You're probably wondering how we got into this situation. It all started a couple of days ago.

It was Spring Break. I walked into Anisha's house where I saw Anisha, Akhil, and Sydney watching the Discovery Channel. The screen was filled with pictures of pyramids, mummies, and pharaohs.

"Hey guys," I said. "We should all take a trip together!"

"Where?" Anisha asked.

"What about Egypt?" I suggested.

Akhil jumped up and down ecstatically. "I've always wanted to go there!"

"Me too," yelled Sydney.

I hurry over to the computer and print out a map, marking Giza,Egypt, so we could see where we were going. "It's in the Sahara Desert!" I declared with enthusiasm.

"Wait, guys, when should we go?" Sydney asked. "We need this trip to be perfect. What about over the summer?"

"Well," Akhil said, "According to the Discovery Channel, mid March through May and September through October are the best time to go because the temperatures are pleasant and there is a lot of greenery. Now would be the perfect time to go! The summer is the worst time to go because the region is so hot and arid."

"We need to start packing right away," Anisha shouted as she ran off to her room to grab a suitcase.

"Do we need to go shopping?" Sydney asked. "I don't know if I have the right clothes for this trip!"

"Well, my grandparents went to Egypt a couple of years ago. I'll just text them," I responded.

"They texted back! They said to wear lightweight, baggy long pants and long sleeved shirts in light colors to reflect sunlight, keep air flowing, and evaporate sweat. Be sure to wear socks and boots, sunglasses, a hat, and a jacket in case it gets chilly at night!"

"Guys, we need to start packing right away!" Anisha emphasized.

"I'll buy our plane tickets," stated Akhil.

"I can't wait! I'll see you guys tomorrow," I shouted as I ran out of Anisha's house to hurry home and start packing.

A couple of days later, we all met up at the airport, packed and ready for our adventure together. On the plane, Akhil pulled out a folder, and we all looked at him curiously. Sheepishly, he said, "I was excited, so I decided to do some research."

He pulled out a strange looking graph and explained that it was a climatogram.

"What's that?" Sydney inquired. Akhil began to describe it in depth.

"The bar graph is a measure of the precipitation that Cairo gets each month. The maximum is only 5 inches! Can you believe it?" Shocked, we listened as he continued his explanation. "The line graph shows the temperatures for each month. Look how hot it gets! It's almost 90 in the summer!

Suddenly, we were interrupted by the sound of the pilot telling us to fasten our seatbelts. I stared out the window as I did so, already picturing myself riding a camel through the desert, never stopping as long as the camel had enough water stored in its hump to counteract the desert heat.

As we flew over the desert, I marveled at the beautiful rolling sand dunes. Small grains of sand were lifted up into the air by the light breeze. I was so glad we were visiting in the spring because temperatures during the winter and summer were supposed to be very extreme. In the spring, there was sunshine, but also a light breeze. The skies were bright blue and I could spot the tips of the pyramids.

The Nile flowed through the desert, its bright blue a start of contrast to the golden sand that surrounded it. It seemed to be the main water source as it was the only major water body I could see in the middle of this vast desert. There were not many living organisms to be seen.

Suddenly, the pilot's voice rumbled over the speaker. "Currently, we are flying across Giza, Egypt, which is approximately 22,730 feet above sea level. We will be landing shortly."

I glanced over at my friends and saw Anisha's nose buried in a book. "What are you reading?" I asked.

"Well, Akhil isn't the only one who did his research," she replied. "I want to learn more about the different cultures in Egypt, so I'm reading this book about Giza."

She scooted the book towards me and I flipped the pages as the plane began its descent. The chapter I skimmed was titled "Giza: All You Need to Know."

It began a brief overview of the Egyptian Arabic language including its history and basic phrases and described the foods specific to this area. "Man, I can't wait to try the shawarma or falafel. That sounds delicious!" Sydney chimed in, "They seem to be mostly vegetarian, but I heard they have plenty of fish." Akhil replied, "Yeah, fish are a keystone species! They are the primary food for most organisms in the desert."

"Wait guys, what are we actually planning on doing there?" Anisha questioned. Frantically, Akhil flipped through the book. "We could tour the pyramids, play soccer, or even take a desert tour by camel!"

As we all clamored over these activities, the pilot announced that we had landed at the Cairo International Airport. We took a taxi to the pyramid tour stall immediately because we could not wait. Little did we know what wonders this tour would bring.

After about an hour of riding our camels through the vast desert, we finally approached the pyramids. As we all marveled at them, I began to feel against the side, trying to understand how the foundation has lasted this long.

Suddenly, I felt a button. "Hey, what's this?" Anisha sprinted over, and tried to warn me not to touch anything, but it was too late.

As soon as I pushed it, golden sparkles swirled through the sky. We all ran and took cover inside a nearby tent. After a couple of minutes, we emerged to find the previously barren desert filled with life. The plants and animals from before were still present, but now, there were pharaohs and citizens strolling around in ancient Egyptian clothing.