed out there for about an hour and a half and walked up and down the beach in the water. Great ending to a great night.
The next day was our last full day and Gracie’s last day…she had to get back to Rome to take finals. Us girls loaded up in the car again and did so touring before we had to drop her off at the airport. Our touring of course happened to get us lost….we missed our exit because we were talking….imagine that. BUT we were thankful because getting lost led us to see the only white sand beach on the island. It was gorgeous! Then before heading to the airport we stopped at this little family owned restaurant that was packed full of families (because it was Mother’s day in Spain) but there was a small table open so we sat down and ordered some oysters and bread. The food was amazing and the service was sooo good. The guys who owned it were very friendly and talked with us as if they had known us for years.
After dropping Gracie off at the airport we went and met up with Carmina, Mo, and Megan and they joined us in our little but hearty car. We did some more touring…went to see the natural pools which were soooo gorgeous and we stayed there until the sun went down. We then went back to our hotel to pack and get ready to leave early for the airport. We got back into Bilbao at about 8 that night.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Egypt, Day 15 and 16
Day 15: OUR LAST DAY IN EGYPT! For our last day we got up had breakfast in bed, showered, got ready for the day and then went out and walked around Cairo for awhile, got lunch (our last time of having koshery!) and then we got a taxi to go to the Muhammad Ali Mosque. The Mosque was very big and gorgeous. Us 5 girls wrapped our heads with scarves out of respect and headed in. You can’t wear shoes either so we slipped off our sandals, slipped on our socks and headed in. There were a lot of people in there because it was one of the most famous mosques in Cairo. We looked around and then went and found a spot on the carpet and just sat and talked and watched people. A lot of locals that where in there touring as well, got a good kick out of us American girls with our hair wrapped. Obviously they don’t see that often and thought it was pretty funny.
After leaving the Mosque we wanted to go to the big Cairo Bizzare. We spent a couple hours there haggling with the vendors and buying stuff to take home. My favorite haggle experience was buying scarves. I had picked out three that I liked from this certain vendor…and of course as soon as you even look at their stuff they jump down your throat. He said that for the three scarves it would be 130 Egyptian Pounds…I said sorry that’s too much and began to walk away…he then followed me and said ok 120…and said sorry still too much and Carmina and I went off walked again…he didn’t like this and began following us down the street. He kept dropping the price, 115, 105, 100, 90, 85, 75. Then Carmina wanted to go back to this jewelry place that was right next to this scarf man and so we walked back….he still wouldn’t let go and I said sorry not interested so I tried to ignore him and then he said fine 70 and I said ok how about 4 scarves for 80. And he said no you can’t add one more scarf in for that low…and I said then sorry I am not interested and began walking away and so then he yelled OK FINE, I’ll take that! I was quite proud that I dropped the price 50 Egyptian pounds and added in one more scarf. So four scarves for about 14 US dollars. After a couple of hours at the bizarre we needed to go back to the hostel to get our stuff and head to the airport. Our flight was at 2am.
Day 16: The rest of the trip is pretty much the same as the beginning except we decided to spend our 20 hour layover at a nearby hotel instead of in the airport. So we went to the airport tourist office and they booked us a room at a nice hotel that happened to be pretty cheap. We took a hotel bus to the hotel, checked, took a nap, showered, ate supper, went to a nearby grocery store to buy fruit for breakfast in the morning, then went back to the hotel and went to bed. We had to be up early because our flight was at 7:30. Once getting to the airport we met up with other friends that had the same flight as us back to Bilbao. We got back to Bilbao around 9 and got back to home sweet home around 10. As my grandma Lois would have said…home again home again jiggidy jig. It felt very good to be home.
So this finally concludes the Egypt blogs. I know they were lengthy so thanks for reading or skimming or whatever you chose to do. This was by far the best spring break/ birthday present ever. Thanks mom and dad! It was definitely another experience that allowed us to grow as people and allowed us to experience many new things. It also allowed us to be very thankful for all the blessings we have in our lives.
Prayers for my dad and the others that left for Haiti today. Pray that they will be able to be a blessing to so many people in need, and also pray for safety for all of them during this week! (wow I posted this late....they have now all returned safely!)
And of course I love and miss you all!
Mom and Dad, Ill be see you in TWO weeks!!!
-Mel
After leaving the Mosque we wanted to go to the big Cairo Bizzare. We spent a couple hours there haggling with the vendors and buying stuff to take home. My favorite haggle experience was buying scarves. I had picked out three that I liked from this certain vendor…and of course as soon as you even look at their stuff they jump down your throat. He said that for the three scarves it would be 130 Egyptian Pounds…I said sorry that’s too much and began to walk away…he then followed me and said ok 120…and said sorry still too much and Carmina and I went off walked again…he didn’t like this and began following us down the street. He kept dropping the price, 115, 105, 100, 90, 85, 75. Then Carmina wanted to go back to this jewelry place that was right next to this scarf man and so we walked back….he still wouldn’t let go and I said sorry not interested so I tried to ignore him and then he said fine 70 and I said ok how about 4 scarves for 80. And he said no you can’t add one more scarf in for that low…and I said then sorry I am not interested and began walking away and so then he yelled OK FINE, I’ll take that! I was quite proud that I dropped the price 50 Egyptian pounds and added in one more scarf. So four scarves for about 14 US dollars. After a couple of hours at the bizarre we needed to go back to the hostel to get our stuff and head to the airport. Our flight was at 2am.
Day 16: The rest of the trip is pretty much the same as the beginning except we decided to spend our 20 hour layover at a nearby hotel instead of in the airport. So we went to the airport tourist office and they booked us a room at a nice hotel that happened to be pretty cheap. We took a hotel bus to the hotel, checked, took a nap, showered, ate supper, went to a nearby grocery store to buy fruit for breakfast in the morning, then went back to the hotel and went to bed. We had to be up early because our flight was at 7:30. Once getting to the airport we met up with other friends that had the same flight as us back to Bilbao. We got back to Bilbao around 9 and got back to home sweet home around 10. As my grandma Lois would have said…home again home again jiggidy jig. It felt very good to be home.
So this finally concludes the Egypt blogs. I know they were lengthy so thanks for reading or skimming or whatever you chose to do. This was by far the best spring break/ birthday present ever. Thanks mom and dad! It was definitely another experience that allowed us to grow as people and allowed us to experience many new things. It also allowed us to be very thankful for all the blessings we have in our lives.
Prayers for my dad and the others that left for Haiti today. Pray that they will be able to be a blessing to so many people in need, and also pray for safety for all of them during this week! (wow I posted this late....they have now all returned safely!)
And of course I love and miss you all!
Mom and Dad, Ill be see you in TWO weeks!!!
-Mel
Egypt, Day 14
Day 14: For the Pyramid tour we decided to first do the sunrise camel ride that was out in the desert and it was a place where you could see the pyramids from farther away. It was the perfect place! When we got to the camel stable the owner convinced us to take 4 camels and 2 horses so we could trade off because he said you will most definitely be walking like an Egyptian if you ride a camel all day. So Joy and I started off on the horses, and the other four on the camels. There were two boys that took us on the tour. They lead us through the dessert up on this hill were you could see the pyramids perfectly. We took a lot of pictures and one of the boys also took a lot of pictures of us. We then traded animals so Joy and I were on camels and then we went further up the hill to this little place that was serving Egyptian tea. We sat and had tea and then went back through the desert to town to the stables were we would be meeting our guide for the pyramids.
The owner of the stable knew that we hadn’t eaten breakfast yet and so he went somewhere and brought back breakfast for us, what a nice guy. Then our tour guide showed up and we all got in a big van and headed towards the Pyramids. We started at the big pyramid and he told us a lot of history about them. We then took pictures and headed to the next two to do the same. The Pyramids are soooo huge. It is so amazing to think of how they were built and how long ago they were built. Truly a World Wonder. We then went to the Sphinx and took pictures there as well. Then he took us to this cool restaurant for lunch that was included in our tour package. We ate a good lunch there and then for our last thing he took us to a perfume factory. This was really cool to see. They had a glass blowing station where they make all the really cool perfume bottles and then we went up to this room where they had us smell all of these different kinds of perfumes and scents.
After leaving there we went back to the hostel where all 6 of us fell asleep pretty quickly since we had been up at 3:30am. We set our alarm for 7:30 pm thinking we would get up and go eat dinner and hang out for awhile. The next thing I knew Carmina woke us up saying it was 10 o’clock. We then quickly decided that we might as well just go back to sleep and plan on getting up early to have a good long last day in Cairo. So yes….we did sleep 15 straight hours. When we woke up the next morning we couldn’t believe he did that….but then again the last 2 weeks were full and we were really only getting about 6 hours of sleep every night after spending long hot days in the sun….so this was our re-coop night.
The owner of the stable knew that we hadn’t eaten breakfast yet and so he went somewhere and brought back breakfast for us, what a nice guy. Then our tour guide showed up and we all got in a big van and headed towards the Pyramids. We started at the big pyramid and he told us a lot of history about them. We then took pictures and headed to the next two to do the same. The Pyramids are soooo huge. It is so amazing to think of how they were built and how long ago they were built. Truly a World Wonder. We then went to the Sphinx and took pictures there as well. Then he took us to this cool restaurant for lunch that was included in our tour package. We ate a good lunch there and then for our last thing he took us to a perfume factory. This was really cool to see. They had a glass blowing station where they make all the really cool perfume bottles and then we went up to this room where they had us smell all of these different kinds of perfumes and scents.
After leaving there we went back to the hostel where all 6 of us fell asleep pretty quickly since we had been up at 3:30am. We set our alarm for 7:30 pm thinking we would get up and go eat dinner and hang out for awhile. The next thing I knew Carmina woke us up saying it was 10 o’clock. We then quickly decided that we might as well just go back to sleep and plan on getting up early to have a good long last day in Cairo. So yes….we did sleep 15 straight hours. When we woke up the next morning we couldn’t believe he did that….but then again the last 2 weeks were full and we were really only getting about 6 hours of sleep every night after spending long hot days in the sun….so this was our re-coop night.
Egypt, Day 13
Day 13: Day 13 we woke up in Cairo after a very uncomfortable and cold bus ride. We got all of our stuff off the bus and looked for a taxi to take us to our hostel. We were staying at the Juliana Hostel because our Egyptian Nights hostel that we had stayed in when we were previously in Cairo was booked. So when we got to the hostel they told us that we couldn’t check in until noon. It was currently about 8 am. They said that we could leave our luggage there but that we couldn’t use the rooms yet. Though it was very hard, we tried to be understanding about this, but we were soooo tired. So we left our luggage and decided to just go walk around downtown and try to find something for breakfast. We were all getting on the crabby side just because were sleep deprived, sun burnt, and hungry. We found a bakery and ordered a pastry and a cup of tea and we just sat at the table trying to kill time. It got to the point were almost all 5 of us were asleep on the table…good thing it was a big place. Then around 11 we got up and went to a pharmacy to get some medicine for Michaela because she had gotten kind of sick the day before and then we headed back to the hostel.
As soon as well got into our rooms our attitude totally switched and we actually became nicer people. But then it took us about 2 minutes for all of us to fall asleep. We woke up to a tapping on the door so we all just yelled come in not knowing who it was. It was our Carmina!!! our 6th friend that was joining us for our last couple days in Egypt. She had spent the first part of her Spring Break in Italy and Greece and then come to Cairo for a couple days. So when she got there we got up and showered and then we went to go talk to the hostel people about getting our camel and Pyramid tour set up for the morning. When doing that he told us that we could also go on this Nile Dinner Cruise tonight if we wanted. He said it would be dinner and entertainment on a big boat that would go around on the Nile in downtown Cairo. Carmina, Catherine, and I decided we wanted to do that…Michaela was still sick so she stayed, Ish stayed with Michaela, and Joy also wasn’t feeling to good either, so the three of them stayed behind.
The hostel got a driver to drive us to the river. This guy was quite interesting…and of course began hitting on Mona (aka me) from minute one. We got in the car and introduced ourselves and then he said well Mona you look like my ex-wife but wayyyy more beautiful. What do you say to that?.....Yeah I don’t know either. He then went on to tell me that he had 100 camels in his trunk that he would buy me with. The three of us girls just laughed and tried to ignore his weirdness. Getting in the car he pumped up his Egyptian music quite loudly and was driving like a maniac. During the ride Carmina yelled up front to him saying “So when I need to puke because of your crazy driving where do you want me to do it?” He then said ohhh should I slow down? We all shook our heads yes. The Dinner Cruise was pretty fun…the food was good and the entertainment was decent. They had two guys to some dance stuff and they were very funny but then they had a girl belly dancer come out that wasn’t wearing enough clothes and she acted like she hated her job. So it wasn’t very entertaining…though every guy on the boat seemed to enjoy it….they all got out their cameras really fast as soon as she hit the floor. Then when she was almost out she came out in the crowd to grab someone to come dance with her….of course she came to our table and tried grabbing Carmina. Carmina refused and so she tried grabbing me and I said no as well, but apparently she didn’t care and pulled me out of my seat and pushed me to the middle dance floor. She tried getting me to dance but all I did was stand there laughing thinking are you kidding me? Melinda dance?….not a chance. She then came up behind me and tried getting me to shake my hips and dance so I finally just did it so basically I could sit down. Belly dancing will never become a hobby of mine haha.
While we were there we met this guy from Canada that sat by us at dinner. He was quite the character. We asked him why he was in Egypt and he said “Ohh just want to check it off the list”….the three of us girls didn’t really know how to respond to that one. He then went on to tell us that he travels a lot. And so Carmina asked him where his favorite place is that he has traveled to and he said “Well I have been to 35 countries so it’s really hard to slim that down”…..He basically turned into this very proud guy who seemed to just travel so he could tell people he has done so and not for the experience of traveling. He was very into himself and all that he has done and so lets just say we weren’t sad to say goodbye at the end of the night. Driving home our driver again tried to convince my friends that they should trade me for 100 camels that he was trying to convince us he had. Catherine kept telling him that I was worth way more than 100 camels so it wasn’t going to work out. The funniest thing about this guy though, was that he thought he was absolutely hilarious so after anything he said he would laugh with this most ridiculous laugh. His laugh was so hilarious that Catherine and I were almost crying we were laughing so hard at his laugh, but he thought we were laughing at “jokes” so he just kept on going. It was a funny ride home for sure. Once we got back to the hostel we hit the hay because we had to be up at 3:30 for our day of camels and pyramids!!!
As soon as well got into our rooms our attitude totally switched and we actually became nicer people. But then it took us about 2 minutes for all of us to fall asleep. We woke up to a tapping on the door so we all just yelled come in not knowing who it was. It was our Carmina!!! our 6th friend that was joining us for our last couple days in Egypt. She had spent the first part of her Spring Break in Italy and Greece and then come to Cairo for a couple days. So when she got there we got up and showered and then we went to go talk to the hostel people about getting our camel and Pyramid tour set up for the morning. When doing that he told us that we could also go on this Nile Dinner Cruise tonight if we wanted. He said it would be dinner and entertainment on a big boat that would go around on the Nile in downtown Cairo. Carmina, Catherine, and I decided we wanted to do that…Michaela was still sick so she stayed, Ish stayed with Michaela, and Joy also wasn’t feeling to good either, so the three of them stayed behind.
The hostel got a driver to drive us to the river. This guy was quite interesting…and of course began hitting on Mona (aka me) from minute one. We got in the car and introduced ourselves and then he said well Mona you look like my ex-wife but wayyyy more beautiful. What do you say to that?.....Yeah I don’t know either. He then went on to tell me that he had 100 camels in his trunk that he would buy me with. The three of us girls just laughed and tried to ignore his weirdness. Getting in the car he pumped up his Egyptian music quite loudly and was driving like a maniac. During the ride Carmina yelled up front to him saying “So when I need to puke because of your crazy driving where do you want me to do it?” He then said ohhh should I slow down? We all shook our heads yes. The Dinner Cruise was pretty fun…the food was good and the entertainment was decent. They had two guys to some dance stuff and they were very funny but then they had a girl belly dancer come out that wasn’t wearing enough clothes and she acted like she hated her job. So it wasn’t very entertaining…though every guy on the boat seemed to enjoy it….they all got out their cameras really fast as soon as she hit the floor. Then when she was almost out she came out in the crowd to grab someone to come dance with her….of course she came to our table and tried grabbing Carmina. Carmina refused and so she tried grabbing me and I said no as well, but apparently she didn’t care and pulled me out of my seat and pushed me to the middle dance floor. She tried getting me to dance but all I did was stand there laughing thinking are you kidding me? Melinda dance?….not a chance. She then came up behind me and tried getting me to shake my hips and dance so I finally just did it so basically I could sit down. Belly dancing will never become a hobby of mine haha.
While we were there we met this guy from Canada that sat by us at dinner. He was quite the character. We asked him why he was in Egypt and he said “Ohh just want to check it off the list”….the three of us girls didn’t really know how to respond to that one. He then went on to tell us that he travels a lot. And so Carmina asked him where his favorite place is that he has traveled to and he said “Well I have been to 35 countries so it’s really hard to slim that down”…..He basically turned into this very proud guy who seemed to just travel so he could tell people he has done so and not for the experience of traveling. He was very into himself and all that he has done and so lets just say we weren’t sad to say goodbye at the end of the night. Driving home our driver again tried to convince my friends that they should trade me for 100 camels that he was trying to convince us he had. Catherine kept telling him that I was worth way more than 100 camels so it wasn’t going to work out. The funniest thing about this guy though, was that he thought he was absolutely hilarious so after anything he said he would laugh with this most ridiculous laugh. His laugh was so hilarious that Catherine and I were almost crying we were laughing so hard at his laugh, but he thought we were laughing at “jokes” so he just kept on going. It was a funny ride home for sure. Once we got back to the hostel we hit the hay because we had to be up at 3:30 for our day of camels and pyramids!!!
Egypt: Day Twelve
Day 12: SCUBA DIVING!!!! We were so excited! The company picked us up at the hostel at 8:30 and as we were leaving Hisan, the guy who picked us up the previous night and was the owner of the hostel, told us he would make us an really good Egyptian dinner that night when we got back. So we headed to the boat, got on and filled out or information and then went up to the bow to get some sun. This trip was both a scuba diving and snorkeling trip so Ish and Michaela decided to snorkel and Catherine, Joy and I went scuba diving. When it came time to go out in the water they got us in our wet suits, goggles, flippers, weights, and air tanks and flopped us right into the water. We each had a guide that took us down. I can’t even explain how amazing this was. The whole breathing underwater took a couple minutes to get used to, but it was so worth it. They then took our pictures under water and then we swam around for while.
Then we went back up to the boat and had lunch. After lunch we soaked up some more sun before round two of scuba diving. The whole day was sooo great. The crew absolutely loved us (of course in a creepy nice way)…it was pretty evident that they don’t usually get four 20 year old American girls on their boat, but they were all very nice and helpful. After a long day in the sun we went back to the hostel to shower and rest before our meal that Hisan said he would make for us. Of course it was absolutely delicious. After that since we had a while until we had to go to the bus station for our bus, Hisan said we would show us the way to this really nice restaurant/bar that we could kill some time at. So the 5 of us stayed there for awhile, had some drinks and Shesha and talked. Then Hisan came back and said he would walk us around downtown Horgada if we wanted. Of course we wanted to do that so we went and walked around for about another hour or so.
All of the shops were still open and the streets had a lot of people still in them. Then Hisan took us to a fresh juice shop and treated us to fresh mango and sugar cane juice. He was soo very nice to us! We then went back to the hostel and waited until it was time to head to the bus station for our overnight bus. Hisan then took us there and saw us off. We tried giving him a very good tip for doing all he did for us, but he wouldn’t take it…he said it’s never about money, it is about meeting new people and making friends. We then hopped on our 1am bus and hit the road to Cairo.
Then we went back up to the boat and had lunch. After lunch we soaked up some more sun before round two of scuba diving. The whole day was sooo great. The crew absolutely loved us (of course in a creepy nice way)…it was pretty evident that they don’t usually get four 20 year old American girls on their boat, but they were all very nice and helpful. After a long day in the sun we went back to the hostel to shower and rest before our meal that Hisan said he would make for us. Of course it was absolutely delicious. After that since we had a while until we had to go to the bus station for our bus, Hisan said we would show us the way to this really nice restaurant/bar that we could kill some time at. So the 5 of us stayed there for awhile, had some drinks and Shesha and talked. Then Hisan came back and said he would walk us around downtown Horgada if we wanted. Of course we wanted to do that so we went and walked around for about another hour or so.
All of the shops were still open and the streets had a lot of people still in them. Then Hisan took us to a fresh juice shop and treated us to fresh mango and sugar cane juice. He was soo very nice to us! We then went back to the hostel and waited until it was time to head to the bus station for our overnight bus. Hisan then took us there and saw us off. We tried giving him a very good tip for doing all he did for us, but he wouldn’t take it…he said it’s never about money, it is about meeting new people and making friends. We then hopped on our 1am bus and hit the road to Cairo.
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