TravelStream™ news feed for member skyisblu on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/skyisblu en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:42:50 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1261604002/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1261604002/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1261604002/tpod.html Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:42:50 -0500 Down under, mate!

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Los Angeles, California, United States

Getting to where I was this afternoon, sitting on the beach with my toes in the sand, my belly full of tasty shrimp, and the Pacific ocean roaring in my my ears, really wasn't that hard at all.

The trip to the airport this morning, and the run around of checking in that followed was annoying, but went fast. We did discover that, when traveling to the US, you pass through customs in your own country, I guess, for security reasons. I was the lucky recipient of a random bag check - hourray! And Mario is convinced that the airport only opens 30% of the 27 available customs counters just so that the wait line is always looks full. For what reasons, I don't know, but that's what he thinks.

Of course we waited forever in line, and had to run to catch our already-boarding flight from Montreal and, as a result, paid way too much for airline snacks on the plane. Oh well - at least we ate.

Arriving in LA, we followed some helpful online advice on how to waste a long layover at LAX, and rode the Big Blue Bus to the Santa Monica Pier, where we feasted on Bubba Gump Shrimp while watching the tide come in. Afterwards, we enjoyed a lazy afternoon of beachcombing. Once the sun set, we retreated to the airport to leach off the WIFI, and post pictures. All in all, a great way to spend a few otherwise wasted hours!

REVELATIONS:

1 - Public transit here is phenomenal. It costs 75 cents to ride the bus, which goes everywhere and runs on natural gas. The stops are announced on the bus over a PA system AND on an LED light board. How much easier could it possibly get?!

2 - The fry shacks on the Santa Monica Pier pipe their fryer exhaust below the pier and onto the beach, so the greasy food smell will attract more customers.

3 - Bubba Gump Shrimp is really good.

4 - LA has lots of awesome architecture that, perhaps, warrants another visit back here one day.

5 - Even without the snow, the city is full of Christmas tree lots! It seems so wierd that you could possibly bring home a tree that doesn't have the branches all frozen together!


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1261514980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1261514980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1261514980/tpod.html Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:52:50 -0500 Down under, mate!

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Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Our bags are packed, last minute arrangements made for house-sitting, cat-sitting and such, all important documents collected, and it's blowing snow outside. Boy, am I ever ready to leave now! Australian summertime, here we come!

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/6/1231113780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/6/1231113780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/6/1231113780/tpod.html Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:57:01 -0500 Off galivanting across the world again, this time to Mexico!

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Coba, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Adventure Day! Today, we got to go to Coba, by way of a little adventure...First, a mini-bus ride that, while only about 1h15m long, seemed much, MUCH longer due to 3 boys sitting behind us, constantly asking "Are we there yet?" We arrived in a vacant dirt lot next to a small village, and a shop selling cold drinks, and began our trek into the jungle. The path is well-worn and slightly inclined, though incredibly easy compared to some of the treks Mario and I have done. It's so easy, in fact, that even the boys (ages 6-10) were running along the path. Not 15 minutes later, we arrive at our first stop - the zip line platform. As we suit up in harnesses and helmets, our guide Alonso, along with his trainee Charlie, explain the finer points of riding the zip line, poisonous trees not to be touched, keeping straight to see the maximum scenery possible - and whacking the crocodiles that jump out of the lagoon. For this, we are handed a stick. Actually, this is our Mayan brake, meant to help us slow down and keep control on the zip line. Mine had a few more burn holes in it than I'd like, so I opted for a fresher one, for fear that the end might break off in mid-flight. ZiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

And we found ourselves stopped instantly, with maybe a touch of whiplash, safe on the other side of the lagoon. No, there really are no crocodiles.



We watched spider monkeys climb through the trees above us as we descended to the waterfront, climbed into canoes, and paddles our way across the same lagoon we had just flown over. On the other side, we gazed up the trunk of a 600-year-old tree, with a diameter of at least 8 feet, and branches that seemed to span half the jungle. We met up with a Mayan shaman who asked the gods for our protection in a small ceremony, around a table which represented the earth, with 13 gods above and 9 gods below. It is not heaven and hell, it is more like a Yin / Yang concept; the good and the bad. We breathed in an incense made of burning amber, and drank a sweet concoction of purified water, honey and herbs.

All good and protected, we moved on to our next location by way of some serious off-roading in our mini-van tour bus. It was a little rough on the bum.



Our next stop on this adventure; repelling into an 8m deep cenote, a cave located underground, full of fresh water. The Yucatan peninsula used to be one big coral reef, so there are no rivers in its landscape, but it does have one of the largest underground river systems in the world. And we are dropping down, backwards, into a part of it. Shall I say that I was just a little apprehensive about falling backwards 8m, into a pool of water below. The first drop, into a sitting position just beyond the rim of the opening, is the worst part of it. At no point did I feel unsafe, though. The guys in charge of the safety ropes and guide lines did a fantastic job, making me feel like I was in charge of my own descent and pace, but keeping a firm hold on me at all times. We didn't even have to splash down into the pool below - there was a guy waiting in the water, waiting to disconnect our ropes and prop us up in a inner tube!

The water was cool and clear, and there were little fish swimming all around. We could see straight to the bottom, another 8m down. Mario climbed up the side of the cave, and dove in a few times, prompting the 3 boys to attempt the same thing! Leave it to him to entice small children to give their mother a heart attack every time. Up and out of the cenote, and we discovered a welcome side effect - the water is filled with mineral that make you feel incredibly relaxed and refreshed afterward.

We returned to the location of our jungle trek for lunch, at long tables where to women of the nearby village were cooking up traditional Mayan dishes. We helped ourselves to rice and beans, chicken in a tomato sauce, empanadas with salsa and guacamole, and lots of fresh corn tortillas to scoop everything up with. It was all so delicious, and by then we were so hungry, that we all had second helpings.

After stuffing ourselves, we traveled into the town of Coba, and ancient Mayan capital, that spread over 70 sq. km, between 200 BC and 1400 AD. Of the entire complex of ruins, only 1% has been excavated! Our guide explained that the Yucatan peninsula is absolutely flat, and in this area, we are surrounded by small hills. Our guide says that every hill, no matter how big or small, is an unexcavated building, or part of one, most likely too badly damaged at this point to excavate. Impressive.



After learning about the Mayan people, and their way of life 600+ years ago, we are set free on the ruins, to explore as we wish. Mario and I rented bikes, with 1 speed, and no brakes, to travel between sections of the site more quickly, and ultimately have more time to at the sites themselves. You can also walk the entire site, which is a little too long for the amount of time we had, or take what they call a Mayan limousine: a 3-wheel bike pedaled by one of the guides, with a bench in the back to ride. Much more comfy and fast, but also pricier.

At the end of the path, we come face to with our goal; the tallest climbable Mayan pyramid on the Yucatan peninsula. And the view from the top was breathtaking, in more ways than one! Of course, Mario the show-off had to run up to the top. Good for him. Coming back down was a little more tricky, but still manageable in comparison to some other climbs we've done. We took our bikes back to the entrance of the site, enjoying the breeze that our ride provided.



After, the adventure was winding down, as we rode back along the main highway to our resort. Finding the Akumal Beach Resort proved to be our last little challenge, as the entrance is poorly marked coming from the opposite direction, and we very nearly turned in to 3 other resorts before finding the right one! It was a very fun day, full of lots of excitement , fresh air and sun, so no surprise that we adjourned to our room quite early, but plenty happy.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1258512166/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1258512166/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1258512166/tpod.html Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:08:35 -0500 Down under, mate!

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Montreal, Quebec, Canada

So I have discovered that planning a trip for two can be difficult at times, but planning for 6 is complicated stuff! Trying to get everyone in accordance with the next hostel, or next train to take, and then booking said hostel or train...even though it is only myself and Lesley making the majority of the decisions. We are acting as the travel agents on this one. At least so far, all of our planning has had positive results, and half the trip has been decided. It was not easy, but here goes.

*****update: the entire trip is now BOOKED!******

Dec. 23 - Departure Montreal Trudeau Airport
12-hour layover in Los Angeles, spend the day at the Santa Monica Pier.
Dec. 24 - Lost somewhere over the Pacific Ocean (International Date Line)
Dec. 25 - Arrival in Melbourne (Merry Christmas!)
BBQ with Lesley and James on the beach
Dec. 26 - visit Melbourne
Dec. 27 - visit Melbourne
Dec. 28 - visit Melbourne
Dec. 29 - depart for Canberra by bus (booked!)
stay at the Canberra City YHA
Dec. 30 - visit Canberra
stay at the Canberra City YHA
Dec. 31 - travel to Sydney for NYE celebrations by bus (booked!)
sit in a park all day waiting for fireworks (!?)
wander the streets until sunrise (no more accommodations available!)
Jan. 1 - travel by train into the Blue Mountains
stay at the Hotel Gearin
Jan. 2 - visit the Blue Mountains
stay at the Hotel Gearin
Jan. 3 - return to Sydney by train
stay at Wake Up! Sydney Central
Jan. 4 - visit Sydney
stay at Wake Up! Sydney Central
Jan. 5 - fly out from Sydney to Adelaide (booked!)
Jan. 6 - 3-day Kangaroo Island trip with Groovy Grape Getaways (booked!)
Jan. 7 - 3-day Kangaroo Island trip
Jan. 8 - 3-day Kangaroo Island trip
stay in Adelaide
Jan. 9 - visit Adelaide / Barossa Valley / Glenelg
Jan, 10 - visit Adelaide / Barossa Valley / Glenelg
Jan. 11 - return to Melbourne by train on the Overlander (booked!)
Jan. 12 - visit Melbourne
Jan. 13 - visit Melbourne
Jan. 14 - return flight from Melbourne to LAX
LAX to Montreal Trudeau (found that missing day!)

That's it for now. Anyone with suggestions for good places to see or fun things to do, let me know! Otherwise, keep in touch!

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1255295472/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1255295472/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/7/1255295472/tpod.html Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:58:56 -0400 Down under, mate!

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Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The journey begins anew, with the purchase of airline tickets to some wonderful, far-off place, and subsequent in-depth research of said wonderful, far-off place. And in doing so, I realize how little I really know about the world I live in and travel about. With the purchase of those glorious airline tickets, it's as though I've turned open the first page of the book of a great new adventure.

This time, we're off to Australia. I think it's as far as we can possibly go!

Why? Reason number is because we're visiting family who have recently relocated to Melbourne for school. Reason number two is - HOLY COW - IT'S AUSTRALIA! Why wouldn't you want to go there? And we'll be arriving in the middle of their summer - our winter - on Christmas morning, no less. Just put a bow on me as I get off the plane!

So I've begun planning - again - thought with a new challenge this year. We will be traveling as a group of 6, so organizing who will be where, and when, is totally different from our previous trips. Usually, that involved a glance at the Lonely Planet and then away we went. More updates to come when our plans become more concrete.


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1252870021/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1252870021/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1252870021/tpod.html Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:59:12 -0400 Look out pyramids, because Egypt, here we come!

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Aswan, Nile River Valley, Egypt

Sleep is NOT easy to come by on the night trains. Everyone gets up and walks around a BILLION time times a night, to smoke, to go pee, to go to the cafeteria car, possibly. They talk all night, and play music on their cellphones, or try out new ring tones with the volume all the way up. And at each stop, vendors get on the train, selling things, but yelling out their products to the whole train, even at 3 am, waking everyone up.

After pseudo-dozing for most of the night, though Mario says he didn't sleep at all, we watched the Nile and villages and dunes pass by until we arrived in Aswan.

Hussein, our guide, met us on the platform, and led us 2 streets away to our hotel, the Nubanile Hotel (***3 stars***). It's so new, it's still under construction! The top two floors are still being built!

Hussein explained the travel program for the next few days to us, and since it was late in the afternoon, suggested we postpone the days' activities and join a group dinner in a Nubian village across the Nile from Aswan. Completely exhausted, we politely declined. Turns out, it was a Nubian restaurant designed to look like a village, with a music, dance, a bazaar, and activities including henna painting(We checked in out in Lonely Planet). Instead, we settled into our room, showered and napped, then ventured out to find a little Egyptian pizza place for dinner. So tasty. The dough is thin and crispy, like phyllo, and filled Calzone-style with cheese, tomatoes, peppers and a choice of other yummy things, all for 25 Egyptian pounds.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1199258160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1199258160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1199258160/tpod.html Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:27:25 -0400 Look out pyramids, because Egypt, here we come!

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Cairo, Egypt

My sleeping bag is much too comfy, I don't want to get up in the morning! Mario forced me out of bed, but we lazed around the hostel before heading out for the day. Zizu at the front desk managed to book us tickets for a tour down to Aswan and Luxor, so we will be leaving Cairo this evening for a little while. But not for now.

We get somewhat lost again, trying to follow the roads on our little business card-of-a-map from the hostel, but eventually make it to the Egyptian Museum. It's not hard to find - it's painted bright red. Three security checks later, including one to find ALL cameras, and we finally enter the monster of a museum. Mario somehow managed to keep his camera concealed, though not on purpose, and we hadn't intended on taking any pictures anyway. Many people were, however, and some got escorted out of the museum, but I'd say the rate was about 1 in 5.

So we toured, and toured, and toured some more. We saw dozen of sarcophagi, even more statues of pharaohs, and pieces of walls from funerary tombs, and tops removed from pyramids...We were dazzled by display case after display case filled with beads, alabaster jars, and tiny stone servants. We marveled at the findings int he tomb of Tutankhamen, with all its gold and mystery and luxuries.

The best part, by far, was the animal mummies room. Pets were very dear to their owners, so when a beloved pet died, it was mummified to then be buried with its owner. Cats, dogs, baboons, alligators with their babies in their mouth, all mummified. Some were also mummified as offerings, such as ibis, and raptors, but people were cheats back then, too, as x-rays proved that some of these offerings contained nothing more than balls of linen or mud and pebbles!

The victual offerings were the funniest of all. They were foodstuffs - cow ribs, cleaned whole goose with the organs replaced, similar to a Butterball Turkey - to be "eaten" by the mummified pharaohs when actual offerings could not be made. Many were also found in the tomb of Tutankhamen, and some were in the museum with labels mentioned how "they have not agreed on the contents". I'm guessing that "they" refers to the egyptologists, and the reason they don't agree on the contents is because they have long since disintegrated. I don't know what kind of tests these egyptologists were running, but I was looking at the victual containers, and they looked ALOT like chickens to me! Mario and I were guessing what was in the victual containers: salami, prosciutto, goose, etc.

We noticed that the self-hire guides at the museum were a little hit-and-miss. We didn't pay for one, but we did hear one misinform another English couple. We were looking at boomerangs in the Tutankhamen exhibit. The guide in question comes along, followed by her doe-eyed tourists, and points out the 3 displays. She says, "The ones on the the top are the oldest ones. The ones on the left are from the Middle Kingdom, and on the right, from the New Kingdom." Not so, as a closer inspection reveals that the two wooden boomerangs on top are EXAMPLES from Australia, while the other TWO cases contain boomerangs found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. Yup.

Mario's favorites included the pyramid toppers from Saqqara, and the Sarcophagi. He wants me to build him a pyramid in our garden now.

Walking back to the hostel, we took a detour along the Nile and wandered the Corniche. We were offered innumerable felucca and taxi rides. The museum had been a brief reprieve from the touts, but a welcome one.

We wandered the streets of our neighborhood, looking for somewhere to eat, with no luck. I am convinced all of the eateries in Cairo are hidden together, on some alleyway that we have yet to find. I know they exist, because I see people with takeout packages.

Another look around Alfy Bey yields results - the elusive resto-alleyway we have been searching for. Here too, the touts exists, trying to pull us to the tables. Damn, no breaks.

Back at the hostel with our bags packed, we waste away our last few hours before the train to Aswan by chatting with Roger and John(the hostel senior, who has been there the longest), and Mario learns to play Egyptian backgammon(called Tower of Egypt). Turns out his opponent is our driver for the drive to the station.

Another hair-raising taxi experience later(why ARE there lines on the road, and traffic lights, no one uses them), he shows us to the right platform and we board the train.

The train was great. Individual reclining seats that swivel 180 degrees, LOTS of leg room, mice running under our feet(what?!?), and all in second class! Good to sleep in, so that's what we tried to do.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1199168400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1199168400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1199168400/tpod.html Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:21:32 -0400 Look out pyramids, because Egypt, here we come!

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Cairo, Egypt

Woke up earlier than expected, as the anticipation of the sights to come was too great for my brain to not be fixated on and go back to sleep! We had a great breakfast at the guesthouse(included!), omelets with crispy bread, not unlike phyllo, la vache qui rit cheese, fig jam and Yellow Label tea. No sooner did we finish the last bite of our delectable meal, and our driver shows up to collect us for our day trip to the pyramids! Down the 6 flights of stairs from the guesthouse to the street, where we meet our guide for the day, and are whisked away to Saqqara to begin our explorations.

Watching the country pass us by in the taxi was an event in itself. We drove to the west bank of the Nile, and lush green farmed fields spread out before us, full of donkey feed, cabbages, carrots and cauliflower. Farmers had roadside carts of their produce all over the place, pulled by donkey, and were often more on the road than on the side of it. As a result, the cars, taxis, motorbikes and giant tour buses perform a not-so-elegant dance of dodging and weaving in and out of each other. We did manage to make it in one piece.

In Saqqara, we visited the step pyramid of Djoser and adjacent funerary complex, the pulverized pyramids of Userkaf and Titi(which resembled piles of rubble more than pyramids), and the mastaba of Mereruka. Although the mastabe was amazing, filled with the carvings of everyday egyptian life, some still bearing bits of the original paint, the highlight was definitely climbing down into the pyramid of Titi, and seeing the catouche carved so many times all through the funeral chamber. The ceilings were covered in painted stars, to represent the night sky which Titi, as pharoah, is god over.

Following the pyramids, we lead through the steps of a cleverly set-up tourist trap, similar to the scams we witnessed in Thailand, though we were very much aware of this one. First, we hit a "government-run" carpet school, where we got to see students weaving carpets of camel wool(longer and stronger than sheep's wool) and silk. It takes 3-4 months to hand knot 1 square metre of silk carpet with 100 knots per square centimetre, and 6 weeks for a camel wool carpet, with 36 knots per square centimetre. There are also some more talented carpet makers present, who weave artisanal carpets using no patterns, creating the work from an image in their head. Sadly, these pieces look more like cheezy tourist stuff, with graphic pyramids and camels at sunset and such.

Next, we visit the Golden Eagle papyrus "museum", which is really just another shop, where they also demonstrate how papyrus is made. I'm sure they demonstrate the technique in all papyrus stores. Some of the works seem to be hand-painted, but most of them are visibly printed, and certainly not original works, as our extra-pushy salesman says. He practically corners us when we announce that we won't be buying anything, and we have to high-tail it out of the store to avoid him. Not funny.

Finally, it's onwards to the pyramids at Giza, with their flocks of touts on horseback and camelback, sellers of dancing stuffed camels and plastic pyramids, papyrus bookmarks and booklets of photographic postcards. There are so many of them, grungy toothless old men and sad-looking dirty kids and such, that you can't take 2 steps without being approached by someone else. And persistent! They continue to walk alongside, even after being refused. They follow, pushing their wares and pestering. I learned "la, shukran" (no, thank you) before the trip, and it helps a little, but sometimes no amount of refusal seems to work. Eventually, they find a new target and change course.

In between running the gauntlet and running away, we saw the Sphinx, resting in its metal cage and rock quarry, looking rather sad and alone. It is dwarfed in comparison to the great pyramids that surround the Sphinx. We walked the grounds, in awe of the magnitude of the structures. Sadly it was most likely too late to visit the Great pyramid, and we couldn't even find the entrance OR the tickets office, so we didn't get inside. We did however, get to visit inside the second largest pyramid, where we crawled down meter-high passageways into a hot, dark hall, and then back up another passage to the funerary chamber of King Khephren. No hieroglyphics here, only an empty stone sarcophagus to one side, and in great big letters across the back wall, the graffiti of BELZONI, the renegade circus performer who discovered the tomb. No cameras allowed, but the Japanese tourists are snapping pictures, with flash, all over the place. No respect, I tell you.

We toured inside a few small tombs of the outskirts of the complex, then returned to meet up with our guide and driver. We relaxed once we sat down in the vehicle, free of the hassle, though not for long, as our guide had one last stop in mid for us: a perfume shop.

Releuctantly, we allowed ourselves to be dragged in, not knowing whether to expect hospitality or harassment. Lucky for us, the salesman was very gentle, assuring us that there was not obligation to buy, and we did enjoy the parade of exotic scents and essential oils he proposed. After so many smells we were a little overwhelmed, though we did leave with one bottle of Siwa perfume, a hand-blown glass perfume bottle and applicator, blown on site right before us, as well as a hand-blown glass ornament for our Christmas tree. We got to experience more of the genuine Egyptian hospitality, summed up as follows:

"We offer you a drink,
we let you choose
but you cannot refuse."
--Adem, the perfume vendor

It was only 4 o'clock when we returned to the guesthouse, but it felt really good to be back. We were tired after a long day of exploration. After a good rest, we took to the streets in search of food, and the savory smell of fried meat-filled pockets drew us in to the alleyway restaurant of Meldhi. He has friends all over the world, and sat down to chat with us over tea, of Canada and food, and of work at my restaurant. I told him if he was ever in our neck of the woods, to look me up and I would get him a job making crepes. I just hope he doesn't take me up on the offer, since I was just being polite.

We relaxed the evening away in the company of fellow travelers at the guesthouse, playing backgammon and discussing the finer points of football in Alexandria.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1199107860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1199107860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1199107860/tpod.html Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:18:41 -0400 Look out pyramids, because Egypt, here we come!

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Cairo, Egypt

We woke to the sound of a cacophony of car horns at 2:30 pm. That's right, 2:30 pm. That's what happens when you go to sleep at 4:30 in the morning, and combine it with jet lag. Yuck. We wandered into the common room/lobby of the guesthouse where we were greeted by a group of unfamiliar Egyptians(meaning not the same ones that greeted us last night). I get the feeling that this hostel is a sort of meeting place for the many friends to the family that runs it.

After a cup of tea, we chat with a very friendly architect(Sharif), who helps with the restoration of buildings in Coptic Cairo, and he recommends a restaurant by the name of Alfy Bey, for our "breakfast". After a few wrong turns and side street exploration, we finally happen on the place by chance, and are completely blown away by the food.

First, the mezze, or appetizers, which consist of the tastiest hummus I've ever had the pleasure of eating, baba ghanouj, something pickled with potatoes, and the "stay away" lettuce and tomato salad. Of course, all of these appetizers, along with freshly-baked pita bread, end up being a meal in themselves, but we ordered main dishes as well, and as good as everything was, we barely got through 2 or 3 bites before reaching our limit! But it was all so GOOD!

Now for the mains: Mario ordered braised lamb with okra in a tasty, tasty tomato sauce, and I got a whole(albeit small) chicken, stuffed with rice, surrounded by many little stuffed vegetables! There was an artichoke bottom, little zucchini and tomatoes, grape leave rolls, hot peppers, and even some vegetables that I couldn't identify. Either way, it was great food, and all for the modest sum of $20. How can you argue with that?

Back at the guesthouse, we inquired about our fellow travelers' New Year's plans. One group whom we affectionately call the "Peace Corps", were heading out to a party, though dressed much too western for my liking. Another guy, who we always find on his laptop in the common room(John), gave us directions to a nearby hole-in-the-wall liquor store called Drinkies. We picked up some cheap whiskey and Egyptian Rumo, which I'm still not sure if it was really rum or just rubbing alcohol.

We drank the night away in good company, with Jon and Shawn from New Zealand who were heading to London, and Roger the doctor from London(originally from Tasmania), who was on his way to Australia next. We are all at the same stage of newbie traveling, with one or two trips under our belts, but so much more to see before we can even hope to claim that we are "seasoned travelers".

There was good cheer all around, as well as a strange array of traveling snacks. It's fun to see what strange food people accumulate as a result of hunger whilst traveling. We then rang in the new year 3 times, once with the common room clock, once with official airplane time(someone's watch), and finally once on Jon's cellphone when he called home. There were no fireworks, but it was really different, and possibly even better than our celebrations last year. (And bomb free, hourray!)

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1251658233/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1251658233/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/skyisblu/egypt_07-08/1251658233/tpod.html Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:22:36 -0400 Look out pyramids, because Egypt, here we come!

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Montreal, Canada

It all started with a discussion of how many flights each of us had taken in our lifetime, on the way to the airport. From what we calculated, I've taken 20 flight so far, to Miami, to London, to Vancouver, and lately, to Thailand. This next flight to Amsterdam, onwards to Egypt and back again, will make 24. That's a fair amount of flying in a lifetime!

Trudeau airport is remarkably full tonight. Mind you, it is suppertime, and there are ALOT of international flights departing at the same time. Our flight is delayed 30 minutes, so we get to sit and eat in peace while we watched the waves of travelers swirl around us. Afterwards, we pass through a relatively painless security check and continue on to board our plane.

Turns out, the plane is having electrical problems, so we will have an even longer delay. The stewardess at the check-in counter tells us there will mere information available at 8 pm. That's a whole hour of waiting, so Mario and I meander through the halls and shops of the airport, wasting as much time as we can. We hate sitting and waiting - it's such a waste of time. Suddenly, at 7:45, we hear a final boarding call for our flight on the loudspeaker! We dash to the gate, arriving just before the stewardess pages us by name! I guess the flight began boarding just after we left the waiting area, and no one thought to announce that fact to the rest of the airport.

An uneventful flight later, we touch down in Amsterdam, and head out for our day of exploration before our onwards flight to Cairo, because that's what you do when you have a 12-hour layover. Sadly, neither Mario nor I got any sleep on the flight, so we are like a couple of zombies wandering the streets. The events of the day slowly move by us, but I don't think we really absorbed any of it.

From the airport to the train into town we go, then onto the tram and into the old city, where we head to the Van Gogh museum. We are there for all of 30 minutes. I know, how can you possibly visit all of Van Gogh in 30 minutes? We didn't. We wandered the halls, looking at the work but not really seeing any of it. At one point, I swear I was going to fall asleep standing up! Afterwards, we headed back into the city, walking past the outer canal, and shops full of cheeses, wooden clogs and tulips. Seems the outer city is geared towards tourists traveling through Amsterdam from the rest of Europe. Afterall, it is just a short train ride from the airport!

We ate lunch at the little cafeteria in the train station, and then make our way back to the airport. We had hoped the cool air would wake us, but to no avail, so we seek out some comfy lounge chairs at Schipol airport and sleep the rest of the afternoon away.

Another uneventful - yet shorter - flight later, we touch down in Cairo. Through passport control and baggage pick-up, we find Rooby, from our guesthouse the Let Me Inn, waiting for us. It was a very welcome sight amidst the sea of hotel touts.

On the drive to the guesthouse, Rooby regaled us with the history of Egypt, and told us about the things we should visit. He told us not to spend too much time in Cairo, and there were too many temples in Egypt to visit them all.

We arrive to a warm welcome at the Let Me Inn, however, we find out that, even at 3 am, our room is not ready. We were given someone else's room(they were out on a trek), and we collapsed into bed.

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