Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Egypt Email

Time is moving faster than ever!

December 3rd will mark 15 months on the road, god i can't believe it and never would have if you told me this before i had left. Do i miss home a lot of people have recently asked? Well sure, how can you not, but i don't think it's my physical home that i miss more than life being simple, knowing where i will be that day, knowing how i'll get there, and where i'll be laying down for the night. I miss the simple things like opening up the refrigerator and making my self a meal, washing my own cloths in a washing machine that actually works, having a day off. i know that sounds crazy, i have had 15 months off (more or less), but a day in my home, any home where i can type on my computer, see friends, talk on the phone, watch some mindless television, or even just get in the car and go for a drive, those are things i miss.

My Camera lens broke a few counties back and fixing it has proven to be tough than expected. my camera bag/day bag has broken zippers, i have sewed all my shorts because tears are happening more frequently now, i hopped a barbwire fence in New Zealand to take a photo and sure enough i tore those pants as well. My shoes, well, they are melting off my feet as we speak and i'm amazed that they still stay on, i'm on my 9th pair of flip flops, and my hat collect more filth by the day. the cloths i have are sun faded and a bit raggedy but they'll make the journey home just like i will. My body can feel the affects of time as well, over night buses which were once a great way to skip out on a nights rent in a hostel are now getting painful and although i do eat well the constant change of diet isn't always pleasant on the stomach. Regardless, change, challenges, and variety are the spice of life and it's still a happy life i live.

regardless of the condition of the cloths, the gear i carry, random cravings for a everyday life, and the occasional back pain from long distance travel, Egypt the country i just visited has flown by faster than i have ever expected, in fact time is moving faster now than it ever has before. twenty three days of museums, pyramids, temples, boats, trains, and deserts has made thinking about home near impossible. As I have missed my friends and family since the day i left, i have also met some amazing people in the process including a fantastic American whom i had the pleasure of traveling Egypt with (Preston). Although all of you are on my mind, a trip like this does not come everyday and the excitement of new countries and tasty food is still pushing me forward. Amazingly the thrill of travel has yet to grow old and as i glanced at a calendar today to check the date, look at flights, and plan for the future my heart nearly sank when i realized that 2009 is coming to a rapid end, it has been a brilliant eye opening year, and i'm STILL HUNGRY FOR MORE!!!

The Heat of the desert is visible as you peer off across the sand, the sun is high and the hair on top of your head feels like it is going to burst into flames. There are few dunes but you are surrounded with sand and you look off in the distance and you can see a faint patch of green, it's a Oasis. As you approach with a parched mouth, sun burnt hands and a scarf wrapped around your face to shield you from the elements you notice that it was all a just a marriage...

Well, thankfully i never experience this feeling but the thought of an Egyptian desert Oasis was something i needed to scratch an itch for. Thinking back when i was a child and seeing movies and cartoons that depict these romantic locations i was curious to see how they truly are. In reality most of them are far from pleasant but Siwa a mere 50 miles from the Lybia Boarder was quite a nice surprise, date trees lined the side of the road, carts pulled by donkeys were equally as popular as cars or motor bikes, life moves slow and i was happy to soak that up while i had a chance. I moved quickly through Egypt but it was at Siwa where me and Preston got to settle down briefly and experience desert life as it slowly rolled past us in the form of a donkey cart. As the rest of Egypt was as expected filled with must visit tourist sights, Siwa and the desert was that slice of something different that i really enjoyed.

Moving faster than i normally would have, Egypt pasted me by in the blink of an eye. Driving through the desert for 3 days, hitching rides in a flat bed truck, swimming in an Oasis fresh water spring, sleeping on a faluca (Egyptian sail boat) on the Nile, visiting the pyramids, luxor, valley of the kings along with other national monuments was great they were a must, something i had wanted to see since i was a kid and i was happy to finally experience what they are truly like.


PHOTO LINK:

http://picasaweb.google.com/vaccaro.marc2424/MarcvaccaroEgypt?feat=directlink

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