A/N: Look I got this up on time! I was afraid that it was going to take until Monday – but I managed. I haven't proofread this – so there's probably going to be some typos – but I will get to that tomorrow or the day after that. If you notice any typos that should be corrected asap, please let me know.
Edit: It has been proofread. See you guys next Sunday! :) - August 15, 2011
As for place requests – I will see what I can do. I have a rough idea of all the places that the Friends are going to go already, but I may be able to add something in. Plus, it's supposed to be randomized for your enjoyment! (Wink!)
Thanks guys for all the reviews. Awesome! And on that note, please leave a review. :D
This week's leg is brought to you by Wikipedia, the BBC and oh I don't know.
The Amazing Race: Friends Edition (3rd Leg) – "Let's not make this anymore gross than necessary!" - Monica
R/|\R ~ P/|\J
"Morning boys, how's that hangover coming along?" Phoebe looked towards Ross and Joey who were making their way to the breakfast table that had been set up in the foyer of the church, while she herself took a hearty helping of Germany's finest sausages.
"Some night," Joey muttered to himself while clutching his head in agony.
"I don't even remember half of it," Ross grumbled to himself as he pulled out a chair – which Joey promptly stole. "Hey, that was my chair!" Ross glared at Joey.
"Sorry man," Joey immediately removed the fork off the table and helped himself to enormous helpings of boiled eggs, various cold cuts, bread rolls with jam, cheese and freshly cooked sausages.
Ross rolled his eyes before finally sitting himself down. He poured himself a glass of water and popped an aspirin in his mouth.
"So where's everyone else?" Joey looked around the table.
"Monica and Chandler were here ten minutes ago, but they left to go walk around. Patrick and Harry are still sleeping like babies and Rachel -," Phoebe started to inform them.
"Rachel is still napping too. Well, it doesn't really matter since we are leaving almost two hours after you guys," Ross finished Phoebe's report.
Joey piled his cold-cut meat and cheese between slices of bread. "Now, that's a sandwich – German style!" he exclaimed, "And it's delicious!" He took an enormous bite of his creation.
Phoebe looked at Joey in surprise, "Wow, you don't even look hung-over!"
"Sandwiches are the solution to all life's problems," Joey exclaimed. "And hot girls," he added after a few seconds.
"And I thought aspirin was a sure cure!" Ross sighed, before helping himself to a banana from a large bowl of fruit at the center of the table.
M/|\C
"Are you ready, Mon?" Chandler asked his wife.
The couple were sitting under a large tree – within close vicinity to the mat. The clue-box had already been set up and it was taking all of Monica's willpower to refrain from walking up there and taking a clue.
"As ready as I will ever be," Monica looked longingly at the box.
"It's a nice day," Chandler remarked, "Very breezy."
"Yeah, how many more minutes do we have left?" Monica asked.
"Two more minutes," Chandler glanced quickly at his watch.
"Wonder what we are doing today," Monica snuggled up to her husband.
Chandler sighed. "As long as it doesn't involve mountain-climbing."
"You were pretty good, yesterday," Monica complimented.
"That was a onetime thing and you are so doing today's Roadblock," Chandler replied with emphasis on the last part of his sentence.
"Kay, it's only fair," Monica sighed. She knew that teams were supposed to evenly distribute the Roadblocks between themselves.
"Let's go," Chandler got up from his spot under the shady tree and picked up his pack. Monica did the same – and picked up the fanny pack that contained their passports.
The two of them walked hand-in-hand to the mat. Thirty seconds later, Monica opened the clue-box and pulled out a yellow envelope. She ripped it open.
"Welcome to the third leg of your journey. For this leg – first proceed to the base of the Heinrich-Hertz TV tower by foot – using the map provided. The next route marker will be waiting for you there. 99 dollars have been provided for this leg of the race," Monica read.
"Let me see the map," Chandler removed the printed map from Monica's hands.
"Is it far?" Monica inquired.
"No, looks rather short – let's get going then!"
Chandler and Monica headed east from their original spot at a leisurely pace.
P/|\J
Ten minutes later, at the mat, Phoebe and Joey were standing - waiting for the two minutes to pass before they could start their journey. Joey's headache had subsided shortly after the lavish German breakfast he had devoured. Phoebe was whistling impatiently and Joey paced the mat. When the two minutes were up, Phoebe opened the lid of the box and retrieved their first clue. She ripped it open with a flourish and removed the contents.
"We are walking, Joey," Phoebe counted the money provided.
"Okay, let's walk, where?" Joey looked around.
Phoebe pulled Joey by his shirt and the two of them started off. They walked on the street known as Lagerstrasse in silence – admiring the architecture of the various styled buildings. They turned on Karolinenstrasse. Phoebe had the map in her hands, carefully making sure that they were following the path marked.
A good twenty minutes later, they were standing in front of the tallest structure in Hamburg. The Heinrich-Hertz tower was a pillar of steel and concrete with eight distinctive platforms. Phoebe made her way to the clue-box which was located near an entrance and pulled out a clue. She tore it open with practiced ease.
"Roadblock!" Joey exclaimed – recognizing the red colouring on the clue that Phoebe had pulled out.
"Who's ready for a leap of faith?" Phoebe read.
"That's you Phoebs! I've already been hammered!" Joey grinned.
"Alright Joey, let's go up that tower!"
Phoebe and Joey entered through the doors. Behind them, a few seconds behind, Patrick and Harry had just reached the clue-box.
M/|\C
"Are you sure you can do this, Mon?" Chandler looked dubiously through the window from the highest available observation deck.
"Yeah, I've always wanted to bungee," Monica was getting strapped onto the harness by two attendants.
"Is it even safe?" Chandler worried.
"Yeah, I will be fine, honey, I love you," Monica smiled at her husband.
"I love you too. Oh my god, I can't look!" Chandler was freaking out more than his wife was.
"Are you ready?" one of the attendants asked Monica.
"Yeah, on the count of three?" Monica inquired, taking tentative steps out towards the edge of the bungee jumping platform.
"Three, two, one – jump!" Both the attendants yelled, and Monica took her leap of faith.
For Monica, it was exhilarating – her body was at the mercy of gravity and she heard herself yelling as she felt herself accelerate towards the ground. Just when she thought she was going to strike the ground – she felt a jerking motion – rather similar to an elastic band in motion and she oscillated up and down in the air. She let out a cry of victory.
Back up at the tower, Chandler had released the breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding while watching his wife plummet to the ground below. He was very glad that he didn't do the Roadblock – but at the same time – he knew he wouldn't mind trading spots with his wife – if she truly didn't want to do it. He smiled when he heard Monica's triumphant cry from below.
Two other attendants at the ground helped Monica out of her harness and she gave them both a high-five. One of the attendants presented her with the next clue.
"Congratulations, but don't open the clue until you are with your partner."
"Alright, I will," Monica raced her way back to the tower – and headed up to see her husband.
P/|\J
Phoebe spread out her arms and jumped daringly off the bungee platform with an intelligible yell. The bungee jump appealed greatly to Phoebe's adventurous nature and she was thrilled that she picked this Roadblock to do. In a flash, she felt the shock cord halt her descent to the ground and she was dangling up and down.
Joey, Patrick and Harry were still looking at the spot that Phoebe had been standing earlier before she leapt in shock. Harry was extremely nervous – Patrick had shoved the Roadblock on to him – and he was the next one to jump off the building.
"Come on Harry, cheer up! You have the face of a man walking to the electric chair!" Patrick poked fun at his brother.
Harry shot him a glare. "It's not like you are jumping. I am!"
"You won't die." Patrick smiled.
Harry grimaced. "What if I do? I can see the headlines now – Amazing Race team-member faceplants into the ground after daring jump off the Heinrich-Hertz tower."
"Nice to see that fear hasn't dulled your sharp wit, brother," Patrick smirked.
"Well, we will see when you are bawling all over my gravestone," Harry retorted.
"Bawling – I think not!"
"Next, victim-I mean jumper please!" One of the attendants coughed.
Harry shot Patrick one last fearful look before making his way towards the bungee platform where the attendants helped him into his harness. Patrick returned his brother's look of fear with a smile and a wink.
"Toodles!" Patrick waved.
"Arggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Harry jumped off the platform after he was given the okay.
"Joey! I am back!" Phoebe ran into the observation deck.
"Nice job, Phoebs – I couldn't have done it!" Joey exclaimed.
"Neither could I, but don't let Harry know," Patrick whispered.
Joey nodded. "Oh your secret is safe with me. I am a great secret keeper."
Phoebe tore open the clue envelope and read.
"Your journey in Germany has come to an end. Travel by any means possible to Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel Airport and fly to Luxor, Egypt. Your next clue awaits you at the front entrance of the Ipet-isut. Fly safe!"
"Ipet-what?" Joey scratched his head.
"I don't know what that is either, Joey – come on we've got to get to that airport!"
"Taxi?" Joey inquired.
"Yeah, we have enough money – let's go!"
Phoebe and Joey headed towards the elevators that would take them down.
M/|\C
"I think we are about to lose our lead," Chandler remarked to Monica as he stood at one of the airport computers looking up the meaning for Ipet-isut.
"Yeah, the Air-Berlin plane doesn't leave until five-something," Monica looked at the plane tickets.
Chandler nodded. "It's an equalizer; basically, a good chunk of us will be in the same boat after this plane ride."
"Hopefully not everyone will be on our plane. The ticket-person did say that there was limited seating available for today's flight." Monica sighed, watching her husband Google Ipet-isut.
"Interesting, it's the Temple of Karnak," Chandler scribbled down the words on the clue.
"What do they even speak there in Egypt?" Monica asked her husband, after thinking for a minute.
"According to this website," Chandler searched, "Egyptian Arabic, German and French."
"Not English!" Monica looked in dismay.
"Nope – but we will get around it somehow," Chandler replied.
"How about we use the translator and write down Temple of Karnak in Arabic – cuts down the time," Monica suggested.
"Oh that's clever," Chandler grinned.
Monica looked at the squiggles of Arabic on the screen after Chandler had found a reputable translation site. "Let me copy it," Monica took the pen from Chandler and with exquisite care, she copied down the scribbles.
معبد الكرنك
R/|\R
"Another good day for racing," Rachel remarked to Ross as they headed for the mat. It was mid-afternoon now, and the skies were cloudy.
"Yup, wonder what's for today," Ross grinned back, while opening the clue-box.
"Well, let's see," Rachel looked at the yellow envelope in Ross's hands with great eagerness.
Ross tore the envelope with practiced ease, and the couple happily followed the map provided – and followed the path that the other teams before them had gone. Ross and Rachel also took a few seconds now and there to admire the vast variety of styles in buildings.
Soon, they reached the looming tower, and Rachel ran excitedly to the clue-standing close to the front entrance. She flipped the lid open and reached in for another envelope. She ripped it open and called out, "Roadblock!"
"Another one?" Ross mused, as soon as he had caught up to his girlfriend at the box.
"Yup, who's ready to take a leap of faith," Rachel read to Ross.
"Sounds like it involves heights," Ross gave the tower a look of distaste.
"Oh, I will do it, you big chicken," Rachel smirked.
"I am not a chicken!" Ross glared defensively at Rachel.
"Are too," Rachel grinned back, with a knowing gleam in her eye.
Ross huffed, "Fine, in that case, I will do it!"
"Are you sure, Ross? I am perfectly willing to do it," Rachel asked her boyfriend.
"Oh yeah, my reputation as a man hangs on a line!" Ross exclaimed.
"Okay, hurry up and choose, we don't have all day!" Rachel rushed.
"I am doing it!" Ross grabbed the Roadblock clue from Rachel and read the task. He visibly paled and passed the paper back to Rachel. She read it, and looked sympathetically at her boyfriend.
"Too late to back out now, Geller," Rachel pushed her shocked boyfriend through the doors. "Sometimes," Rachel wondered to herself, "Why do men need to prove that they are so macho!"
P/|\J
"No chance that you speak Egyptian, Phoebs?" Joey asked his partner with an amused look.
Phoebe and Joey were sitting on the black chairs at the gate that their Air-Berlin flight was supposed to take off in about an hour. Joey had bought several hot-dogs from one of the fast-food stores in the airport and was happily snacking away while Phoebe had managed to borrow a German businessman's laptop and was busy looking up where they were going in Luxor.
"Nice, we are going to the Temple of Karnak! I've always wanted to go there!" Phoebe exclaimed, disregarding Joey's previous question.
"What?" Joey looked bemusedly at Phoebe.
"Oh it's a mix of temples dedicated to the ancient Egyptian gods, Joey," Phoebe grinned.
"Really?" Joey gave Phoebe an inquisitive look.
"Apparently in one of my past lives – I was an Egyptian priestess," Phoebe reflected happily to herself.
"Cool," Joey replied.
"Yeah, it would be nice to see a temple that I may have "worked" at during one of my past lives," Phoebe smiled dreamily to herself.
"Was I there?" Joey asked.
"I don't think so," Phoebe thought for a moment.
"Aw..." Joey looked sad.
"Oh, don't worry Joey, you were present in some of my other past lives – and this one, of course," Phoebe replied comfortingly to Joey.
"Oh, tell me some stories!" Joey exclaimed.
"Okay, so this is what happened..."
R/|\R
When Rachel and Ross finally reached the top observation deck, they were surprised to see Roger standing in front of the glass window – looking down.
"Hey Roge," Rachel greeted.
"Hey guys," Roger turned around, "Simon just took his leap. He almost had a nervous breakdown while getting strapped to his harness."
"Really? I thought you were the one terrified?" Rachel remembered the mountain detour from yesterday.
"Nope, I just suck at climbing, period," Roger grinned.
"Next," one of the bungee jump attendants said.
"Ross, that's you," Rachel whispered.
Ross made a few unintelligible sounds before walking the few steps to the platform. He was terrified. "Why on Earth did I take this roadblock? I did yesterday's!" he thought to himself. "Ah, you just wanted to prove that you were not a coward to your Rachel." The voice in his head replied. "Now I just look like an idiot!" Ross sighed inwardly. "Just take it like a man!" the voice in his head encouraged. "Fine," Ross huffed to himself.
Rachel watched as the attendants helped Ross into the bungee harness. She reflected that it wasn't a good idea to call Ross a chicken. She should've been the one in the harness – after all Ross did do yesterday's roadblock. She shrugged to herself – well he did kind of ask for it. Plus, nothing like conquering your fears, Rachel thought. And plus, she didn't have to jump off – she wasn't completely not afraid of heights – especially the type that involved one plummeting several hundred metres off the ground.
One of the attendants nodded to Ross, signalling that he could go whenever he was ready. Ross felt his whole body shaking like a leaf in a strong gust of wind. He took a deep breath, in an attempt to calm down his nerves – and took one tentative step towards the opening of the platform. "This is insane!" he thought to himself. From what he could see, there was nothing but sky, and more sky.
"Anytime you are ready," one of the attendants said, with a heavy German accent.
"Ross, you can do it!" he heard Rachel call out at him.
"Yes you can!" Roger's voice rang in his ears.
"Alright, now or never," Ross muttered to himself and took the last two steps to the edge. And before he could have any other hesitations or reservations about his fall, he shut his eyes tightly and leapt into the empty space.
It was over in a flash. Ross felt the adrenaline and his heart pumping so rapidly that he thought that he was going to have a heart-attack mid-flight. He could feel himself oscillating up and down – and one of the ground attendants helped him out of his harness.
"Terrifying, wasn't it," the attendant nodded knowing at him.
"Frightening," Ross could barely manage to get the word out, "but somewhat exhilarating. I am glad I did it."
"Here's your next clue, don't open it until you are with your partner," another attendant handed Ross another yellow envelope.
"Thanks guys!" Ross walked slowly back to the tower – trying to calm down his hyper-active body.
M/|\C
"So here's our seats – as close to the front as possible," Chandler shoved his huge backpack into the overhead compartment.
"Yup, thank goodness you thought to ask them for the front-most seats," Monica smiled at her husband, before putting her backpack up too.
"A lot of our competition is on this flight," Chandler observed, "Phoebe and Joey, Patrick and Harry."
"Simon and Roger, Ross and Rachel, Arlene and Yvonne and Meredith and Kenneth," Monica continued.
"Did Natasha and Trevor, or Sarah and Arianne get on?" Chandler asked his wife.
"I haven't seen them," Monica replied.
"Then it's probably a safe bet that it's the seven of us. Ross and Rachel and Arlene and Yvonne were barely able to get on this flight," Chandler mused.
"Oh look, the seatbelt sign is on," Monica fastened her seatbelt.
"And we are going to the runway," Chandler felt the motion of the plane.
"Yeah, seven desperate teams desperately seeking first place," Chandler remarked dryly.
"I will be happy if we can get in the top three – being first is like having a huge-apple on your head," Monica reflected.
"Apple? As in target?" Chandler looked at his wife in amusement.
"Oh whatever. We are all a little tired," Monica defended her self.
"We are flying!" Chandler exclaimed when the plane lifted off the ground.
Monica gave her husband a semi-amused look.
P/|\J
"Phoebs, what are you doing?" Joey asked.
Phoebe had a book in front of her, and a pencil in her hand – and was deep in thought.
"I am doing a puzzle," she replied back to Joey.
"What kind of puzzle?" Joey looked inquisitively at Phoebe.
"The crossword, you want to help? – it's in English," Phoebe grinned.
"Yeah, what'cha stuck on?" Joey looked over Phoebe's shoulder.
"Six letter word for type of arachnid," Phoebe mused.
"Arach-what?" Joey looked baffled.
"Arachnid – eight legged things," Phoebe explained.
"Eight legs? Like a spider?" Joey exclaimed.
"Joey, you are a genius! Spider!" Phoebe immediately began to scribble down the letters.
"I am?" Joey grinned.
"Yeah you are, how about a three letter word for nosy person?" Phoebe asked.
"Nosy! Spy!" Joey grinned.
"It fits!" Phoebe yelled out excitedly.
"How about this one? To take over something," Joey read another clue.
"Take over? As in hijack?" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Phoebs, you might want to keep it down," Joey whispered when several people looked towards them, suspiciously.
"Oh right, sorry," Phoebe grinned. She waved to all the onlookers, nonchalantly, before returning her attention back to the paper.
M/|\C
As soon as the plane had landed and reached the terminal of Luxor International Airport, Chandler and Monica got out of their seats and reached for their bags with fluid ease. They made their way through the throng of people, with a few slight pushes. As soon as they exited the plane, they dashed through the terminal, through customs and found their way to a taxi stand, where there were lots of people waiting for a taxi. Chandler and Monica inconspicuously inched their way forward and got into the most recently arrived taxi as soon as the occupants got out.
"Could you take us to Temple of Karnak?" Chandler inquired the taxi-driver, while showing him the Arabic script that Monica had attempted earlier.
"Karnak, temple?" the man asked.
"Yes," Chandler nodded.
"Okay," And the man sped the taxi away.
"Boy, is it hot!" Chandler remarked to his wife.
"You mean when we got out of the airport?" Monica asked.
"Yeah," Chandler replied.
"Well, honey, we are in Egypt," Monica grinned, "and as far as desert countries go, they are generally hot!"
"And it's the evening too! I hate to see what it would be like – during the day." Chandler complained.
"Well, we will find out tomorrow, won't we?" Monica replied.
"Well, I hope we don't stay outdoors too much. It's sweltering! I wouldn't be surprised if people spontaneously combusted here!" Chandler exclaimed.
"Well, that would be on the news, don't you think, honey?" Monica smiled with a hint of amusement.
"Well, I miss the weather in Hamburg, already," Chandler sighed.
"I think we all do," Monica agreed.
R/|\R
"Ross, here's a taxi!" Rachel exclaimed loudly over a large throng of people.
"I am coming Rach!" Ross dashed over to Rachel as fast as he could. They both settled into the taxi.
"Karnak – temple!" Rachel said to the taxi-driver, urgently.
"Ah, the temple of Karnak," the driver mused.
"Very fast!" Ross said.
The taxi driver merely smiled and drove at a leisurely speed. Ross and Rachel looked at each other with exasperated expressions on their faces.
"See, this is what happens if people like to drive slowly," Rachel smirked at Ross.
Ross huffed. He knew what Rachel was implying – his driving. "Well, you can't blame me for playing it safe!"
"But in the case of a million dollars," Rachel sighed.
"Well, a million dollars is enough to change people's minds." Ross groaned, "And we are stuck in the slow taxi."
"Monica and Chandler got out first and got a taxi first," Rachel sighed, "We got into the second taxi, but we got a slow driver."
"Look, there's Patrick and Harry's car!" Ross pointed at another taxi that was pulling ahead.
"And there's Arlene and Yvonne!" Rachel looked out from her window.
"And there's Phoebe and Joey! That's it; we are last out of the group – again!" Ross moaned.
"Wait, where are Roger and Simon?" Rachel asked.
Ross shrugged, "Hopefully behind us."
Rachel nodded.
P/|\J
Phoebe and Joey slammed the door of their taxi and got their belongings out of the car before trekking their way to large magnificent stone buildings, made out of limestone. It was almost completely dark now – the skies a dark, dark blue colour, and stars shining, like sparkles on navy-blue cloth. They walked through a grand pathway that was all covered in sand, but outlined with stone – kind of like a bridge. When they got to the entrance, they saw Chandler, Monica, Harry, Patrick, Roger and Simon sitting on a large blue tarp, either sitting or lying down.
"Hey guys, is this the new pit stop?" Phoebe quipped.
"We wish!" Chandler exclaimed, reclining on one end of the tarp with Monica.
"Nope, check out the clue over there," Harry pointed to the clue-box a few feet away from where everyone was relaxing.
Joey walked over to the clue box and opened up the envelope. He passed the contents to Phoebe, who then read out loud, "Detour – Mummy or Pyramid. Mummy – make your own mummy – using methods from thousands of years ago. Pyramid – drag a block the size of the blocks used in the pyramids to a designated site in the same fashion that the Ancient Egyptians did. Hours of operation – 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM."
"There goes our lead," Phoebe remarked.
"Yeah, but at least we get a rest," Patrick sighed.
"Does anyone know when the second plane is coming in?" Roger asked.
Negative answers were sounded by everyone.
"Hey, look over there – it's the sisters!" Simon exclaimed, pointing to two girls walking in the distance.
"As they said, the more the merrier," Harry waved at them.
"Hey guys!" Arlene, dressed in a short skirt and tank-top, greeted everyone.
"Yeah, hey!" Yvonne jumped in after her sister.
"So what do you guys think of Egypt so far?" Patrick asked everyone as soon Arlene and Yvonne had settled themselves down. They had contributed a bed-sheet to expand the surface area of the tarp.
"Way too sandy!" His brother replied, "I've got sand in places you shouldn't have sand in!"
"No more details, please!" Chandler held up his hands in protest.
"Awfully hot and humid!" Arlene sighed, "But it's a lot cooler now, since the sun's gone down – so I am not complaining."
"Yeah, I don't like the sand either," Roger groaned. He had gotten up from his position on the tarp to empty the sand out of his shoes.
"I knida wish I was indoors," Simon replied, "No sand, some nice artificial temperatures, and somewhere nice to sleep."
"Bah! No such luck," Phoebe retorted, "At least it's not windy – so the sand isn't blowing everywhere and it's actually pretty comfortable right now."
"So are we having dinner today?" Joey asked.
"Dinner? There's nothing to eat here!" Harry exclaimed, "What we had on the plane was dinner!"
"Damn it! It was like an appetizer!" Joey frowned.
"Hey look, it's Ross and Rachel and Kenneth and Meredith! Hey guys!" Patrick waved, with a towel in his hand.
"What took you guys so long?" Roger asked, "We were here ages ago! And we were on the same plane!"
"Slowest taxi driver, ever!" Ross retorted with some venom.
"Now, now Ross, don't you go calling the kettle black," Chandler smirked.
"That's what I said!" Rachel exclaimed.
"That's what she said!" Harry grinned – inanely.
"Oh shut up, it's not funny," Arlene frowned, while giving Harry a playful swat on the back.
"Yeah, shut up you guys!" Ross folded his arms together with a pissed expression.
But that did nothing to stop or stifle the few giggles that some other team-members had released afterwards. And it wasn't a few, it was quite a lot.
R/|\R ~ M/|\C ~ P/|\J
"Well, well, looks like we are all caught up now!" A man's voice startled everyone on the tarp.
"Well, well, well, would you look at that – the ones who bicker are here," Harry mocked quietly to those on the tarp.
"Well, it's Trevor," Monica whispered to Chandler.
"And they aren't fighting!" Chandler exclaimed back to Monica.
"Aren't they a little cold? " Phoebe whispered, as the recently arrived couple set up a bed-sheet at the other side of the entrance.
"A degree below freezing," Patrick replied back.
"Not sure if I like them quiet or bickering,' Simon remarked.
"And there's Arianne and Sarah," Ross looked out into the distance.
"Double trouble," Harry sighed.
"Notice how they don't even say hi to anyone," Kenneth observed when the two girls spread out their own sheets halfway between the two camps already set up.
"And here's Gilbert and Skye!" Rachel exclaimed. She waved her hands at the couple.
"Hey guys, how was the trip?" Roger stood up to greet them.
"Pretty good – the back's obviously sore, but it could've been worse," Gilbert replied back cheerily.
"And we are in Egypt! A fascinating place – so steeped in history!" Skye took a moment to admire the magnificent ruins of the temple with the perfect amount of awe.
"So when did your plane leave?" Patrick inquired.
"Seven – and it's like one AM right now," Gilbert looked at his watch.
"I guess we better crash then – seven hours of sleep is better than none," Harry remarked.
"Night night, then," Joey curled up and was a sleep within in seconds.
"Don't let the bed-bugs bite – I mean tarp-bugs – whatever!" Phoebe staked out a claim on one corner of the tarp and lied down.
And within seconds – everyone was asleep – or at least trying to.
M/|\C
"Chandler, rise and shine!" Monica whispered into her husband's ear.
"What, what time is it?" he mumbled sleepily, trying to avoid waking up.
"Detour time," Monica replied back, quietly.
"Kay," Chandler was awake.
The two of them got their bags together and walked up to the entrance of the temple – which was still sealed off – since it was still 7:30. Monica went through her bag and came up with two sandwiches.
"Wow, you had this all planned out?" Chandler exclaimed.
"Of course! I am Monica, remember! I knew we were going to be camping overnight so I bought some food."
"Of course I know you are Monica, honey," Chandler grinned.
"Sometimes – it really does pay off to watch reruns of The Amazing Race," Monica replied.
"So which detour are we doing today?" Chandler asked.
"What do you think, honey?" Monica asked back.
"Probably the Mummy – I don't look forward to doing labour in the hot scorching sun for the next few hours," Chandler whispered.
"I don't either, but labour might be faster and everyone has caught up," Monica replied back, intensely but quietly.
"Well, we will professional mummy-makers, and do it as quick as possible," Chandler answered back, trying to do everything to dissuade Monica from choosing the Pyramid option.
"Alright then, mummies it is," Monica conceded.
"Kay," Chandler replied happily.
R/|\R
"So are you sure that Pyramid is a good idea?" Rachel asked her boyfriend as they walked into a sandy wide-open area of the desert.
"Labour tasks are generally faster, and we don't have much time to spare since everyone is here," Ross replied back. He could see the hunks of stone in the distance.
Rachel noticed them too. "Wow, they look pretty big from here. Are you sure we can do it, sweetie?"
"Sure we can. If the Ancient Egyptians can do it – so can us!" Ross exclaimed.
"Hopefully Ross, hopefully," Rachel sighed, feeling the warmth of the Egyptian sun on her arms. It might be early morning, but the desert was starting to warm up quite a bit from the comparatively cool night that they had.
A few minutes later, Ross and Rachel had reached their blocks, alongside with Harry and Patrick, Simon and Roger, Natasha and Trevor and Arlene and Yvonne.
They were all assembled in front of the supervisors, who were all dressed Egyptian style – with tunics made out of white-linen.
"Hey guys, welcome to Pyramid," one of them spoke.
"Your task for today will sound a lot easier said than done," another one replied.
"The task is to move the blocks from there," he pointed to the blocks, "To the designated pyramid building site, over there." He pointed to a bunch of large yellow and red flags off in the distance.
"Wow, that's far," Rachel murmured to Ross.
"We can do it," he replied back, giving Rachel's hand a small squeeze.
"So, you ask, how do you do it?" another supervisor started to say.
"You take the logs, which for your convenience aren't real logs and you will move it in front of all the logs. Then you will pull your block with the rope that's been attached forward onto the next log. And then you go back to the back and move one of the logs forward. And you repeat."
"So are you guys ready?"
"Yeah!"
"Then get going, we've got pyramids to build!"
Everyone dashed off to find a block to drag.
P/|\J ~ M/|\C
Phoebe, Joey, Monica, Chandler and the rest of the teams found themselves in a dimly-lit chamber, underground. A few wooden torches had been lit around the cracked limestone block walls. Large wooden tables were set up everywhere, each containing mummy-making materials. A tall man, dressed in a simple piece of white linen, and wearing an Anubis mask presided over the tables.
"Welcome to the afterlife," Chandler joked immediately upon seeing the blue jackal-headed man.
"I think I am still alive!" Joey exclaimed, "Sow why the afterlife?"
"Joey! Anubis is the god representing mummification and the afterlife!" Phoebe exclaimed, as every team took their places from behind a table.
"Guys, shush, he's speaking!" Monica shushed all of them.
"Welcome to Mummy," the jackal-headed man spoke in an impressively grand yet eerie voice, "You will actually be making a real mummy, today. Not human, mind you. Inside the plastic tubs in front of you is actually a cat that has been preserved in a special mixture of natron salt. All the instructions regarding the creation of the mummy are on your table. If you have any questions, you may ask me or my fellow gods and goddesses during the task. After you complete all the tasks, call one of us over, and if we are satisfied, you may proceed further along your journey. Good luck."
"Oh my god! That's actually a dead cat!" The high pitched whine of Arianna could be heard by everyone in the room.
"Eww!" Her partner acknowledged.
"Honey, don't pay attention to them," Monica reminded her husband and pulled out the instruction sheet.
"Take out the cat," Chandler looked at the instructions, "Look, here's some gloves." Chandler handed a pair of surgical gloves to Monica and put on a pair himself.
Monica nodded as she took the gloves and slipped them on. She wrinkled her nose in distaste at the smell of preserved cat and plunged her hands into the natron-salt mixture filled tub and took out the drenched cat. She set it on the table.
"What's next?" Monica asked her husband.
"Cut as indicated by the diagram with the surgical tools in front of you. Remove the lungs, the intestines, the stomach and the liver and place them into the salt bath." Chandler read.
"This is starting to feel like Biology class," Monica remarked as she observed the diagram on the instruction sheet.
"Performing a dissection, basically," Chandler added, handing his wife a large scalpel.
"Looks pretty straightforward," Monica placed her tool against the chest of the cat and started to cut a large slit from the chest to the stomach at the center of the cat. She grinned to herself – she was pretty professional at cutting up things by now.
At the table beside Monica and Chandler, Phoebe and Joey had removed their dead cat out of the bin and Phoebe had also started to cut the cat.
"Boy is this one smelly cat!" Joey remarked to Phoebe.
"Yeah, maybe I should write a song about this one!" Phoebe grinned in response, her scalpel in the middle of the cat's torso.
"Really?" Joey looked at her with interest.
"Maybe something like this – Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they doing to you? Smelly cat, smelly cat, you are being mummified. You were obviously their favourite pet, and now you have no need for the vet." Phoebe composed as she cut.
"That's brilliant, Phoebs!" Joey exclaimed.
"Yeah, one of my finer creations," Phoebe removed the scalpel from the torso, "Boy did those free med school lessons I took ever come in handy!"
"Free?" Joey asked her sceptically.
"Oh, you know, I just slipped in one day during my hobo days," Phoebe replied.
"I see. " Joey gave Phoebe a slightly weird look.
R/|\R
"This is so exhausting, Ross!" Rachel grumbled as they removed one of the logs from the back of the block to the front.
"I know! We've barely done this for ten minutes, and I am drenched!" Ross groaned.
"And it feels like that we haven't gone anywhere!" Rachel sighed.
Ross and Rachel heaved their log up and moved to the front of their block. The two of them grabbed the ropes that were tied to the blocks and pulled.
"One, two, three!" Rachel counted.
They pulled again.
"One, two, three!" Ross yelled out.
They threw all their weight into the pull. Another pull later, the block slowly inched its way to the log that they had just set out. Both Ross and Rachel placed their hand against the cool, but warming up piece of limestone and panted.
"Well, at least no one else is ahead of us," Rachel looked around.
"But no one is behind us either – all neck-to-neck," Ross sighed.
"This is going to take hours!" Rachel groaned.
"I know!" Ross walked over to the far end and Rachel joined him. They removed another log and transferred it to the front.
"This is absolutely bananas!" Rachel grumbled as they started to pull again.
M/|\J ~ P/|\J
"So here are the lungs," Monica cut out the lungs from the cat and placed them into her husband's hands.
"Never thought I'd see the day where my wife is giving me organs," Chandler quipped as he moved the pink tissues into the tub.
"And I suppose this is the liver?" Monica pointed to some smooth, red organ close to the stomach.
"Yeah," Chandler watched as Monica severed the liver from its surroundings.
"Here," Monica presented Chandler with the liver.
"Just what I needed," Chandler grinned and he placed the liver alongside with the lungs.
Monica cut out the stomach next, which Chandler dutifully placed in the tub. She dealt with the intestines next. She pulled them slowly out of the cat.
"You know honey, that kind of reminds me of a very long worm," Chandler observed.
"Chandler, let's not make this anymore gross than necessary," Monica reprimanded.
Chandler grinned. "On a scale of one to ten on the grossness scale, I think we hit negative numbers."
"Oh stop talking and help me!"
"Kay!" Chandler helped Monica pull out the intestines. A metre or two of intestines later, they finally got the entire thing out.
"And it's all slimy too!" Chandler remarked as soon as the intestines were out, and in the tub with the rest of the organs.
"Enough! Let's not talk about how nasty this is, and move on – what's next?" Monica gave her husband an exasperated look.
Back at Phoebe and Joey's table, they had just finished removing the organs. Joey had happily pulled out the intestines, marvelling at how long they were and Phoebe had done the rest. She looked down, giving her slimy gut-covered gloves a look of distaste and read the next instruction.
"Pack the insides of the cat with cotton, so it can maintain its shape, and sew it up with the needle and thread together."
Joey handed Phoebe a whole bunch of cotton and Phoebe stuffed it in. After several more handfuls of cotton, the cat looked similar to what it looked like before the organs were removed.
"You know how to sew right?" Joey asked his partner.
"Of course!" Phoebe expertly threaded the thread through the eye of the needle and starting stitching away.
"Thank god you are my partner Phoebs, I would be totally lost without you," Joey grinned.
"Hell yeah, Joey Tribbiani – you can do a lot worse than Phoebe Buffay!"
M/|\C ~ P/|\J
"So what's next?" Monica asked Chandler when she had managed to sew the cut together.
"Place the two finger amulet over the sewn up area and paint the entire body with resin." Chandler read. Monica reached for a bucket labelled resin and her husband reached for the paintbrushes that were provided alongside with the bucket. Chandler dipped his brush into the sticky substance and began painting over the cat. Monica noticed a gray thing in the shape of two fingers and turned to her husband.
"This is the two-finger amulet?"
"Looks like it – place it over the cut," Chandler replied, making his brushstrokes quite broad to cover over more surface area of the cat.
Monica placed the gray amulet over the cut and joined her husband in brushing the cat with resin. She insisted on an up and down stroke, which Chandler immediately remedied – he knew better to argue over small things like this – since Monica liked things done a certain way.
After brushing on a coat of resin over the entire body of the cat, the pair looked at the next instruction together – wrap cat in all the linen provided.
"Bandages!" Joey's yell could be heard all throughout the room, "And they aren't sticky!"
"Joey, that's why we got the sticky stuff on first!" Phoebe explained.
For the most part, during the entire detour – the room had remained quiet as everyone tried their best to efficiently complete the tasks at hand. Plus the rather ancient atmosphere made everyone want to work in respective quiet. The supervisors paced up and down the tables – alongside with an Anubis dressed man, there was Ra the sun god – who had a falcon mask, Osiris, god of the underworld, who had no mask, but the symbols of royalty – the crook and the flail in his hands and Horus – a god with the hawk's head. Meredith and Kenneth were still struggling with the sewing – none of them knew how to do it. Arianna and her friend were still at the cutting parts – both too grossed out and muttering expletives under their breath every time they came into contact with the dead cat. And Gilbert and Skye were wrapping up the cat in linen.
Monica and Chandler were busy wrapping up their cat with the many feet of linen that they were provided with. It was a difficult process due to the stickiness of the resin – causing the cat to be stuck on the table. But they ploughed through without too many complaints – even when their gloves got stuck to the cat.
"Let's just say, I am never doing this again," Chandler remarked, after un-sticking the cat again for at least the tenth time.
"This time, I totally agree with you," Monica wrapped the cloth around and around the cat's abdomen, "This is a onetime thing."
"And I totally want my mummy!" Chandler exclaimed.
"No you don't," Monica gave Chandler an exasperated look.
"No, I really don't. Not my mommy," Chandler thought about it for a second, "But you know, I can't resist making very bad puns."
"Yeah, and I still married you," Monica teased.
"I don't think you married me for my puns," Chandler grinned.
"Hm... I actually don't know why I married you," Monica smirked.
"Was it for my money? My looks? The great sex?" Chandler asked.
"A little louder honey, I don't think everyone quite heard you," Monica winked.
"Aha! My jokes are rubbing off on you, aren't they?" Chandler smirked back at his wife.
"Oh crap. They are!" Monica exclaimed in mock horror as she and Chandler started mummifying the cat's head.
P/|\J
"So here we are, one mummy," Joey surveyed their hard work with an appreciative eye.
"Yup, I think we put the mask on, now," Phoebe replied back as she picked up a golden mask with a cat face painted on it.
"Good idea," Joey tilted the cat slightly up so Phoebe could slip the surprisingly heavy mask on to the head of the cat.
"I think we are done," Phoebe grinned.
"Not quite yet, what about the other stuff?" Joey pointed to the organs in the tray.
Phoebe looked at the tray, and then at the instructions.
"Oh crap, you are right!" Phoebe exclaimed, "We've got to put them into the canopic jars!"
"The what jars?" Joey looked confused.
"Canopic, there's four different types, one for each organ, Joey. And I think they are in that box over there – could you get four different ones, Joey?" Phoebe asked.
"Yeah sure," Joey walked towards the box that Phoebe had indicated and looked through it. He took two jars, one in each arm back to Phoebe. He repeated the journey and brought back the other two.
"Okay, so the liver goes inside the one with the human head," Phoebe looked up from her paper.
"Who's the human?" Joey asked as he opened the mentioned jar, while Phoebe scooped up the cat liver and placed it in.
"It's Isis, she protects the liver," Phoebe read from the instruction sheet.
"Cool, and what about this one?" Joey opened another jar; this one had a baboon as a lid.
"Lungs," Phoebe picked up the spongy tissue from the tray and handed it to Joey who gingerly tucked them into the next jar.
"And the falcon," Joey reached for the jar with the falcon-head.
"The intestines, Joey can you help me?" Phoebe asked her partner. Together, Joey and Phoebe carefully lowered the long intestines into the jar.
"And I suppose this dog-headed one is for the stomach," Joey reflected after a few moments.
"Yeah!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Looks like we are done! Hey god-guy!" Joey waved to one of the supervisors nearby.
The Anubis dressed man walked over towards them and inspected their work with a critical eye. He felt up the mummy, making sure that the amulet had been tucked in. He then peeked into each one of their canopic jars.
"It's a good job for first-timers. Here's your next clue."
Phoebe and Joey gave each other a high-five and grabbed their envelopes gleefully, after shedding their disposable gloves.
M/|\C
"Well, I think we are too acquainted with Ancient Egyptian traditions, now," Chandler remarked to Monica as they received their next clue.
"Yeah, we can totally go back into Old Egypt and work as mummifers," Monica grinned.
"So what does the clue say?" Chandler inquired, "The pit-stop?"
Monica tore open the envelope. "Head out to the Pyramid site, where the flags are. There will be camels waiting for you there. Travel by camel to the next pit-stop, following the route marked out on the map provided."
"What a vague map!" Chandler exclaimed, "Looks like we are trekking through the desert!"
"Yeah, let's go!"
Monica and Chandler exited the chamber via the stone steps at the corner of the room, in search of the Pyramid site.
R/|\R
"Oh my god! We are almost there!" Rachel grimaced as she and Ross strained against their block, hoping fervently that it would just move. The block slowly moved forward, and they fell gasping into the sand.
"Tell me about it," Ross groaned. He had never been so physically drained in his life. It was approaching noon now, and he and Rachel had been at the detour for almost four hours. They had taken several breaks during the task, when they noticed that other teams were doing that. The hot mid-day sun had arrived, and they were all sweating buckets throughout the task. The humidity didn't help matters much.
"Three more logs should do it," Rachel brushed the sand off her clothes.
They pulled the block twice more, when they saw four figures running behind them.
"Oh my god! It's Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey!" They could hear Harry shout. Harry and Patrick were probably four logs behind Ross and Rachel.
"Shit! Better get a move on!" They could hear other teams murmuring from behind them.
Rachel and Ross determinedly placed the last log they needed to haul their block into the designated location. With great effort, they threw themselves forward, trying to drag the block on to the last log, and off the raft of logs.
By this time, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey had reached the camels and their Arab handlers, dressed in lightly coloured cloths and turbans, waiting patiently for their riders.
"Ross! Let's go!" Rachel yelled as soon as she received the clue from the supervisor.
Ross followed Rachel, and they ran over to the camels. The man in the turban gave the camel a subtle tug, so that it could lie down. He then gestured the pair to get on the camel. Rachel got on and Ross slowly followed suit. The camel stood up again, and Rachel found herself wrinkling at the smell of camel. Ross observed the map, which had a few landmarks written down. It was clear that the camel handler spoke no English, so Ross found himself pointing the direction that they were supposed to go.
"Isn't this surreal, the six of us on camels, in a desert – all covered with sand!" Rachel exclaimed to Ross – Monica and Chandler as well as Phoebe and Joey were several metres in front of them. Harry and Patrick's camel pulled up beside them.
"Hey fellows, isn't this a relief from all the pulling we did earlier?" Patrick grinned.
"Yeah, it sure is!" Ross replied back, removing a cloth from his shorts' pocket and wiping the river of sweat from his face and neck.
"We should have done Mummy, the people who did it look really not tired," Harry replied back.
"Do you think we can chase after the front camels?" Rachel inquired Ross.
"I dunno, Rach," Ross sighed.
"Excuse me!" Rachel called down to the handler, "Do you think we can move a little faster?"
The man looked blankly at her. Ross pointed furiously at the camels at front. "Catch them!"
"Catch?" The man replied, bemusedly.
"Oh never mind," Rachel sighed, but the man must have gotten something from the exchange because he got the camel from walking to a slight trot.
"See ya, guys!" Ross waved at Harry and Patrick, who were lagging behind.
M/|\C
"Wow, we've been riding this camel for like," Chandler glanced at his watch quickly, "Forty-five minutes!"
"I know! At least we saw three of the landmarks on the map! That funny shaped rock, that crumbly broken temple and that other house," Monica sighed. She then turned her head to view the people behind them. Ross and Rachel were gaining on them, followed closely by Harry and Patrick.
"Oh no, they are catching up!" Monica yelled in dismay.
"Nothing we can do about it," Chandler sighed, "Excuse me, but could you move a little bit faster?"
The man leading the camel continued his brisk walk – without hurrying.
"Well, honey, at least we won't be last," Monica sighed again.
"Hey guys, bye guys!" Rachel yelled as their camel overtook their camel.
"Same here!" Patrick waved. And the two camels went to go catch Joey and Phoebe's camel that had slowed down quite a bit during the last five minutes.
"Who knew that we would be having camel races in the middle of Egypt?" Chandler mused.
"Certainly not me!" Monica grinned despite watching Ross and Rachel's and Harry and Patrick's camel overtake Phoebe and Joey's for the lead.
R/|\R
"Whew! Look, there's the mat!" Rachel cried out after a turn.
"Yeah! Maybe it's our turn to be first this time!" Ross exclaimed.
"Yahoo! It's Phil!" Patrick cried out.
A few metres away from the mat, both camels stopped, and Ross and Rachel, Patrick and Harry dismounted from their respective camels and ran as fast as they could in the sand to the pit-stop. Rachel had her eyes directly on the pit stop and ran determinedly. The two teams were tied throughout the run until Rachel found herself slipping on the sand a metre away from the stop.
"Oh no!" Rachel fell into the sand. Ross immediately stopped running to help her up. The twins ran easily onto the mat.
"Welcome to Luxor, Egypt," A young girl wearing a traditional Egyptian tunic greeted the twins.
"Thank you," the twins answered back – with big smiles.
"Patrick and Harry, you guys are team number one! Congratulations!" Phil beamed at the two competitors. Harry and Patrick immediately turned towards each other and fell into a brotherly hug and a high five.
"Damn it!" Rachel groaned, "Should have been us!"
Ross sighed, "It's alright Rach, there's always tomorrow!"
Rachel nodded a little sadly, and the two of them walked onto the mat.
"Welcome to Luxor, Egypt!" The lady looked sympathetically at the couple, who murmured their thanks back.
"Ross and Rachel, you guys are team number two. That was a close one, wasn't it?" Phil asked.
"Yeah, we could have been first today," Rachel sighed.
"Oh well, we will be first tomorrow!" Ross replied optimistically.
"Oh yeah!" Rachel dropped her gloomy expression, "Plus, we are team number two today! Sure beats being fifth!"
"So what did you guys think about that Pyramid detour?"
"Exhausting. I have no idea how the ancient Egyptians managed the feat without modern machinery," Harry replied.
"I'd hate to be a worker back then!" Rachel sighed, "But at least, they only employed men back then."
"Forced labour," Ross amended.
"It was brutal," Patrick admitted, "Sure, when we started, we were like, sure we can do this. But then the sun started rising higher and higher, and the heat started to get worse. So we all took a lot of breaks under the shade of our block. Thank god for sunscreen!"
"And good thing we had water," Ross added, "We would have withered like dry grass in that heat. It's still hot now, but the breeze generated by the camel was pretty good."
"Alright guys, you can go cool down in the tents that we have set up over there. Congratulations again on your achievements. And Harry and Patrick, you guys win an all expenses paid trip to Mexico City – you will get to go do some zip-lining, visit some magnificent ruins and try some of the finest Mexican food." Phil grinned excitedly.
"Alright! Mexico City!" Harry and Patrick high-fived again and Harry picked up his brother and swung him around.
"Okay, enough with the public displays of affection!" Patrick groaned when Harry returned him back to the ground.
M/|\C ~ P/|\J
"Oh my god, there's Phil!" Chandler exclaimed when their camel made a left turn, "With some girl that looked like she walked out of an Ancient Egyptian tomb painting."
"About time! I think I am getting camel-sick!" Monica groaned.
The camel made its way casually to the mat, where it bent down so Chandler and Monica could jog over to the pit-stop. In the distance, the couple could see Ross, Rachel, Patrick and Harry walk over towards the tents.
"We are third today," Chandler observed.
"Yup, but we were first yesterday, so it's all good!" Monica refused to look at the negative aspects.
"Welcome to Luxor, Egypt," the Egyptian girl greeted them, and handed them some bottled water.
"Thank you," Monica and Chandler smiled back at the girl.
"Monica and Chandler, you are team number three! Congratulations!" Phil beamed.
Chandler turned to kiss his wife and hug her in a firm embrace.
"So you guys are arguably one of the most successful teams on this season's race – so what makes you guys so, you know, successful?" Phil inquired.
"I guess that we, my wife and I have known each other for over a decade – most of it as friends – so we know how to work together. I know what makes her tick, and she knows how I work – and together we are pretty unstoppable," Chandler grinned.
"Yeah. I know I am a perfectionist – but I've learned to keep my criticisms to myself, because it drives everyone crazy!" Monica added, "But we did do a lot of extensive preparation for the race – so we are prepared, for almost everything!"
"Well, let's see how you guys will fare in the next legs to come!"
At this moment, Phoebe and Joey dashed onto the mat.
"Tada!" Phoebe and Joey sprang up and down on the mat.
"Welcome to Luxor, Egypt," the girl repeated her greeting.
"Phoebe and Joey, you guys are team number four! Congratulations on your achievement!"
Phoebe and Joey gave Phil each a high-five and a hug.
"So what slowed you guys down today?" Phil asked.
"Definitely the camel – it got tired during the last fifteen minutes and Harry and Patrick, Ross and Rachel and Monica and Chandler overtook us," Joey replied, turning his head towards the offending camel.
"Yeah, luck wasn't on our side today," Phoebe observed, "But it will get better."
"Alright then, into the tents you guys go!" Phil gestured towards the cluster of set up tents.
M/|\C ~ R/|\R ~ P/|\J
"My god! Why is the wind suddenly so strong!" Joey looked fearfully outside one of the plastic windows of the tent.
"It's a sandstorm, Joey!" Phoebe sighed, listening to the fearful howls of wind outside their tent.
"I just hope it won't blow us away," Chandler and Monica were sitting at one corner of the spacious tent.
"Yeah," Rachel sighed, "Pity about the teams who haven't arrived yet."
"And it was so calm this morning and afternoon too!" Ross observed.
"A freak windstorm," Harry observed.
"Sandstorm, in this case, Harry," Patrick amended.
"Well, at least it didn't happen yesterday, when we were all camping out in the open," Rachel sighed, trying not to picture a sandstorm happening yesterday night.
"That's true," Harry replied back, "We would be, like..."
"Let's not mention it. Sand without wind is terrible enough," Patrick sighed.
"Well, let's hope it stops soon! I just hope it doesn't bury us alive!" Joey looked fearfully out the window.