Before me, this sickness I call 'gastro' has affected 6/15 people in our group already. I was the 8th (one other person got sick around when I did, so he's the 7th). In a way, I am lucky (knock on wood) because I only had the runs and wasn't vomiting. The other 2 before (#5 and 6) were not so lucky though. One's birthday was today and all he could do was hold on to his head. The other was vomiting uncontrollably and was actually taken to the hospital to get medication right before we boarded the sleeper train for the 2nd time.
There was actually a big fight between the driver and the tour leader because of it I believe. The driver wouldn't take the vomiting person on the bus and so the tour leader and her had to take a cab to the hospital, and then to the station. So what ended up happening was that the 13 of us had to find our way around the train station, and unload our own luggage. Everyone in the group were very understanding and pooled together and everything ran smoothly and everyone (including the one taken to the hospital) boarded the train bound for Cairo. Yay! However, with the birthday boy sick and this episode of our tour almost having been guideless in Alexandria, the birthday celebration was put off to another day.
Also, with 4 people sick...it is needless to say that the washroom on the train ran out of toilet paper very very quickly!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Day 9 Part II: Afternoon at Luxor
For lunch I had good ol' KFC... 3 piece chicken meal w/ 355 ml Pepsi for 22 EGP!!! Keep in mind that
1) falafels were 1 EGP for two
2) Pigeon dinner was 15 EGP
3) Tour leader has said that many engineers in Egypt make about 200 EGP per month...
This means that the KFC meal is 10% of an engineer's monthly salary! So I guess in Egypt, a fancy dinner date would be a trip to McDonalds, or KFC! So ladies, please don't complain if a guy takes you to KFC or McDonalds for your date... its expensive stuff!
After this expensive lunch, we went around a few stores to hunt for my alabaster camel... it turned out to be extremely hard to find. I was finally able to find one store that had it, and after some tough bargaining (I am starting to get good at this --> since I bargain just for the sake of bargaining, and have the 'I don't care look', which makes these sellers just plummet their price), I was gonna buy 4 of them but the guy only had one in stock. What a waste!
After the unsuccessful purchase, I went back to the hotel to take a nap. Collapsed for 2 hours and realized I might have gastro (ie. small sickness where it makes me go to the W.C. alot!)... oh no!
Note: W.C. = washroom
1) falafels were 1 EGP for two
2) Pigeon dinner was 15 EGP
3) Tour leader has said that many engineers in Egypt make about 200 EGP per month...
This means that the KFC meal is 10% of an engineer's monthly salary! So I guess in Egypt, a fancy dinner date would be a trip to McDonalds, or KFC! So ladies, please don't complain if a guy takes you to KFC or McDonalds for your date... its expensive stuff!
After this expensive lunch, we went around a few stores to hunt for my alabaster camel... it turned out to be extremely hard to find. I was finally able to find one store that had it, and after some tough bargaining (I am starting to get good at this --> since I bargain just for the sake of bargaining, and have the 'I don't care look', which makes these sellers just plummet their price), I was gonna buy 4 of them but the guy only had one in stock. What a waste!
After the unsuccessful purchase, I went back to the hotel to take a nap. Collapsed for 2 hours and realized I might have gastro (ie. small sickness where it makes me go to the W.C. alot!)... oh no!
Note: W.C. = washroom
Day 9 Part I: Last Day at Luxor (Karnak and Luxor Temple)
Waking up early yet again to avoid the super hot weather at Luxor, we find ourselves at the Temple of Karnak at 7:30am. This temple is by far the largest in terms of area, and has lots of stuff to see. There're obelisks, shrines, statues, and a whole bunch of other stuff. The avenue of the Sphinxes was pretty cool as well. Supposedly there're 3 avenues, the major one being the 2km long path connecting Karnak temple to Luxor temple.
After Karnak temple, we proceeded to Luxor temple which was built for Ramses II. The thing that stood out about this temple was:
1) There used to be 2 obelisks in front of the temple, but now there's only one because hundreds of years ago, some Egyptian president gave France one of them as a gift!...wtf??? You hack a piece of rock (full of history and is a part of a temple), and ship it away... What was that guy thinking?
2) The Romans, when they took over Egypt, used Luxor temple as its own! How? Well, they just painted right over it! Talk about laziness!
I also learned a bit about how the historians restore these monuments and for 1 EGP, I was part of the action! Now I can say that I helped restore the Luxor temple to its previous glory! wuhahah!
After Karnak and Luxor temple, we headed back to the hotel after realizing that half the stores close on Sunday afternoon. That ends the morning of Day 9.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Day 8 Part III: Night in Luxor
After the camel ride, I met up with my trusty sidekick for dinner at Ali-baba restaurant. On the way, locals tried to get us on taxis or their store. Funniest is when this one guy found out we're looking for Ali-baba restaurant and told us that we're there, pointing to a restaurant clearly marked 'SIN BAID'... we're like 'we see the sign you know' and he kept saying 'tis the same, tis the same'. Even funnier was when the other people loitering on the street (there're tons in Egypt no matter where you go) joined in and also said that place was 'Ali-baba'. After looking at one another, we decided to just walk away; then one of the locals finally just told us that Ali-baba's around the corner.
The restaurant was patio style on the second floor and so had a very nice view. On the right side, there was a garden of some sort, and on the left was Luxor temple. Talk about prime location!
New Food:
Tagin Style Shamsauka w/ Meat = Egg, vegetable, broiled meat served in a black clay pot (30 EGP)
Basbossa = Crunchy version of the barbossa (8 EGP)
Stella = 500 ml local beer (7 EGP)
The Shamsauka w/ meat was delicious! On the way to the hotel from dinner, I found the exclamation mark and the no trumpet road signs. Still not sure what the '!' sign means but the 'no trumpet' sign I think means no honking. Egypt driving uses tons of honking to pass cars, to get customers for taxi, to warn people, etc etc. So I guess I was close to a hospital...
The restaurant was patio style on the second floor and so had a very nice view. On the right side, there was a garden of some sort, and on the left was Luxor temple. Talk about prime location!
New Food:
Tagin Style Shamsauka w/ Meat = Egg, vegetable, broiled meat served in a black clay pot (30 EGP)
Basbossa = Crunchy version of the barbossa (8 EGP)
Stella = 500 ml local beer (7 EGP)
The Shamsauka w/ meat was delicious! On the way to the hotel from dinner, I found the exclamation mark and the no trumpet road signs. Still not sure what the '!' sign means but the 'no trumpet' sign I think means no honking. Egypt driving uses tons of honking to pass cars, to get customers for taxi, to warn people, etc etc. So I guess I was close to a hospital...
Day 8 Part II: Camel Ride
After Valley of the Kings, we went to get some local food. Today we found the Kedfa. Much, much better than these dam falafels that people seem to love (cuz you can get two for 1 EGP. First time I actually like eating liver. Then after chilling in the pool for an hour, and resting up in the AC room for another, I headed off for my camel ride.
Camel ride was soo fun and interesting. It was a special request by me so only me and the doctor of our group went. We were led by 2 local kids (I guess its their part-time job). My camel had 2 names... Casablanca for Italians and Bob Marley for English; not quite sure why. The kid's name was 'Humpty Dumpty'... The kid talked alot and wanted my camera! He kept saying how poor he was. At first, Humpty Dumpty seemed like a nice kid, keeping me interested and asking how I was doing etc. Everything was going good and then he started asking me about MP3 players and cameras and if I brought these things with them. As he cont'd on, I realized this 17 year old kid was trying to ask me for my camera to give to him as a tip! I was like wtf??? He goes on to say how cheap it is, blah, blah, blah, and how I can spare it and how he has a sister and brother who needs pens and sh*t... I got worried when he asked what was in my bag. I swear if I had hold him I actually had money, clothes, pens and camera, etc in my bag, he'd probably would have taken my bag and left me on the camel! Maybe I'm exagerating but lucky I thought of an excuse behind my excessively heavy bag (I had 3 L of water in it)... once I told him that, he left the bag alone. Thank god, cuz the part I didn't mention to him was that there was easily enough money in there for him to live at least half a year in Eygpt! Don't we all love half truths?
The actual camel riding experience was well worth it though. The route we took had great landscape and it seemed like I was riding through some local farmland of a rural village (which I probably was). Unleashed donkeys, and camels just lazily chewing away at grass or sugar cane, kids riding donkeys transporting sugar canes, litle kids waving at us saying 'halo', and all this while I am on a camel...What an awesome experience!
At the end of the camel ride, we had hisbiscus tea with the owner of the camels. The tea this time was hot and with 2 teaspoons of sugar, tasted like hot '82 Lafite'... the kiddy version. The taste was very different from the cold hisbicus tea I had at the Nubian village; maybe hisbisucs tea tastes different when its hot.
By the way, a tourist camel costs about $3000-$5000 EGP ($600-$1000 CDN)... can you imagine, I can actually afford a camel..even now. One day when I am rich, I will buy a camel for my backyard haha! Then get kids on the weekends and get them to pay to get a picture with a camel. $5 CDN for 5 minutes of photo, I'd only need 120 kids for the camel to pay itself...lol... hrm... I wonder what the import laws're for camels into North America (since the export laws in Egypt will not be a problem as the tour leader had told me it's definitely doable)... Ah the possibilities!
Today's food:
Kedfa = Liver Sandwich - slightly spicy chunks of liver w/ pita bread (2 EGP)... note: tastes just like meat.
Camel ride was soo fun and interesting. It was a special request by me so only me and the doctor of our group went. We were led by 2 local kids (I guess its their part-time job). My camel had 2 names... Casablanca for Italians and Bob Marley for English; not quite sure why. The kid's name was 'Humpty Dumpty'... The kid talked alot and wanted my camera! He kept saying how poor he was. At first, Humpty Dumpty seemed like a nice kid, keeping me interested and asking how I was doing etc. Everything was going good and then he started asking me about MP3 players and cameras and if I brought these things with them. As he cont'd on, I realized this 17 year old kid was trying to ask me for my camera to give to him as a tip! I was like wtf??? He goes on to say how cheap it is, blah, blah, blah, and how I can spare it and how he has a sister and brother who needs pens and sh*t... I got worried when he asked what was in my bag. I swear if I had hold him I actually had money, clothes, pens and camera, etc in my bag, he'd probably would have taken my bag and left me on the camel! Maybe I'm exagerating but lucky I thought of an excuse behind my excessively heavy bag (I had 3 L of water in it)... once I told him that, he left the bag alone. Thank god, cuz the part I didn't mention to him was that there was easily enough money in there for him to live at least half a year in Eygpt! Don't we all love half truths?
The actual camel riding experience was well worth it though. The route we took had great landscape and it seemed like I was riding through some local farmland of a rural village (which I probably was). Unleashed donkeys, and camels just lazily chewing away at grass or sugar cane, kids riding donkeys transporting sugar canes, litle kids waving at us saying 'halo', and all this while I am on a camel...What an awesome experience!
At the end of the camel ride, we had hisbiscus tea with the owner of the camels. The tea this time was hot and with 2 teaspoons of sugar, tasted like hot '82 Lafite'... the kiddy version. The taste was very different from the cold hisbicus tea I had at the Nubian village; maybe hisbisucs tea tastes different when its hot.
By the way, a tourist camel costs about $3000-$5000 EGP ($600-$1000 CDN)... can you imagine, I can actually afford a camel..even now. One day when I am rich, I will buy a camel for my backyard haha! Then get kids on the weekends and get them to pay to get a picture with a camel. $5 CDN for 5 minutes of photo, I'd only need 120 kids for the camel to pay itself...lol... hrm... I wonder what the import laws're for camels into North America (since the export laws in Egypt will not be a problem as the tour leader had told me it's definitely doable)... Ah the possibilities!
Today's food:
Kedfa = Liver Sandwich - slightly spicy chunks of liver w/ pita bread (2 EGP)... note: tastes just like meat.
Day 8 Part I: Valley of Kings aka Donkey Day
Having missed out on my camel ride experience at the pyramids, today I arranged for a camel ride around town. But before that, we visited the valley of the kings... travelling by donkeys! Yes... hee-hon! hee-hon!... I rode up the hills and rocks w/ my trusty donkey, and it was a blast! I must have rode on it for a total of 1 or 2 hrs... cantered w/the donkey (sometimes/mostly not of my free will) and it was sooo fun! Down the hill, up the hill, racing on the open road w/ other fellow donkey riders, it was great! And to think, later in the afternoon, I'd get to ride a camel as well!
But back to the Valley of the Kings, this was a tomb for Pharaohs in the middle kingdom days I believe (King Tut, Ramses III, etc.) We went to see 3 tombs and well, to me, they all looked the same. The more I go to these temples and tombs, the more I realize I should have learned more Egyptian history prior to coming over here. Our tour leader did give us some background info, but don't really remember too much :). This place had color this time (for the previous places, the color on the walls had already faded)... imagine all the paint they used... for the outside AND inside walls. These old Pharaohs sure valued their afterlife all right!...
But back to the Valley of the Kings, this was a tomb for Pharaohs in the middle kingdom days I believe (King Tut, Ramses III, etc.) We went to see 3 tombs and well, to me, they all looked the same. The more I go to these temples and tombs, the more I realize I should have learned more Egyptian history prior to coming over here. Our tour leader did give us some background info, but don't really remember too much :). This place had color this time (for the previous places, the color on the walls had already faded)... imagine all the paint they used... for the outside AND inside walls. These old Pharaohs sure valued their afterlife all right!...
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Day 7: En route to Luxor
Waking up at 6:45am, I wake to realize our felucca had started sailing... luckily with us on it.. and even luckier that I didn't need to pee! Our first stop was the temple of Kom Ombu, which had a duality approach going on. One side of it was Roman, the other side was Egyptian. Also got to see a mummified crocodile. The temples are now all starting to look the same... if only I knew hieroglyphics and know more about Egyptian history!
After the first temple, we went to the 2nd temple called Edfu temple. Nothing much interesting there (probably because I am all templed out... haha).
So 2 temples and 2 hours later, we arrive in Luxor. At Luxor, I had falafel for lunch and then went to an Egyptian supermarket. The highlight was them giving me Halloween candy (chiclets) for change... Apparently this was a common thing, but it was funny nevertheless...
Also I now have drank 5 different brands of bottled water. These include:
Barak, Aquafina, Nestle, Daisyan, Heyatt.
Others include (as the days went on):
Nahl (Day 9), Schweppes (Day 10)
At nite, went to see the Luxor marketplace. I got annoyed with some shop selling guy cuz he kept touching my shoulder after I told him not to touch me. Since he cont'd, and knowing it will start a ruckus, I put my hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him HAHA! Then he goes how I shouldn't touch him in english blah blah blah and some Egyptian guys from other stores came up to me, but having shoved that annoying shop guy, I was satisfied and walked away with that guy just standing there. Yes yes, I could've gotten shot, but oh well, I am trying new strategies to avoid annoying hasslers. So far I've got
1) Ignore them and act like I dont know english
2) Tell them I will buy from them if they guess where I come from (they always think I am Japanese or Korean)
3) Smile and walk away
4) Tell them I am from some weird country (like Cambodia) when they ask where you are from
5) Pick an item in the store and tell them you will buy it for a ridicously low price (like 1 EGP)
6) Say no (doesn't work)
Tonite's new food:
Oum Ali = pastry made in the form of layers, with top layer consisting of coconut flakes and raisins (10 EGP)
Goubabash = honey cake-like thing (4 EGP)
Pigeon = Pigeon stuffed with rice (15 EGP)
Another thing about Luxor, the weather is sooo freaking hot that it takes about 2 hours for the weather completely dry our laundry. When you got Luxor, who needs a dryer???
After the first temple, we went to the 2nd temple called Edfu temple. Nothing much interesting there (probably because I am all templed out... haha).
So 2 temples and 2 hours later, we arrive in Luxor. At Luxor, I had falafel for lunch and then went to an Egyptian supermarket. The highlight was them giving me Halloween candy (chiclets) for change... Apparently this was a common thing, but it was funny nevertheless...
Also I now have drank 5 different brands of bottled water. These include:
Barak, Aquafina, Nestle, Daisyan, Heyatt.
Others include (as the days went on):
Nahl (Day 9), Schweppes (Day 10)
At nite, went to see the Luxor marketplace. I got annoyed with some shop selling guy cuz he kept touching my shoulder after I told him not to touch me. Since he cont'd, and knowing it will start a ruckus, I put my hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him HAHA! Then he goes how I shouldn't touch him in english blah blah blah and some Egyptian guys from other stores came up to me, but having shoved that annoying shop guy, I was satisfied and walked away with that guy just standing there. Yes yes, I could've gotten shot, but oh well, I am trying new strategies to avoid annoying hasslers. So far I've got
1) Ignore them and act like I dont know english
2) Tell them I will buy from them if they guess where I come from (they always think I am Japanese or Korean)
3) Smile and walk away
4) Tell them I am from some weird country (like Cambodia) when they ask where you are from
5) Pick an item in the store and tell them you will buy it for a ridicously low price (like 1 EGP)
6) Say no (doesn't work)
Tonite's new food:
Oum Ali = pastry made in the form of layers, with top layer consisting of coconut flakes and raisins (10 EGP)
Goubabash = honey cake-like thing (4 EGP)
Pigeon = Pigeon stuffed with rice (15 EGP)
Another thing about Luxor, the weather is sooo freaking hot that it takes about 2 hours for the weather completely dry our laundry. When you got Luxor, who needs a dryer???
Friday, April 27, 2007
Day 6: Felucca Day II
On the 2nd nite, we stopped at a farm-like place... very many cows, very many kids, very swampy, lots of sh*t lying around and very hot!... haha.. it really does not sound as bad as I have described it, it was actually a very nice view!
All in all the felucca was great... I was lucky in that we were on the quiet boat; on the other felucca, there were people w/ IPODs and speakers, blackberry... very hi-tech; whereas on ours, all we had were books and pillows :).
One thing I enjoy about this trip is the lack of being near technology. My goal is to not check emails for the entire trip, though the occasionally phone calling/messaging is acceptable :)...
So our boat worked out very well. We all enjoyed/relished our quiet time, and do talk from time to time. It was a very lazy sail up the Nile, a bit less flies'd be perfect! Whenever we weren't moving too fast, there'd be the odd fly here and there. But when the felucca's sailing, there are no flies or mosquitoes!...
The breeze is very nice! And let's not forget the great scenery all around! And knowing a little bit about the history of the Nile, and knowing that I am sailing on these very waters, what an unforgettable experience!
All in all the felucca was great... I was lucky in that we were on the quiet boat; on the other felucca, there were people w/ IPODs and speakers, blackberry... very hi-tech; whereas on ours, all we had were books and pillows :).
One thing I enjoy about this trip is the lack of being near technology. My goal is to not check emails for the entire trip, though the occasionally phone calling/messaging is acceptable :)...
So our boat worked out very well. We all enjoyed/relished our quiet time, and do talk from time to time. It was a very lazy sail up the Nile, a bit less flies'd be perfect! Whenever we weren't moving too fast, there'd be the odd fly here and there. But when the felucca's sailing, there are no flies or mosquitoes!...
The breeze is very nice! And let's not forget the great scenery all around! And knowing a little bit about the history of the Nile, and knowing that I am sailing on these very waters, what an unforgettable experience!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Day 5: Felucca Day I
So now begins my 2 day trip on a felucca up the the Nile to Kom Ombu. A felucca is a sailing boat and we'd eat and sleep on it. Washrooms you ask?...Ans: whenever we dock, the nearest lonely tree = guy's toilet; and the bushiest bush = ladies' room...
As we were w/ a young captin and his brother, he let us do crazy stuff like climb the mast... ARRRR MATIE! :) Some of the ppl were even crazy enough to swim in the Nile... I was almost about to, if it wasn't for our doctor onboard telling our boat about how the Nile has parasites that can crawl up and lay eggs in my balls!... so I decided to stay the hell away and was content to reamin on the boat and chillax...
The ride was very comfortable and I really enjoyed it (especially when the flies were not about). At nite it got a bit vicious thought since the mosquitos came out to play. I sustained a few bites (even w/ my DEET bug spray)...It wasn't too too bad, cuz the nite before, I think I had 16 bites at the top floor of the Aswan hotel where a couple of us were chilling w/ the tour leader)... 16 bites ALL on my feet, guess I should have wore socks!
Also borrowed a book to read (those self-help books)... very interesting read and a few thoughts came from this...
Aside: Arabic Vocab
Some essential words I learned:
salem = hello
shakran = thank you
maya = water
bikam = how much
aleufei = you're welcome
mi es Manson = my name is Manson
hamastacia ginas = 15 pounds
gateer = expensive
no mish Indie? = Do you think I am stupid? (direct translation: Do I look Indian)
chatta = hot sauce
salem = hello
shakran = thank you
maya = water
bikam = how much
aleufei = you're welcome
mi es Manson = my name is Manson
hamastacia ginas = 15 pounds
gateer = expensive
no mish Indie? = Do you think I am stupid? (direct translation: Do I look Indian)
chatta = hot sauce
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Day 4: Abu Simbel and Aswan at Nite
All I can say is... WOW! This place is even better than the pyramids! Ramses II knew his sh*t... Two temples, one for him, one for his wife, both towering over the sky, both have paintings and hieroglyphic drawings covered EVERYWHERE!... Apparently we weren't allowed to take pics inside the temple, but I found out after I had already snapped a few...oops! Anyway, you just have to be there to see how amazing the temple looked...
Then in the afternoon, we went to see the unfinished obelisk and I almost bought a cheap galabaya ... haha.. the guy started telling me its 170 EGP and I was like wtf... started to walk away and after 10 minutes of this walking away and bargaining business, got it down to 35 EGP!... but by then, I lost interest... But what a discount... 170 becomes 35 EGP! lol!
At nite, we went to check out the marketplace and saw my galabaya... decided to see how low I can get the price.. and lo and behold.. its now valued at 28 EGP!... talk about deals!... (but I still didn't buy it :) )... haha
New food:
Falafel = some crunchy ball things with vegetables + special sauce inside a pita bread (1 EGP)
Kofta = beef sausage (4 EGP)
Hamaachi = meat sandwich (4 EGP)
Then in the afternoon, we went to see the unfinished obelisk and I almost bought a cheap galabaya ... haha.. the guy started telling me its 170 EGP and I was like wtf... started to walk away and after 10 minutes of this walking away and bargaining business, got it down to 35 EGP!... but by then, I lost interest... But what a discount... 170 becomes 35 EGP! lol!
At nite, we went to check out the marketplace and saw my galabaya... decided to see how low I can get the price.. and lo and behold.. its now valued at 28 EGP!... talk about deals!... (but I still didn't buy it :) )... haha
New food:
Falafel = some crunchy ball things with vegetables + special sauce inside a pita bread (1 EGP)
Kofta = beef sausage (4 EGP)
Hamaachi = meat sandwich (4 EGP)
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Day 3: Aswan and Nubian Village
Arriving in Aswan, we checked in a very fancy hotel w/nice showers and a pool! Air conditioning was good, room was pretty big, washroom actually had more than 2 towels!!! Also did my first load of laundry :)
In the afternoon, we went on a felucca ride on the Nile around Aswan... Nothing special but was very relaxing!
Then at nite, we went to a Nubian village for dinner. It's a very nice experience and got to try some more local food, as well as see sort of how the Nubians lived. Even thought I found out later that the house we went to was a 'model home' (ie. not where the family who cooked us the dinner actually lived), we still saw their kids having fun, and also what a Nubian house looked like.
Also saw the 1st sunset and stars at the courtyard of the Nubian house. They are very pretty as always. On day I'll learn how to pick out the constellations!
New food:
Kofta = Beef Sausage, potato fries, rice + tomato sauce
Tomolo: waking up at 3am to go to Abu Simbel.
In the afternoon, we went on a felucca ride on the Nile around Aswan... Nothing special but was very relaxing!
Then at nite, we went to a Nubian village for dinner. It's a very nice experience and got to try some more local food, as well as see sort of how the Nubians lived. Even thought I found out later that the house we went to was a 'model home' (ie. not where the family who cooked us the dinner actually lived), we still saw their kids having fun, and also what a Nubian house looked like.
Also saw the 1st sunset and stars at the courtyard of the Nubian house. They are very pretty as always. On day I'll learn how to pick out the constellations!
New food:
Kofta = Beef Sausage, potato fries, rice + tomato sauce
Tomolo: waking up at 3am to go to Abu Simbel.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Day 2: Cairo and Giza
Official 1st day of tour...
1st destination: Giza and the Sphinx:
Very spectaculr and much better than photos. A bit disappointed that I couldn't go inside the pyramid. Reason: We went around all 3 sides of the pyramid, only to realize that the entrance to the inside on the pyramid was on the 4th side!.. So sadly, I could only take pics from the outside (since there was no time to go inside by the time we found the entrance). 2nd disappointment was the highly anticipated camel ride didn't happen :(... But still the pyramids were great! And the sphinx is sooo diffferent up close! Too bad the sphinx is a man.. haha!
Intermission: Lunch and Papyrus Place
Then after visiting the pyramids and the sphinx, we went for lunch at this really expensive restaurant for some buffet (70 EGP)... VERY not worth it (in Egypt, food can be bought at around 2 to 15 EGP... exchange rate is 1 USD:5.7 EGP).
Also went to papyrus place and saw how they made super paper! You can dip it in water, and all the ink goes off it. It can be twisted and not break... who needs e-paper when you got this stuff???
2nd Destination: Egyptian Musuem
At the Egyptian musuem, we saw 90,000 artifacts... and they were originals (ie. not replicas). I have to admit that this part of the trip was a bit hazy since I was sooo sleepy! I almost collapsed on the floor not once, but twice from the lack of sleep and exhaustion!!! The parts I remember seeing was great thought. King Tut, mummies, statues, all very cool! Can't believe they housed so many original artifacts here. The museum could work on how they present their material though. The place was poorly lit, and items were EVERYWHERE, didn't really wow me as much as I thought it could when its a museum with over 90,00 artifacts from 4000 years ago.
3rd Destination: Sleeper Train
And if this day wasn't crazy and packed enough, we boarded a sleeper train that night. First time on a train where I sleep overnite on! Surprisingly, the sleep was super there. The room was air conditioned, there were rattles here and there, but it was a very rejunvenating sleep! Tomorrow we will have left Cairo and have arrived in Aswan, a place famous for spices.
New food:
Koshiri = rice, lentos, macaroni + tomato sauce (1 EGP)
Tolgen = Macaroni with meat sauce (2 EGP)
1st destination: Giza and the Sphinx:
Very spectaculr and much better than photos. A bit disappointed that I couldn't go inside the pyramid. Reason: We went around all 3 sides of the pyramid, only to realize that the entrance to the inside on the pyramid was on the 4th side!.. So sadly, I could only take pics from the outside (since there was no time to go inside by the time we found the entrance). 2nd disappointment was the highly anticipated camel ride didn't happen :(... But still the pyramids were great! And the sphinx is sooo diffferent up close! Too bad the sphinx is a man.. haha!
Intermission: Lunch and Papyrus Place
Then after visiting the pyramids and the sphinx, we went for lunch at this really expensive restaurant for some buffet (70 EGP)... VERY not worth it (in Egypt, food can be bought at around 2 to 15 EGP... exchange rate is 1 USD:5.7 EGP).
Also went to papyrus place and saw how they made super paper! You can dip it in water, and all the ink goes off it. It can be twisted and not break... who needs e-paper when you got this stuff???
2nd Destination: Egyptian Musuem
At the Egyptian musuem, we saw 90,000 artifacts... and they were originals (ie. not replicas). I have to admit that this part of the trip was a bit hazy since I was sooo sleepy! I almost collapsed on the floor not once, but twice from the lack of sleep and exhaustion!!! The parts I remember seeing was great thought. King Tut, mummies, statues, all very cool! Can't believe they housed so many original artifacts here. The museum could work on how they present their material though. The place was poorly lit, and items were EVERYWHERE, didn't really wow me as much as I thought it could when its a museum with over 90,00 artifacts from 4000 years ago.
3rd Destination: Sleeper Train
And if this day wasn't crazy and packed enough, we boarded a sleeper train that night. First time on a train where I sleep overnite on! Surprisingly, the sleep was super there. The room was air conditioned, there were rattles here and there, but it was a very rejunvenating sleep! Tomorrow we will have left Cairo and have arrived in Aswan, a place famous for spices.
New food:
Koshiri = rice, lentos, macaroni + tomato sauce (1 EGP)
Tolgen = Macaroni with meat sauce (2 EGP)
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Day 1: Cairo @ Nite
Any logical person with a pounding headache would opt to go to sleep... But Soldier Mson, together w/ his sidekick who's been in Cairo for 2 days, decided to go for dinner and go see Khan el Khalili (a bazaar in Cairo). Met by crazy driving and pushy sales people, we ended up trying a meat dish and some chai!
Today's food:
Chai = Mint Lemon Tea.. Very good!
Papaganosh = grey stuff appetizer like thing that you dip your bread with
So by 12ish am Cairo time (aka 6pm hometime), we were back in the hotel. Hotel looked great on the outside, not so great inside.. haha.. funny thing is that these places requires you to put these room key/tag thing in a slot for the room to have electricity... so coming back from the bazaar, our room was scorching hot!
Invention #4: Ad-hoc AC
Method: Open the mini-fridge... and leave it open :)
Result: Slightly cooler room
So Mson completes his 1st 30 hour day... 36 if you count the time zone difference... but maybe cuz of the jet lag, I wasn't able to sleep and so I was still up at 3am ish..which means... 40 hr day... WOW!
Today's food:
Chai = Mint Lemon Tea.. Very good!
Papaganosh = grey stuff appetizer like thing that you dip your bread with
So by 12ish am Cairo time (aka 6pm hometime), we were back in the hotel. Hotel looked great on the outside, not so great inside.. haha.. funny thing is that these places requires you to put these room key/tag thing in a slot for the room to have electricity... so coming back from the bazaar, our room was scorching hot!
Invention #4: Ad-hoc AC
Method: Open the mini-fridge... and leave it open :)
Result: Slightly cooler room
So Mson completes his 1st 30 hour day... 36 if you count the time zone difference... but maybe cuz of the jet lag, I wasn't able to sleep and so I was still up at 3am ish..which means... 40 hr day... WOW!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Day 0: Done Done Done!
Exams're done! Last undergrad exam of my life completed at 2:30pm. In a few hours, I will be bound for Cairo to begin my 18 day grad trip :)
So on the plane, watched 4 movies and passed out at the French airport and on the plane to Egypt from France (amid an anooying kid who kept hitting my chair from behind).
2.5 hr exam, 8+5 hour flight, 3 hr stopover, Soldier Mson arrives in Cairo!
Important Observations about the Traffic at Cairo:
1) Traffic lights --> always yellow, never red or green
2) 2 lane traffic --> one car on the left and right of dotted line, and another one on the dotted
3) Cars continuously honk and tons of hand gestures are used to cut ppl off
4) The 'real' traffic lights are these guys in white uniforms who ask you for tips if you ask for directions
5) You ain't a true driver in Egypt if you don't drive on the dotted line at all times
So on the plane, watched 4 movies and passed out at the French airport and on the plane to Egypt from France (amid an anooying kid who kept hitting my chair from behind).
2.5 hr exam, 8+5 hour flight, 3 hr stopover, Soldier Mson arrives in Cairo!
Important Observations about the Traffic at Cairo:
1) Traffic lights --> always yellow, never red or green
2) 2 lane traffic --> one car on the left and right of dotted line, and another one on the dotted
3) Cars continuously honk and tons of hand gestures are used to cut ppl off
4) The 'real' traffic lights are these guys in white uniforms who ask you for tips if you ask for directions
5) You ain't a true driver in Egypt if you don't drive on the dotted line at all times
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