Being ‘Lara Croft’ — and more — in Egypt

Last week, I wrote about how I flew to Egypt for a shoot, but I didn’t go into details.

I went to Egypt to shoot an episode for Extra Challenge with Paolo Bediones, Ethel Booba, Richard Gomez, Joey Marquez and Jen Rosendahl.

As soon as we reached this country, we dined and ate Chinese food to fill in our stomach and shopped right after.

The market was like Quiapo or Baclaran bazaars. Tito Douglas (Quijano), Goma, Joey and I went out that night. During this night-out, we were introduced to a crowded yet with character place. We met locals along the way and they were similar to some of us. They like selling stuff and love to haggle a lot.

Shopping on this side of the planet was like buying best buys in Greenhills. The first item I bought was a musical instrument for my brother. I couldn’t wait to give it to him.

We finished shopping at 1 a.m. (5 a.m. in Manila) and decided to return to our hotel.

We didn’t have much sleep because we had to be up by 7 a.m. the following day for the first day of shoot. And, it went well.

First stop was Giza. I couldn’t believe how beautiful the pyramids were. I thought I’d only see them in books. They were amazingly huge. I was speechless when I saw them. The sand, the camels, the Sphinx, and the people around overwhelmed me.

One of the first things we did were the VTR’s, where we had to think of our own names that were related to Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones. I decided to call myself JuLiARA Croft. By the way, my partner for the challenge was Goma.

Angelina Jolie is one of my Hollywood’s favorite actresses, and I couldn’t help but copy even her "Lara Croft" hairstyle.

Since we woke up a bit early and had to be in the location on time, our challenge for the day definitely perked us up.

We had to move a big block of stone from one end to another. I can’t discuss any further details so to give you the element of surprise when you watch it on TV. See it for yourself.

For this challenge, I ended up getting a nasty scratch on my hand and a splinter. Anyway, it was fun doing.

One of my favorite challenges was when we climbed The Great Pyramid of Kufu. It was difficult going there because the passage was small. You’ve got to squat to traverse the steep and narrow stairway.

I believe it was the middle chamber we went into to find the clues for the next challenge. Another burden doing this challenge was that my right foot was tied to Goma’s left foot.

The highlight of our first day took place in the next location where there were no restrooms in sight. When we reached the place I felt of responding to mother nature’s call. You know.

Unfortunately, I had no choice but to pee on the sidewalk while my foot was tied to Goma’s ankle!

It was so embarrassing I thought, but I really didn’t have a choice. It’s hilarious.

The following day we traveled six hours to get to Sinai. This was the place where we did the rest of the challenges.

My favorite was the trampoline challenge where we jumped on it and did flips mid-air.

It looked hard and scary at first, but once you get the feel of it, it’s really fun. Joey was a revelation.

Also part of the challenges was eating some exotic food.

I didn’t enjoy that one because I ended up eating sheep gizzard. The taste of it wasn’t that bad, but I thought I couldn’t stand the idea of eating it. Luckily, I managed.

The Egypt trip made me realize that I’ve matured and I can be a team player because I’ve always liked doing things on my own. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience.

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