Day 5: Agra

For my final day in India, I began my day with morning tea at the Taj View Hotel. I had a lovely breakfast tea, in the British style, a holdover from when India was a colony known as the “Jewel in the Crown.” I had jalebis, which are sticky syrupy fried sweets, with my tea. The waiter spoke in Hindi, the official language of India, and luckily my companions could translate.
After breakfast, I visited the renowned Taj Mahal. As we approached, I was astounded by the beauty of this building. It was built by Shah Jahan in appreciation of his beloved wife, Mumtazmahal (meaning “jewel of the palace”) in the 1600s, by 20,000 workers. She died at the age of 39, giving birth to her fourteenth child. My tour guide told us that the color of the building changes based on the time of day that you view it. I was fortunate to see it in the bright morning sun, when it was a beautiful creamy color.
As I approached, I was awed by the massive dome. The entrance is hard to find, but we found it: a red sandstone gateway that separates the building from the world. The guide said that it symbolizes the division between paradise and the world. The original doors were solid silver, but these and other treasures had been stolen over the years. The garden focuses on symmetry, and I spent some time wandering through the greenery,. Then I saw a monumental tomb, although the actual graves are in a private crypt below. My favorite stop was the Lotus Pond, where I took a picture like every other visitor, sitting in the marble bench. The pond, which reflects the tomb, is named for its lotus flower shape.
Finally, I took a taxi to the airport and paid in rupees, the currency of India. My journeys were over for the summer, but I hope to return in the future. Perhaps I will stay longer next time, as the world has so many more adventures waiting!

Day 4: Ranthambore

Today I spent the whole day at the Ranthambore National Park, one of the finest places to view animals. I attended several lectures about the parks history and “Project Tiger” and took a safari of the national park. In the park history lecture I learned that the national park was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1957, and in 1974 it gained the protection of "Project Tiger". The park received its status of a National Park in 1981.
During my safari I noticed that there are many bodies of water in the park so that the animals always have enough to drink. There are many ruins all over the national park, which give it a unique, wonderful and mixed flavor of nature, history and wildlife. The tigers were amazing. I was able to see them hunt in full view. But, personally my favorite animal was the peacock. The way it sprawled out its feathers were as though it was painting the sky. Luckily I brought my camera so I could take tons of pictures.

“Project Tiger” is the effort to conserve tigers in India. Project Tiger has brought the tiger back from the brink of extinction. The population of tigers in the country has increased significantly to about 4000, from less than 2000 at the time of launch of the project. After seeing the tigers and hearing about their recovery from extinction, I thought that we need to do something about our wildlife. I hopped onto a train for my final day in India.

Day 3: Jaipur

This morning I flew to the “Pink City,” Jaipur. The first place I went was very interesting to me, the Dolls Museum. It is a fascinating museum showcasing dolls from various countries in traditional clothing of the country. The Dolls Museum provides insight into the culture of different countries. Some of the types of attire include costumes, bridal attire, classical dance costumes, and traditional clothing. Some of the countries from which the dolls are from are: India, Bengal, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Lebanon, Uganda, Britain , U.S.A., Burma, Malaysia, Japan, New Zealand, China and many more. After visiting the museum I bought a collection of the “Around the World” dolls from the gift shop.
Then I went to an afternoon yoga class at my hotel. This yoga class was developed to learn basic exercises and breathing techniques from a local expert. After completing the class I felt limber and almost like Gumby. Then I had a relaxing lunch of vegetable samosas, a new found favorite of mine.
After lunch an elephant took me to Amber Fort. It was amazing (and slightly stinky) riding an elephant. It was sort of like being a princess in a Disney movie. Amber Fort is beautiful; it is built of white marble and red sandstone. The crystal mirror image of the Fort, on the still waters of the lake, seems to be a beautiful illusion. At first when I saw it from the outside I was disappointed because it looked rough. But the interior is exquisite with paintings of hunting scenes, carvings, and all of the other beautiful features. After finishing the day I hopped onto the train to head to Ranthambore.

Day 2: Udaipur

Last night I arrived in Udaipur and had a marvelous dinner at my hotel, the Fateh Garh. It is a fairy-tale Indian palace with a beautiful view and even a pool. For dinner I had three vegetable samosas and a vegetable curry. It was so spicy that I finished three bottles of water.
This morning I visited the extraordinary City Palace. It was so grand that its main entrance was a triple-arched gate called the Tripolia. Also, balconies, cupolas and towers surmount the palace to give a wonderful view of the lake. The Mor Chawk is the peacock square and gains its name from the vivid blue glass mosaic peacock that decorates its walls. The main part of the palace is a museum with many artifacts.
The last to stop of the day was very interesting. Sahelion-ki-Bari, the Garden of the Maids of Honor, are beautiful gardens were you learn about the lifestyle of royal ladies who once strolled through the garden. This was definitely my favorite part of the day.

Welcome to India Day 1: Delhi

Early this morning I arrived in India, the country I have been looking forward the most to seeing. After leaving the airport, I went to Delhi to see the city’s many wonders. The first place I visited was Humayun’s Tomb. It was very humid because of the rain and heat, but it was worth seeing the tomb. When I entered the building, there were guided tours of the tomb. The tour guide explained that Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, was buried here. The tour guide also told the group that this tomb was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal! It was quite beautiful.
After seeing the tomb, I hopped on a train to the National Museum, a museum with five millennia of Indian history. When I arrived at the National Museum there were many artifacts to see. My favorite gallery was the textiles, a collection showcasing several Indian weaving techniques including: the beautiful gold and silk brocades, intricate embellishment, and even tie-and-dye. After viewing some other galleries I visited the gift shop where I bought an ornate golden Indian necklace with emerald gems.
Lastly, I went shopping. The shops displayed exotic items, from jewelry to music. I browsed the shops for hours before I came to see the item that was right for me. It was a traditional Indian outfit. It was a cream dress accented with pink and beautiful embroidery. It had a matching pink scarf and white pants. It was beautiful. After a long day, I headed onto the plane to go to Udaipur.

Day 5: The Red Sea

After traveling all night, we arrived late and spent the night at the Nessima Hotel, right by the Red Sea. I wanted to spend my day outdoors, enjoying the beautiful natural sites. I spent most of my day at the Coral Reefs, one of the richest ecosystems on earth. The waters are so clear; it is easy to see the life forms.
First, I went scuba diving. The scuba instructors told us that the reef is very fragile and endangered. You can look at it but not touch it. As I started to swim down, I saw the reef wall, which plunges 260 feet. The wall is home to corals, fish, crustaceans, sponges and other marine life. After marveling at the reef wall, I swam a bit and saw a large jewel grouper, a red fish with black dots and a big mouth, chasing a school of spotted sweetlips, which are small fish with blue lips that make a grunting sound that divers can actually hear. I was shocked to see the humphead wrasses, which are huge unappealing puke-green fish. Not only did I see fish, but I also saw other marine life: sea turtle, manta rays and even a shark. That is when I left the water.
I finished my day at the Nabq National Park. We enjoyed a small picnic of figs and cheese and bread. The adults drank local wine. I sited beautiful birds near the water: storks, heron and large birds of prey. After that, I took a train back to the airport and prepared for my final country: India.

Day 3: Amman

I woke for breakfast at my hotel, the Marriott in Amman. We ate at Champions at the hotel and had a U.S. style breakfast meal of chocolate chip pancakes. I reluctantly ate one-eighth of my smoked fish, which is a more traditional breakfast item, and gave the remainder to one of the many feral street cats living outside the Marriott.
Off we went to the Archeology Museum, a small spot with over 8,000 years of Middle Eastern history! I saw skulls, elephant bones, bug-eyed statues and many other amazing wonders. There were gorgeous doorways transported to the museum from the Arab Castle of Qasr El-Tuba in the eastern dessert.
Next, we went downtown to shop. We found some delicious local olives and beautiful gold jewelry. Then we went to buy lunch at the street stands. We ate falafels and then stopped for strong, spiced coffee and honey cake. We went to the art gallery and stopped at the Darat el-Funum art gallery, which is next to the remains of the 6th century Byzantine church. We also stopped at the King Abdullah Mosque, an impressive Islamic monument. I used my respectful headscarf, which I had purchased in Egypt, and we all removed our shoes, as is the custom.

Day 2: The Dead Sea

Today, I journeyed to the Dead Sea and the Negev Desert. I took a tour bus, which was crowded and hot and dusty. Once we arrived, I marveled at the Dead Sea, which is actually a lake, not a sea. It is half in Jordan and half in Israel and is the lowest point of earth! The water is full of minerals and thus 26% solid. The water levels have dropped 40 feet in the past century, as irrigation usage depleted the lake.
After another brief bus ride, we arrived in Bethlehem, the birth place of Jesus. I entered the Church of the Nativity, thought to have been the birthplace of Christ. The grotto is the star attraction – in fact, a silver star is on the floor to mark where Christ was born. I was in awe to stand by such a monumental site.
My tour dined in Eliat at an Italian restaurant! I was happy to eat familiar food that Pastory. I dined on fresh homemade pasta in a Tuscan-style sauce, and then ate chocolate gelato. Then, we went back on the bus and headed to western Jordan.

Day 1: Jerusalem

This morning I arrived in Israel. After exiting the airport, I caught a taxi to my hotel in Jerusalem. After arriving at the Mount Zion hotel, I unpacked my bags and began my day’s journey. First, I went to Mount Zion. In Mount Zion, I was able to see many wondrous biblical sites. King David’s Tomb was very interesting. It is one of Jerusalem’s holiest sites. Directly above King David’s Tomb is the Hall of the Last Supper; this is the room were Christ at his last meal with his disciples. It was ornate and made me feel as though I was there in the time of Christ.
After finishing in Zion, I headed to the Israel Museum. The Dead Sea Scrolls in the Shrine of the Book My favorite exhibit was the Dead Sea Scrolls. I learned that the scrolls were found in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd boy searching for a lost kid at Qumran. He entered a cave on the shores of the Dead Sea and found a pottery jar containing a group of scrolls inscribed with early biblical manuscripts. The documents probably were written over a 300-year period, from the third century B.C. to 68 A.D. The Shrine of the Book exhibits most complete scrolls: the Books of Isaiah and Psalms, and some previously unknown Hebrew manuscripts. I was fortunate to see a recently installed permanent exhibit, which highlighted the story of the Hebrew Bible through present time. The exhibit made me feel as if was standing in the Holy Land, witnessing the birth of our religion.
I finished my day with a long train ride to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. This zoo works to preserve rare animals and species threatened with extinction, with an emphasis on animals from Israel, especially those mentioned in the Bible. The zoo is on 62 acres in a pretty valley surrounding a small lake. There are a series of pools and waterfalls on the spacious grounds. My favorite area was the Noah’s Ark Visitor Center, where I purchased a replica of Noah’s Ark, complete with little animals in twos.

Days 4,5, and 6: On the Ship and Giza

I have been on this boat sailing to Giza for two days, and we have finally made it there. This was my last day in Egypt, so I was very excited to be seeing the Great Pyramid. After stepping off the cruise ship, a tour guide came and met with the group. The tour guide explained to us that the Great Pyramid is made of over two million blocks of stones and until the 19th century was the tallest building in the world. As the tour guide led us to the entrance, my heart started beating faster. I was ecstatic that I was going to be able to go inside ancient history.
Inside of the pyramid, it was amazing; all of the construction and architecture on the inside was even my amazing than the outside. As we entered, we went up a vertical shaft; it was very small and made me feel claustrophobic. Urbi, our tour guide, told us that the shafts were used as escape routes for workers; it made me feel like I was living history. After climbing up the shaft, the group and I entered the King’s Chamber. It was amazing, but we were not allowed to enter inside to preserve the few artifacts left in it.

After leaving the pyramid, Urbi led the group and me to the nearest bus stop. The bus took me back to Cairo where I had to take a taxi to the airport. Once I was inside of the airport I had to wait for my plane to arrive. As I boarded the plane I said Ma'as salaama, or good-bye, in Egyptian, to Egypt and Shalom, or hello, in Hebrew.

Day 3: Edfu and Aswan

This morning I boarded the Mirage 1 cruise ship. It is a five-star cruise ship. I am staying in one of the suite rooms with extra large windows. My room includes a private bathroom with shower and hair dryer, a mini bar, a safe deposit box, a telephone with international line, a satellite TV with music channels, air conditioning that you can adjust and of course a comfortable bed. On the decks there are other special amenities including the swimming pool with a Jacuzzi, a shaded sundeck, lounges and reading areas, a library, a hairdressing salon, and a laundry service. It is the best cruise ever.
Today we saw the Temple of Horus in Edfu. The first stop was the Birth House of Horus. I was able to see a reenactment of the birth of Horus. Next we saw the Court of Offerings, where I made an offering to the image of Horus. At the back of the Court of Offerings are two Horus statues: one stands taller than a person, while the other lies legless on the ground. The tour guide gave each of us a flashlight, which I used to study two amazing rooms. I saw the Chamber of Consecrations, where kings and priests dressed for rituals; and the Library, where sacred texts were kept and bar-reliefs depicted the goddess of writing. Seeing the rooms with flashlights brought a feeling of mystery and intrigue to the whole experience. We also saw to study the Sanctuary of Horus, the holiest part of the temple. The temples featured a beautiful black-granite shrine, dedicated by Nectanebo II, which was the temple’s oldest feature.
We boarded the ship and headed to Aswan, Egypt's sunniest southern city which has a very African atmosphere. We stopped to eat at a local floating restaurant, where we listened to exotic live Nubian music, ate freshly caught fish, and watched the lovely sailboats. After eating, we strolled to the souk, where we bought spices, perfumes, colorful scarves and well-made woven baskets. As the sky darkened, we stopped to watch the Nubian dancers and musicians perform in the Cultural Center. Our guide made sure that we stopped to watch folklore troupes perform the famous Nubian mock stick-fight dances.

Day 2: Valley of the Kings and Queens

I woke up early and boarded the bus to begin my tour of the Valley of the Kings and Queens in Thebes. I was very excited to see the tombs, because I have always been interested in ancient Egyptian culture. First we visited the Valley of Kings, where there are 65 tombs. It contains New Kingdom pharaohs. We only visited three of the tombs: Tomb of Tutankhamen, Tomb of Ramses VI, and Tomb or Queen Tawsert/ Sethnakht. The first tomb we visited was that of Tutankhamen. The tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922 and is one of the few tombs with all of its glorious treasures intact. Tut’s tomb was surprisingly very small and most likely meant for one of his advisors, but after Tutankhamen’s sudden death it was used for him. Inside, I felt very hot and clammy and claustrophobic, so I just stayed inside for a brief time.
The next tomb that we went to see was that of Ramses VI. His tomb was originally built for Ramses V, Ramses VI’s predecessor, but Ramses VI expanded it. One of the odd things about this tomb is that there are curious astronomical markings on the ceiling and inner sarcophagus. The last tomb I saw in the Valley of the Kings was not that of both a pharaoh and a queen. The tomb of Queen Tawsert/ Sethnakht was originally built for Queen Tawsert but when the pharaoh Sethnakht couldn’t find room for his own tomb he used this one.
The final stop of the day was at the Valley of Queens. Here I saw the tomb of Queen Nefertari. The tour guide told us that Nefertari’s tomb was discovered in 1904. The tomb’s treasures had been taken by grave robbers years ago. It was closed to the public because of decay, but has been restored. I was not allowed to go in because you have to apply to the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and pay a 20,000 LE fee. After a long but fascinating day, I boarded my cruise ship to begin my trip down the Nile.

A Trip Down The Nile

This morning I arrived in Cairo, Egypt after a 12 hour overnight flight from the JFK airport in New York. My Nile cruise is starting tomorrow, so I came into Cairo a day early to see all of the sites. The first area I visited was Khan al-Khalili in Islamic Cairo. Here there were many shops surrounding the area, selling everything from jewelry to silk and spices. While there I bought a beautiful silk hijah or head scarf at a small souvenir shop. At this time it was a sweltering 95° and the sweat was pouring down my face.
I decided that now would be a good time to take a bus over to the Egyptian Museum in Central Cairo. The museum contains the world’s largest collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt. My favorite exhibit was the Tutankhamen galleries. The galleries held artifacts including life-sized statues of Tutankhamen, board games, hunting materials, couches, beds, and the famous death mask.
After seeing some of the other exhibits I decided to take a bus back to my room at the Cairo Lotus Hotel, about a mile away from the Egyptian Museum and very close to the Nile. I ate in the hotel restaurant. I was served hummus and several salads. After my delicious dinner I headed up to my bedroom to pack my bags for my Nile cruise tomorrow.