October and November passed in a blur. A lot happened so I’ll try and be brief. October started with a party to end all parties: Goatstock! Goatstock is the opportunity for Uganda Peace Corps Volunteers to get together, put on costumes, eat goat and dance in the cold of a Sipi Falls Night. Ah, that makes sense, you say; but why costumes? Well, goatstock is not just another excuse for us volunteers to get together but our Halloween celebration. This year the party didn’t coincide so well with the actual date of Halloween but I won’t bore you with the details. Basically, it was a wonderfully fun time. I also had the chance to do some hiking to a couple of the waterfalls and it was all pretty amazing! If you want a point of reference…Sipi Falls is in the East about 5 hours from Kampala.
As I kept myself busy at site by washing mud out of my clothes and off my shoes, among various work-related activities, I found myself going to sleep in October and waking in mid-November. I had no idea how the month passed so fast! On 14th November I found myself being carried away from Uganda and on a 2 week vacation that began in Istanbul, Turkey and ended in Cairo, Egypt.
I traveled to Turkey with Reva, another volunteer. We spent 4 glorious days in Istanbul and 3 amazing days in Selcuk. Where?! Selcuk is a 10 hour bus ride south from Istanbul along the Mediterranean coast. It is close to the ancient ruins of Ephesus (a city that flourished around the same time as Troy—for those not too fond of history think Helen of Troy and the whole reason for the creation of the Trojan horse), Priene and Miletus (also once bustling cities along the Mediterranean coast). Near Selcuk stand the few remaining ruins of the Temple of Artemis (one of the 7 ancient wonders). Our first day in Selcuk we took about a 3 hour bus ride to Pamukkale (meaning Cotton Castle) to see the awe-inspiring travertine and remains of the ancient city of Hierapolis. Unfortunately, the weather conspired against us and limited the amount of time we had to investigate the ruins but the travertine is incredible! Created over millennia by heated water full of calcium the terraces down the face of the cliff look like they’re covered in snow! People can walk in the natural thermal waters that spill over the steps.
The next day we explored Ephesus with the impressive façade of its library and huge Roman theatre. There were even stacks of sections of clay pipes that were used to carry water from the cistern to peoples’ homes!
The third day went to see Miletus, Priene and Didyma. The first two were cities and the 3rd an ancient temple. I can’t even begin to describe how incredible the cities of Miletus and Priene were. First, we were the only people there—Reva, me and 2 French women—who were so nice they even read to us about the cities from their guide books). Plus at Miletus the city the city was in ruins but so many huge marble blocks remained that it felt like you were walking through a marble forest or graveyard!
Priene was in much better shape than Miletus so that we could even walk through what remained of the Roman bath. Didyma was once the place where an oracle sat and people came to hear about their future.
But wait! I’ve started from the end of our week in Turkey. The first 4 days we stayed in Istanbul and had a phenomenal time! We took a boat cruise on the Bosphorus, wandered around Asia, toured the Aya Sofya, Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque, shopped in the Grand Bazaar and still had time for a Turkish bath (Hammam). I can’t even begin to describe what an amazing city Istanbul is. The juxtaposition of ancient in the delicate minarets of the mosques you see everywhere and it leaves you breathless. Our hotel, in Sultanahmet, had a rooftop terrace overlooking the Sea of Marmara and so we watched the sunrise there every morning while eating breakfast. I can’t describe Istanbul anymore than that; no words are adequate so you should see it for yourself! If you plan a trip there, write to me, I can give you the name of the hotel we stayed in which was incredible and had very friendly and helpful staff.
After 3 days in Selcuk, Reva and I took off for Egypt where we met some other volunteers and a few other Americans working in Uganda. We stayed in Giza near the pyramids the first night. The next day we went to see the pyramids up close and personal. They are huge! I mean, you can tell they’re huge from TV and pictures but to stand next to them and feel so incredibly small and insignificant is another feeling altogether. Best part of being at the pyramids was taking a 10 minute camel ride beside them! Talk about a terrifying experience as they get up and lie back down again. I wonder how the first person managed to hang on and say now this mode of transport is worth the risk of falling off every time the camel stands up or lies down!
That day we also went to see the Sphinx, Egyptian museum, a perfume shop and a demonstration on how papyrus is made. That night found us on an overnight train to Luxor. It was my first time to travel in a 2 person couchette and it was surprisingly comfortable. I slept on the top bed and didn’t even fall out!
In Luxor we went to the Colussus of Mmenon, the Valley or the Kings where we could enter 3 tombs and some people paid extra to go in King Tut’s. There are still some hieroglyphs on the walls with their original color! Then we went to the Valley of the Queens and saw the Temple of Haatshepsut. We crossed the Nile by boat and went to see the Temple of Karnak and Luxor Temple in the afternoon and early evening. The columns, statues and obelisks are huge!! The size of the temples just boggles the mind. You wander around all of these sites in Egypt and Turkey and just marvel at how people built such amazing structures without modern technology. Then, you marvel at how they’ve withstood millennia and it makes you wonder what we’ve built over the last few centuries that could actually last the way these places have. Then you begin to question your significance…but that’s a topic for another blog!
The next day, in Luxor, Erin (another volunteer) and I wandered around the city and went to visit the Luxor museum—which is much easier to digest than the Egyptian museum in Cairo—and see the mummies on display. That experience was then followed by the sheer bliss of a McDonald’s McFlurry. Hey! Don’t laugh! You’ll understand the significance of the moment when you’ve gone over 1 year without even the option of saying “no” to a McFlurry!
That night we were back on the train and on the way to Cairo. That day in Cairo we went to see Memphis (the first capitol of Egypt) and Saqqara (the oldest cemetery) with the first step pyramid. At Memphis there was a statue of Ramses II laying on the ground and it really helped give perspective of the size of these statues which you know are colossal but don’t really feel they’re size until you stand next to one on the ground. Then we went tovisit the Citadel and Mosque of Salah al-Din which was built as a replica of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
The next day we drove north to Alexandria; another incredible city. We saw the catacombs, the fortress near where the Alexandria lighthouse once stood, Pillar of Bombay and the Alexandria Library. No, not the one that burned down but the new one built 5 years ago and hands down the most impressive modern library I have ever seen! It has room enough for 8 million books and was built to utilize natural light to reduce energy consumption and keep the damaging UV rays out. We watched the sun set on the Mediterranean and on the way back to Cairo stopped at Starbucks which was almost as exciting as the McFlurry although I was a bit disappointed they didn’t have eggnog lattes. So, as you all enjoy your eggnog this holiday season think of me spending my 2nd year without the sinfully, delicious, creamy holiday treat!
The next day we had half a day to explore Cairo on our won. Jon (another volunteer) and I went to spend more time at the Egyptian museum because 1 ½ hours just isn’t enough time and then went to check out Coptic Cairo and Fort Babylon. We saw something called the floating church which had AMAZING mosaics but arrived too late to check out the Fort.
From there it was off to the airport and back to Uganda where we celebrated one year of service at the Jinja Nile Resort for our Mid Service Training.
This is a wicked long post so I think I’ll end here.
I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season!!!
As I kept myself busy at site by washing mud out of my clothes and off my shoes, among various work-related activities, I found myself going to sleep in October and waking in mid-November. I had no idea how the month passed so fast! On 14th November I found myself being carried away from Uganda and on a 2 week vacation that began in Istanbul, Turkey and ended in Cairo, Egypt.
I traveled to Turkey with Reva, another volunteer. We spent 4 glorious days in Istanbul and 3 amazing days in Selcuk. Where?! Selcuk is a 10 hour bus ride south from Istanbul along the Mediterranean coast. It is close to the ancient ruins of Ephesus (a city that flourished around the same time as Troy—for those not too fond of history think Helen of Troy and the whole reason for the creation of the Trojan horse), Priene and Miletus (also once bustling cities along the Mediterranean coast). Near Selcuk stand the few remaining ruins of the Temple of Artemis (one of the 7 ancient wonders). Our first day in Selcuk we took about a 3 hour bus ride to Pamukkale (meaning Cotton Castle) to see the awe-inspiring travertine and remains of the ancient city of Hierapolis. Unfortunately, the weather conspired against us and limited the amount of time we had to investigate the ruins but the travertine is incredible! Created over millennia by heated water full of calcium the terraces down the face of the cliff look like they’re covered in snow! People can walk in the natural thermal waters that spill over the steps.
The next day we explored Ephesus with the impressive façade of its library and huge Roman theatre. There were even stacks of sections of clay pipes that were used to carry water from the cistern to peoples’ homes!
The third day went to see Miletus, Priene and Didyma. The first two were cities and the 3rd an ancient temple. I can’t even begin to describe how incredible the cities of Miletus and Priene were. First, we were the only people there—Reva, me and 2 French women—who were so nice they even read to us about the cities from their guide books). Plus at Miletus the city the city was in ruins but so many huge marble blocks remained that it felt like you were walking through a marble forest or graveyard!
Priene was in much better shape than Miletus so that we could even walk through what remained of the Roman bath. Didyma was once the place where an oracle sat and people came to hear about their future.
But wait! I’ve started from the end of our week in Turkey. The first 4 days we stayed in Istanbul and had a phenomenal time! We took a boat cruise on the Bosphorus, wandered around Asia, toured the Aya Sofya, Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque, shopped in the Grand Bazaar and still had time for a Turkish bath (Hammam). I can’t even begin to describe what an amazing city Istanbul is. The juxtaposition of ancient in the delicate minarets of the mosques you see everywhere and it leaves you breathless. Our hotel, in Sultanahmet, had a rooftop terrace overlooking the Sea of Marmara and so we watched the sunrise there every morning while eating breakfast. I can’t describe Istanbul anymore than that; no words are adequate so you should see it for yourself! If you plan a trip there, write to me, I can give you the name of the hotel we stayed in which was incredible and had very friendly and helpful staff.
After 3 days in Selcuk, Reva and I took off for Egypt where we met some other volunteers and a few other Americans working in Uganda. We stayed in Giza near the pyramids the first night. The next day we went to see the pyramids up close and personal. They are huge! I mean, you can tell they’re huge from TV and pictures but to stand next to them and feel so incredibly small and insignificant is another feeling altogether. Best part of being at the pyramids was taking a 10 minute camel ride beside them! Talk about a terrifying experience as they get up and lie back down again. I wonder how the first person managed to hang on and say now this mode of transport is worth the risk of falling off every time the camel stands up or lies down!
That day we also went to see the Sphinx, Egyptian museum, a perfume shop and a demonstration on how papyrus is made. That night found us on an overnight train to Luxor. It was my first time to travel in a 2 person couchette and it was surprisingly comfortable. I slept on the top bed and didn’t even fall out!
In Luxor we went to the Colussus of Mmenon, the Valley or the Kings where we could enter 3 tombs and some people paid extra to go in King Tut’s. There are still some hieroglyphs on the walls with their original color! Then we went to the Valley of the Queens and saw the Temple of Haatshepsut. We crossed the Nile by boat and went to see the Temple of Karnak and Luxor Temple in the afternoon and early evening. The columns, statues and obelisks are huge!! The size of the temples just boggles the mind. You wander around all of these sites in Egypt and Turkey and just marvel at how people built such amazing structures without modern technology. Then, you marvel at how they’ve withstood millennia and it makes you wonder what we’ve built over the last few centuries that could actually last the way these places have. Then you begin to question your significance…but that’s a topic for another blog!
The next day, in Luxor, Erin (another volunteer) and I wandered around the city and went to visit the Luxor museum—which is much easier to digest than the Egyptian museum in Cairo—and see the mummies on display. That experience was then followed by the sheer bliss of a McDonald’s McFlurry. Hey! Don’t laugh! You’ll understand the significance of the moment when you’ve gone over 1 year without even the option of saying “no” to a McFlurry!
That night we were back on the train and on the way to Cairo. That day in Cairo we went to see Memphis (the first capitol of Egypt) and Saqqara (the oldest cemetery) with the first step pyramid. At Memphis there was a statue of Ramses II laying on the ground and it really helped give perspective of the size of these statues which you know are colossal but don’t really feel they’re size until you stand next to one on the ground. Then we went tovisit the Citadel and Mosque of Salah al-Din which was built as a replica of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
The next day we drove north to Alexandria; another incredible city. We saw the catacombs, the fortress near where the Alexandria lighthouse once stood, Pillar of Bombay and the Alexandria Library. No, not the one that burned down but the new one built 5 years ago and hands down the most impressive modern library I have ever seen! It has room enough for 8 million books and was built to utilize natural light to reduce energy consumption and keep the damaging UV rays out. We watched the sun set on the Mediterranean and on the way back to Cairo stopped at Starbucks which was almost as exciting as the McFlurry although I was a bit disappointed they didn’t have eggnog lattes. So, as you all enjoy your eggnog this holiday season think of me spending my 2nd year without the sinfully, delicious, creamy holiday treat!
The next day we had half a day to explore Cairo on our won. Jon (another volunteer) and I went to spend more time at the Egyptian museum because 1 ½ hours just isn’t enough time and then went to check out Coptic Cairo and Fort Babylon. We saw something called the floating church which had AMAZING mosaics but arrived too late to check out the Fort.
From there it was off to the airport and back to Uganda where we celebrated one year of service at the Jinja Nile Resort for our Mid Service Training.
This is a wicked long post so I think I’ll end here.
I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season!!!
