you know that movie "the horse whisperer"? well, that was made for me...

if i die here (which i won't, don't worry friends and/or family and/or fanatics), it won't be at the hands of terrorists, maybe not even a swiftly moving scooter in rush hour traffic, but perhaps the most perilous thing here is something i endured this weekend...let's just call it horseback riding through the desert for those of you not into the equatrian scene...and yes, it was dangerous, and yes, it was one of the coolest things i've ever done...

i'll spare you the travel details, just know i awoke at 8 to do this, so you know it had to be good...greg and i traveled with some fellow students to giza and rented some horses for the day with 2 guides...after much bargaining and free tea, we agreed on the fair price of 120 pounds per person...or 21 dollars for an afternoon of pure awesome...

i will admit i wans't too steady on my horse at first, painfully learning that you must put your weight on the stirrups instead of just bouncing up and down while the saddle ruins any chance you have of procreation...but that lesson was learned quickly and we were on our way, desert-bound...and as we entered, i saw the worst thing ever...a dead horse, then more dead horses, and then more pieces of dead horses...i apoligize for the graphic content of this post, but i feel i must paint this picture to let you know how much i was initally regretting not staying in bed...so i will spare you all further details about the horse graveyard, but trust me, it was awful...

after that though, smooth sailing...some calm trotting for a bit while we got used to our horses, and then the guides introduce this crazy idea of going faster...considering trotting would take so long that we would all die, creating another improvised horse/human graveyard...so to avoid that we began galloping...now, i remind you, in the states, horse riding (unless you own a horse or have experience) consists of 2 mph trots around a circle for $81 an hour until you lose your balance and fall on your head (at least when i did it), but not in egypt, no not a chance...i hear the whip crack and suddenly my trusty horse takes off...full freaking gallop...and naturally i am holding on for dear life while trying to maintain my coolness because i am trying to promote the idea that american's rock...and to all of our surprise, i didn't fall off...we did full gallops on straightaways at least a dozen times and each time i got better and better...however, i have mild (and yet undiagnosed) mental problems that convinced me to wear sandals on this little adventure, which caused minor discomfort, oh yea, and major pain...

so we rode for like an hour and a half, dismounted (equestrian lingo, don't worry if you don't understand it, just pretend to, like i do) saw some pyramids blah blah blah....haha just kidding, it was amazing, we saw the first pyramid ever built, ran around a little bit and eventually made our way back to our horses...we had a short ride back, just enough time for a photo-op on the horses and enough time to realize the immense amounts of pain we would be feeling in the morning...in fact, i'm still in immense pain...i didn't even know i had muscles in most of the places that hurt...i have a renewed respect for all cowboys, indians, and any other equestrian-utilizing character, ficitional or otherwise...

the day ended with pizza hut...and i know most of you are saying, "Pizza Hut? Todd, that is totally lame!" or some variation of that sentence, but i wish to direct your attention to my pictures of the trip that are on facebook...the last few are the sunsetting behind the pyramids, the view from my table on the roof of a 4 story pizza hut/kfc conglomeration...it blew me away...and it was a fitting (and fattening) end to an exhausting and incredible day...i learned a few important lessons as well, which i will obviously spell out for you now:

1. never wear sandals while riding (especially galloping) on a horse...it hurts, and i have the wounds to prove it...
2. dead horses are an awful sight that can ruin your equestrian experience...
3. i am not fit for the kentucky derby, at least not this year, maybe in 2008 though, watch out...
4. the desert is appropriately named, as i realized there really is nothing for miles (or kilometers, if you want to be a jerk about it)...except strangely placed piles of garbage that beg the question "who would carry garbage 3 miles into the desert?"
5. finally, stretch properly before riding, it may (but probably won't) save you some post-riding pain...trust me, i can barely stand up...

that is all for now friends...i miss you all and i hope to hear from you...until next week (or the next time i figure out something cool to write about), ma'a salama...

truff