Don't land in the poop!

Poop happens.

And in foreign countries and many dog parks/parks are the US...

You have to watch out for poop as you walk up and down the street.

Stepping in it can ruin your entire day,

In Egypt this takes on a whole different form.

Not only do you want to avoid stepping in it,

but if you have a feisty young camel like me,

you want to avoid falling into it as well.

Let me take you back a few steps to earlier today,

June 26, 2015 around 10am.

I've always joked that things just happen to me.

Things that would only happen to 1 in 1 million people...

yep, I'm that 1.

That's me.

I don't go out trying or looking for things,

they just seem to magically come my way.

Go figure.

I had underestimated how tall a camel was.

They are seriously tall...much more than a horse.

Most people would know this, but me,

nope.

I just wanted to ride one.

I didn't really think about what that all entailed.

I do now.

And I have a few bruises to show for it.

sigh.

When we arrived in Giza

our driver arranged for us to ride camels and have a tour of the pyramids.

I had already set aside my expectations that the camels were going to be prestine

so I wasn't surprised at how they looked.

It's been an interesting process putting aside my strong animal feelings during my visit.

But for my heart, I can't dwell on it too long.

So I won't.

The camel that was for me was named Pepsi.

He was a fiesty young dude, with a teenage attitude.

I thought, "Hey, no problem! I'm used to teenage attitude."

What I didn't anticipate was that getting on a camel is NOT,

and I repeat,

it is NOT like getting on a horse.

I did not know this,

and I feel that it is my duty to educate the world on this matter.

Getting on a camel is NOT like getting on a horse.

Don't hop up using the stirrup to balance you...

this will just make your camel hop up as well.

In the process you will be flung, sprawling to the ground

hoping to not land in a pile of camel poop.

Yes, this is what happened to me.

As I layed on the groud...

totally stunned that I had just fallen off a camel,

my racing thought was, "Where is that pile of fresh poop?"

I had seen in before and now I was worried that it would be plastered to my back.

That would not be the way to start a 2 hour camel ride.

Thankfully the poop was no where near my back, head or hands

and I sighed in relief.

I felt like a super idiot,

but at least it gave them something to talk about that day.

The rest of the time went off without a hitch or a fall.

Riding a camel is not for the unbalanced or the nervous person

or really for the person that is scared of heights!

Amy and I traded camels halfway through and Moses was a very tall guy,

much taller than Pepsi.

Moses did a good job keep me safe and wasn't as fast at getting up as Pepsi,

so that was great!

Moses and Sugar the guides horse.

Can't beat these moments!

Pyramid of Giza!

Pinch me!

I really can't believe that I've been there!

Just amazing...

Not everyone can say that they have sat of the ledge of the pyramid,

but Laura has.

Or hugged a stone made thousands of years ago!

But I have!

Whoa! THis amazing view was on the walk up to see the Sphinx

I was surprised at how small in was in comparison to everything else.

Photographs are usually taken at an angle so that it appears much larger.

Still awesome though!

Egyptian Bumper Cars and Lounging Lunch

There are two speeds at which life travels here in Egypt,

lingering slowness or super fast.

Not much in-between,

and actually those two speeds work quite well here.

Egyptians work on a slower pace when making plans to meet,

or how much time is spent eating.

As Americans we are so used to eating quickly 

and rushing to get to the next spot that the slow pace of meals feels very new and different.

There is something beautiful to just sitting back and enjoying every moment of the meal.

Just make sure that you don't have some place that you need to go to quickly...

you won't make it.

The good thing is that if you do need a quick meal,

there are plenty of quick options.

Super fast is reserved for cars or moving vehicles.

As expected cars move, weaving in and out of lanes

and some times,

not in a lane at all!

Lanes or at least the lines that mark the lanes

seem to be mere suggestions...

take them or leave them.

It's your choice.

It reminded me of traveling in Greece and Turkey.

Remember that Kelly and Sara?

The weaving in and out of lanes at fast speeds,

while our driver honked his signals to those around us?

When we first arrived and got in the taxi with Amy,

I was shocked at how little traffic there was around us.

It's Ramadan right now,

and since we arrived around 6-7pm

most people were home breaking their fast for the day

and eating a meal.

That left us on a basically empty freeway 

with just our taxi and a crazy dude flying by us on a motorbike

while laying on his stomach...no helmet, of course.

We couldn't help but laugh and wonder how in the world he could stay on!

Seriously!

Kids these days are the same everywhere.

ha!

On the other hand,

I was disappointed that Laura was not experiencing 

the true way that people over in this part of the world drive.

I had spent so much time talking to her about what the ride

was going to be like and what she could expect so that it wasn't a shocker.

The real shocker was that it was one of the smoothest 

and easiest rides we had since we began traveling.

Go figure.

Thankfully the next day (today, Thursday June 25th) she experienced 

the real Egyptian driving...and it was crazy awesome.

Cars traveling quickly and tightly so close together that door handles could touch.

How they don't touch is beyond my comprehension.

Though from all of the scraps and mirrors absent,

the cars do pretend to be bumper cars often.

Note to people moving to Egypt...Don't buy a nice car.

Just don't.  It's not worth it.

Instead, just find an old beat-up thing,

duct tape the bumper and side mirrors on,

find a sharpie to fill in or draw a design to cover any damage,

jam a screwdriver into the window frame so the window stays up (yes, I saw this),

and then sit back and let the bumper cars do their thing.

It's really the only way to go.

And really, that would be the most enjoyable way to go.

Once you have your car all mashed together and sharpied to your liking,

don't worry about learning all of those silly driving laws,

you don't need them!

Just know a couple signs and which dude in the police officer 

and which one is the soldier and you'll be fine.

If you find that you've gone too far,

also don't worry.

Just throw your car in reverse through the intersection,

while honking so that people know that you're there,

and back it on up!

Boom! You're to your destination.

Easy-peasy.

If you see another scrap from your travels,

again just pick out your sharpie color and go to town drawing.

Voila! Your car is new again. 

All in all, I can't help but just watch, giggle, 

and sit in awe at how people are able to navigate the streets without much 

regulation or at let what appears to be little regulation.

It's amazing really.

Plus, where else can you go and decorate your own car?

I feel like this could be a new trend...

maybe a need a new set of sharpies and an old car myself.

Oh man, my mind is churning already...

watch out world.

I have duct tape, sharpies, and a mind filled with ideas...

together we'll make an Egyptian masterpiece.