Egypt is not for the faint of heart.

Egypt and Jordan are not for the faint of heart. Sure, the pyramids and ancient tombs are spectacular. Petra is breathtaking. It’s fun, it’s an adventure, everything costs about half of what it does in the States… but I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone. You may qualify if…
• You think clothes and personal belongings are overrated, and are willing to pack your life into a very small backpack which you will carry around with you all week. You don’t mind wearing the same pants and shoes all week.
• You have no real sense of time. Waiting on a crowded taxi as the taxi drivers, who are all in cahoots, yell at each other in Arabic for an hour sounds fun. You have no problem falling asleep to loud Arabic music and find the bumpy ride to be soothing.
• You love saving money. $10 for a hotel gives you a sense of satisfaction that supersedes your disappointment at the stark contrast between what the Lonely Planet guide said about the hotel and what you actually find: public bathrooms and showers, dark, smoky rooms and dirty sheets, hard beds and pillows, and a few meager breadsticks and jam in lieu of the “included breakfast” you were so excited about. And since you almost never have the time or money to eat during your trip, you don’t mind eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at least once a day.
• You have always secretly wanted to be a racecar driver. No, you still won’t fulfill this desire if you go to Egypt, but the crowded streets with absolutely NO lanes and no apparent speed limit will probably be the closest you’ll ever get.
• Just walking around the pyramids isn’t good enough for you. A ‘pleasant’ bumpy two-hour camel ride that your sore muscles won’t let you forget for days sounds much more appealing to you… despite the nagging feeling that you are being scammed beyond belief. And you think being proposed to (with a dowry of two camels!) by an Arab tour guide who already has four wives is hilarious.
• Crossing over crowded six “lane” streets of traffic every time you want to go anywhere- or pushing your way through dozens of Arab men to get onto an already overcrowded metro (even if it means sacrificing half of your toenail, as my roommate did) sounds thrilling to you.
• You like to use your imagination when you go to museums. This will be a very important asset for you when you walk into the Cairo museum and realize that there are hardly any labels for anything. In fact, it’s like one gigantic, two-story ancient Egyptian garage sale. And you find the idea of ancient mummified crocodiles, fish, horses, and every other kind of animal possible fascinating.
• You never liked the idea of bicycle helmets and riding on the sidewalks as a kid. Riding an old, rickety bicycle through the busy streets of Luxor, a city you have never been to before, with only a flimsy break to protect you appeals to you much more.
• You are known for your persistence. You don’t mind going to the train station not once, not twice, but five times to try to buy an overnight train ticket, and you don’t even mind when you realize that the tickets your hotel manager finally got you are to the wrong city, at the wrong time, and on a train that foreigners aren’t allowed on. You are bound and determined to get on that train, and excited when you finally do, despite the Arab officers waking you up every five minutes from your non-sleep to demand either more money or to see your ticket.
• You love trying new, unidentifiable food like “stuffed pidgeon” and “liver beans.” (No, we didn’t try these, but the Egyptian food we did try was delicious, in my humble opinion).
• Even when others tell you that you need at least four hours to see a particular site (Petra, in this case), you would much rather do it in two and a half, for the sake of getting out of Egypt, through Jordan, and back to Israel in a record time of 12 hours.
• You have never understood the concept of personal space, and don’t mind cramming five people into four already small seats in a taxi. You are creative and are able to think of a new way to rearrange yourselves every ten minutes in an attempt to find the most comfortable position.
• You are not afraid to approach strangers and ask for favors. After trying out every possible mode of transportation in Egypt and Jordan, you get back to Israel and realize that there is one you have not yet tried. So when you get to the Israeli border only to find that it will cost you about one hundred times what you have in your pocket, you have no qualms going up to a group of Israeli men and pleading with them to let you hitchhike with them to the nearest bus stop. You almost cry for joy when they agree.
If you found yourself nodding your head eagerly in affirmation to at least half of these descriptions, you should seriously consider fitting a trip to Egypt and Jordan into your life schedule. But if you are my mom or dad or anyone else reading this who probably just about had a heart attack as they pictured me living each of these experiences, you might want to keep on reading for the sake of your health. Part 2: How God protected me and blessed me every step of the way…
• I had the blessing of being accompanied by my two world travelers who just happened to be my roommates and dear friends, as well as two guys who were masters at staring down any Arab guy who tried to come close to us, and who took care of our budget the entire trip.
• As if that accompaniment weren’t enough, the Lord was pleased to provide two Egyptian friends who guided us through the massive city of Cairo and got everything we needed for about half of the price we would have had to pay. Praise the Lord that we were able to develop a precious friendship with Omnia, a nineteen year old Muslim girl whom we met through a past IBEXer, and clearly lay out the gospel for her. It was a very eye-opening experience, and we all learned a lot about Islam and the Arab culture.
• Even though sadly, most of the people we met were more concerned with emptying our wallets than with helping and welcoming us, we did meet several Egyptians and Jordanians who were sent from heaven to point us in the right direction or offer us a delicious cup of Egyptian tea, or just to smile at us when we needed it the most. We got everywhere we needed to go on time (which is a miracle in and of itself, as I’m sure you are beginning to realize), and had a great time experiencing the culture first hand. God is good.
• Etc. Etc. Etc. times one hundred. I have never been so intensely aware of how much I have to be thankful for, both at IBEX and back in the States. If this silly post has done nothing else for you, I hope it encourages you to count your blessings, as well.