What travel!

Israel is already past, and I now find myself in the chaos of Cairo. I definitely enjoyed my time in Israel, though the pace they kept us going at meant that finding ten minutes to myself to read at night became a luxury, and we were kept on a very short leash--we couldn't even go to the convenience store by ourselves to buy water! But I made some great friends, got to see a side of the country that not many get to see, and I spent New Years in Tel Aviv without the group, which was a welcome respite. We ended up hearlding in the new year with drinks and sheesha on the beach, watching the full moon rise over the mediterranean with some friends from the trip, and then walked around the city the next day, taking in the excitment of Tel Aviv.

Cairo has been shockingly different. Overcrowded, overpolluted, it reminds me more of some really crowded cities in China, like Beijing before it got the Olympic bid. The traffic is terrifying, the language is impossible, everyone thinks that you're a walking wallet, and there isn't enough street food. But even despite this it is an amazing city to be in, and I feel like I"m seeing some really cool things here. Of course it's a little hard for me because I've been walking around with my head uncovered, and some days we have wandered into neighborhoods where I'm the only one like that. The men give me stares and glares, and I just sort of keep walking. I wish I could go stop at a coffeeshop for a drink, but the ones that aren't for tourists aren't very welcoming to women. At least I have Josh with me to "protect" me andkeep trouble away!! I am having a great time though, and am super glad I came. We met the tour group today, and there will be a dozen of us going around together, we get along very well and are mostly on the same wavelength. Tomorrow we head into Upper Egypt, and I don't know when I'll next have internet. Until then!!