The Next Trip

For those of you that have never used the site http://www.tripadvisor.com I strongly advise you to check it out. I have found it to be an incredible asset when travelling, everything from weekend B&B's to our upcoming trip to Central Europe. The value is in the contributions from other travellers. I have finally taken some time to contribute myself, it feels good when other travellers find your contributions useful and contact you directly.
Another cool addition to this and our next blog, is this Slideshow gadget which you can configure to show images from your PicasaWeb site, which is awesome.
I will probably not be blogging much more about Egypt, but please come check out my next big adventure with Courtney: http://martyandcourtneyineurope.blogspot.com/

The Food of Egypt

Many people have asked me about the food in Egypt, so I will share our experience with that. Again, since there is no water purification, we just drank bottled water, which depending on how well you haggle you can get anywhere between $1 for a small bottle [NY prices] down to $1 for 2 big (1 litre) bottles [nailed that deal in Edfu]. Also it is recommended not to eat the lettuce (I guess since it is mostly water in content.

The first day we ate at the hotel in Cairo, outside. I jumped right into the local cuisine and ordered something like the 'Egyptian Sandwich' or something with a corny name. It was essentially a local meat sausage in a pita with fries. Washed that down with a Stella beer (note: in Egypt they mostly served Stella, Sakara, and Heineken, the Stella is their own Stella, not the version here in the states, and these were your basic pilsners).

Our next eating experience was the buffet of the cruise ship, which was horrible. Every meal they would have a beef, chicken and fish option. Along with a potato, soups, and an array of veggies. One day I got pretty sick, but nothing too serious.

Luckily they had Heinz Hot Sauce (which is money). I got to a point where I would just get some rice, different beans and veggies and some pita bread and smother it with hot sauce. Chased this with a Stella or water. I think it made Ed happy, that I joined him in his vegetarian ways for a couple of days :)

In the Aswan airport (heading back to Cairo), they did have a Sbarro's Pizza, which was not too bad (but was crazy expensive...I think like $7 for a slice. In Cairo we did all go out as a group to an outdoor restaurant (Andrea) which was excellent, the best food we had in Egypt. Chicken grilled over charcoal, homemade pita, and your usual Mediterranean sides (hummus, etc).

There is a big gap between the rich and poor in Egypt, I saw people peddling pita/meat sandwiches in Cairo rush hour traffic (to cars). The people seem to eat a lot of bread.

Pyramids & Camels

The last day of the trip was definitely one of the best. Seeing the Pyramids in Giza was unbelievable. It is mind boggling these massive structures were built nearly 5000 years ago. We also had the opportunity to ride camels near the pyramids which was fun and definitely a good photo oppt. We got back into JFK at about 3:30pm EDT today, and it is great to be home. Overall, just an amazing trip. I will be blogging little tidbits and highlights this weekend after I decompress. But I did add my pics from the last day on the Picasa web site.

http://picasaweb.google.com/martysupple

Back on the Grid

We just got back into Cairo, we have spent the last 3 days on the cruise down (up) the Nile river. We started the cruise in Luxor, then cruised south (which is actually upstream - against the current) to Edfu then Aswan. We visited the Tombs in Valley of the Kings in Luxor, where King Tut, many Pharos from the Ramses line of rulers, and others have their tombs.

I will be blogging each days activities in more detail as I get more time. We are right near the Pyramids of Giza, tomorrow morning we get up at 6:45am, have breakfast, then a full day of visiting the Pyramids, most likely grab a camel ride, and get nutty in Cairo. We will be back at the hotel at 6pm-ish (Cairo time). We then depart early morning Thursday.

The trip has been amazing, each day and each site better than the one before. There was a point in Luxor where we all felt that we did not need to see any more Temples...but then when we saw Edfu temple we were blown away. The horse and buggy ride through downtown Edfu was awesome.

I am posting a bunch of pics and videos now, with more to come. I will also be posting more details about the sites we have visited and our experiences.

BTW, we are getting along fine as travel partners :)

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/martysupple

In Cairo

The flight was smooth, we got in about 12:10pm Cairo time. Getting through customs was not bad at all, the airport was fairly nice. It seems that they are building a new airport to replace the existing in fact.

We took a 15 minute bus ride to our hotel from the airport with the Gate 1 travel folks. We have not really socialized with any of them much; a mixed group. I sat down next to an Indian woman from Boston, that had traveled to Morocco with Gate 1 (everyone raves about Gate 1 btw).

When we got to the hotel (see lobby below) we got our room keys from our tour guide. The hotel is very nice (resort-like).

We spent some time out by the pool getting a late lunch / early dinner (I got the Arabic Sandwich, some unknown meat product, which was spicy and good).

After I took a dip in the pool, we decided to head out to see the area outside/around the hotel. There is so much traffic and no street/traffic signals, it is mayhem. We were able to cross the street (very scary)..then tried to find some shops, but this particular area is SEEDY. There were some automotive repair shops and some shady looking tea/hookah cafes (or whatever they are called here...tea shops). Young dudes, tokin the hookah, drinking tea, and playing dominos.

We decided to turn back pretty quickly as the two roads we ventured down, we felt like eyes were upon us, we stood out. So, to play it safe we came back to the hotel bar out by the pool. Luckily we leave this hotel tomorrow morning, we have a 6:45am flight down to Luxor, a full day of sight seeing, then we get on our Nile cruise. Since we are all tired from traveling here, it will probably be an early night. I am going to go meet Ed downstairs now, as there is a wedding at the hotel...got to see this (and free entertainment...can't beat that).

Check out the photos so far at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/martysupple/CairoDay1

No Fumar

You wanna do what to my whom? There is no way I am going to pick up on this Arabic writing. Looks like a tattoo I saw on a girls lower back in Hoboken, NJ last night at a bar.

Fly Like an Egyptian

Wow, I have never seen so much security for a flight. Luckily with my caucasian style, I rolled by. But I saw some brothers from another mother getting the inquisition. 'What do you do for a living?' 'What do you do with your free time?' Man I thought I was on the Egyptian dating game. Well the three Long Island hombres are in their seats waiting for liftoff. Say a prayer for us, we will be afloat for the next 11 hours. Rock on.

Ladies and Gents...Darryl

About to board, but I wanted to make sure all you ladies got a glimpse of Darryl. Darryl is the cog that holds this travellin sex machine together. Between the 3 of us, we are sure to turn so turban wearin heads. Stay tuned for more action...we are boarding shortly. By the way another Gate 1 traveller named Doug just introduced himself to us, he knows where the party is at. Holla bitc%es!!

Liquid Sleeping Pills

Here's Ed, we are at the Brooklyn Brewery café at JFK. Beer #2 to get us through the 11 hour flight ahead. Check in was smooth, although the apple in may bag triggered a bag search due to its moisture content. Well 2 personal pan pizzas, a quesidilla and 5 beers and 71 dollars later.

Who's the Metrosexual Now... Beeyatch?

Who knew I could use my handy Metrocard for the Airtrain? Oh..it's the little things. Smooth as ice, and on schedule. On my way to terminal 4. I feel like I am on the tram in DisneyWorld...ooh there's Goofy.

Strong Island

Despite my good friend David's reccomendation to take the F train to Queens then the E to the AirTrain, I have stuck with my original plan. It has been quite a while since I was able to enjoy a lovely ride on the LIRR. I have secured a seat on the 2.52pm to Huntington. I will get off at the second stop; Jamacia. All this fun and reminscing for only 5.25 USD. Let the adventure begin my friends. Despite some sweaty pits and not finding my favorite REI sun hat this morning...everything is running on schedule. See you at JFK kids (and wasn't he a grand president?). Oh, I was also able to pick up a copy of AM New York on the way to Penn Station (couldn't have scored that if I took your fancy F train David) so I can get my dose of daily crossword puzzling. Ooh, here comes the conducter; I hear its a good job.

Giving some tongue

Locals are always appreciative of foreign visitors taking the time to learn a few of the common phrases in the local language (especially in Egypt, from what I understand). I have found a free MP3 online that has a basic vocabulary lesson, as well as site that lists these English to Arabic expressions (which I have printed out). So hopefully during my 11 hour plane ride I can master some of these local phrases and wow my friends.

Here is the language lesson download I found:
http://journals.worldnomads.com/language-guides/post/10395.aspx

Here is a page that lists many of the common phrases:
http://www.touregypt.net/translat.htm

tesbah ala kheir

Planning My Departure

Since I live in Hoboken, I usually fly in/out of Newark Airport (EWR), but our flight to Cairo will be leaving from JFK. Living near a plethora of mass transit, this is not a big deal. Instead of taking a $60 car service, I will be taking the trains. After taking the PATH to 33rd St. in Manhattan, I will walk a couple of blocks to Penn Station, then take a 20 minute LIRR train to the Jamaica station (no, not the tropical, sandy, 'sippin a Pina Colada' Jamaica, this one is in Queens, NY). Then there is the JFK AirTrain which will take you to your Terminal of choice. In my case it is Terminal 4, as we are flying Egypt Air (I wonder how the stewardesses will be dressed?). BTW, if you do check out Egypt Air's web site, and your a nerd like me, you may notice it is implemented using ASP.Net (go Egypt), oh and so is Hooters Air (are they still in business?). Total travel time to JFK airport (just under an hour), cost: $12.75 (nice). We have a direct flight, leaving at 6:30pm and arriving at 12:30pm (Cairo time). Ouch that's an 11 hour flight, good thing I am bringing a book :).

Local time in Cairo:

The currency in Egypt is the Egyptian Pound (EGP), currently at 5.34867 per 1 USD. Darryl converted some USD for all of us, so we conduct some local commerce ;)

Well I am off to enjoy a farewell dinner (chicken parm, my favorite) with my lovely g.f.. I will check in tomorrow, when the adventure begins!

Gadgets Need Juice

Obviously, I will be bringing my digital camera on this trip (Canon PowerShot SD400 5.0 MP). I am also bringing an old laptop for offloading pictures, checking email, and blogging whenever possible (both hotels we are staying at have Internet access).

I love the Windows Live Writer application, which I am using to publish this blog. If you do any blogging at all, and run Windows, definitely check it out.

I did some research and learned more about international plug types and electricity, than most people need to. Each country has its own plug type(s) and electricity standard (Voltage/Frequency). Here in the United States, we have 120 Volts at 60 Hz, and the plug types are called A & B. Egypt has 220 Volts at 50 Hz (plug type C). You can get details on the different countries here: Electricity Around the World.

Most device power supplies, will handle various frequencies and voltages (generally 110-240 Volts, and 50-60 Hz, if not more). Therefore, all that is needed for this trip (and pretty much most modern countries around the world), is a plug adapter to handle the connection from your power supply to the female sockets in these countries. You can get individual plug adapters for certain plug types/countries. But if you plan on visiting more than one country, a universal plug adapter is generally a good investment.

I decided to go with the APC Universal Plug Adapter, due to its global coverage, compactness, and great reviews. I picked this up from J&R (downtown Manhattan) for $19.99 +tax. For more information on plug types used around the world, check out this Wikipedia Page

 

 

 

 

I will be traveling as light as possible, but I need a laptop, and this old Inspiron 8100 is my only option, since I do not want to have to worry about bring my new laptop. So this 7.9 lb 'notebook' will by the heaviest item I have to bring.

Going To Egypt

Back in 1995/96 I had my first consulting project with LILCO (Long Island Lighting Company). The team that I had the fortune of working with, and also becoming friends with, and I have managed to keep in touch ever since.

At the end of December, 2007 we got together for a dinner party at Peppercorns, in Hicksville, NY (near the office we used to work at). What a great night, recalling funny stories and characters from when we all worked together. Part of the fun was Ed telling us his recent travel stories. Since I had worked with Ed, he has retired, gotten divorced, and is traveling the world. Many of his trips are with his brother-in-law, Darryl (a retired NYC cop). Ed mentioned he was going to Egypt in May 2008, and I told him I would be interested in going, if there was room for me. Soon after, I emailed Ed, and now Ed, Darryl and I are flying to Cairo on May 1! I am so excited for this trip, Ed and Darryl should make excellent traveling partners, and I have never been to Egypt, nor the continent of Africa.

They had booked the trip with Gate 1 Travel, which they had used  before, for a trip to Thailand, and had a wonderful experience. Gate 1 seems to have a wide selection of organized trips all over the world, at reasonable prices. Adding me to the booking was not too much of a problem, but since most accommodations are based on double occupancy, we had to book an extra room to cover the 3 of us, so I guess if one of us gets lucky we can get the 'alone room' ;) (see my next Blog, Gettin' Lucky In Egypt).

Here is a link to our itinerary: 8 Day Egypt Super Saver with 3 Day Nile Cruise

We will be in Egypt from May 1 - 8, the weather should be hot, but not too bad, averaging in the high 80's / low 90's Egypt Weather