Sunday — On the Way Home

6 AM, five or less hours of sleep. Oh well, we soon will be on our way back to the U.S.A. Megan still isn’t feeling well and Bonnie isn’t either. Hopefully this won’t hinder our trip home too much. Took a taxi to the airport. For some reason it only cost half as much to get to the airport as to go to the hotel. Anyway the ride was uneventful as it should be. Kind of just streamed through the airport as we were already checked in when we left Cairo. Passport was checked probably half a dozen times altogether but no big deal. We sat outside the gate to have some breakfast. Again Bonnie and Meg weren’t feeling well so they did not eat much. I had eggs Benedict with smoked salmon instead of Canadian bacon. It was tasty but pretty salty. Not something I would probably order again.

After breakfast was time to proceed to the gate. Got in a very long line and had our passports and boarding pass checked three more times. I was a random security check so Meg and Bonnie got on the plane while I awaited further screening. There was really no problem but the ladies were worried they wouldn’t let me on the plane because it was taking so long. We are sitting in row 18 which is right behind business class so we should be able to get to customs pretty quickly in Seattle. Will say much more about Emirates Airline in a separate entry. There are many nice things to say. Still 10 more hours to Seattle.

I am now writing on the plane to Anchorage. We actually got to Seattle about a half hour early. That was really nice. Got a bite to eat. Then it was time to go to the gate again. The Sea-Tac airport is a very familiar place and it was nice to be in a familiar place once again. While we were sitting on the airplane waiting for everyone to get on Patty Bryant passed us on the way to her seat. You know you are home when you run into someone on the airplane that you know.Plane to Anchorage left on time and it’s supposed to be a 3 hour 8 min flight. Hope that’s a good estimate. I’m ready to be home. I look forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight. It’s supposed to be in the mid to upper 70s today in Anchorage, We will probably feel a little chilly.

We arrived in Anchorage about 5:50 PM. That makes almost 24 hours traveling. Temperature here is 77 F. It’s now 6:50 and Bonnie is in bed. I’m going to try to stay up so I’m not up in the middle of the night and not tired. It is good to be home with wonderful weather on top of it. Will try to get some pictures posted tomorrow.

Saturday - On the way home

This morning seemed to come early for everyone and we overslept. Ephraim had made arrangements for a taxi to take us to the airport. We are an hour and a half from the airport and we were taking a taxi. We were supposed to be up by 6 this morning and we got up at 6:50. The taxi was supposed to pick us up at 7. He had actually been waiting for us since about 6:40. But with getting up late there were no protracted goodbyes. The hardest part was to part company with Melanie. She had changed her flight and was going back to London direct from Cairo instead of flying to Dubai with us. It was a tearful departure. We will miss Ephraim and Kaja. They were a lot of fun to spend time with on the trip. They are wonderful hosts and wonderful people. We hope to visit them in Poland one day.

We wanted to get to the airport 3 hours ahead of departure since we had bad experiences the last time we left Cairo. We were away from the resort by 7:20. That is a record for us to get ready that fast and say our goodbyes as well. Off we went to the airport. The driver did not speak any English except for a few words but as usual we were able to communicate just fine.

We got to the airport about 9 AM. Went through initial screening and off to the departure counter to get our bags checked and our boarding passes. That was all done by 9:30, So now we had 2.5 hours to kill. Melanie’s flight from Cairo was 5 hours after ours so Ephraim and Kaja took her to the airport later in the day. The flight left a little late because of traffic. Heavy traffic in on the taxiways in Egypt, who would have guessed.

We arrived in Dubai about a half hour late. Breezed through passport control and off to the taxis. Went to the wrong hotel first. They provided us transport to the correct one. We got checked in just fine but Meg was feeling poorly.  We went across the street to a mall to get her some Tylenol and a sports drink. We also picked up some dinner at the food court and took it back to hotel to eat. The Japanese food we got was very tasty and we ate while watching TV. Finally turned in around 1 AM setting the alarm for 6 for the final two legs home.

Friday - Reprise

Today was exactly the same as yesterday weather wise. We were all up by about 8 this morning. Breakfast consisted mostly of leftovers and using up the rest of the eggs combined with onions and tomatoes. All ate their fill. Bout 10:30 we headed for the beach. I went with Mel, Meg, and Bonnie this time. Ephraim and Kaja came down laster and brought a backgammon board with them.

Before our gracious hosts arrived Mel and Meg went out on a sand bar and composed a message to Lindsay and Kiel regarding their upcoming wedding. They drew a heart in the sand with an appropriate message inside and took a video to post on Facebook.

There was a sand bar, actually there were many, because the tide was out. You could walk nearly a half a mile into the ocean and hardly get wet on your journey because there was that much sand exposed. Kind of reminded me of the tides at home but these were only about 8 feet instead of 30. The water patches between the bars were actually hot, probably about 105 F. The tide came back in about 4 PM and then there were no sand bars but much of the water was still very shallow.

Everyone went swimming at different times during the day. We had a cooler with us today so there was plenty of things to drink and it wasn’t necessary to go back to the flat until late in the afternoon.Ephraim and Meg started playing backgammon sometime during the afternoon and many of us took a turn at the board. It had been a long time since I had played and had to refresh my memory on the strategy and setup of the game. Taught Bonnie how to play so we will be able to play together when we get home. We had a pleasant day by the sea.

The goal for dinner was to eat up all the food that was left. In general we did a pretty good job. Meg and I played a little more backgammon in the evening but the general rule was to get everything packed and ready to go for the morning trip to the airport.

With most everything packed it was once again off to bed.

Thursday -- By the Sea, By the Sea, the Beautiful Sea

After breakfast this morning everyone went down to the beach except me. I decided to stay in the villa for a while to get the blog caught up. Much of the morning I spent doing just that. Shortly after noon I decided to go join the rest. Got my suit on, got all greased up, and then started looking for the key so I could lock up when I left. Alas, it was not where I was lead to believe it would be. So I stayed put and and work on my Master Gardening Class most of the afternoon. Kaja came back sometime after 3 and I told her I couldn’t find the key and she showed me where they “hid” it. Of course it was nearly in plain site. There was still another day to come for me to be at the beach and I enjoyed the time I had to myself.

When the rest came back Megan unloaded a bunch of shells they found on the beach. She spread them out on the coffee table. Ephraim was standing near the table a little later and exclaimed, “I think this one is alive”. Sure enough one of the shells was occupied by a hermit crab. It got taken back to the sea and hopefully it survived it’s ordeal.

After we ate our dinner and cleaned up we chatted and played a silly card game. I don’t remember what the game was called but it was played with a special deck and went very fast. There were a number of variations all just as silly as the previous. We did have fun playing the different games.

Around 10:30 we all were tired and turned in for the night. Tomorrow would be another sunny, cloudless day. They never have a weather forecast on the news because the weather is always the same, sunny with 0% chance of precipitation. They say it’s boring but tolerable.

Wednesday — Leaving Sokhna Behind

We had turned off the AC last night because it seemed chilly in the room. At 3 this morning I woke up sweating and flicked it back on. In just a few minutes it was pleasant in the room again and went back to sleep until about 7 AM. Bonnie got up shortly after while I was writing for this blog. Could not post but the same as today I am writing and will post later when wifi is available. We all ate a leisurely breakfast and then got everything packed up and down to the lobby so we could check out.

Once we checked out I asked what the plan was for the day and Ephraim suggest we go to the cave church in Cairo. I told him that would be fine since Megan and Melanie has not seen it yet. We loaded everything in the cars and off we went. About a half hour or forty-five minutes down the road we turned off into a different resort. Ezzat said there was a spectacular beach down here that wanted us to see. We stopped some distance from the beach and got out of the car. I was taking pictures of some flowers and they were waiting for me to turn around. Once I did I was told we would spend the rest of the time here in a villa that was owned by a friend of Kaja’s in honor of my retirement. I was very surprised. Everyone was in on the secret except for me. What a pleasant surprise.The name of the resort is Marina Wadi Degla.

After we got settled in everyone went down to the beach. Indeed the beach is beautiful. You could wade out quite a long ways this afternoon. The water was warm, 80+ F. We frolicked in the Red Sea for a few hours before we had “lunch”. Ezzat and Susan we going to return to Port Said while we stayed with Ephraim and Kaja at the resort. After lunch we said out goodbyes. It was a sad departure for us. We have enjoyed the company and hospitality of our Egyptian brothers and sisters for more than 10 days. We look forward to seeing them again whether it be in Egypt, Poland, or the U.S.A. We wished them a safe journey and a well deserved thank you and away they went. Ephraim got a call later in the evening when they had arrived safely in Port Said.

During the evening we ate, talked, ate, and went for a walk around the complex. This is really a lovely place. If you know someone in Egypt that has a villa here I would highly recommend it.

Tuesday - Resort day

I woke up at 5AM this morning. Yes, I know I’m on vacation. I just woke up, can’t help it. I did lay in bed for some time before I got up and probably dozed in and out during that time. I finally hauled out at 7. Bonnie was doing her exercises so I did my morning stuff and decided to go for a walk to the beach.

Got the camera together and off I went. Got to the gate to the beach and found that it was locked. I could have went the long way around but decided not to and just went back to the room. Egyptians, I guess, don’t generally do things at a resort at 8 AM when they are on vacation. That is one interesting comparison, at Sharm El Sheik there were mostly tourists when we visited last time, here there are mostly Egyptians.

Got down to breakfast around 9. I thought there was chaos in the dining room at dinner last night, this morning was even worse. We should probably get here earlier tomorrow but don’t think that will happen. The meal was very good. There was certainly variety in what to have. Many different breads and rolls, salads, ful, cheeses, cereal, eggs made to order, most anything you can think of for breakfast was there. My brother would have loved it as he is a “carbaholic” at breakfast time.

We went back to the room after breakfast and got ready for the beach. Wasn’t much for me to do but Bonnie seemed to take quite a bit of time. We picked up some towels and off we went.

The beach we went to was a private beach for residents of a housing complex next door to the resort but the people in the complex let the hotel guests use the beach. There were ‘thatched’ umbrellas with beach chairs to sit in so you can get out of the sun. All ten of us eventually arrived at the beach. Ephraim, Kaja, Megan, and I went for what would turn out to be a long wade in the Red Sea. The tide was out so we could walk almost 1/3 of a mile out in the water without getting over our heads. There is a pier on the north end of the beach and we waded almost to the end of it before literally getting in over our heads. The water was very pleasant. Not nearly as warm as the Gulf of Arabia on the shores of the UAE.

On the walk back to shore we encountered Bonnie and Ezzat wading out. Bonnie wasn’t very excited about being in the Red Sea but brought her swimsuit so she was determined to use it. She didn’t really want to get very wet but Meg and I toke care of that for her. Bonnie and Ezzat joined us on the wade back to shore. We soon encountered Nana and Ehab on their way out to the sea. Ehab pulled Nana into the water and all was well. We finally got back to shore, showered off some to the salt, and hung out with the crew for a little while longer. Soon we headed back to the resort.

We got showered and changed. Bonnie laid down for a couple of hours and I tried to catch up on my writing. The hardest day to write about was the Saturday of the wedding. I could have written many pages but most of the people reading it wouldn’t be very interested in most of it so cutting was essential and difficult. I could ramble on in most of my entries and probably do. I don’t generally proof them before I post so there are many spelling and grammatical errors as well. Hope you will forgive me.

There is a small water park that is part of the resort. The “kids” went over there late in the afternoon. They took a number of short videos that I’m sure Megan will post on Facebook. We walked over to watch for just a little while and it looked like they were have great fun.

We said goodbye to Nana and Ehab about 5:30 in the afternoon. They have to get back to Cairo to catch a plan in the morning for their honeymoon in Europe. We won’t see them again on this trip. We will miss them but I’m sure we will see them again. We will be back to Egypt at least one more time since we still have not seen the upper Nile. There are many more things to see in Egypt than can possibly be done in even three trips. This trip has been mostly about seeing people though and not seeing the sites.

Dinner was much the same as the night before though I didn’t think the food was as good. More of the same from the night before with a couple of new dishes. We did eat outside this evening though. The temperature cooled down to about 24 C. The dining room was down right frigid. I certainly felt chilled inside and was happy to eat outdoors. It was a little breezy but that helped to keep the flies away. There is some type of mystery scheme going on and Kaja and Ephraim drove back to Cairo this evening and were either going to come back tonight or in the morning. Do know the whole story or any of it for that matter but it will be interesting to watch it all unfold.

I commented the night before that it would be nice to have a beer. Melanie found me one this evening and we toasted and had our drink together. Meg and Mel showed the videos they had done while we sat around this evening. But soon we all got tired and decided to go off to bed.

Monday — Off to Ain El Sokhna

The morning comes and it appears I am the first one up. About 5 AM I woke up and did my regular morning things and laid back on the bed. About 6:20 Bonnies phone started buzzing. She had set a wake-up alarm but she did not hear it. I turned it off and about 5 minutes later rousted her out. I was the first to go to bed last evening and after I turned in it was decided to take all of the luggage to Sokhna instead of just what was needed for the trip. Secret plans are in the making and we have no idea what they are. Bonnie finished getting everything repacked. We had a quick breakfast and then began packing the luggage in the vehicles.

Megan and Ephraim with additional help got all of the luggage out to the cars and began the process of fitting them all in the trunks. It was certainly a Tetris game to make it all happen. They did get the bags for four people traveling internationally and two locals in the trunks with no luggage in the back seats of the vehicles. It was an amazing feat.

With the luggage all in we were off to Ain El Sokhna. I was told it was an hour and a half drive but then I forgot that Egyptians don’t really know how to tell time. Three hours later we pulled into The Coral Sea Beach. It was 100+ degrees on our arrival. We got the luggage out of the cars and it was carried in for us. Then for some reason everyone wanted to stand around in the heat to wait for the drivers to park the cars. 70 degree temperatures were only a few feet away and we were standing in the heat. I suggested we go inside and finally we did.

Ezzat began the checkin process and it turns out that check in time is 2:00 PM. We arrived at about 12:30. While we were waiting for our rooms to be prepared the check in process was completed. I asked about internet access and it is not included in the room price. it’s 50 Egyptian pounds per day per device. That’s roughly $7 a day. It certainly is in line with costs in the U.S. but I think it should be included. So we sat around and roamed around to kill the hour and a half we had to wait.

Once we got our room assignments we spent most of the afternoon napping, reading, watching TV, or playing Words with Friends. Much more napping was done than anything else.

We got together for the evening meal at 7 PM. By 7:30 everyone had arrived. We did not wait for everyone before we got into the “buffet” line. There was an incredible amount and variety of food. There were way too many choices and everything that I had was very tasty. The meal was excellent and so was the company.

Forty-five minutes after the evening meal we all got together in Ephraim and Kaja’s room for a kind of gift opening. Melanie and Megan gave Nana and Ehab our card and the card from the people at church. She was very appreciated both very much. Kaja gave Nana and Ehab the gift from her parents. It was a nice fondue set. Nana and Ehab had no idea what it was or how to use it but they like it just the same. Then Kaja gave Bonnie and Susan some natural body cleansing solution for showing that was made by one of the people she knows in Poland. It was very thoughtful of her. Then Ezzat and Susan got a special photo album from Ephraim and Kaja that they just loved.

Everyone had a great time. There was much laughter, hugging, and talk. We found out that for an Egyptian couple to spend the night in an Egyptian hotel in they same room they must be able to present a marriage certificate before they will be permitted to share a room. It make no difference of age or if one person is a foreign national. If a man and a woman want to share a room in an Egyptian hotel and one of them is Egyptian they must be able to prove they are married. If you are both foreigners it’s not a problem. Bonnie and I didn’t have to show proof but Ephraim and Kaja did as well as Ezzat and Susan. A strange but true fact from Egypt.

A good time was had by all and now off to bed.

Sunday (June 7) - A day of rest?

Today was mostly a day of rest for Bonnie and I. Melanie, Megan, Ephraim, and Kaja set off sometime “early” in morning. Kaja was dropped at a friend’s home and the others went on to the Pyramids of Giza. The girls and Ephraim had a great time from all descriptions that were received. If you look at Melanie and Megan’s  Facebook pages you will certainly see a summary of their adventures.

Bonnie and I didn’t arise until 11:30 AM on Sunday. I guess it was a rest catch-up day. We have been going to bed late and rising early most mornings since we arrived. No one certainly seemed to be in a rush. While we were getting breakfast together Bonnie noticed one pair of my pants had a tear in it. She was going to fix it but Ezzat took it to a taylor a few blocks away and when he came back told me it would be done in two hours.

On and off yesterday and after I got up today I have been texting with Aya Abdelaziz. She is a young lady that spent a year in Anchorage about 10 or 11 years ago as an exchange student. The year we had Maral and Finanda, Aya was also attending Dimond HS and spent a lot of time at our house. We wanted to get together with her and her husband Amr before we left Egypt. They were married last year and had invited us to their wedding. Unfortunately my job got in the way and we weren’t able to make the trip but that should not happen again.

Anyway, we got together with them for a nice meal and wonderful conversation. Her husband seems to be a wonderful young man. They met one another at medical school and their lives together took off a little while later. Amr plans to join his father’s surgery practice when he complete his residency (5 years). Aya will be a dermatologist and has one year of residency that she just started. I know she will be a wonderful doctor. Once again renewing old acquaintances has been a special experience.

We got back to the flat about 11 PM that evening and began the task of preparing to go to Ain El Sokhna for the next few days. Kaja informed us that we would need to be up at 7 AM to get going on this trip and she would be mean if she had to be.

Saturday - Nana Gets Married

Nardeen was supposed to up today at 7 AM. When we went to bed last night I wished her luck. They were out of the house by about 7:30 but I did not hear them leave. Bonnie and I got up some where around 9 AM. Breakfast was “light” this morning. Kaja and Ezzat put it together but no one was really excited about eating. There was a strong suggestion that we be out of the house by noon. I thought it was a pipe dream but we made it by 12:30.

12:30 it was off to the church for the 2 PM wedding. There were at least 4 pastors maybe 5 “officiating”. Ehab’s family was in the narthex of the church greeting people as they entered. Bonnie and I were kind of just hanging out there and many people thought we were greeting too. Father Philemon came in made a specific effort to introduce himself to Bonnie and I. He was from the Orthodox Church in Port Said and surely talked with Nana’s pastors before coming to Cairo. He was very kind and wished us well. It was amazing that we were in the midst of strangers and yet felt welcome and part of the family.

Nardeen insisted that during the processional we should follow her parents into the church. We again were very honored. Melanie and Megan followed her brother and sister-in-law into the sanctuary. Nardeen is a very beautiful young lady and today she was radiant. I was very proud. There were six people from Ehab’s church that sang many numbers during the ceremony. During the second pastoral presentation one of the singers slipped in the pew next to Melanie and asked if we understood what was happening and offered to translate for us. Her name is Holla and she was really amazing and friendly. We could not thank here enough to her kindness. Nana’s pastor from the last time we were here talked about how special she is because she has two fathers, two mothers, and special sisters and a brother. She is a very special lady.

There is an interesting side note here. Nana is from Port Said and the wedding is in Cairo. Ehab lives in Cairo and that’s why the wedding was held here. In order to accommodate the church members and the family from Port Said that wanted to attend the wedding Ezzat charted two buses to bring the people to the wedding. Parking in Cairo is terrible and all of those cars would have made it so much worse around the church. It was also very much safer for all the people that attend the wedding. The buses also transported them to the reception and back home again on the same day. I will have to keep something in mind like this for future events.

The reception while still in Cairo seemed like forever away from the church. Cairo is a huge city geographically as well as in population. The venue was well of the main road, quiet, and lovely. It was quiet until we arrived. They loudspeakers seemed to make everything from the music to the people speaking deafening. But that is the way things are in Egypt. We were able to renew many acquaintances from our last trip during the reception. Talking again with Andrew Adel was very enjoyable. The pastor’s wife from Port Said spent a lot of time talking with Bonnie and I. She was in Montreal when we were in Egypt 7 years ago. Once again we felt very welcomed by everyone at the reception. It was a wonderful party.

When the buses were getting everyone together to go back to Port Said the party pretty much broke up. All were ready to return to their homes as many had a long drive ahead of them. The party was really delightful. I got to dance with the mothers of the bride, the bride, and especially with my wife.  A good time was had by all and now it is time to say good night.

Friday - Shopping and Lunch at Samia’s

Every day seems to be a late day. We go to bed with good intentions but end up just poking around for way too long a time. We have been waking up between 6 and 7 most mornings but we never get going until after noon.

We went to the mall today. I have no idea what the name of the mall is but it was sure huge and had underground parking so finding a parking place was no problem. The girls went shopping and I sat in Starbucks having coffee and updating the blog. I got caught up on the blog and the ladies got their shopping done. One added bonus was the AC. It was hot outside and cool inside wonderful.

Bonnie and the girls bought a beautiful platter for Samia as a gift for all that she has done for us since we have been in Cairo. She has spent a many, many hours preparing meals and helping out at Nana’s house. With 10 people staying in the house there is much to be done every day and with the wedding preparations everyone was very busy.

After the mall we went to Samia’s house for lunch. Many of Ezzat’s brothers and sisters were there and Samia prepared a wonderful meal. There is always so much to eat. A few of the people spoke English so we didn’t have any trouble talking with one another through a translation. Had a wonderful time.

When it was time to leave Ezzat and I took the Metro home. We started walking to the station and Ezzat asked if we should take a tok-tok. So we did. Nearly got on the wrong train at the metro but got squared away before the error was complete. Bonnie and I road on the Metro the last time we were in Egypt to go downtown to the museum with Aya. The trip was quick and uneventful. When we arrived at our station we go on another tok-tok and were dropped at our door. We beat the ones who were driving by at least 15 minutes. I wouldn’t travel the Metro alone though as most of the signs are in Arabic. The station names have both Arabic and English except for one that I saw and perhaps that is because there is no English translation.

Once we all arrived home we chatted for a while and then turned in for the night.

Thursday - Back to Cairo

The plan was for Melanie and Kaja to play squash at 11 AM this morning and for the rest of us to do other activities including a walk on the beach in Port Said. Well the best laid plans oft go other ways. Today the plans did that as well. Instead we headed back to Cairo much earlier than we had planned. Not sure what the changes were but about 1 PM off we went. The trip was pretty uneventful except for the stop at the hyper market where we had lunch. When we arrived in Cairo one car went back to the house and the other went on to other activities. At the house was Nana, Ezzat, Susan, and myself. On to other activities was Bonnie, Ephraim, Kaja, Melanie, and Megan. Among other things one of the activities was bowling. Megan was the winner. Back at the house we were supposed to be resting but no one really did. Nana laid down for a bit but don't think she really rested.

At about 8:50 PM we were off to the church for the rehearsal. This was pretty standard even in the U.S. Practiced walking down the aisle got instructions on where to sit and stand. The music as selected and then we were done. Took about an hour. The wedding is Saturday at 2 PM. Looking forward to it.

After the rehearsal Bonnie, Ephraim, Kaja, and I (the four) went back to the house. Ezzat, Susan, Nana, Melanie, and Megan went to Nana's house to do some more work getting it ready. I think the four had a much better time than the others. We certainly spent some quality time with Ephraim and Kaja and got to know them better. They are a delightful couple and we are very glad to know them. We now have a great reason to go to Poland as well. We are looking forward to more time together. While we were chatting some laundry was done and hung out to dry. About 2 AM we finally got ourselves to bed. Looking forward to Friday.

Wednesday - On to Port Said

 
Another day with a late start, off we go to Port Said. It's about a four hour trip from Cairo to Port Said, Port Fouad though my brother Ezzat and his son Ephraim with tell you that it's about 3 at the most. About 50 km out of Cairo we stopped at a new Hyper-Market A hyper-mall is like a WalMart super store on steroids. I mean this place was huge and you could I think get everything under the sun though I didn't see a lumber yard but then I wasn't looking for that. Unlike super stores in the U.S. there are employees all over the place to help you find things even if they don't speak English. I'm sure they do much better than most Americans would helping a foreigner find things at Fred Meyer.

After the hyper store it was the long haul to Port Said for a party for Nana. Since she is not getting married in her home town she wanted to have a party for the people that would not be able to attend the wedding. We were able to renew some old acquaintances and made some new ones while we were there. Nana's brides maids all lined up and introduced themselves to me and I promptly forgot all of their names except the last young lady. Her name is Maggie and I told her I got that one. The rest of the names were more difficult. The party was fun. We ate, talked, ate, and talked some more and a good time was had by all.

Bonnie and I were both surprised by one young man we met when we were here seven years ago. His name is Ravey. He was just a little kid running around and annoying his brother and now he is in high school and seems to be smart-as-a-whip. He speaks English amazingly well, obviously taking after his brother. He is a very pleasant young man and I look forward to the next time we will see him. I was hoping to see his brother Andrew but it looks like we will miss him. We spent a lot of time together the last time we were in Egypt.

After this party, Bonnie and I went back to the house in Port Fouad. The others went onto another surprise party for Nana. She was really surprised and all had a great time. I spent much of the evening both at the party and when we got back home talking with David Milad Beniameen. We played table soccer for a couple of hours the last time I was here and had a great time. We had a wonderful reunion as well.  He is at University now studying computer science so we have a natural discussion platform.

The weather was cooler by the Mediterranean Sea than in Cairo so we had a nice respite from the heat. Another late night so will sign off for now.

Tuesday - Turned out to be a day of “rest”

 
So the Pyramids and the picnic will wait for another day. We had a supposed day of rest. Went to Nana’s new home sometime after breakfast (exceptional by the way). Her home is very lovely. It even smelled new. It has been completely renovated. In the States people would refer to it as taking it back to the studs. We were shown pictures of the rooms with just a piles of rubble in the middle of the floor but you never know it if you saw it now. The transformation of the house was incredible.

After deciding not to go to the Pyramids, we suggested going to Port Said this day to help with preparations for tomorrow’s party. We did not get there today either. But then there is always tomorrow. This is a short entry because after all it is a day of rest. Just a little side note: it is Saturday number two this week.

We will see what tomorrow brings.

Monday - Downtown Cairo

 
While most of us were asleep, Nana went back to the airport dark and early in the morning to pick up her brother Ephraim and his wife Kaja from the airport. They got in about 3 AM but certainly did not disturb Bonnie or I when they arrived. I got up about 5 when nature called and almost literally ran into Ephraim as I left the room. Had a nice greeting and off I went. He was in bed when I cam back. I went back to bed and slept for another hour or so. Bonnie and I were both up shortly after 6 but no one else was so we hung out in the room until others began to stir. There are twelve people staying in a two bedroom home so things are a bit cramped in the morning until we get the beds all put away. Twelve people in a small space with one bathroom is sometimes challenging but we are all getting along just fine.

Going to the Museum

Today has many events on the schedule but I am wondering if we will get to all of them because we are getting such a late start. I’m not sure what and early start is supposed to be in Egypt but when we decide to leave that’s when everyone gets ready to go and perhaps an hour or so later we actually leave the house. This drive Kaja, Ephraim’s wife crazy. It also drives me crazy but we must go with the flow and this too shall pass.

We got around to eating breakfast about 10 AM. Again there are many things to choose, There are eggs, ful (mashed fava beans), pronounced fool, bread, cheese, meats, Mulukhiya (a green cold soup), honey, dates, and many other things. I personally do not care for the soup but I know others think it is marvelous. There is plenty to eat for all and this take about an hour and a half. Breakfast and lunch are the main meals of the day and both seem to be always delicious.

Crew on the Tower

We did finally get to the museum but we only had a couple of hours there before they closed. It is only enough time to go through one exhibit. We chose to go through the Tutankhamun exhibit that was unearthed in 1922 if I remember correctly. It is an amazing exhibit and shows the majesty and wealth of the Egyptian Empire at its zenith. The whole museum is truly amazing. I would like to have a couple of days to go through this place. Pictures are not allowed inside so there will be none, sorry.

Cairo Tower

The Cairo Tower is phenomenal as well. Takes you 142 meters above the surrounding area give a really spectacular view of things surrounding the venue. It’s nothing like the Burj Kalifa but then Cairo is a very different city than Dubai. It is much older and has many more people. The population of Cairo and the immediate surrounding area is about 25 million. That is really a lot of  people, many more than I would like to live around. The panoramas that you can see from the tower are staggering you can even make out the pyramids through the haze on a good day. I would recommend this attraction to everyone except those that have a problem with heights.

Ladies in waiting

From the tower we took two taxis in different directions to get the the Nile in front of the Four Seasons Hotel. There is a dock here where the ancient Nile boats call felucca can be found and hired. These boats with their triangular sale have plied the river for thousands of years. The ride was very relaxing and got some good shots along the river. We were met here by some of Ehab’s family and they joined us on the ride as well. These are fun people and Nana should have a wonderful time.

Felluca

When we returned to the house it was once again lunch time. The meal consisted of roast beef, chicken, bread of course (there is always bread), the meat and pastry dish, salads, fresh vegetables, and many other items. It was delicious as always. Of course the inevitable question is do they eat like this all the time or is it just be the have company. The word is that they indeed  eat like we have been all the time. So be it, but if I did I would be as big as a house.

Family discussion followed as well as talking about the schedule for the next day. It was decided to go to the Pyramids and a picnic. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Once again good night.

Sunday - Arrival in Cairo

 
We left the hotel for the airport at about 6 AM. Traffic was the lightest we had experienced since our arrival in Dubai. That was also reflected in the taxi fare. It was quite a bit less than the initial trip from the airport to the hotel. We took a taxi most everywhere in Dubai as they were priced reasonably and we didn’t have to worry about how to get some where driving ourselves.

The flight to Cairo was pretty uneventful. That’s the way I like all of my flights to be. Did talk the the gate check-in person about our return flight and she said I should call Emirates as they will put up up for the night. Have to do that yet. The flight left on time and arrived on time and the food was quite good as airline food goes. The temperature when we left Dubai was already over 100 F at 9 in the morning. When we got to Cairo the temp was in the upper 70s F, a very pleasant change. Getting through passport control took a long time or seemed like it. The administration at the Cairo airport doesn’t seem to work very well.

Nardeen, her dad, and her fiancé (Ehab) were there to meet us. It was a wonderful reunion with many hugs. They brought each of us flowers to welcome us to Egypt. Getting the luggage to the cars was a chore all in itself. Traffic and parking in Egypt is just pure chaos. If you ever come here and I do recommend it, don’t even consider renting a car unless you are very, very adventurous and have nerves of steel and companions that don’t frighten easily.

We thought we were going to go to Port Said and I was prepared for a long ride. But the plans had changed and we would spend the next few days in Cairo doing some sight seeing. The actual ride to the house was uneventful and took about 45 minutes or so. This place has an elevator so we didn’t have to carry our luggage up a number of flights. That was a very nice addition.

When we go up to the house Susan and Samia had been preparing “lunch”, that’s dinner in Alaska. Lunch is the main meal of the day and is usually eaten sometime between 4 and 8 PM depending on the activities of the day. Dinner is eaten between 10 and 11:30 PM usually. There obviously is much flexibility when the meals are eaten. Once again there was a reunion with Susan, Samiad, Suzie. Suzie we had not met before. She is one of Nana’s (Nardeen) many cousins. We visited for some time and got the luggage to the proper rooms and then ate lunch.

The meal was incredible. Probably 7 different dishes were served ranging from bread to roast chicken. There were stuffed grape leaves, salads of many types, A meat and pastry disk that is wonderful. I can’t even remember all of the other things. But I know there was more food than twice as many people could eat. The meals were as amazing as I remembered from the last time we were here.

After lunch we helped clear the table and once again caught up on where things were today with the families and what the schedule would be for the week. Bonnie and I were very tired and we were encouraged to take a nap so that’s what we did. I’m pretty sure Melanie and Megan did the same. Three hours laster we awoke from our slumber and came back to the land of the living. We had some tea and the conversation turned to the evenings activities. None had been previously scheduled.

Nana and here parents finally decided to take us to a market in an older area of Cairo and to a cafe they had been to before. The market was very similar to the markets in Dubai but there were many types of vendors. It was devoted to spice or textiles or gold. It was interesting but we didn’t stop to make any purchases.

After going through the market the quest was to find the cafe, The House of Oud (Bait El Oud). After many inquiries for directions we finally arrived. I think we were the only Westerners in the whole place but I had no problem with then and neither did anyone else. We order tea that was excellent and Nana ordered some treats called Zalpia, that can best be described as donut wholes only 100 times better. They were lighter in texture and delicious all by themselves. They could be ordered with many types of topping. We got white chocolate, honey, powered sugar, and others. May favorite was the honey topped one but I are some of each, very delicious.

There was live music at the cafe as well. Three different people sang and even though we didn’t know what the songs were about they were still entertaining. We were at the cafe for a couple of hours and then it was time to return home.

We had parked in a parking garage on arrival and when we tried to fine the exit it was challenging. It turns out there as only one we could get to at the time of night and it went onto a street that took us in the wrong direction. Let’s just say that we took the “scenic route” and arrive home well after the folks that took the cab.

It was a fun day and left us anticipating the wonders of tomorrow.

Saturday - Tour the City

 
Just a huge mall. Spent time walking the halls without buying anything. We went into a restaurant that had a window onto the indoor ski and winder recreation area. It’s a huge example of how much money is in the UAE. If they don’t have it they buy it. Ski Dubai was incredible but I sure exorbitantly expensive to maintain. A larger one is being built in Aub Dabi.

From there we took the metro to the Dubai Mall and the Burj Kalifa. We had no time to get lunch so we just got in line to go up in the tower. It was much like going through security in the airport. Once we got into the elevator it was a 60 second ride to the 128th floor. The view was absolutely incredible.

The spice market (souk) was quite amazing. There were bags and bags of spices and the aroma was quite wonderful in general. We didn’t see anything that couldn’t be purchased in the U.S. very readily so we didn’t purchase anything to do with spices. We did stop into one shop that sold Turkish Delight as well. We tried some and then bought a 1/2 kilo to take to Egypt. The candy was quite tasty and didn’t last very long at all.

We had dinner at a restaurant on Pier 7. The name right now slips my mind. The service was really crummy but the food was quite good. Melanie said that is exactly the way Trip Advisor reviews explained the place. From there we took a taxi back to the hotel to prepare for our trip to  Egypt.

Getting back to the hotel we repacked out suitcases so we would be able to check two backs and not have to struggle with so much luggage at the airport. It was 1:30 AM or so before we got to bed. Would be an early day on Sunday as the flight leaves at 8:50 AM.

Pictures to follow