Marriott Cairo Hotel And Omar Khayyam Casino

V 22 April to 2 May - Goodbye Dubai, Hello Egypt

This is our last morning in Dubai, we took advantage of the Dubai Museum which is just across the road from the hotel, which was very interesting it shows the history of Dubai, the fishing village, how the villages were set out and how the people lived in their community in the oasis's, the forming of the Emerates States. It was very interesting. Here in this environment I am constantly surprised with human survival. Even though Dubai is...

I am not even sure where to start with the stay in Cairo. Nothing could have prepared me for the poverty, filth and crazy traffic (Cairo puts Athens to shame). President Obama arrived as Jonathan and I were leaving and I can only hope that he saw a fraction of the things we did. From our driver and tour guide cutting off a crippled boy who was trying to cross the street in the City of the Dead (apptly named since the poor people who live here find shelter in mouseliums) to watching a stray ca...

We have had some surreal experiences here in this city of eighteen million, certainly not what we had expected. On our first afternoon in the city, we ate a lunch of lamb and apricot ravioli and arugula, mushroom, and anchovie salad. After that, my good friend and former roommate, Ramy, and some friends arrived in Cairo to join us. Ramy has some well-off family members here and they have welcomed us with the warmest of hospitality. Our first night was spent enjoying a home-cooked, forty-dish ...

Day 26)
One of the many things I have been surprised about on this journey, a direct result of flying so many different airline companies, is how much better the service is on international airlines. We literally had a 1.5 hour flight to Cairo from Athens but still were served a full meal on Egypt Air. Nice to fly on airlines that are focusing on customer experience rather than trying to figure out how to charge for peanuts, drinks, and to use the bathroom.
As we touched down in Cairo,...

Thursday, July3, 2008 We were met by the rep as we got off the plane, before Immigration. Painless. We waited quite a while for my bag to come off. V's came quicker. The other couple in our group never got one of their bags. 1/2 hour transfer to the hotel. Crazy drivers who made 3 of more lanes out of a marked 2 lane road. Lots of honking and pedestrians crossing major highways. Checked into the Cairo Marriott. Beautiful grounds. Our transfer van was stopped before entry to the hotel, shut of...

Our first 2 days in Cairo. Our plane landed at 6am on Sunday and we were met by Ahmed who guided us through visa purchase, baggage control and customs before bringing us to the hotel. With a little negotiation and "baksheesh" (local word for money/tips ) we were able to get into our room earlier than scheduled. We were grateful for this as we could have a few hours sleep to help adjust to the time change. The hotel is amazing, with the main building being the Gezirah Palace built in 1869 to c...

In the states, Unitarians talk a lot about diversity, but we don't have a clue. For me, diversity is what the city of Jerusalem is about. So many religious traditions -- not just Jewish, Christian and Muslim -- but many sects and subgroups within each. Each is sure it is right and the others wrong and competing for the same hill or rock or holy site. And each, in the eyes of this secular humanist, is blind to their own basic teachings of love, tolerance and kindness. Like John Lennon, I somet...

The Marriott Cairo, our oasis in a dirty, teeming city of 18 million, made our busy stay in the area most pleasant. The city itself needs a good clean-up. Dirty buildings, trash, and pollution from the massive number of cars somewhat overshadows the lovely mosques, Coptic churches, monuments, etc. The people, however, are friendly and the sites we are visiting are wonderful. The pyramids and sphinx are overwhelming forms growing out of the desert. Our train ride through the Nile delta to Alex...