One of my kids took this picture one afternoon in Puerto La Cruz.

(No, he did not receive extra credit for it....but it is a sweet pic)

My Foot on the Gas.....

It seems as though the past 22 days have flown past. I'm sorry for leaving anyone hanging and I had one or two emails asking me if I was still alive! Luckily, I am.

Things at school are moving along quickly, but at a better pace. Our Director returned safely (with his family and new daughter Ocean). We got a new high school science teacher (who also teaches PE on the other days) and we picked up an ESL teacher. This means that those replacements we have been hoping for have finally arrived and things are moving a little more smoothly.

In other interesting events, one of the local companies down here, H & P, are celebrating their 50th Anniversary this year and decided to hold an Olympics to celebrate. I entered the volleyball, bowling and basketball competitions. Bowling was fun (and I got a free polo--awesome) and volleyball was a bit disappointing, losing in the 2nd round. Basketball though was hilarious!

We were waiting and waiting for the bball tourney to start and every time we were told to show up, no one was there. So finally, after our volleyball match we were told to go over to the basketball courts and our first game would start right away. So Shaun, Bill (the Director) and myself went over and waited.....and waited. Still nothing. Then three locals showed up and wanted to play, so we played for about forty-five minutes....just for fun.

Suddenly a man that looks like he could be a ref comes over and says we're about to begin. "Begin what?" we asked? The tournament. So sadly, we were exhausted and near death and our game had yet to start. The odds were not looking good.

The tournament was played on a court that was a little bigger than half a normal court and it had a hoop on both ends. So it was 3 v 3, full court, if you will. The other team had a big guy that was pretty good. I'd say he was about 6'3" or 6'4" and he was solid. He had decent post moves and you could tell that he could play. Sadly the rest of his team wasn't as solid, so we tried to defend him and let the others do what they would. We ended up winning by 14 points, which was hilarious because I thought I was going to vomit after the first 7 minutes (luckily, only two 10 minute halves).

We then waited and waited to play our second game. Last Wednesday was rained out. Last Thursday--rained out. Last Friday--rained out. So I went to the BBQ Picnic Finale assuming that the bball tourney had been scratched. However to my surprise, as they were handing out medals, the representatives from Escuela Anaco took first place!!! Sadly, I was the only one from our team at the picnic and I laughed to myself the entire way up to collect our medals. I even got my picture taken with the three young ladies that handed out the medals! So to sum up, we went 1-0 and were the champs. Hilarious.

With everything that is going on, sadly the ride isn't about to slow up. This week is short, due to our Halloween Celebration Thursday night, Friday night I head to Puerto with my MUN students for a workshop and then on Saturday we have the elementary bball tourney in Puerto. Next week I head to Caracas with the MUN students on Friday for five days and then the week after that is Thanksgiving (and a trip to Angel Falls). Needless to say, I'm going to be a little busy.

I'll try to find some time to post some pics and other fun-filled stories during the next few weeks. I hope all is well wherever you are.

God Bless

My Beat-down.....

I'm tired....we're all tired. I don't really know how else to put it. It seems that over these past two weeks, we've all been run ragged. All of us really. It's almost as if we are a unit of soldiers, repelling wave after wave of attacks......but we're short-handed. Some of our crew have left, others have been wounded or sick at times and some just disappear, right when you need them most.

Luckily, we've all pulled through. Everyone has played their part and filled in where needed. Some have battled through illness, others fatigue and still others have fought through the frustration. All we need are some reinforcements....two or three, heck, even one would be a blessing right now.

Luckily one is coming......one. Just having that one will free up so many others. Maybe some of our crew can rest........

soon.

God Bless.

My Fun Experiment.....

You may not have heard, but something really cool happens when you drop a sleeve of Mentos into a 2 liter of pop. My students brought it to my attention and since I was wanting an experiment for science class, we decided to try it today. Here's what happens:

How cool is that!?!?

I know, now we need a brief explanation. According to Steve Spangler science, what happens is the carbon dioxide in the bottle (put there when the bottle was bottled) attaches itself to the Mentos when you drop them in, forming bubbles on the tiny pits that are on each Mento. The Mentos sink to the bottom and when the gas is released, it pushes the liquid up and out of the bottle. I'm not going to lie....it was a lot of fun.

I hope things are great wherever you are!

God Bless....

My Deserted Island (Three Books version).....

Since I haven't been feeling well for the past couple of days, I've been able to watch a lot of TV from the comfy confines of my couch. While watching an episode of The Office (which I've come to really enjoy) I saw the gang from Dunder Mifflin playing Deserted Island while waiting for the firemen to clear their office. The topic was, "What three books would you like to have with you on a deserted island".

This question made me think a bit. What three books would I want? I've always wanted to read The Idiot by Dostoevsky, but I haven't had the chance. I've also wanted to finish Don Quixote by Cervantes, but I got bored 200 pages in and just couldn't finish it. There are many others that I would like to read, but what if I didn't like them and became bored with them? Then I would have wasted one of my three choices on what would soon become firewood (and in the immortal words of Dwight, "....keep myself warm for like seven seconds."

I've decided upon these three:

1. The Bible (maybe I can finally get to some of those Old Test. books I've been meaning to read....)

2. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis: I really liked this series, except for The Horse and His Boy, which I didn't think really fit in with the rest of the series. Possibly a few months on the island will help me get a better feeling for it (or remove it from my copy of the book entirely and use as tinder).

3. The Lord of the Rings series, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I really enjoyed the movies and when I started reading the books, it actually helped me get interested in reading again (a part of me that Middle School, High School and some of College destroyed).

Those are my three, take it or leave it. Feel free to post your three choices!

God Bless

My First Washboard Solo (intro....)

So this weekend we had our first Bible Study Fellowship (or as I refer to it, the Fellowship Jamboree). I was chatting with my friend Emily and she suggested a tambourine for the Jamboree. I thought, why stop there? Lets add a woodblock, triangle and a washboard. I played a mean triangle in high school and since then I've really been improving on my washboard skills and I'm not going to lie....I'm probably the best washboarder in Venezuela. Probably.

So Emily thought it would be fun for me to post a video of my rockin' solo from Sunday (It was around 10 minutes long, but I was just feelin' it). Unfortunately, we can't go back in time, so last night the Jamboree crew and I got together outside the school and had a bit of a concert. You'll see me, looking a bit different here (I have on a cowboy hat and a wig) but it was a lot of fun. The video is right below here....enjoy.

My First Washboard Solo (video)....

My First Washboard Solo (the truth).....

(Okay, so truth be told, this is a band called Rocking Dopsie performing at the Crawfish Festival in Biloxi, MS back in April. It was the best washboard video I could find. I was really hoping to find some old bald man with a long beard playing the washboard, but no luck...)

My Entertainment.....

It's funny sometimes living down here. I spoke with Agnes (my mom) not three hours ago and told her how it hasn't rained for the past three days or so, which is rare at this time of year. However I told her not to worry, I'm sure it would all be resolved soon enough.

Now I'm sitting in my classroom, soaking wet because I had to sprint outside to save our class tortoises, Jennifer and Ariana, from nearly drowning (again). I had accidentally left them outside one day and as it poured for a couple of hours, I was just happy to be inside. Then I realized they were still out there, sprinted up to where I keep them and sadly found them wading in a few inches of water with their little heads barely above it. Luckily they were still alive so I took them home, dried them off and let them sleep inside for the night.

But I continue on to the real purpose of this fun-filled post. One of the best parts of living abroad is all the amazing television shows and movies that we get. Last year in Egypt, we were able to watch some fantastic movies, like The Castle, which is one of my personal Australian favorites. We were also blessed with such sitcoms as Sister, Sister (possibly popular in the early 90s, but that's questionable), Reba and many British shows that I had never heard of.

I thought with the addition of direcTV, the entertainment would be a bit of an upgrade from last year and while yes, there is an improvement (Scrubs, Seinfeld and The Simpsons on almost nightly) there are still some awesome additions to our entertainment package.

For example, this evening I noticed one of my favorite movies from 1987, Harry and the Hendersons! Add to this spectacular movie, Vice Versa, Too Wong Foo (on VH1?) and, dare I say it.....nightly episodes of Quantum Leap (!!!) and you have an entertainment package that is second to none.

Honestly, who wouldn't want to watch this hilarious adventure?

However, I truly can't complain. There have been some absolutely amazing things on lately. I recently caught Bon Jovi Unplugged (awesome). I have also become addicted to La Prueba de Todo, or better know to you as the Discovery show Man vs. Wild. While the translation isn't anywhere close to the American name, usually most shows are. However there are some titles that are just hilarious because of the translation. For example: Brokeback Mountain, or which has been translated to something like: The Incident in the Mountains. Seriously, I sometimes crack up just checking the TV Guide. I hope things are as entertaining where ever you are.....

God Bless

My Bday pics.....

Okay, so I borrowed some pics from my Director's flickr page. Here are some pics from my bday picnic for you to see.

Here is a pic of me and the yummy chocolate cake that Alejandra made.

Here I'm reading a card from Sherri.....

And finally a nice group pic!

It was a lot of fun and big thanks to all the staff for throwing it and bringing some tasty food (including the 2 liter of Coke...they know me so well!).

My Second Birthday Abroad......

So birthday number two abroad has come and gone and I am officially 27 now. The staff here had a nice little picnic for me on Sunday night and then we just sat around and talked for a while. It was very low key (much like myself) and a lot of fun.

The next day (Monday) was great. All of the teachers said cumpleanos feliz (happy bday) and my 6th graders even sang to me, although that was probably just to waste some time in Math!!

I was talking with Gary, one of the other ex-pats here, and came to a funny realization. When you're young, birthdays are great and you get so excited because of the cake, the party and most importantly.....the presents!!! But as I've become older, I don't really look forward to a party or even gifts (cake however, is always great), but it's more of hearing from people that I haven't talked to in a while. I had a lot of messages on Facebook, and even a few on the blog, which was great. It's very humbling to know that there are people out there that want to wish you a happy bday, even though you may be on another continent and haven't been able to connect with them for a while.

I hope your day goes well,

God Bless

My Address and Adjustment.....

I've been here for roughly one month now and sadly the adjustment period continues! I've been up for part of the night twice this week due to something that I ate. Sadly I didn't actually get sick (which would have made me feel better), I just didn't feel well at all. So the adjustment to the different foods and ingredients continues.

I'm also still attempting to adjust to the mosquitoes. They still have a taste for my new flesh and blood and they continue to leave spots all over me. Sadly, one of my students thought they had the dengue earlier this week, which is a pretty serious fever. It is passed by mosquitoes and if left untreated can eventually lead to death. Fortunately, my student is on antibiotics and he's doing fine now. For more info on dengue, here's a link to the Center for Disease Control's page on the fever:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/dengue/facts.htm

On to other news: I finally have an address!! We only get mail once a week, on Thursdays, but if you would like to send anything down here, this is the address:

William Flinn

Escuala Anaco

c/o Jet Cargo International

H & P de Venezuela

PO Box 020010, M-42

Miami, FL 33102-0010 USA

I know that will result in many, many questions, but that's the address. More info on a cell phone number to come soon (hopefully...I have it, but I need to get it activated).

I hope to hear from you soon!

God Bless

My Wildlife.....

One of the great things about living here in Venezuela is seeing some of the amazing wildlife that lives in and around our little school. Aside from my two tortoises, the workers found a rare naked tailed armadillo on the school grounds last week. I've decided to call him Dillo (though the school is having a vote on what they want to call him). I've spent the past couple of nights with my flashlight searching for him, but I can't seem to find him. After showing him to the kids, he was released on the school grounds, but it is possible that he got out or was on a different side of campus from where I was searching.

Aside from Dillo, I've also seen some HUGE iguanas running around the campus. One was easily about two feet long (not counting a majority of his tail). We also have a large number of other little geckos and other types of lizards.

Then there are the large number of birds that reside here. I've seen so many colorful birds that it's really amazing. Little yellow and red birds are flying around and sometimes you can even see a humming bird flying near some of the flowers.

Then there is the large ant and insect population. While I'm sure you've heard and read about my battle with the ants, the true battle is with the leaf-cutter ants. These ants literally climb up into the trees, cut off some leaves (which fall to the ground and are picked up by others) and take them back to their nest, where they use it to grow fungus. According to one website, the path that they take to their nest can be as long as 250 meters (think yards). One of our colonies has an extremely long path that they take nightly and it includes climbing over a nine foot cement wall!

When I get a computer, I'll try to post some pics for you, but until then, you can do an Internet search for the pics!! Until then, you'll just have to picture this amazing place in your mind. Until next time....

God Bless

My First Week in Anaco.....

Greetings friends!!!

Yes, despite the rumors circulating on the Internet, I am alive and well here in Venezuela. I have yet to die, although the mosquitoes have banded together and are trying to give me dengue (seriously, there are thousands and they NEVER DIE).

School has begun and we are almost finished with our first week (only 176 days till school is out--yes!!). I have a grand total of 9 students in my two classes and one student is leaving in mid-September, so I will have four 5th graders and four 6th graders. The drawback is that the public schools start in September, so we'll probably pick up a few more students in the next couple weeks.

Life in Anaco is pretty interesting. There is really only one mall type of place, called Unicasa (I swear I've been there almost daily). There is a grocery store, some clothing shops, two Internet cafes and a shwarma place (reminds me of Egypt!). There is also a McDs across the street, which isn't too bad (I know, I broke my boycott after getting sick in Egypt).

I live on campus, which is pretty cool. We have some mango and cashew trees growing around the houses, as well as some banana trees and a coconut palm. You can even find a lime tree, if you look closely.

My class is also the proud caretakers of a tortoise named Jennifer (the boys voted for it). She is a native species that the locals eat as a delicacy around Easter. The director here is looking to save some and start up a little reserve at the school, which would be pretty cool.

Other than that, life isn't too bad. Soccer is on all the time (sweet) and I finally figured out my stove. A brief note though, the president here has said that any foreigner that bad mouths his regime will be expelled from the country. I don't really wish to test that statement, so don't expect too many negative comments coming from here. They own almost every utility and even the Internet provider that we use and I'd prefer to stay out of trouble for a while. Although if you want an interesting read, check out BBC.com and read about his speech to the national assembly yesterday. Awesome.

God Bless

My First Venezuelan Night.....

Well....I´ve made it! I´m currently sitting in a tight little Internet cafe in Anaco. I don´t have a computer yet, so postings will be infrequent until my Mac gets here (sorry about that) and I don´t have a cell phone yet either, so you´ll have to wait to contact me.

The first impressions are interesting. I was greeted by a beautiful storm last night and the lightning was quite impressive. I arrived at my house and the door was left open for waaaay to long, which meant I had to sleep with my sheet over my head to protect myself from all the mosquitos. Then this morning I had a battle with a bunch of ants trying to come in through the opening near one of my ACs. It was a lot of fun.

The people here seem pretty friendly and all the teachers at school are great. I´d love to post more, but we are here to get some supplies before heading back to school.

God Bless!

My Upcoming Departure......

As I'm sitting in Agnes' computer room and trying to make sure all of my bags are within the current weight requirements (so far, so good)....I was trying to think about all the amazing things that have happened over the past month. I went on an amazing road trip. I was able to spend a week with my dad, seeing movies, going out to eat and taking some fun walks around DM (I also got to pick on mom a bit here and there too!). I made brief 23 hour trip to Minneapolis and back with my friend Jennifer to visit our mutual friend Laura (and to get some textbooks that someone is letting me borrow....I owe you big time!!!). I even went out and baled some hay for the first time, in an attempt to get back into my aunt Lola's good graces (although I still have a lot of work to go). And finally, I made some new friends at Ephemra, an awesome little store at the intersection of Grand & 4th St. in the East Village (GO VISIT THEM NOW!!!).

The one thing that I loved the most though is just being here.....home. I had the opportunity to see so many friends and family members (thanks for the bbqs Burgins!), that it truly made one both humble and grateful. I was able to see my grandpa Flinn for the first time in years and I saw Aunt Lola and Uncle Butch too. Lola had mentioned that she followed the blog and it made me recall how many people actually said that they kept up with this thing (I'm still in a state of shock really) and for that I would like to thank all of you. I really had fun hanging out and visiting everyone that I was able to and for those of you that I didn't get to see, I'm sorry and I hope to see you at Christmas.

This all reminds me of when my buddy Dustin used to live in England. I remember that he would come home for around 2 weeks and he would be booked solid for the entire time he was home. I never understood why he had to see everyone, or even how he knew so many people! Now I understand though buddy, and I'm sorry if I was ever a jerk about any of it.

And now I'm about to begin the next adventure. Tomorrow morning I leave for Miami and then on Tuesday afternoon I fly down to Venezuela. I don't know how long it will be before I have Internet access again, but I will try to get online and update you with my contact info as soon as I can. In the meantime, I want to leave you with some lines from a song that has really been hitting me over the past few months. It's from the new Linkin Park album:

When my time comes,

forget the wrong that I've done

help me leave behind some,

reasons to be missed.

And don't resent me,

and when you're feeling empty,

keep me in your memories,

leave out all the rest.

You've all left me with some great memories from this summer, so thanks a ton and I'll see you on the other side!!

God Bless

My Road Trip (Part 2).....

After a short drive to Lexington, KY, I arrived at the home of my friends Mike and Lianne. I arrived early in the morning (only an hour drive) and was able to relax for the afternoon in their beautiful home. It was great to have a chance to just relax for a little while.

Mike in front of the WWI Memorial in Lexington.

That evening, Mike came home and we hit the town! Okay...not really. He showed me around the city a bit and took me to a fantastic pizza place. I was really impressed with the town and it was really beautiful and easy to get around.


The next day I spent reading and watching TV again, as well as trying to figure out the washer/dryer (they were new and I was having some trouble). That night Mike and I went out to eat again and tried to figure out how to build a retaining wall. He had everything measured out, but then we got a little worried that we might hit some type of line, so he called the people to plant the flags and we had to delay the construction project for another time.


The next day we took some pics around the city and had lunch with Lianne before I had to begin my drive to Washington D.C. to see my buddy Dustin and his wife Sara.

It took around 8.5 hours to drive to DC, but luckily I was listening to A Walk in the Woods the entire way. It was really a nice drive, through the mountains and wilderness of West Virginia, a state that I had never been through before.

Sara and Dustin

In DC, I was staying with Dustin and Sara, who were staying with a great family that Dustin knew from his time in England. I won't lie, I had a blast in DC. I was able to see some great sites and Dustin and Sara took a few days off, so we were able to cause a bit of trouble in the area.

We saw a couple of Smithsonian Museums (Natural History and the Air & Space), a ton of memorials, Mount Vernon and we even had a tour of the US Capital Building, where we saw a sweet statue of the first king of Hawaii.

King Kamehameha of Hawaii

Sadly the trip had to start winding down....so on Wednesday night Dustin and I went to a SuperLiga match between DC United and Monarcas Morelia of Mexico (more in the next post). It was a fantastic game with an amazing atmosphere. Whenever I decide to move back to the States, I would love to live in a city with an MLS team. There were 14,000 people at RFK Stadium and we had some great seats to watch an entertaining game. It was a pretty sweet bday gift (even though it's a month away...thanks buddy!!)

The next day I decided to try and drive all the way from DC to Iowa City (the most foolish decision of the trip). After stopping in Pittsburgh to have lunch and chat with my cousin Sarah, I was back on the road and I made it back to Iowa City at 11 pm after a long and exhausting drive. The next day I visited with my friend Megan again and then I drove back to DM the next day.

Overall the trip was a blast!! Thanks to everyone that let me stay with them and for spending a bit of time with me before I have to take off again.

My Road Trip (Part 1)......

While I was in Egypt, many of my friends decided that they were going to travel to different parts of the US to either continue their education or to do an internship for the summer. So, I figured that since I was home for almost a month, I would spend a few weeks driving around and visiting them.

Now I love road trips. I love to drive. I love to put my ipod on the radio and jam out to whatever music I'm loving at the time. If I was able to throw all of these things together and see some great people in the process.....how could that not be fun??

The trip began with a short 90 minute drive to Iowa City. I used to live in IC, so I knew a few people and was able to see a lot of friends in my two days there. I visited the Before and After School Program at Lemme (where I worked for 3 years) and some of my kids that were so small when I started (as kindergartners) are now huge 5th graders (and I subsequently felt really old). I then spent the rest of the day visiting with some friends. I hung out with my friend Kim and her daughters Fiona and Sophie. I was also able to see my friend Kandi and two of her kids and my friend Susie. That night I hung out with my friend Megan before leaving the next day for Elmhurst, IL.

Fiona and I hanging out.

After an eye appointment in Iowa City, I made the foolish decision to begin my drive to Elmhurst, IL with my eyes dilated. Probably not the best decision that I've ever made, but it probably wasn't even the most foolish on the trip......(no, really).

Travis, outside of Portillos

While there I was able to stay and visit with my friend Travis. Travis and I met while he was working in Youth Ministry at a church in England. I was there visiting my buddy Dustin, whom Travis (or Captain Independence, as he prefers) was working with. Travis and I took a day and went into the city to visit the Imperial War Museum and from then on, we've become friends. Travis and I had some wings, then hit the batting cages and go karts before calling it a night. Then next day we went to Portillos, where Travis explained to me how being able to eat at Portillos is the essence of freedom.

After Portillos I left Travis and drove 5 hours to Louisville, KY to see my friend Richard. Richard and I worked at the Blank Park Zoo for a couple of years together. He was the manager and I consider the Zoo as one of the best jobs I ever had. We had a ton of fun at the grill and it had been a few years since I went to Louisville to see him, so I figured this would be a great opportunity.

We had a good dinner and I was able to chat with him and his fiance Sarah (another teacher) as well as Mike and Lianne (more to follow on them). Then Richard and I went back to his place to chat and he gave me the audio book, A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson, a DM native (which is hilarious, I recommend reading it or listening if you get the chance).

In the morning it was off to Lexington!! (see Part 2)

My MLS hopes.....

As some of you may know, this man has just arrived in the US to play soccer for the LA Galaxy. Today was the day that David Beckham was officially welcomed and announced as a player for the Galaxy.

His face has been plastered all over the place in recent weeks. Billboards, the Internet, ESPN and he is even on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Even as I write this, he has an Adidas ad playing on ESPN News. If you didn't know who he was before all of this, it seems almost impossible for anyone to ignore his presence now.

I am not a big fan of Beckham (my buddy Dustin can confirm this). I think that he is a good midfielder. He is well known for his ability to cross the ball, take free kicks, set up his team mates and he is in amazing shape and can defend well. He is also very marketable and I've heard that a few women find him attractive. He has already helped bring unprecedented publicity and exposure to the league and LA has even changed their jersey, logo and team colors (for the first time ever) just before his arrival--and have sold 250,000 jerseys of since.

While all of these positives are great for the league, I still have a few concerns about his arrival. Yes, Beckham will bring people into the stands and will get people to watch MLS on TV. But I hope that people aren't thinking he is going to come in and save the league. Beckham is not a goal-scorer or a highlight machine. Looking back at his stats since 2001, he scored 16 goals that year....and it has fallen since. He had 11 in 2002, four in 2003, four in 2004, four in 2005 (but 13 assists) and three goals and five assists this year at Real Madrid.

I will admit that he has battled some injuries, including some this year and during one or two of the last World Cups. These numbers however are not exactly impressive and he is coming into the league as the highest paid player.....ever (roughly $6.5 million/year not including endorsements which push it to possibly $25 mill). That's a lot of money for a guy that plays wide, defends well, sets up his team mates and takes free kicks.

I am optimistic however that Beckham will improve MLS' standing in America. I've already seen other former stars from Europe and Mexico coming over to play in the States and get a high pay-day while doing it. Juan Pablo Angel is having a great year in NY and Cuauhtenoc Blanco agreed to play in Chicago. There are rumors of other big names coming from Europe in the near future and as long as they are coming over to play (not just to be payed), I welcome the additions, but I don't want MLS turning into a western version of the league in Qatar, where players go for one last pay check to finish their career.

So the attention turns to Beckham. His first game is on July 22, an exhibition against Chelsea oddly enough. Normally this game might get highlights on Sportscenter, but because of Beck's debut, the game will be shown live on ESPN. Beckham as already began to put the wheels of change in motion.....

My Visitors....

For my last few days of Egypt I had my first two visitors coming in from the States. My Mom and my cousin Sarah came over to see what Egypt was all about (and possibly to check out some of the cool sites).

There visit was pretty crazy. The first day we saw a lot of pyramids, including Saqqarra and the pyramids of Giza, as well as the Sphinx. Then we went to the Egyptian Museum for the afternoon (ahhh.....air conditioning). Mom was looking a bit pink and possibly starting to overheat, so we then went back to my place for the night. We had to get up early the next day to start our cruise because we had to fly to Abu Simbel (see picture above).

The cruise was a blast and I would just like to thank my friend Abi for helping me set that up. We were on a nice boat and we were able to see a ton of sites:

The Philae Temple

Kom Ombo

Edfu

Karnak Temple

and the Luxor Temple

After a few days of the ship, we took a flight back to Cairo late one night. This gave us two full days in the city before they had to head back to the States. So we met up with my friend Reham and we took them to experience Khan-al-khalili market one day and then we took a felucca ride the next night as a final good bye.

I hope they enjoyed their time here and I hope that if you are at least interested in seeing these things, go to Egypt and see them. The people are very friendly and willing to help you out with any problems that you may have (if you need it ;-)