And the next adventure begins...
The wake up call to our room woke us up at 7:00am. We quickly got ready, having showered and packed our bags the night before. We left our great hotel and headed toward the metro. I had on my big green backpack and was carrying my mom's suitcase. Having used the Barcelona public transportation the whole week, we did a great job navigating the hour ride to the airport, taking the Blue line to Sants Barcelona and then train platform 9 to the airport. In el Prat we sat in a cafe and I talked with my mom about what I'd learned this year and what I want to do. I love her a lot. My mom's flight was delayed two hours, so I had some extra time with her. At 10:50 we headed to my check in gate and met up with Antonio and Franciso, aka "Chupi." I gave my my mom a big hug and kiss on the cheek. I will see her again in 4 months. A long time, but we got through 7 without seeing each other. She got in line to show her boarding pass and go through security. I ran over to her to say goodbye one more time before she went up the escalator and back home to LA.
And as she left, I was once again on my year abroad. Alone and independent. I got in line with Antonio and Chupi and we immediately began to joke around. We were in a huge line of people also waiting to go to Egypt. Judging by the bald heads, wedding rings and nice clothes we were definitely going to be the youngest ones on the trip. We called the girls who were on their way and began our documentary video that Antonio is planning on keeping throughout the trip. The girls came and we moved up in the line. Melissa, Veronica and Jennifer look like they will be a lot of fun to travel with. Initially a little nervous to be the connecting person between two distinct groups of people, I didn't need to worry as the group hit it off well right from the start.
We went up to the ticket desk and had to wait an extra minute as Antonio and Jennifer went to get our actual tickets from Halcón viajes. The rest of the process went fast as we checked in our stuff, went through security and stopped in duty free for supplies. We then almost immediately boarded a bus that took us directly to our "private plane" (a plane dedicated solely for our tour group). The difference of going through a travel agent and organized group. It was raining as I stepped inside the aircraft and gave a last look to Barcelona.
Our flight went really well and we were actually fed. This trip to Egypt should be incredible. 4 nights on a cruise on the Nile from Luxor to Aswan stopping to tour all of the famous monuments along the way, then 3 nights in Cairo to tour the pyramids and explore the city.
Landing in Egypt was how I thought it should be. Palm trees and rolling sand dunes. Flying in, we had seen the blue Nile cut a fertile swath through the desert, the cradle of civilization. The difference of traveling with an organized group was salient, as they ushered us into a bus which took us into the airport. Dozens of men with placards held high beckoned to the groups. We found our guy and got in line. My visa price had been included in the trip fee and I received a cool Egyptian sticker and stamp in my passport. We then quickly exited, boarding the buses and saying "No" to the many men trying to collect tips by helping to carry the luggage.
Our group was the last to get off as we stopped at two cruise ships before ours. Disembarking we walked through the main rooms of the 4 boats, the first being incredibly furnished, with its own jewelry store and bazaar. Our boat, the least fancy was no slouch, as we had 4 levels, a cafeteria, hangout room with bar and dance floor and two terraces. Our rooms were in the lowest level, almost next to the motors and right at the level of the river. Antonio and I joked that we would be the first to die and hoped we could swim to the shore of the Nile before the boat sank.
Entering our rooms we saw that there were only two beds, Antonio and I quickly jumped on them leaving Chupi without one. We went upstairs to ask and Chupi and Melissa were each given their own rooms. Very comfortable. As it turned out, the boat wasn't that crowded, so we ended up having the entire bottom floor to ourselves! We got settled into our rooms, establishing Chupi's as the minibar for our "illegal" drinks. It might have been "everything included," but there is always a catch, the big one being that all drinks, including bottled water had to be purchased on the ship. The ship knew that you would have to buy it, because we couldn't drink the water unless we wanted some case of Montazuma's Egyptian Style Revenge. Before dinner, we went back off the boat to the little tourist shops in Luxor and bought some water and refreshments, sneaking them back onto the ship.
We headed upstairs to the dining hall after hearing the bell rung by one of the crew members. The dinner was fantastic! We were introduced to Hussein, who would be our waiter for the next four days. We basically had our own table, and were joined by a late 30's something, fit man from Bilbao named Agustin. The food was delicious and I ate way too much.
After dinner, we had a brief group orientation. We met our guide, Amro, who spoke great Spanish (or at least it sounded great to me). He told us about the plan for tomorrow, visits to Karnak and Luxor temples and for 65 euros more, the visit to the Valley of the Kings and Al Deir Al Bahari Temple. Most trips were included in a set price we had paid, but some excursions had an additional price. I really wanted to see the Valley of the Kings so I signed up despite the extra price. They briefly turned on random Spanish country, music and I danced Salsa with Jennifer. We then decided to take a night swim, and went downstairs to change into our swimsuits.
The only ones foolish enough to be up, as we would be starting tomorrow at 5:00am, we decided to maximize our time on the Nile. We had a private deck and I loved looking out at the lights on the banks, hearing the night sounds and smelling that distinct third world country smell. Antonio and I jumped in, the water really quite cold. I quickly got out, until Melissa and Veronica jumped in and said it was warm. Chicas. I jumped in again, swam around and got out once I was too cold. The night air was perfect and I quickly dried off. We sat in a circle of whisk chairs in our yellow and white towels. The moon and lights cast a radiant glow on the faces. We hung out on the roof until 12:30 before heading downstairs.
After a quick shower and climbing into bed, Antonio and I talked about the day, laughing and joking. I was really happy to be traveling with my roommate and the rest of the people in the group. I was so fortunate and blessed to have an opportunity like this. I fell quickly asleep, ready for the next adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment