Oberoi The Mena House Cairo

... viewpoint before the pyramids closed, and, as cheesy as it sounds, there was a bit of an appeal to riding around the pyramids on a camel. We foolishly paid up, and mounted our camels for our tour. The camels were actually a lot bigger than I expected or remember seeing in Aladdin. But I soon realized that this wasn't the only way to get out to the distant viewpoint before the pyramids closed, as the camels walked at about 80% of the speed of ...

... can mean anything from the following list (though the list is not exhaustive): "Hey, how's it going," "I'm passing you," "You're going too slow," "You're going too fast!" "You're passing me," "Do you need a ride," "I am not giving you a ride," "Hey, pedestrian, get out of the way!" "Hey, pedestrian, I am coming so just make sure to stay out of the way but you're actually fine now and you're really not blocking anything," "Hey, since we're at this stoplight, and we have nothing ...

... reflects that "unbreakable" bond with Israel, and we've seen what that leads to in the past: Israel doing whatever it wants and us...well...not breaking with it.

So I do think it was a brilliant speech because Obama has such skill for laying out an argument clearly and for demonstrating a vision that supports his argument. The question is: does Obama believe his argument enough and to what end is he willing to go to ensure that his argument is a ...

... I think you will understand what I mean. The sphinx was really neat to see as well. The backdrop with the pyramids is so breathtaking I just don't know how else to explain it to you. I hope the pictures will do it justice. We saw tons of tourists from every part of the globe also enjoying the sights. The peddlers can be a bit overwhelming as they somewhat stick to you like glue. A firm "Lat Shu-kran" which is Arabic for No Thank ...

... catalogue (which we didn't purchase) to identify from the numbers that are their only label.  We did not look at quite all of them, but were very thrilled by the display of Tutankhamun treasures, most of the items gilded and made with stunning artistry and craftsmanship.  Notable objects included chairs, beds, chariots and slippers.  The centre piece is the fabulous gold mask that covered the mummy's face outside of the bandages and is considered to be ...

... headed back to the hotel. Four o'clock wake up call tomorrow for the flight down to Aswan.

Day 3 Cairo - Cruising - Abu Simbel

Cairo domestic airport was a bit unusual to say the least, every one was ushered through to the departure lounge, two flights were leaving this morning, if we weren't told ours was the second flight we wouldn't have known and probably got on the wrong flight.

There was no announcement for boarding, just a bloke ...

... the mosque. We also needed to put our shoes in a plastic bag when inside the mosque. A huge chandelier hangs down from the high domes which are decorated exuberantly in gold gilded geometric patterns and Arabic calligraphy. Inside the mosque the floor is carpeted with many large rugs, not quite as nice as the Blue Mosque in Istanbul which has thousands of ...

... shock to the rest of the world.

Suprisingly (to me at least) there isn't a lot of work on this topic. So I'll be doing a lot of research. I'm starting with the basis of the belief, specifically Christian Millenarianism -- post- and pre-dispensationalist. I'll look at the rise of Christian evangelical fundamentalism and how the movement's views on morals and the "end times" compels its believers into political action.

My ...