Cairo, Egypt: How to conquer the pyramids and the desert: Part 2

Never leave Egypt without these:

from left to right

Conquer the Great Pyramid of Giza of King Cheops - look how small i am in the pic and the shot was only half of the pryamid.  The Great Pyramid of Giza was inspired by the steps in Saqqara (which we didn't include in our trip as 3 pyramids are enough to look at :D).  The architect of the great pyramid slightly miscalculated the angle so you can see the difference after 20 steps, that the angle suddenly changed.  (this was informed to us by the tour guide, i'm not really the archaeologic type :D).  And looking at the pyramids, it's made of big blocks of stones (some in limestone). It's a bit boring if you don't imagine how it was built and how the blocks were carried here.  Do take note that this was 5000 years ago so technology doesn't exist.  Amazing, isn't it? :)  There are 2 more pyramids and what I remember is the 2nd biggest which belonged to King Chephren which made his pyramid shorter than his dad as a sign of respect. 

Have you sat on a camel's back before?  If not, do this in the Pyramids of Giza!  You would have a nice background of one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world with this cute beast.  But you might be disappointed that camels here only have 1 hump :(.  (i thought every camel has 2).  The camel sits when you're ready to board on his back (way too tall).  I was a bit scared so HT hubbie and I shared one.  Once you're ready, the camel stands by balancing you and you by leaning back or else, you'll be falling in no time.  (I felt like I was at the peak of the roller coaster and it's about to swoosh down). 

The ride was pretty smooth and our camel guide took a  lot of pictures for us and he kept on asking if we're having a good time (at some point i want just to put a big YES on my forehead).  When we were quite far from where we started, i suddenly realized those questions of having a good time has meaning in it.  He wanted baksheesh (this word shouldn't have been invented).  We gave him Egyptian pounds but he demanded for Euro (sneaky bastard).  I was irritated and told him that we were informed not to give (but we weren't ) and he got scared that his boss would came to know so he asked us to keep our money.  Ai yoh...anyways...

20 mins of a camel ride is enough.  Make sure to inform your camel guides that you want 20 mins going and coming back.  And be clear with how much you are paying.  Don't just say the amount but make it clear it's in Egyptian pounds (this applies for all money matters in Egypt).  So you won't be shocked that suddenly what he meant was British pounds. 

 Kiss the Sphinx!  If you can't beat them, join them.  Everyone was doing it so I did too!  This sphinx which has the head and image of King Chephren (who asked to build this) with a lion's body.  This signifies the intelligence of a man and the power of a lion.  Nah, I prefer HT hubbie's kiss :D.

Oh, i forgot, watch out for those guys holding shirts and trying to sell postcards.  They welcome you to Egypt (and you might think how nice of them) and after a few exchange of chats, they'll hand off tshirts to you as a sign of the Egyptian hospitality = Baksheesh.  Make sure to say no and don't take anything unless you wanted to return that hospitality in $$$. :D

Beware of taking pics of people on camesl.  They'll lift their arms and ask you to take picture of them.  And you know what's next....Baksheesh (again).  We went local so we also decided to ask for tip, but nobody bothered taking picture of us...hmph!

We can't get enough of the heat...so we decided to continue our trip to:

Black Desert - chunks of volcanic rock and you can imagine how big the eruption was.

White Desert - unique rock formation that nobody can explain why. 

Hot Spring - this is the least i wanted to do when i'm in the desert.  I don't get refreshed but dehydrated.

Crystal Mountain - those rocks are made of crystals!  I excavated and took a few pieces back home.

nice, isn't it? :D

rabbit rock formation in white desert

Make sure to walk like an Egyptian before leaving the country

This 4X4 was our savior driving around, to and from the desert

After a few fix here and there, ta-dah!  Here's our cozy spot for dinner with our ultimate Bedouin guy!  He's a good cook too!

While having dinner, there were small foxes who weren't shy.  In the middle of the sumptuous supper, we were surrounded by 20.

We also had Bedouin entertainment and HT hubbie can't stop shaking his booty that night. 

See what i mean? :D

Then off we snooze...yes, in the desert.

It's even more traditional than the usual camping with tent.  We were just given thin mattresses and blankets...that's it.  It was difficult to sleep as the moon was shining so bright and I imagined being attacked by those small foxes or snakes crawling on us (thanks to the Bedouin guy who mentioned that before we hit the sack).  It can be pretty cold in the middle of the night so blankets are life savers...even in the desert.

this was the most luxurious toilet we had.  You can choose your own rock where you can hide and pee.  You can even have two or more toilets for a night.  We decided to share one. 

It was a great experience.  But, i'll never do it again...HT hubbie agreed.

Ok, i'm taking back what i've said of not going to the hot spring.  On our way back to Cairo, i just have to take a dip as spending a day and night in the desert with no water to wash yourselves with, hot spring was heaven!  We just drank litres of water to replenish our body fluid.

Ah!  Back in Cairo...suddenly our not-so-5-star-hotel gave us the feeling of a 6-star.  Water, water, water for a good shower, air conditioned room, thick bed mattresses...it was a good way to end our desert and Cairo tour. 

My envisioned of Cairo...it's like Manila with older aura.  Traffic is the same and the drivers have the same crazy way on the street.  The Manilenos will be able to adapt easily in this city.

Whether you're at the desert or at the Red Sea, watching how the sun sets will tell you that tomorrow is another day of exploration in the land...where it all begins.

Part 3...Luxor...here we come! 

Cairo,EGYPT Hurghada, EGYPT: How to survive and enjoy : WHERE IT ALL BEGINS Part 1

If you have seen the tourism commercial and ads of Egypt...you won't miss out this phrase "Where It All Begins".  It's up to your wildest imagination : ancient civilization, political chaos, baksheesh (i'll talk about this later) or the dishes that are available in Arab and Meditterenean countries: ...Curious?  Go visit Egypt! :)

Egypt is a country wherein you have to study, research and understand before doing your first step  unless you're booking your holiday via travel agencies and just follow those flags or umbrellas of your tour guide.  In HT couple's opinion, if you don't know the language, prepare thoroughly.  The only Arabic phrase i learned was Thank you (Shukran) and No, thank you (La Shukran).  And learning these were essential.

Where to start:

Start by looking out of the window of the plane.  Desert, Red Sea, Desert..oh and Nile river...that comprises Egypt :) I haven't flown above this continent, so this was something unique.  It was my first time not to fall asleep during landing (I usually fall asleep during take offs and landings..it's like sleeping pills to me)

If you're a dive enthusiast, do visit the Red Sea together with your dive gears and excitement. 

The Red Sea is known for it's abundant water species and it didn't failed me!  I was so happy that Red Sea is very comparable to the dive sites in South East Asia (Indonesia and Philippines being my favorites).  During summer, wearing 3mm dive suit (same as in Asia), is good enough and diving from September onwards, a thicker (5mm) dive suit might be handy (especially if  your freezing tolerance level is as weak as mine).

Take liveaboards!  I can't remember when was the last time i dive via land.  I just enjoyed staying in the boat, sleeping there for a week while being rocked by the sea waves (with seasickness pill) and of course, the unlimited food!!! HT hubbie booked BlueOTwo for our dive trip to the Red Sea.  It was the best liveaboard that we've been to...here's why...

We had spacious, clean room (and our own tv with media player...beat that!) and private bathroom (which was wide enough and for the first time, i didn't get bruised while taking showers), good dive deck, 2 huge saloons where you can read a book, watch a movie or play games (rummikub!) with the other divers.

wide selection of books, huge sunbathing deck (be careful being friendly with the sun in Egypt, it's atrocious!), unlimited snacks (cookies, breadsticks, chocolates and softdrinks!) and those bean bags where I sat on was addictive.  I was supposed to study some dutch in between dives, but with this beanbag seat, snoozing is inevitable.  Sleep, Eat, Dive, Eat, Sleep, Dive...yes this is what i called a getaway!

This boat fed us pretty well.  I had all types of Egyptian food prepared just like they do at home (It was the best Egyptian dishes I had in the whole Egypt trip), plus, there was one dinner wherein we had a huge roasted turkey with gravy!  Our room was beside the kitchen so i've sneaked out this photo of this big bird before it was served.  In this boat, you don't have to be considerate to others as they have more than enough food for everyone and there was a point that we were all shouting for mercy to stop OVER feeding us.

The dive sites were fantastic!  Big drop offs, wall and deep dives were the majority.  It was my first time to see hammerhead sharks (http://www.google.com/imgres?q=hammerhead+sharks&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&tbnid=L-YBvOQ-nWJWBM:&imgrefurl=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6661795/All-seeing-hammerhead-sharks-could-have-the-best-vision-in-animal-kingdom.html&docid=1XOWQJtfFZXM-M&w=460&h=288&ei=7uIuTqj3Os3NswawuND-Bg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=111&vpy=261&dur=100&hovh=178&hovw=284&tx=178&ty=133&page=1&tbnh=89&tbnw=142&start=0&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0&biw=1152&bih=558)

Not only 1 but 6!  We were pretty lucky but i heard the week before we went diving, other divers saw 50+!  It was mating season so they're all over the sea.  The dive crew was very helpful.  They don't speak English but sign languages worked well.

BlueOTwo is a British dive company therefore, it's not surprising that majority of the divers and instructors were British.  I haven't been to the UK nor dealt with a group of British before but it was nice to hear your name being pronounced correctly (Trivia: my mom chose a british name for me, but she removed one of the R's so that my name will still be unique and my grandmother of chinese heritage wouldn't have more difficulty in pronouncing the R's.  One is complicated enough so why make it 2? :D).  And every morning, they would ask me  "How did you sleep, ?", with an accent that sounded like a royalty and I was so tempted to reply "very well, sir" with a good curtsy (no worries friends!  I decided not to, as I don't want them to think that Filipinos are not in their right state of mind :D)

We would definitely be diving with them again...the only concern is where...but we'll take a break for now. :)

In Cairo...

from left to right: Don't miss the Egyptian Museum and be amazed of the artifacts.  Go early as the group tours are quite irritating as they blocked your way.  There are freelance tour guides standing outside the museum, who can be friendly with you by asking " where are you from? , etc" and later on convincing you to get their tour guide service.  Don't pretend that you don't know English as most of them are multi-lingual.  (I heard they don't have much chinese or japanese tour guides...so we Asians can pretend if they started to be annoying...and believe me, they are). To shoo them away, just say " La Shukran".  No cameras inside.  The Royal mummies are recommended if you want some few goosebumps here and there.

Visit the Coptic or Old Cairo.  This showcased catholic churches and a synagogue bringing you to old times when majority of the citizens are Christians.

Coptic Christians don't have statues of saints.  They have pictures of saints and I saw the locals kissing portraits or hand-sewed image on carpets.

Visit Citadel where the mosque of Mohammed Ali lies.  They asked us to remove our shoes and go barefoot.  Check out how i have lifted my toes.  There's a vendor who's selling throw away socks but I was stingy to buy a pair.  I had wet ones with me so I cleaned my feet before wearing my shoes again. :)

 We were in one of the main roads in Cairo. Only in Egypt!  These camels are cute!

Stroll along Khan El Khalili Bazaars.  I love seeing herbs and spices being sold as well as bread being carried by vendors around.

There are a lot of vendors trying to sell you herbs, souvenirs and even revolution shirts...and if you don't want any...just say 'La Shukran' or if you want to buy something, put in mind that they see you as a cow that they can milk so during bargaining, it's reasonable to bring it to 1/3 of the price.  You'll still get ripped off, but at least not much :).  And if you have space in your luggage, take home one of the seeshas.

Take some Iced Karkadai (hibiscus tea drink) at Fishawy in Khan El Khalili while watching the tourists and locals passing by.

While sitted in Fishawy, lots of vendors are going around and trying to sell items.  There's one guy who wanted to sell sunglasses to HT hubbie and even if he had said no several times, he was really pushy up to the point of annoying.  As a good loving HT wife, I told the guy nicely 'La, Shukran' but i was shouted and informed that he doesn't talk to women only to men.  Fine!  Then why bother reacting to me then?  I was irritated but decided not to stoop down to his level and just accepted that that is their culture. 

A local told us that they're a bit disappointed with the backward attitude of some of their citizens which drives away tourists.  There was a guy who tried to pull my arms to draw to his stall and I told him not to touch me and he said something in Arabic but definitely not a sorry.  A local also mentioned that it's safer to be with guides especially if the group is all ladies to avoid this situation.  They still have this notion that women are not equal to men.  And as tourists, you have a big dollar or euro sign on your forehead to some of the vendors and taxi drivers so beware.  Make sure you have enough small change with you as drivers always pretend they don't have change for you.  Don't be scared to ask a local to exchange money so you can give the driver the exact amount.

Here's a taxi fare guide from our hotel.  We stayed in Zamalek area and not downtown in Cairo, due to the political instability.  We wouldn't want to get stuck in riots and protests so Zamalek was a good choice for a quieter, peaceful and a few minutes away from downtown.

Baksheesh - tips you give in restaurants or to the people who helped you out.  What's irritating is, they see you as a baksheesh giver before they help you.  No baksheesh, no help.  A guy helped us crossing the street without asking for help and we thought there's still hope in this country until he started asking us " Where are we from" and followed us.  We just ignored him and he got tired anyway.  So much for the hope. 

There can be a lot of touts.  You just need to be aware and be cautious.  Make sure that at the end of the day, you're on vacation, have fun and don't let touting ruin your holiday.

Part 2...up next!

Egyptian Food Guide by HT Couple

We wanted a getaway.  We wanted to eat something different.  HT wife wanted to go to a continent that she hasn't stepped on to.  We wanted to dive in tropical water.  And now, we are in Egypt.

Inspite of the political chaos and mini-protests are still present once in a while, we bravely flew to this super hot and sunny country to suffice our wants.

Bordered by several countries, Egypt's table has been influenced by its neighboring fellas.  And as tourism is one of the countries main sources of income, international fare is not uncommon.  From pizza, burgers to curries, name it, and they'll have it.

For almost 2 weeks of expedition in this side of the world, HT couple has been stuffing themselves with the Egyptian staples.

The main staple is the flat Egyptian bread ( a softer lebanese bread).  Whether your meal goes with rice, expect to get a basket of bread.  The locals used it to scoop dips, mezze and tagins.  Carbo loading as it may sound, you'll be needing it exploring this 40 degrees Celsius land especially in the month of July.

We've been eating like pigs and here's a list of our tummies' faves:

Koshari - a bowl of pasta look-alike topped with bountiful fried onions which may look simple but the first scoop really made me want to eat it over and over again.  Different carbs mixed all together in tomato sauce, chili sauce and the special ingredient which gives the bowl its wonderful flavor is the garlicky vinegar.  Give the bowl numerous drops and you're up for a delicious treat.

And what made this apart from pasta is the combination of macaroni pasta, spaghetti, noodles, rice and chick peas.  It's not koshary if you decided to skip one of these main ingredients :).

A famous koshary shop in Cairo is Abou Tarek.  But beware when walking into the street going to this shop as you might end up in another koshary shop claiming that they're another branch  and treat yourself with a few good hours in the toilet :D.  The shop has its English name on it so if you only see Arabic name, walk further.  (80 euro cents for a decent serving)

Molokhiyya soup - is made of green leafy veggies that is slimy in texture.  I was curious.  It was considered as the most popular dish of the country.  I dipped my bread in the soup and had my first taste.  It reminded me of saluyot a Filipino veggie that we also make into a vegetable dish and has the same texture but ours is more salty and we eat it always with rice.  This was prepared in the house of a Bedouin family, an ethnic group living in the desert.

Ta'amiyya or Felafel - deep fried and shaped into balls which is made of mashed beans with some spices giving its taste.  It's addictive even if there's no meat in it.  You would see this typically on breakfast tables of the locals.  This is also available as mezze.

Fuul - mashed beans slow-cooked in garlic, cumin and other spices sprinkled with lemon.  Also a staple for breakfast, locals eat in bowls more than this in the picture (i just took a spoon to taste it :D).  Unfortunately, this didn't suit HT wife's palate but HT hubbie made this his breakfast must-have. :) This is considered their national dish. (Lonely Planet)

Just like Greeks, Egyptians take their mezze seriously.  Here's plate-like table with a number of appetizers.  This was ordered by an Egyptian friend of mine living in Cairo.  And after polishing all the plates, there's no more room for main courses.  Here are the must-haves (dishes from the pic are represented as time clock):

Mahsi (greens at 10:00) - stuffed vine leaves usually with rice and herbs but some places you can get it with  meat...Baked and served hot.  (similar to Greeks' dolmades)

Tahini (6:00)- made of sesame.  Used as a bread dip and seems to be the locals favorites among their wide variety of dips.

Felafel/Ta'amiyya (3:00) - a big version

Stuffed sausages (10:00 - beside Mahsi) - intestines cleaned and stuffed with rice and herbs

Chicken liver Alexandrian style (middle) - cooked in cumin, garlic lime and coriander.  It's cooked in wok style but with herby taste.

Baba Ghanoug - mashed eggplant paste with garlic.  I'm not sure if this originated from Egypt or Greece, but nevertheless, it's always available in the Egyptian menu.  I love the one prepared in the dive boat, the eggplant has a smoky flavor and still has good chunks in it.  They spiced it up which burnt the tongue of the other divers, mostly British but HT couple indulged it with full pleasure :).

Hummus -  mashed chick peas and this version we had was thick and creamy making it a very good dip for the bread. (As Sahaby Lane Restaurant in Luxor -  1 euro)

After the vegetarian varieties, it's time to replenish ourselves with meat proteins. :)

Hamam - pigeons stuffed with rice and frik,  green wheat as well as herbs wherein coriander was dominant.  I always love pigeons served in chinese lauriat during parties and it was already difficult to eat but Egyptians made it more complicated and messy by stuffing it.  I'm not complaining as it was super delicious!

Abou El Sid was recommended by lonely planet and several travel forums that i've read.  And this place didn't fail us.  It served Egyptian food just like how it's being served in Egyptian home.  A friend of mine who's a local in Cairo loves this place.  Most diners are Cairenes than tourists.  We went their twice for dinner and the place was packed.  They have a few branches around Cairo.  The mezze and hamam are both from this restaurant.  Highly recommended by HT Couple. Mezze ( about 1-3 euro per serving) and Main course (5-7 euro)

Egypt is also known for their Tagins just like Morocco.  Tagins are earthware where the dishes are cooked long and keeping all the taste and flavor intact.  It's the old version of pressure cooker but the conventional way has always its own charm.

Camel Meat Tagin - HT hubbie was curious how a camel taste like so he got this in one of our dinners in Luxor.  It was less succulent than beef but still tender enough.  Stronger taste than beef but lesser taste than mutton.  We liked the meat very much but just the thought of the cute face of a camel...we wouldn't order it again.

Isn't he cute?  Now, tell me, would you eat his meat? :D

Tagin Bamya Bil Mozza - Stewed lamb shanks with okra, tomatoes, onions, garlic and cumin was such a delight and heavenly.  It was a bit on the oily side but it was full of flavor and goes well with rice and bread.  The meat was so tender that it just melted in our mouth.  Okras are typical ingredients in tagin dishes in Egypt. 

Mixed Kebabs -  just like the Turkish, Egyptians like grilled items too.  The most famous is Kofta, minced lamb and shaped into sausage and grilled.  Herby and smoky taste combined can never go wrong.

 Get this delicious bowl and kebab plate in Sofra Restaurant in Luxor (about 4 euro and 5.50 respectively).

For the sweet tooth, Egypt is the place to be.  All their desserts are very sweet.  This one was recommended by a local friend.

Fetir - egyptian pancake which is made of layers of filo topped with nuts, tasting similar to Greek Baklava.  This is usually eaten with honey (the normal honey or the famous black honey in Arab countries) and cream.  We were recommended to mix the black honey with the tahini (see dip from above), to give the pancakes its sweet and sour taste.  I love the softness of the layers and how well it absorbed the natural taste of honey.  I prefer just the honey instead of the mix.

Other famous desserts are Ruz Bi Laban - sticky rice in milk cream aka rice pudding - I had it in the dive boat but forgot to take pictures :D and my favorite Omm Ali - layers of pastry soaked in cream and milk sometimes with nuts and baked in the oven.  A friend of mine when she was still living in Belgium, would use croissants to make this dessert, it's not exactly the same but similar.  I would try making it too. :)

Drinking tea (shai)  is a past time here in Egypt just like in Turkey.  Hot tea with mint is popular but you can washed down your throat with Karkadai, hibiscus tea which is served either hot or cold.  With the weather here, a cold glass is a must.

You want to dine like locals?  Smoke seesha after a meal (well, they do it even before breakfast :D).  Apple flavor is the best seller but HT couple decided to just eat like locals and then look for a shop that sells beer. :D

Most restaurants add 10% sales tax and baksheesh,  a tip of few egyptian pounds wouldn't hurt.

Credits to Lonely Planet and Wikitravel for helping HT couple for this extensive food expedition. :D

TIME-OUT: HT wife...little did she know

Life is really full or surprises.  HT wife moved to this side of the world only knowing she'll be with HT husband freezing together in the land of milk and cheese...and windmills and clogs.

She had complaints.  She was almost at the point she wanted to go back to Asia.  Until, she slowly accepted that she is where she is now. 

Little did she know that it's also a full turn of her life.

She wanted to learn to drive.  She wanted to be independent.  Fate answered her prayers.  Little did she know that she learned how to drive but only with 2 wheels.  And for sure, she can handle 2 more wheels soon.

They said you learned a lot of words when you read books.  Carl Hiaasen and Stephen Clarke make her laugh.  Those chick lits( literature) brings out the woman in her.  Little did she know that at this side of the world, she wouldn't be spending any dime for more books, as she haven't finished her favorite book for a while.

HT wife has difficulty in saying NO.  Little did she know that this would be her most frequently used word.  With the dutch "no"....Nee (ney), it became more subtle and rejection suddenly is a song to one's ears. And at this side of the world, you can even say 'Nee' several times with up and down tone...just like singing.

Little did she know that she would still be in Holland...after a year.

But one thing she knows, she would be with HT hubbie...freezing again together for another year.

Yes!  It's been a year...sinced I moved myself to Holland.  I survived! 

HT couple in their first night of moving to this side of the world (thanks Poepels)