TravelStream™ news feed for member elizacass on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/elizacass en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 09 May 2009 15:01:55 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241892420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241892420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241892420/tpod.html Sat, 09 May 2009 15:01:55 -0400 Salam alekum....Exploration to Egypt

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Dahab, Red Sea and Sinai, Egypt

We decided to this sunrise hike to Mt. Sinai early this morning, because seeing the sunrise at the top was something that was life changing, magical...and to walk back down the steps of Redemption, the same steps that Moses used, all 3750 of them. So this was our plan...and one of the reasons we took that 10 hour bus ride over to the Red Sea, to experience this amazing journey.
Our day started out at actually the night before, as we were picked up at 11 pm for it was a 2 hour drive to the bottom of the mountain and the location of St. Catherine's Monastery which we would visit the morning after our hike. The van sent out for us was full , so the leftovers ( us) were crammed into a old staion wagon ( a.k.a. Taxi) and started our drive to the mountain. There seems to be no speed limits, and the cars have no seatbelts. Our driver had only brights for headlights, or no lights at all, so whenever a car approached , he would turn his lights off completely. He was also going at least 100, but his spedometer was broken, so I really will never know. So, while everyone else was passed out in the car, my eyes were glued to the road, and I was wide awake . I was lucky enough to get the middle seat in the back seat in between two gentlemen, one from Germany, with very long legs, and an Aussie with no sleep and a tank top. And I was crammed in the middle between the two, for our middle of the night , two hour drive....ahhhh, traveling is so glorious sometimes :)
When we arrived at the mountain at around 2 am, there were alot of buses , big and small filled with tourists just like us, with this adventure ahead of us. We split into groups , ours Dehab, about 20 of us. We were told to stay together as much as possible, and to not wander off, why would we want to wander off in complete darkness off the trail in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country? But I'm sure their instructions were there because of some tourist getting lost or worse one time. The night was beautiful! It couldn't have been more perfect. Full moon, and not too cold and no breeze. We were surprised to find that Dahab is known for its great windsurfing, because of its many days of wind here, and we have had quite a few, so it was great to have a break from that on our hike.
On our way up, alot of people had flashlights, some on their heads like miners, so we followed behind the lights as we climbed. They also rented camels if you didn't want to walk, and alot of the older travelers and a group of nuns passed us by as well. The hike started off really smooth, with easy trails and alot of switchbacks, which made the hike not as steep and difficult. It was funny to see quite a few small rest stops with small cabins selling water and coffee and snacks...they looked like little miner shacks and even had refuge inside for cold windy nights, we were so lucky to have such a warm, calm, moonlit night for our hike.
Toward the top we came upon the 750 steps to the top, and no camels past this trip, everyone had to walk it. They were also renting blankets and small mattresses to sit on once you reached the top, since you had to sit on the cold boulders waiting for the sun to rise and the temperature drops to the 30s. We got a mattress and blanket to share . How all of those people fit up on that small space on top is beyond me, but Mo and I found a great boulder to cuddle up together with a great view of the horizon, and waited out the big event.
For all of you that know me, know that I am easily impressed and find beauty and joy in the most simplest things in life. But also , I have been lucky enough to have seen and been to the most amazing places and seen some of the worlds most admired and sought out treasures.....The Great Wall in China, the Eiffel Tower in Paris....etc...so when I was ready to be blown away...We hiked for 3 hours, in the middle of the night, and we were now freezing ,bundled up together on this rock on the top of Mt. Sinai...and here comes the sun...everyone has their camera ready...
Well....I sort of compare that moment as one to visiting Old Faithful in Yellowstone last year with my mom and daughter last year waiting with all those tourists for the big moment....and then thinking..." That was it???"
Well, the sunrise didn't blow us away....I think sunrises are overrated, and I'm been blown away by many a sunsets in my day ( my favorite) but it all about the journey and not the destination...and the journey up there was amazing!!!! The journey down was even better...we got to take the stairs of Redemption down, built by a monk who was redeeming himself,,,he must of done something really bad, because their were 3000 steps.
The views and mountain going down were breathtaking, my favorite part of the journey. And we had light to see our way know that we had that rockin sunrise!! :)
At the bottom, we visited St. Catherine's Monastery which was beautiful. There was a very old church, and room down below with skulls and bones of hundreds of Monks who spend their days worshiping and protecting the church. We also visited the burning bush that as legend goes, it was there that God spoke to Moses. The bush was protected by a wall, and the bush was a beautiful shade of green, and looked more like a tree with its color more than a bush. We saw a small group of worshipers standing over a very sick man that was laying on a bench close to the tree and their was a priest standing over him waving his hands over his body with hopes to relieve him of his sickness and pain. I wonder how many people make the long journey from far away with ailments hoping for a miracle. It was a magical place...so maybe miracles can take place again.
After our long day and night, it was back to our hotel for a long rest. What a day! And yes,,,,I did it in Sandals...and I believe besides Moses, I was the only one .
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241637240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241637240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241637240/tpod.html Sat, 09 May 2009 14:06:48 -0400 Salam alekum....Exploration to Egypt

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Dahab, Red Sea and Sinai, Egypt

Now that Maureen and I are in Dahab, its been very easy to get right into the laid back life-style of being here. Years ago this used to be a big hippie town, and still is by most standards. But as times change and always seem to go more upscale, so goes out the more casual way of things, and in comes the more modern style to attract more of a diverse crowd. It is still very laid back here , no high rises, and still very poor villages just around the corner from where all the tourists stay and hang out.
We are staying in one of those casuals places , right on the boardwalk on the water, staying in one of the best rooms in the place with a huge wooden balcony with a ocean view....and our price is $35 a night. Our hotel is called The Penguin Village....I have no idea why...there isn't a penguin in site. We have been spending the last couple days lounging on the upper deck of the Penguin restaurant on large cushions, having the most amazing food at every meal, and taking long walks on the boardwalk in the mornings and evenings...you can see how one can really get used to this way of life.
This morning we had the best Egyptian breakfast, well, actually Mo had it, and I ate half of hers because I liked hers better than mine....Its so great to have such choices for breakfast! In Asia its been my usual choice of Banana pancakes , or a fried egg.
Tonight we went on a sunset camel ride. Our ride to the village didn't show , which I'm pretty used to when planning excursions in Foreign countries..." We be there at 430...well, maybe 5:00... you just wait, we be there soon..." but a backup cab showed up and took us to a village right outside of town to board our camels. This is only our second camel ride , so we by no means are any sort of experts...the first one was just a photo-op by the pyramids as you might remember.
It was just Mo and I ( it is the slow season here) a nice young man led us up to a mountain outside of the village , and there was nothing around but desert. After a while we got off our camels and hiked up to the top a mountain where you see the most amazing views of the town and ocean below. We could of stayed up there until sunset, but me in my flip-flops ( yes , hiking in my flip-flops again...hiking shoes take up too much room in the backpack!) we decided to head down before dark, and besides we are hiking up Mt Sinai tomorrow night, in the middle of the night to catch the sunrise.
At the bottom of the mountain we stopped for tea with the Bedouins who live there by the mountain. They were so nice, the tea was great! There English amazing...( he said he learned from American TV!) and they played some traditional music for us, and even posed with us for pictures! It is so great to be here at a time when there aren't so many tourists, and we can really feel like we are more visitors than tourists, and every where we go , we are still greeted.." Welcome to Egypt!!" with nothing but smiles and love. Things are quite poor here as well as Cairo, you don't have to go far off the path to see it. But there is no begging, and everyone seems happy with what they have and just glad that you have come to visit their country and they always ask if you like it here and if you are having a good time....we are :) Tomorrow night...the hike up Mt Sinai.......in flip flops, well me that is. Its the same mountain that Moses climbed and was given the Ten Commandments and parted the Red Sea...I'm sure you are all familiar with the story. Do you think he had hiking shoes? I think not, I'm sure he was in Sandals and did just fine :-) At least thats my excuse.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241465340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241465340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241465340/tpod.html Tue, 05 May 2009 16:04:35 -0400 Salam alekum....Exploration to Egypt

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Dahab, Red Sea and Sinai, Egypt

We decided to do the bus to Dehab...it was really the only way that you can get to Dehab which is a small town by the Red Sea, and across from Israel, known for its small town charm and hippy vibe, and for its great diving. The bus was going to be about 9 hours, and we weren't sure of our stops along the way, and if we would have a chance to buy some food along the way at our stops, or if there would be any stops. Its always random, if the driver feels like it, there is usually a toilet on the bus, but after 9 hours , that toilet is not pretty. Its always better to plan ahead and have lots of food, Flashback to our 20 hour Vietnam Train ride 4 years ago, and all we had to eat was some rice and a Snickers bar...so we didn't plan ahead and we were left with some chip and crackers at the only stop our driver made that day at a middle of nowhere stop where you had to tip the bathroom attendant to use the toilet ( this is common all over Egypt and many foreign countries actually).
The interesting thing about the trip was that every time we stopped at a toll booth, there were armed guards and one would come onto the bus and ask us all for our tickets and passports...there were a couple other tourists on the bus , but we were definitely the only Americans. They didn't give us a hard time, but always asked for it, and they were armed, we just handed it over, they looked at it, looked at us, and gave it back and went on to the next person. This happen 9 times on our 9 hour bus ride. Security is very tight...and they are very , very careful in checking everyone, every time. I have never been to a country that is so tight on their security.
We arrived in Dehab, and a local girl from Holland who now lives here and is a certified dive instructor , took us under her wing since she speaks Arabic, and helped get us a cab into town, a short ride, and we hopped into the back on a pickup truck, and they dropped us off at our Boutique hotel for our first night in Dehab. We decided to live it up the first night, and stay in German owned Boutique hotel with a bakery next door...how convenient for me, since there is nothing more exciting than homemade cakes and brownies! Our room was great , and the nicest , and most romantic little beds!
We walked to town which is basically a long boulevard along the water, and its lined with charming restaurants and small hotels and shops. We would be moving here to our next hotel , The Penguin Village, tomorrow where we would be staying the next 5 nights. We had our first dinner at Funny Mummy , this really cool Bohemian style place along the water with lounge style seating on the floor with low tables and big cushions, and candles...yes more romantic stuff. After having a great dinner, we decided to try our first Sheesa...
It is a very popular pastime here , which consists of smoking flavored tobbaco out of this beautiful Egyptian pipe. I am not a smoker at all, in fact, I have never smoked ( really) but we had to try it! It tasted okay, but even though it was strawberry flavored, it really wasn't my thing, Mo liked it about the same...we got some cool pictures though!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241375220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241375220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241375220/tpod.html Tue, 05 May 2009 15:11:05 -0400 Salam alekum....Exploration to Egypt

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Cairo, Egypt

Our Last day in Cairo we started out at the Egyptian Museum, and there was three security passes just to get inside. This famous museum is home to the largest collection of Items from King Tut, and was definitely the highlight of our visit that day. We not only saw the three Mummy Coffins that he was buried in , but all the items, that were found in his Tomb in the large discovery in 1922. They had his bed he slept in, some of his clothes, alot of his Jewels, and even his chariot. I was happy to hear that his actually mummy was left in the tomb were he buried and discovered....it seemed very wrong for them to disturb him and take all this things and display them so people like me can go and look at all his precious things, so its nice that he was left to hopefully rest in peace.
After we were off to Coptic Cairo, which is really Christian Cairo, since it has many Catholic churches and history dating back to the time of Christ. Mo and I were going to take the subway....we are so local! We were the ONLY tourists down there, and it only cost about 20 cents. We were standing on the platform, very proud that we were in the right place, and as the first train approached, we stepped up to board the train. We did not notice that we were the only women standing in that particular spot, and as we were about to board we had our first taste of segregation, " This train is for Men Only" we were told but some men entering the train and we were directed to a few cars down of Women only cars. So we missed the first train and went down to a spot on the platform that was written in Arabic, For Women. They all smiled at us, almost all of them in Vail's, and Mo and I with our best version of respected clothing, waiting our turn to board the next train, and get in the cars just for women. That was quite the experience. Because of the trains being crowded, the men are not allowed to touch the women, so they get their own cars.
We arrived at Coptic Cairo and went to visit the Church of St.George where as history states, Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus sought refuge in the basement of that church for sometime and now is known for a place of worship and many followers come for a visit of blessing at the alter below the church in the small room where they hid for some time. We went down there as well, and saw many Christians kissing the floor and wall, and placing notes with prayers in the wall. There is also a place where you can take a drink from the well where they drank. This was now converted into a sink, and you can take a cup or fill up your water bottle with blessed water...How wonderful! My water bottle was empty...why not get a little holy water, who couldn't use some extra blessing, considering the last time I had been to mass is when I was in Rome a couple years ago at St Peters church with my daughter....well, for those of you who know me, and that face I make when I taste something I don't like....I have to say...that Holy water tasted like its been in the well since the time of Christ. I couldn't even bring myself to swallow it, even if I had the chance of internal life. I took one swig, and had to spit it out ( after making the face and cracking Mo up of course) Is that wrong? Mo wasn't brave enough to even try it, and she goes to church every Sunday, so I feel that I got some points for the thought of trying...)
We ended the evening with an amazing Felucca Boat ride on the Nile. For about $10 ( including tip!) we had our own private sailboat ride on the Nile....it was just getting dark, and it was a beautiful night. I do the most romantic things with my friends ! We brought a picnic, and the boat had cushions and we even had our driver send our for beers for us, which killed 20 minutes of our hour cruise waiting for them, and they were warm, but our boat captain was so nice, and took some pictures for us while we floated with out the sail waiting for his friend in another boat to come back with them. The sail was wonderful, and highly recommended if you ever make it to Cairo! The Ali Baba ( the boat dock) was across from the Four Seasons, so we had to go into the lobby for a look. It was the first Internationl hotel that I have been into that I have had to clear security and a metal detector. Because of the recent bombings, and all that is going on in the world, they are not taking any chances, and that makes us feel very safe. The hotel was beautiful, and we even saw our fist Sheik Prince in the Lobby.
Tomorrow....off to Dehab...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241207940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241207940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241207940/tpod.html Sun, 03 May 2009 15:21:32 -0400 Salam alekum....Exploration to Egypt

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Giza, Egypt

Today was one of those days that you are lucky enough in your life to have, that you look back on and think, this day and where I am, is one of the highlights of my life.....
Today, Maureen and I took a trip to the Ancient Pyramids of Egypt, the Pyramids of Giza, and the famous Sphinx . Some of the biggest and most famous Pyramids of the world, the ones you see pictures of in all the history books, and of course that famous one in Vegas, but this was the real thing.
We hired a driver to take us in the morning after breakfast, which we had on a beautiful terrace on the12 floor of our building where our guest house is. In the morning the skies are clear and you can hear the beautiful chants coming from the mosques, calling all the worshipers to prayer. When you are in Cairo, you really feel, and know that you are in another part of the world, there is no denying it.When we first arrived, we were greeted by a friendly local..." Where are you from" ?..." USA...we said back....." Oh, John Wayne...High -Ho Silver" Wasn't that Buck Rogers horse?...Hmm, anyways, its funny what people think of when they hear, USA...
We arrived at our first Pyramid, the largest of the three that we would visit today that we actually could go inside and climb up to one the small compartments that thousands of years ago held actually mummies and relics from that time. We first had to clear "security" , which just like at the airport , you have to put your bags and purses thur a screening machine, and then walk thru a metal detector. This is done at all bus stations, train station, and all popular tourist destinations. They are taking no chances with anything happening here again, you get the feeling that they are trying to be one step ahead of anyone causing any harm to Egypt and having the people visiting here feel very safe.
Once we cleared security, our kind Taxi driver turned into our tour guide and picture taker, and took lots of great pictures of us posing in front of these amazing pyramids. Its hard to even describe how big they are, and even comprehend how these were build so many years ago, and how in the world they were able to lift and build with those large, heavy stones...incredible!
Our first pyramid , no cameras allowed...so we left it with our trusty taxi driver ( the people of Cairo are extremely friendly, and extremely trustworthy...) the pyramids we were warned are not for anyone even remotely claustrophobic...you have to climb up some tiny stairs thru a small tunnel that you cannot stand up straight in.....so cool!
We had no problem, other than it got a little hot in there, because we have to cover our legs and shoulders almost always in public here in Cairo, we do not have to cover our hair since we are westerners, but all other women must.  Since we were in a tourist place, the rules are more relaxed, and we became rebels and took off our cover ups on our shoulders for some of our pictures...( Maureen was the first rebel of the two of us, actually, and I followed......The climb was great, and I wish there was more of it!
After our Pyramid adventure we were off to do our Camel Picture shot....we decided that we would just do the picture on the camel at the Pyramids and then an actual camel trek for sunset when we get to the desert in Dehab. I cant even tell you how great it was getting on that camel for the first time. They are kneeling down at first and then you have to lean back and hold on the front of the saddle when he stands up...and they are tall, and you are really far up there....! Maureen went for the full tourist picture and wrapped her head with a checkered scarf...she is so cool, I just love Maureen for holding nothing back , and living up every experience that comes her way! We both loved being on those camels, and had our pictures taken with the Pyramids in the background, and if you ever get a chance to do that, its worth every penny! And it only cost us, $ 5....
Next it was on to see the Sphinx, which was also alot bigger than imagined, and full of people trying to sell you gold Pyramids on necklaces, head scarves, and dancing stuffed camels.
After a day of sightseeing , we came back to the city of Cairo, and took a walk, got lost and almost run over trying to cross the street in busy traffic a couple of times...this freaks Maureen out, I just sort of focus on the other side of the street and follow behind  a local as he crosses...( because they wouldn't hit a local! :) But there seem to be no speed limits, no street lights, and definitely no places were traffic will stop for you to cross,,,,its madness!
After a long day we ended it with dinner at the most amazing local restaurant off a deserted street that you would never find unless you knew where you were going...( thank you Nadine from our guest house!) and it was this amazing restaurant, with charming decor, and low ceilings, and the best Lebanese food,,,, what  a Great day! Tomorrow , heading to Old Cairo, and wandering Ancient Markets.....
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241116560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241116560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241116560/tpod.html Sun, 03 May 2009 10:58:16 -0400 Salam alekum....Exploration to Egypt

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Cairo, Egypt

Maureen and I had a very smooth trip....Business class on our first try out of Chicago, and had two Dancing of the Stars , Dancers sitting in front of us..( Maureen has never seen the show....but I know who they were!) It was the really pretty one with the amazing figure from Russia and her new husband that always dances on the show...She must of already been eliminated since they were heading back to Russia, and the season isn't over...Ive been way out of touch in the TV world lately.
We also sat next to a very friendly businessman from Bologna, Italy named Andrea who sells Italian Marble who by the end of flight wanted me to be his American girlfriend, and I did not...and he did not take no for an answer so I was a little over Andrea by the time we landed in Frankfurt, and was happy for a change of planes to Cairo...
Our flight to Cairo was smooth as well and after a $15 visa upon landing to get into the country , we walked thru the gates at customs and looked for our sign with our names on it from our taxi driver sent from our hotel to pick us up....We found him with no problems, we were the only Americans, and the only Cassidy party...
We were expecting this HUGE hot breeze as we left the door and entered the outside of Cairo for the first time and were pleased to find that it was actually really nice out! Dry, and maybe only about 80 degrees. Our driver told us that we needed to take a bus to the parking lot where he had parked his car . No cars are allowed into the airport directly because of car bombs....ahhhh, welcome to the other side of the world....but a very safe choice for the airport to choose.
The buses pulled up and our driver grabbed our backpacks and told us to get on the bus....it pulled up and it was already almost full, and then all of these people, all locals ( and very few women) starting pushing their way onto the bus until the doors barely closed! Maureen and I failed this task three times...every time a bus would pull up, we were so intimidated to push our way on, we just stood there and our nice patient taxi driver would smile and just wave his hand,." Go, Go...!" We finally got up the courage on our 4th bus ( I'm not kidding) knowing that our driver couldn't keep up his Patience forever and we had to go for it sometime! Ahh, we made it on and he looked proud of us!
We made it to the car lot ( no camels yet...) and were on our way to the city of Cairo! We thought getting on that bus was crazy, then to get out of the lot we had 8 lanes of traffic all trying to squeeze into one lane to pay the toll to get onto the expressway! It was insane! Our driver held his cool, but others were yelling thing in Arabic , and I think I picked up a couple new words...and some even got out of their cars and yelled right into the faces of the other drivers...it was insane! ( but entertaining...:)
We made it out of there just fine, but Maureen was a little nervous when realizing that the cabs have no seat belts...these cabs are sooo old..I think some of these cars were here when the Ancient Egyptians lived here.
Our hotel is great! I found it on my trusty Tripadvisor,,,,,its a small guest house on the 12 and top floor of a building in downtown Cairo in the local district, and we have a great room with a balcony to watch the sunset on!
Their is open air terrace that they serve breakfast in the morning (included) and a beautiful rooftop deck to hang out and have a drink and watch all the life on Cairo below...Fantastic ! The hotel is run by the nicest french/ Egyptian couple. The roofs here are full of satellite dishes and debris...its really quite a site!
Tomorrow we are hiring a taxi to go out to see the Pyramids of Giza...and some camels I'm sure :)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241292180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241292180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/6/1241292180/tpod.html Sun, 03 May 2009 10:57:20 -0400 Salam alekum....Exploration to Egypt

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Cairo, Egypt

We got so freakin lost again today...this city is sooo confusing ! With all its small alleys and streets that seems to always be crossing one another, in fact, every time Mo and I have left our hotel , we have gotten lost at least once. I know that getting lost can be fun, adventures, but not when you are tired, hot, dirty, and really over it. We started out great...took a cab to old Islamic Cairo to see a really old part of city, and wandered down beautiful old streets and buildings which lead us to famous Market called Khan El Khalili, which sells lots of souvenirs and belly dancing costumes...( don't laugh , Mo almost bought one...) and lots of things that you just cant live without after visiting Cairo, like those dancing stuffed camels ( kind of like the fish that sings , that you get home and you end up leaving in the garage because its so darn annoying) Nadine from our hotel said that the market is a tourist trap and everything there is made in China...we had fun walking around and bought nothing but some Almonds from Iran, and had a Turkish coffee at the famous Fishawis Coffee house.
I think I have met my match when it comes to this Turkish coffee...why have I not discovered this stuff earlier? Its like the strongest espresso in a small cup, so strong that the bottom is full of the grounds that you can have after in case you really need to get a extra boost. For all of you that know me and know my love of really strong coffee, I'm in heaven...bring it on! The problem is that it does nothing for me in the way of keeping me up, I just really love the taste and those little cups its served in are so cute! :)
We then wandered to a famous Mosque that is more of a fortress called Babzweila. It has a long history of being built in the 10th century, and is famous for its large Minarets that you can actually climb up ( yeah , more climbing! :) In Mamluk times, the space in front of the gate was the site of executions, a popular form of street theater, where some victims were sawn in half or crucified. The spirit of a healing saint was ( and still is ) said to reside behind one of the wooden doors which supplicants have studded with nails and teeth as offerings over the centuries. How bizarre is that! We had to go check that out! We climbed to the top of one of the minarets, and with some encouraging, I got Maureen to step down onto the small circle balcony that gave you a 360 view from the top of all of Cairo. She is not as brave as me, but I'm working on it, and she almost always gives in!
The rooftops of all of the building here are COVERED in trash, and not just any trash, car parts,old furniture, lots of misc debris, and its so strange to not only try to figure out how all that trash got up there, but why? We asked a local and their answer was that if your building looks like its not finished, then you don't have to pay any taxes on it. And when you are looking down across all these buildings, that is what it looks like, very interesting.
The city of Cairo is not beautiful by any means...it is very brown, and lacks any color at all. Very few trees and parks, and there is dirt everywhere. And lots of pollution. It is a city that has much history and character, but not alto of beauty.
On our way back ,,,,we got lost...again. We were following a small street that must lead out to a main street where we could hail a cab to get back to our hotel. But we walked and walked, and more lost and lost, and the more lost we got, the less tourists we saw. We saw herds of goats, and donkeys pulling wagons full of groceries, and we got lots of stares. We had no choice to carry on and eventually we came on to a street and hailed a cab and made our way back to our wonderful hotel and after a shower and a small nap, we wandered out again to another amazing Lebanese restaurant with dim lights, lots of mis-matched furniture and some great Eygptian music and fantastic food. We will not be overcome...:)
Tomorrow more adventure of Coptic Cairo and the Egyptian museum and ...Mummies...! You would think all this fascination of mine with mid evil executions and dead people that I liked scary movies...But I don't!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/5/1238719080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/5/1238719080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/5/1238719080/tpod.html Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:31:31 -0400 Island Hopping In Thailand...In search of Deserted Beaches and the Best Banana Shake

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koh jum, Thailand

In the morning on my last day in Koh Jum, I went down to the beach for my last few minutes of being in the moment before heading back to the big city of Bangkok, and then of course the real city in which I live in, Chicago. I sat in the big swing on the beach, and my long tail boat "captain" took one of my favorite pictures of me of my whole trip, me just swinging over the ocean, with nothing but the moment of exactly where I was right then. Its hard to find a place that will do that to you, and its amazing how you can be half way around the world or just sitting on your deck in your backyard listening to the birds, and just be in that moment. You can do it anywhere, if you allow yourself just be right there and no where else.
After my swinging, we set out in the boat, and met up with several other boats from some other bungalows "resorts" ( I'm not sure why they all call themselves "resorts" I am not sure what makes it a resort, there is usually never a pool, never a work-out room or spa, maybe a mat somewhere down on the beach where you can get a massage for around $6. But resort? Sounds pretty nice though, they all call themselves this...:)
So there were 2 other long tail boats besides mine, just floating out there in the middle of the ocean, waiting , waiting for the big boat-the ferry to take us back to land, back to reality eventually. I looked at the others in their boats and was wondering if they were thinking the same thing as me, that last moment of vacation as we waited.Some where probably heading out somewhere new, for some , their travels will last months, even as long as a year, I'm lucky to have several small ones several times a year.
I wonder about some of the people I met, that love the places they go to on their travels so much that they end up moving there for part of a year, does it end up feeling the same when you make your vacations your reality? Do you still appreciate it as much when its no longer the places you are just visiting, but your life? I think from time to time we all think about running away to a deserted island, I don't know if I would feel the same .
But for me, its just the end of another great journey.
Bangkok is always more interesting and enjoyable on the way in, then the way out. By the time you get to Bangkok, you are sick of being hot, sweaty and dirty, and the haggling for how much a cab should cost, and why they wont put on their meter when their cab clearly states.." Meter Taxi".
After some last minute shopping, another pedicure, and a couple of hours sleep is was off to the airport for an early morning flight back home.

I decided to conclude my Blog with my Top Ten Random things about my trip to Thailand, not in any particular order, I just thought it would be fun, love lists!

1. The Best Bed I slept in....The Bed at The Viking Resort.

2. The Worst night sleep I had....The first night at the Viking Resort ( the music was insane that night)

3. The Best day....finding that amazing remote beach with the girls in Phi Phi Island.

4. The Best meal....Pineapple fried rice in Koh Lanta

5. The Stupidest thing I did...you are going to think I'm going to say cutting my finger, actually it was taking two Tylenol Pm in the dark one early morning not being able to see which bottle I grabbed thinking it was regular Tylenol....I couldn't keep my eyes open almost all day.

6.One of my funniest moments...breaking my flip flop hiking back to our resort one night in Phi Phi and making the other girls laugh their heads off at me trying to make it all the way back in the dark, down a hill with one shoe. ( glad to entertain..:)

7. Silliest person I saw...Definitely the Guy wearing pink fisherman pants, pink scarve on his head, white sunglasses and a bird on his shoulder, thinking he was some kind of Love Guru.... I think Marita has a picture of him somewhere.

8. Closest Call.....walking on Koh Jum I stopped to take a picture of a great view and if I would of kept walking I would of gotten hit on the head by a coconut that just fell from a very tall tree. They say that you have a better chance of getting hit by a coconut then catching Malaria or getting bit by a shark...

9. Scariest moment....swimming in the complete dark in the Emerald Cave in Koh Lanta, with no head count before we went in, and signing no waiver...( you never sign waivers over there, for what Marita says...what are you going to sue someone who has nothing?

10. And the best Banana shake of the trip, had to be at the Viking Resort restaurant, they had a blender that worked all day...I had them twice a day when I was there!

I know that I am so lucky that I have the opportunity to travel alot more then most people because of my amazing basically free travel benefits, and the time off allows me to take several trips a year. But my life is the way it is because I create it. There are alot of people that have the same opportunities that I have but the lack of desire to act on it. Every trip I takes not only creates amazing memories, it makes me appreciate life and the world a little bit more, and I always come home a better person because of it all.
Next trip...Egypt...:)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/5/1238498880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/5/1238498880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/5/1238498880/tpod.html Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:56:49 -0400 Island Hopping In Thailand...In search of Deserted Beaches and the Best Banana Shake

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koh jum, Thailand

I have arrived on an island where there is peace and serenity, and only electricity from 6pm- 6am, which means no shakes since they are made using an electric blender. You are able to get hot food, since alot of its already made using a hot pan, cooked with propane. So electricity is made by the use of a generator, so that means ,,,,no late night music! My first night here of falling asleep with just the sounds of crickets and the ocean waves, how marvelous.
My first full day here I decided to go out on an adventure to check out the island. There is only one main dirt road here, and only motorbikes, if I was more comfortable with my motorbike skills i would of rented one , but I prefer to be the passenger more than the driver.
I only came across a family of monkeys on my morning walk, that I stopped and waited for them to allow me to pass. Most wild monkeys are harmless, and are more afraid of you then you of them. Its only in very touristy places that the monkeys become aggressive. This is because people feed them, and when they see you, they think food, and will do almost anything to get what they want, including stealing your hat and sunglasses. These monkeys were not those type, and let me pass with no problem.
As I was walking a local on a motorbike passed me, " Hello bungalow #5!" ( that is the bungalow I am staying in at my place) as I said, this is a small island.
I found a sign and dirt road leading down to another set of bungalows and a beautiful secluded beach. I stopped for some lunch, or some attempt to have some lunch. You see , I am on an unplanned "cleansing" diet at the moment, I have been on this diet since I had some bad shrimp at my last meal in koh lanta. So nothing that goes in me , stays in me....I need not say more. So my new diet consists of water, fanta, and shakes ( after 6 pm) Hopefully my new diet will only last a couple of days.
I met a very interesting older , way too tan, gentleman named Paul who is from Amsterdam and runs the bungalows that i stopped to drink my fanta at for lunch. It was his last day there for the season, and was heading back to Amsterdam that day and after his last 2 guests leave, his workers will be closing things up for the season. He only has 7 bungalows, and said that he gets some guests who come out and stay for months at at time. This season was slow though, mainly because of the Bangkok airport closes for several weeks in December of last year because of the protest, that happened during their peak season. I was on the beach when Paul's long tail boat pulled up to get him to take him to the bigger boat , then onto the mainland and to the airport to fly home. He comes out to run his bungalow from Nov-April, and then the bungalow along with almost all on the island shut down for the rest of the season because of the rainy weather that is coming. I noticed that the only luggage he had was a small duffel bag, thats it, thats all he needed for 6 months of his life here, amazing. I would of used that size bag for a weekend away, and this is coming from someone who can travel for weeks in a back-pack and works out of a suitcase, I'm still learning how little I need to travel with. The less I have, the freer I feel, and its a great feeling.
I am traveling back to bangkok in the morning to start my journey home. I look forward to another peaceful night of sleep on the island.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/5/1238333880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/5/1238333880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elizacass/5/1238333880/tpod.html Sun, 29 Mar 2009 10:34:06 -0400 Island Hopping In Thailand...In search of Deserted Beaches and the Best Banana Shake

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koh lanta, Thailand

I moved in the giant hay bungalows with my new friend Marita in Koh Lanta, this place has a very cool vibe, and its run by a very sweet lady boy, and I'm pretty sure they do not have a first aid kit here , so its a good thing my small tragedy happened at the fancy resort. We had a very chill day and a great dinner at a cool local beach restaurant down the way on long beach where we are staying. The restaurants here on the beach are so cool, they have inviting private open air cabanas and tables built on lifted platforms filled with cushions to sit on and candlelight to eat by, so romantic.! That night there was party at the beach bar by our bungalows...a real rage party. What is it with these backpacker places and their all night loud parties? Don't people come on Holiday anymore just to listen to Nora Jones and just relax with the sound of the waves to put them to sleep? This one went really late, and Marita and I had a morning snorkeling trip planned. Thailand isn't one of those places that has noise ordinance that shuts down the music so that people close by can get a good night sleep, I can see some impatient New Yorker walking up to the beach bar demanding them to turn it down.....I have never seen that happen, not that Ive even come across another American on my journeys here so far.
The snorkel trip was fun, always nice to go on journeys and discover new places. Our group on the boat was small, and we even parked the boat and had lunch on the beach at a private island. On one of our snorkeling trips , my dear sweet new friend Marita who loves diving, animals, and really appreciates and respects the ocean and all its lovely creatures , noticed that some of the plastic from the tops of the water bottles had fallen( lets hope, not thrown) into the water. This garbage is so damaging to the ocean life, and can actually kill the fish if they eat it, Just before leaving our snorkeling spot , Marita dived into the water and collected all the plastic. People from the boat stared at her and probably thought she was being silly, I thought it was beautiful...:-) I really like my new friend.
Next we went to the Emerald cave in Koh Mook, a private island . You had to swim thru the cave to get thru it to a private beach and lagoon. The cave was long and dark, about 80 meters ! Our "guide", I say that loosely since its really just a worker from the boat....had us hold onto the back of each other and sort of form a long chain and we swam thru the cave in the pitch dark...only our "guide" had one small flashlight guiding us from ahead...."Don't touch the sides of the caves! They are very sharp!" Yes they were , I touched them several times not being able to see anything and loosing my grip of the back of the person I was trying to hold onto as I swam thru. I did make it to the other side and the private lagoon was beautiful. One of the scariest things I have ever done, and if I would of cut my finger swimming thru a dark emerald cave it would of been alot more interesting story than my razor one :)
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