The Widow and the Spinster: The Search for Adventure, Enlightenment, and the Quest for Forbidden food - Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, and New TR Link! 4/2

[franandaj]

So we had just wrapped our camel ride which was probably the highlight of visiting the pyramids. Now the pyramids are located in Giza, which is actually a different city (and Governorate, their equivalent of states) from Cairo. Although when driving between Cairo and Giza, you’d never know that you were entering a different city, state, province, or governorate.

It was a very fluid transition. There may have been a sign indicating the border, but then again it was probably in Arabic and we couldn’t read it. We didn’t really know where we were in the cities, and trusted our driver to get us to the correct destinations. We were rather surprised when we stopped again at the Papyrus place. Both Jill and I wondered, “Did we forget something here?”

I don’t think I mentioned it yet, but today was Jill’s actual birthday. As a present, Achmed let her choose between three different scenes on the Papyrus. Two judgment scenes or the “calendar”. Remember I described each of them earlier in the Trip Report?

She chose “The Judgement”

As we were leaving the papyrus place, I noticed this woman selling coffee and tea out of the back of her car.

And then it was really time to go “home”. Here is our hotel from the bridge on the way back.

Now something that I should mention is that Achmed told us more today about our “modified” schedule. According to the schedule that we were given prior to the trip all our touring would take place during the day. However, he wanted to take us to the “night market” or Khan al Khalili. So on Friday we wouldn’t be meeting him until 3:30PM and we would have dinner instead of lunch. Basically we were free for the morning and early afternoon that day.

I believe it was on this evening that Jill and I began speculating on what to do with our free time. We had a few ideas!

Here is the map from my Google timeline of our travels today. And look! The map even shows the border for the Cairo/Giza governates.

As I mentioned earlier, this day was Jill’s actual birthday, the main reason for the trip. Before we left, we had found a fancy restaurant in the Intercontinental hotel online, and the plan was to celebrate her birthday with a nice meal. However, before we could do that we both needed a shower. We smelled like camel.

We decided to have some more wine while we were showering and getting dressed so we called room service and the same guy came up to open our bottle of wine. When we restock, we will definitely buy the screw-top version of wine!

Once we were sufficiently freshened up, we took an Uber to the Intercontinental Hotel. All these Uber trips still hadn’t used up the $15 credit that Jill had left on her account. These rides are averaging $1-$2 per trip and she was generously giving the drivers 50% tips.

Now the hotel wasn’t far from our hotel at all, but there was no way we were walking here. The street outside our hotel (video coming soon) was very busy. With no street lights to stop traffic, we weren’t risking our lives to walk anywhere near our hotel.

The place called itself a French Restaurant, but it was kind of a combination steakhouse/French restaurant, named The Grill. You can google “Grill Intercontinental Cairo” if you’re interested in viewing the menu. I’m too lazy to include a link.

We were seated at a nice Nile view table. Excuse the glare in the window.

We ordered a bottle of wine, and they brought us some bread. There is some foreshadowing of the evening in these pictures that neither of us noticed until it was too late.

One thing that we kept laughing about was the soundtrack playing. It was 80s & 90s tunes, set in a smooth jazz feel. Bands like ABBA, No Doubt, Duran Duran, they even played Rod Stewart's If ya want my body….

We ordered what they called “Traditional French Bisque” which was basically a Lobster Bisque. It was not quite as thick as I would have liked, but had great flavor.

I went with the 300g Rib Eye with a mushroom thyme sauce. For sides I had the au gratin potatoes and creamy spinach.

Jill had the Filet with Beef Jus with cracked pepper sauce. She also chose the same sides.

Jill did a pretty good job on hers, but I just got too full, I couldn’t even eat half of mine. I ate one bite of the spinach, but it wasn’t very creamy, at least not by US standards. I ate two, maybe three slices of the potatoes. I didn’t want to feel sick like I did the other night when I ate too much cous cous.

And then the guys two tables away from us lit up. The smell of cigarette smoke came wafting over and any appetite that I might have had was gone. We were both looking forward to dessert, but now with the smell of cigarette smoke hanging over us, we felt more nauseous than anything. The waiters came by, one even asked me, “Did you not like it?”

I explained that I had become too full, and then when the smoke came in, I just couldn’t eat any more. They offered to move us to a non-smoking section, but by then it was too late. Lesson learned. Next time, ask to be seated in the non-smoking section. We knew that in Jordan, but forgot about it in Egypt.

I think they felt bad for us, and they brought us these little morsels. At least the guys at the table two over had extinguished their stink bombs and the air had dissipated a little bit. The little bites were tasty and a nice finish to the meal.

We took another Uber home, and I was asleep by 8:25PM even with going out to dinner.

Next Up: Modern Ancient Civilisation

 

[tiggrbaby]

It looked like you had a blast riding the camels! Great pics, too!

Dinner looked lovely. Sorry the smoke cut it short!

 

[franandaj]

It looked like you had a blast riding the camels! Great pics, too!

It was interesting to say the least. I'm not sure it's an experience that I need to repeat!

Dinner looked lovely. Sorry the smoke cut it short!

Yeah, it was a lovely dinner until we lost our appetites. We didn't forget to check for smoking sections after that!

 

[pkondz]

Except I said the backside of the Pyramids....

You did. But Pyramids don't really have a back do they? Whereas a sphinx...

Or water.

It's a bird, that's about as technical as I get.

I was afraid that I would fall off the entire time! I was sore after that because I was squeezing the camel so tight to make sure I didn't fall off!

Oh dear!

It's my profile picture on Social Media!

I need to pay more attention!

That's one of Jill's. I was afraid to get my camera out while we were on the camels. I was afraid I would drop it or fall off the camel.

Nice shot, Jill.

 

[pkondz]

So we had just wrapped our camel ride which was probably the highlight of visiting the pyramids.

Really!

I have never been, so I can't possibly say how I'd feel, but... I'm surprised that just being there and seeing the pyramids and sphinx wasn't the highlight.

Although when driving between Cairo and Giza, you’d never know that you were entering a different city, state, province, or governorate.

Interesting. I always knew they were the pyramids of Giza... but I thought that was a reference to an ancient time or era or city that no longer existed.

We were rather surprised when we stopped again at the Papyrus place. Both Jill and I wondered, “Did we forget something here?”

"We were already here!"

today was Jill’s actual birthday. As a present, Achmed let her choose between three different scenes on the Papyrus.

That's very nice.

I noticed this woman selling coffee and tea out of the back of her car.

Starbucks to go.
So. Different.

he wanted to take us to the “night market” or Khan al Khalili.

I'd be all over that! That sounds great!

I believe it was on this evening that Jill and I began speculating on what to do with our free time. We had a few ideas!

Rest????

Here is the map from my Google timeline of our travels today.

That's cool. How did you do that?

As I mentioned earlier, this day was Jill’s actual birthday, the main reason for the trip.

we both needed a shower. We smelled like camel.

That may be the first and last time you can say that!

We decided to have some more wine while we were showering and getting dressed

Not easy to keep the wine from being watered down in the shower.

These rides are averaging $1-$2 per trip and she was generously giving the drivers 50% tips.

Cheap!

We were seated at a nice Nile view table.

Not bad.

There is some foreshadowing of the evening in these pictures that neither of us noticed until it was too late.

I looked and looked and looked at those photos and couldn't figure it out. I guessed maybe you were going to be charged an amount for each bread eaten. (Now I know better.)

One thing that we kept laughing about was the soundtrack playing. It was 80s & 90s tunes, set in a smooth jazz feel. Bands like ABBA, No Doubt, Duran Duran, they even played Rod Stewart's If ya want my body….

Elevator music?

We ordered what they called “Traditional French Bisque” which was basically a Lobster Bisque. It was not quite as thick as I would have liked, but had great flavor.

mmm... love a good lobster bisque.

I went with the 300g Rib Eye with a mushroom thyme sauce. For sides I had the au gratin potatoes and creamy spinach.

My mouth is watering.

Jill had the Filet with Beef Jus with cracked pepper sauce.

More mouth watering!

And then the guys two tables away from us lit up. The smell of cigarette smoke came wafting over and any appetite that I might have had was gone.

Ugh... and I finally figured out the foreshadowing...

It wasn't a bowl... I didn't notice the two indentations on the rim.

We were both looking forward to dessert, but now with the smell of cigarette smoke hanging over us, we felt more nauseous than anything. The waiters came by, one even asked me, “Did you not like it?”

 

[franandaj]

You did. But Pyramids don't really have a back do they? Whereas a sphinx...

Or water.

Well yes they do! They have a front door, the other side is the backside.

I need to pay more attention!

Really!

I have never been, so I can't possibly say how I'd feel, but... I'm surprised that just being there and seeing the pyramids and sphinx wasn't the highlight.

Well, I can see that, but not only were we looking at the pyramids and such, but we were doing it from the back of a freakin' camel.

Interesting. I always knew they were the pyramids of Giza... but I thought that was a reference to an ancient time or era or city that no longer existed.

Well it is a reference to an ancient place, but it always stayed revered.....

Starbucks to go.
So. Different.

I'd be all over that! That sounds great!

Really.......we felt.......different.

That may be the first and last time you can say that!

Probably.

Not easy to keep the wine from being watered down in the shower.

Oh sure it is, just keep your glass on the counter near the sink and then stick your head out when you want a sip.

I looked and looked and looked at those photos and couldn't figure it out. I guessed maybe you were going to be charged an amount for each bread eaten. (Now I know better.)

Yeah, we didn't notice it either.

Elevator music?

No, it was way more sophisticated than elevator music. It was smooth jazz, with horns and stuff playing solos. Very well produced, but so weird because the actual melodies that may have been rhythmic and lively in the rock n roll version were very sedate.

mmm... love a good lobster bisque.

Ugh... and I finally figured out the foreshadowing...

It wasn't a bowl... I didn't notice the two indentations on the rim.

Yeah, like I said either did we.

 

[pkondz]

Well yes they do! They have a front door, the other side is the backside.

I stand corrected. Or maybe I sit corrected... on my backside.

Well, I can see that, but not only were we looking at the pyramids and such, but we were doing it from the back of a freakin' camel.

Good point!

Really.......we felt.......different.

I've been to the night market in Vancouver and really liked it. But... Egypt ain't Vancouver.

Oh sure it is, just keep your glass on the counter near the sink and then stick your head out when you want a sip.

The voice of experience!

 

[DnA2010]

As you can see this room hasn’t had much of a refurb since the 70s.

When I saw the first pic, I thought, "the 70's called, they want their room back!" then this pic and caption was next!

Jill took this panoramic shot off our balcony. We didn’t spend much time out there. As you can see it was very smoggy outside, and most of the time it was just super hot.

Lots of construction!

Jill said they had positive reviews in English and it was only a 15 minute Uber away.

I couldn't believe you guys were Ubering around!

"Let's ask this guy." I said to Jill. So she showed him the phone. He didn't speak English either, but he took us to a super sketchy elevator.

"Please don't plummet me to my death!!"

When I turned around I saw some empty Togo containers on the floor. It looked like one was filled with milk, and I thought "cats here?"

trust you to notice signs of cats!

We decided that perhaps 53 was up

Sounds logical!

helpful guy who didn't speak English came rushing up to us. "CamFix? CamFix?" He asked, nodding his head.

You obviously go through to him, and how nice of him to persue you guys!

When we reached the top of the stairs there was a door with a sign next to it with the business name in a large stylized font in rainbow colors. We had found CamFix!

Woohooo!!

The woman saw that Jill was uncomfortable and unplugged the fan from where it was and moved it so that it was focused on Jill. She didn't need to do that, but it was a very sweet gesture.

That's so kind!

You see we had read that Egyptians preferred to be paid in their own currency because they need a minimum to be able to take it to the exchange office. That minimum is around $13-15USD. I was happy to pay him $15. In the US it probably would have been $50 just to take a look at it!

Here too, if you could fine someone, it would probably be at least $50

We made it safely to the first floor and thanked the gentleman in the lobby on the way out.

Yay!! Success!

Then she called an Uber to take us to our next destination.

You go girls!

I really liked this picture for the "realness" of it

We found a store called Drinkies that sold alcoholic beverages

Drinkies

decent selection of Egyptian wines, most under $10US.

Score!

We followed the hallways to the bar and immediately realized that this was a smoking area. Neither of us cared for the smell of smoke so we turned around and left.

Yuck, it's so noticeable to me now

bar called Sherlock Holmes Pub

I feel like I've seen bars with that sort of name in a few other countries!

We ordered a bottle of BeauSoliel Syrah

As in a French wine then?

The Egyptian wines were around $1000LE (about $33). The imported wines started at $4500LE (about $150). We would be drinking Egyptian wine for the duration of this trip.

Wowzas!

three flavors of butter. Herb, tomato and olive.

Yum, I love bread and butter, always have

I feel like a had a dish like this in the Morocco? Pavilion at Epcot

Jill started to joke that we should call the trip report, “they need to breed more lamb, cause Alison is eating it all.”

LOL Dorian would be the same for sure!

we remarked about our American privilege.

We would see things and have many more experiences that made us realize how truly lucky we are as Americans, and in our circumstances.

I feel this often indeed, even the privilege I have over others around me, and especially many other counties...

Turns out two of the three bottles had corks. Only one was a screw top.

Rookie move there. Oh well, I'm sure we can work it out.

to be fair, you aren't often in places where they aren't provided

He ended up bringing cash deposit the next day and we would complete the sale when I got back. Well that just eased my mind on spending for the rest of the trip!

This was a nice surprise for sure!

and there was nowhere that I could seem to find nice hot water. I was sad.

Dead Sea Salts and nowhere to enjoy, boo!

This section always had some sort of beans.

You will see that in the UK when you go

they also made falafel there, but you kind of had to know and ask about it.
Did you try it, was it good?

They had these chocolate and vanilla coffee cakes that I totally loved.

Homemade I bet!

no protein, so I got myself a bowl of the Chicken shawarma with some rice. That hit the spot.

Yum that looks really good!
Might have to have my lunch early

The guy's picture was almost everywhere. He had billboards, bills posted on overpasses, he was even on a few digital billboards, although those were not nearly as prevalent as in So Cal. It was kind of like what you read about in the history books with Authoritarian leaders.

Even digital billboards, wow

Aww little guy, and looks like the oxen may be tied to his cart?

his was my winning dog photo of the trip.

A lovely photo and I noticed the butt right away as well

I'm pretty sure that I needed to pee at nearly every attraction we visited.

how were the hand washing facilities? Existent, or did you have to rely on sanitizer?

Perhaps this is dancing?

could be!

I thought this one was fighting at first glance

Now guides are not allowed into certain tombs

Why is that?

To say that these were relatively cramped and claustrophobic is an understatement.

Whoa!! that's tight indeed!

Here is our nifty little touring van that we had for the week in Cairo.

Looks to be in good shape and safe!

 

[bcwife76]

The camel rides look like such a fun adventure!! So cool

Dinner looked lovely until the smoking part I'm sorry, that would have ruined it for me, too.

 

[franandaj]

I stand corrected. Or maybe I sit corrected... on my backside.

I've been to the night market in Vancouver and really liked it. But... Egypt ain't Vancouver.

Yeah, I'm not sure I've ever encountered anyone as pushy as Egyptians in Vancouver!

The voice of experience!

Well actually no, in a bath yes, but that's just how I would do it if I were sipping it in the shower.

 

[pkondz]

Well actually no, in a bath yes, but that's just how I would do it if I were sipping it in the shower.

I accept your answer.

 

[franandaj]

When I saw the first pic, I thought, "the 70's called, they want their room back!" then this pic and caption was next!

That's actually what I said on FB/Insta when I posted the pictures of the room there.

Lots of construction!

Yeah there was definitely a lot of construction everywhere.

I couldn't believe you guys were Ubering around!

Either could I!

"Please don't plummet me to my death!!"

I was more concerned about getting stuck!

trust you to notice signs of cats!

You obviously go through to him, and how nice of him to persue you guys!

He really did go above and beyond, everyone was so nice!

Here too, if you could fine someone, it would probably be at least $50

Right??????

I really liked this picture for the "realness" of it

It was a pretty striking scene. I couldn't believe we were on a random street in Cairo, we looked so out of place.

Yuck, it's so noticeable to me now

Yeah, me too!

I feel like I've seen bars with that sort of name in a few other countries!

I'm not surprised!

As in a French wine then?

No, I think they chose names that were French sounding. There were lots of Egyptian wines with the name Chateau, and other stuff....

Yum, I love bread and butter, always have

If it's good. I'm not a fan of crappy butter or worse, margarine.

I feel like a had a dish like this in the Morocco? Pavilion at Epcot

Come to think of it, I did have a similar dish in Morocco in 2017. After we got off a cruise, we had lunch in the sit down restaurant. Mainly because we didn't know how long it would take to get to Epcot so we didn't want to make an ADR, and I'd heard that it was easy to do a walk up. I think that restaurant never opened after the pandemic.

I feel this often indeed, even the privilege I have over others around me, and especially many other counties...

I do especially when I see all the homeless.

to be fair, you aren't often in places where they aren't provided

Well, I need to put one in my bathroom bag. I am staying more and more at places that are not DVC.

This was a nice surprise for sure!

Yes! Now I'd like the one I brought to him two weeks ago to sell!

Dead Sea Salts and nowhere to enjoy, boo!

You will see that in the UK when you go

they also made falafel there, but you kind of had to know and ask about it.
Did you try it, was it good?

Not here, I didn't try it.

Yum that looks really good!
Might have to have my lunch early

I'm finally getting over my immersion in Middle Eastern food and feel like I could start eating it again.

Aww little guy, and looks like the oxen may be tied to his cart?

Yes, the oxen were being pulled along by the cart.

A lovely photo and I noticed the butt right away as well

Yeah, they were all over the place.

how were the hand washing facilities? Existent, or did you have to rely on sanitizer?

Most places had running water. If they could flush the toilets they had working sinks.

I thought this one was fighting at first glance

I don't think they would depict bad things. Definitely dancing.

Why is that?

There are other guides inside the tombs who are employed by the sites. There are evidently very strict regulations on guides, their training, and all sorts of stuff. Being a guide is a profession with a very long history.

Looks to be in good shape and safe!

Yes! The van was very comfortable!

 

[franandaj]

The camel rides look like such a fun adventure!! So cool

It was fun, and I'm glad I did it, but I don't need to do it again. It was also nerve wracking cause I thought I was going to fall off.

Dinner looked lovely until the smoking part I'm sorry, that would have ruined it for me, too.

Yeah, I'm so glad we don't have to worry about that here. I'm pretty sure most places in Canada are also smoke free.

 

[franandaj]

I accept your answer.

 

[franandaj]

So first let me start off this next update with an apology. All through the TR, I have had it wrong. It turns out that our guide’s name was not Achmed, but Ahmed. How do I know this? Because he came up on my Instagram a few days ago as a suggested person to follow! I didn’t choose to follow him, but it was funny because the few pictures that he had posted were almost identical to the ones he took of Jill and I. Also his name on Instagram is “thebestegyptiantourguide” Now while it is a little less than humble, we did for the most part enjoy our travels with him, so if you want to look him up before your next trip to Egypt, have at it! But from now on I will address him by his proper name. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

I couldn’t sleep much and decided to come to consciousness at 4AM when I woke up. I did get over seven hours of sleep, so why not?

I was texting with people across the globe on WhatsApp, working on my TR notes and generally just farting around on my phone.

We did have to be up earlier today than before. We were going to Alexandria today and that was a three hour drive from Cairo. Eventually I got dressed and we went down to breakfast shortly after 6AM. Today I had lunch for breakfast. They had some sliced turkey that looked very much like sliced turkey. Not the nasty cold cuts that were usually on the buffet. I made a little sandwich, had some salad with a lemon creamy dressing, some potatoes, and those chocolate and vanilla cakes that I seem to love so much.

Then it was back up to the room for our stuff and we were on the way to meet our guide outside the gates again. Every vehicle is subject to search when you enter the gates of the hotel, and I guess they wanted to avoid that hassle. We were there a few minutes before they showed up

Here’s a video I shot of what Cairo traffic outside our hotel was like. There’s a bit to see here. A car pulls up to the gates of the hotel and you can see the dog coming out to sniff the car. Also those brave people cross the street even though there’s no lights or anything. For Jill and I to walk to dinner the night before we would have had to cross at least four intersections like that, and at night, and after a bottle of wine. The cars all travel at various speeds. Some of them come whizzing along where others, just saunter past.

We went over this bridge that our guide complained about how much it cost when people don’t have food, education or decent housing. By now he had shared enough that we were clear on his political leanings.

And then we were on the road to Alexandria. It was a lot less traveled than the roads and highways in Cairo. Also there was a separate highway for big trucks. Evidently there were many accidents when cars and trucks were mixed on the same highway.

We stopped at an American style roadside stop for potty and caffeine.

There were even kitties there!

As we got closer to Alexandria, there were all kinds of sights on the road. Here’s a guy with two cows (I think) in the back of his truck.

Seems that the same customs for drying your laundry on the balcony holds true in Alexandria as well.

Another makeshift coffee/tea stand.

Ahmed informed us that every city has it’s own color for Taxis. This was the color pattern for taxis in Alexandria. You’ll see a lot of these in my pictures.

Hookah lounges were everywhere.

I’m guessing this was a toy store.

Another coffee shop/Hookah Lounge

I thought this was a pretty chaotic scene. See that Tuk Tuk that’s driving right past the work truck? That’s where we ended up going as well. No cones blocking off the work, no barriers. Kinda crazy. And then notice the van in the foreground, see the scrapes on the side? Just like all the other cars that scrape up against each other.

Just your typical street, a Tuk tuk, a taxi, and some laundry drying.

I couldn’t believe this one came out. We were speeding down this little street.

Our first stop was the Catacombs. Now these relics are from around 2nd Century AD which actually puts them closer to today than the pyramids that we visited yesterday which are from around 2580BC. The Catacombs are located in the heart of the city. As you saw, we had to navigate some pretty small streets to get there.

The yard was decorated with these sarcophagus, however, in the Roman Style and not Ancient Egyptian as Alexandria was the Capital during the Roman period.

Evidently this one was important because both Jill and I took identical pictures of it.

We descended this staircase. Evidently the wood flooring was new. It sure made it easier than if it had been stone steps.

They would lower the mummies down through this chamber.

Here’s looking up the chamber.

And then they would slide the mummies out through that hole in the bottom.

[Continued in Next Post]

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

Then we headed back to the burial chambers.

The picture above is from Jill’s camera. This one is from my DSLR using the manual settings. It was very dark in there.

These are burial chambers for persons of average means.

Here’s another butt shot of Jill! I keep capturing those, probably because I kept lagging behind….

I’m sure Ahmed was telling her something pertinent about this chamber in the picture above, because she took this picture.

This is a burial Chamber for a wealthy family. There are three tombs, one directly in front and one each to the right and left in this chamber. This is the forward one.

And a close up….

The one on the left…..

A close up of the carving.

And the one on the right….

Another close up

I believe these reliefs were on the walls around the tombs for the affluent folks.

This was the burial area for the not-so-affluent folks.

In another area of these catacombs bones of horses were found. The bones themselves are on display in the tomb where they were found.

Here is Ahmed telling us about that.

This was another room in the catacombs that we visited before making the journey back up to the surface.

And then we climbed back up the stairs to the surface. When we reached our van, our driver had some Alexandrian falafels for us. Epic fail, I forgot to take a picture! They were very tasty. We were informed that Alexandria is known for a spicy version of the Egyptian falafel. I don’t remember if I mentioned that they make theirs with Fava beans, not Garbanzo beans. I really liked the Egyptian falafels and this one from a street vendor in Alexandria was especially tasty!

And then we were off to our next destination. We chose not to make a big stop at the pilar of Pompey. At one time there was a statue of Roman emperor Diocletian who ruled between 298–302 AD atop this pillar. It is the only ancient monument still standing in Alexandria in its original location today.

You could also see this sphinx-like statue through one of the arches.

I was more enthralled with the daily life, a kitty, and shop near where we stopped than the actual pillar. Jill was too because she got a better shot of the dilapidated building than I did.

Another market I found fascinating.

And Jill got an alternate view of this market.

I’m going to stop right here and resume our journey in a few days.


Up Next: I get lost in the Roman Baths

 

[pkondz]

All through the TR, I have had it wrong. It turns out that our guide’s name was not Achmed, but Ahmed.

TR completely ruined!!!

We were going to Alexandria today

Oh, cool!

They had some sliced turkey that looked very much like sliced turkey. Not the nasty cold cuts that were usually on the buffet.

At first I was "turkey that doesn't look like turkey?"
But I know what you mean.

Every vehicle is subject to search when you enter the gates of the hotel, and I guess they wanted to avoid that hassle.

Makes sense.

Here’s a video I shot of what Cairo traffic outside our hotel was like. There’s a bit to see here. A car pulls up to the gates of the hotel and you can see the dog coming out to sniff the car. Also those brave people cross the street even though there’s no lights or anything. For Jill and I to walk to dinner the night before we would have had to cross at least four intersections like that, and at night, and after a bottle of wine. The cars all travel at various speeds. Some of them come whizzing along where others, just saunter past.

That's interesting, on many levels.
I also noticed the car that pulled up had to pop the trunk for inspection. And people weren't just crossing, but ambling along the roadway too. I wonder if it's a law that pedestrians have right of way or it's just tacit agreement that the road's going to be shared like that.

Also there was a separate highway for big trucks.

Really! Huh!

Here’s a guy with two cows (I think) in the back of his truck.

That grey one looks like just skin and bones.

Seems that the same customs for drying your laundry on the balcony holds true in Alexandria as well.

Lots of satellite dishes too.

I thought this was a pretty chaotic scene. See that Tuk Tuk that’s driving right past the work truck? That’s where we ended up going as well. No cones blocking off the work, no barriers. Kinda crazy. And then notice the van in the foreground, see the scrapes on the side? Just like all the other cars that scrape up against each other.

Lots going on there. But... not at all surprised that there's no cones or anything.

I couldn’t believe this one came out. We were speeding down this little street.

That car (with the cat on it) wasn't moving, was it??

Now these relics are from around 2nd Century AD which actually puts them closer to today than the pyramids that we visited yesterday

I remember when I first heard something similar. That Cleopatra is closer to our time than she is to the building of the pyramids

The yard was decorated with these sarcophagus,

I try not to comment on typos or spelling errors or whatever... Lord knows I make enough, myself.
But this really made me curious. So looked it up:

sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses or (rare) sarcophagusses)

Evidently this one was important because both Jill and I took identical pictures of it.

Because it looks like an awesome tub

They would lower the mummies down through this chamber.

Wow!!

Here’s looking up the chamber.

Whoa!

Then we headed back to the burial chambers.

Some are really ornate. I wasn't expecting that down so far.

Here’s another butt shot of Jill! I keep capturing those, probably because I kept lagging behind….

I'm sure she appreciates it.
And... I see what you did there.

Anubis.
I don't know many Egyptian gods, but I know that one.

In another area of these catacombs bones of horses were found.

Really. Huh. I wonder if it was a place of honour for noble steeds or sacrifices to provide for their owners?

Here is Achmed telling us about that.

Who?

I don’t remember if I mentioned that they make theirs with Fava beans, not Garbanzo beans. I really liked the Egyptian falafels and this one from a street vendor in Alexandria was especially tasty!

You did mention.

And then we were off to our next destination. We chose not to make a big stop at the pilar of Pompey. At one time there was a statue of Roman emperor Diocletian who ruled between 298–302 AD atop this pillar. It is the only ancient monument still standing in Alexandria in its original location today.

Interesting. I would've thought there'd be more (in the original location, I mean.)

Another market I found fascinating.

I would too.

 

[DnA2010]

I was obsessed with these carts and how they were still in use in this century.

I can see why you got obsessed, I think I would be too!

And these women transporting palm fronds on donkey back blew me away.

Wow! I wonder what they were being used for?

We saw stands along the road where you could buy fruits and vegetables all over the place.

Produce looks nice!

Achmed said, “This is one of my favorite police officers.”

They greeted each other warmly and when Achmed shook his hand, there was more than just a hand shake in there. I saw him do the same thing later that day at Dahshur as well.

Ahh yes, this was in Cuba as well when we got a private car/guide to take us to Havana

Wow this picture made it so real for me!

Awww puppers..although they don't look too skinny at least

The Alabaster Sphinx was discovered in 1912 by Flinders Petrie, when an affiliate from the British School in America spotted a uniquely carved object jutting out of a sand hill. It was so far in the season that excavation was useless, but a year later in 1913 further digging displayed that the object was a Sphinx's tail.

Just sitting there with the sellers

There were so many artifacts here that were recovered, I couldn’t possibly describe how many there were or even their significance. That little white building you see off in the distance is where we entered the monument. It’s a huge area filled with rich history.

This was very interesting to see them just all around

These camel carcasses just hung outside of this market. I can’t imagine who purchases this meat, and how do they sell it? Do they just lop off a chunk? Do you get a choice of which part, or do you just buy the whole thing? So many questions!!!!

Whoa! I would guess you buy a cut, but who knows!

This particular stop was in a carpet making factory. They showed us how they trained children to weave the carpets and how the kids ended up taking some profits from the carpets they made. It was a way to teach them a trade, and they also employed some ladies who might not otherwise have a way to earn money on their own.

Lovely carpets but I would imagine pricey? We have a small handmade carpet that D bought from Turkey when he visited his brother who lived there for a while

“unexpected Disney moment” of the trip!

Interesting kidss area!

I didn't need to spend that much for something the cats would just pee on.

Lol I laughed at this, but totally true in your case!

Achmed shook his hand with a relatively greasy palm, if you get my drift.

Totally got the drift

Now take a look at the walk from the parking lot just to get to the path, to climb up to the stairs.

Nice picture!

to point out that the Bent pyramid had been covered with a layer of polished limestone, and that layer was largely still in tact.

Nice, this showed it well, and the close up pic of course

Here’s a look at where I think you could potentially enter the pyramid

this really puts the size in perspective

I wonder what they do with these harvested palm fronds? When the ones in my yard are cut down, they’re put in the chipper and discarded.

I also wondered this!

Aww little guy- he doesn't look in too bad of shape to be honest

So much pollution going on.

Whoa! these photos really show that pollution

Especially since that was my last picture before lunch! It was very nice inside.

Nice looking indeed!

I tried fresh strawberry juice and it was quite tasty!

Can't say I've had fresh strawberry juice but it looks refreshing!

Who knows if I was doing it right, but it was very good.

This looks tasty, fries look common over there hey!

Lots of cake for dessert!

Notice how all the cars are driving right on the lines rather than in between them.

I did notice in the first pic, and then you mentioned- that's very different!

Goats under the overpass, something you don’t see every day.

This is such an interesting picture!
The goats
The guy on the chair
The guy on the phone
The potholes
The buildings in the background

This picture is out of order, but this is the pin that I ended up with.

Very nice!

Very nice as well!

This is my laundry, $32 for this much.

Yikes, someone there is making money

For a $30 buffet, I would like to have more things.

Yes, didn't sound like much, no larger meat is strage

More cakes!

And more cake lol!

 

[DnA2010]

At some point on the way down and older man in a thobe (google it folks) entered the elevator.

Googled- what I expected

He looked at us with a sort disapproving sneer, and flicked his Tasbih beads (islamic prayer beads) at us. As if to ward off our American femaleness.

I'm glad you didn't experience much else for negativity on this trip

It's rather ornate also though, isn't it

The streets can have any mix of motorcycles, cars, trucks, pedestrians, horse or donkey drawn carraiges, Tuk tuks, and other interesting vehicles.

I enjoy these pictures that have loads going on in them, lots of different things to check out

Almost all the buildings were this color, and dirty.

dusty, dry place, so makes sense

There’s just so much to unpack in this picture.

Yes indeed, these photos are so interesting!

The blue one stood out, then I started noticing the other paint colours

Who is he talking to so much? His bookie? Did he have a pony in the race? Was he putting his money on the Chief’s? He sure was on that phone a lot!

LOL! I'm sure Jill puts her money on the Chiefs! We aren't used to people actually talking on the phone as much I think, with texting and such

And here I am amusing myself with the kitties walking around.

Half masked! Kinda phantom of the opera esk- but not lol as the phantom had a white mask...anyways

Wow so ornate!

where the person would deliver prayers to the worshippers.

I would assume the lines are for people to line up?

The building was very ornate and decorated.

Very ornate!

He coerced us to wear the headscarfs for a photo opp. You probably can’t tell unless you zoom in, but Jill’s scarf has hidden Mickeys.

I can see them now that you point it out!

surrendered our shoes again.

I'm glad they kept returning! The carpets in all the pictures def reflect the lack of shoes!

I wonder if those candles are ever lit?

These kitties were paying their respects to the Shah

Cuties! I wonder if they are brothers/sisters?

We visited the tomb where Joseph, Mary and Jesus hid from the Pharoah,

Wow! I will have to show Dorian, he probably knows the story, I haven't showed him any for a bit, my bad

A rare moment where we were able to escape the crowds.

I got caught up in how different the walls are!

I think the tour company gets kick backs from these places when they bring in customers. While we did not like the idea of purchasing carpets, both Jill and I thought a Papyrus souvenir might be kind of cool.

I would imagine they do

The calendar is a wonderful example of the mythology of Ancient Egypt.

Wow it sure is! Thanks for the info!

I framed the picture and hung it with some of my Aristocats in the kitchen near my coffee bar.

Wow already framed, looks great!

but I like that cause you can see the edges and that it is papyrus.

I like that too!

donkey cart shot I took on the way there.

This looks like a horse to me

Come on Jenny, I could have seen you giving this a jingle!

I believe I see many goats, and even a sheep and a cow. Nothing to see here! :laughings:

We'll fix your car, pick out a goat while you wait!

There would be little random food stands on corners everywhere. Then again these sorts of things have started to pop up in California as well,

I noticed fruit stands set up outside DL in August in front of the main gates

Another donkey cart….

This one looks like a horse as well

On our way to lunch we caught a glimpse of the great pyramid.

ohhh I love this picture as well, the buildings in this picture, the palm in front...so cool!

By the way, I should mention this. Our driver never really spoke to us. He spoke to Achmed in Arabic, but our understanding was that he really didn’t speak English. He was a very nice man.

We had this with our driver in Cuba

was this guy and his “convenience store”.

he's got a lot of selection!

It was like a chicken noodle but with Orzo instead of noodles.

Mmm Orzo...I quite like it as the noodle option in chicken noodle soup, might just have to make some

This is the basket of bread they served with the soup.

Is the orange one cheese? or spices?

These Falafels were very tasty! Fun fact: Egyptian Falafel is made with Fava Beans and not chickpeas. I despise the taste of chickpeas, so I’m not a fan of hummus or traditional falafel. I enjoyed all the Egyptian Falafels that I ate!

Noted! I can't say I really know the taste of either- I'm not a huge hummus person- not sure why...not something I seek out

This was the stuff that Achmed said was “soup” but I don’t think so.

Does not seem like a soup to me, but rather a drizzle

Merguez sausage was part of the mix. In addition to the vegetables in there, I believe there is chicken, kofta, lamb, and merguez. So tasty, but so much food! We were already pretty full, but I forced myself to eat the merguez and a few other things.

Wowzas that was all so much food!
I wonder if the workers keep the leftovers

Those look like kids in this photo?

No cake?!



I'm getting caught up, wooohooo!

 

[franandaj]

TR completely ruined!!!

At first I was "turkey that doesn't look like turkey?"
But I know what you mean.

Well if you saw the other meats, they were kinda scary looking.

That's interesting, on many levels.
I also noticed the car that pulled up had to pop the trunk for inspection. And people weren't just crossing, but ambling along the roadway too. I wonder if it's a law that pedestrians have right of way or it's just tacit agreement that the road's going to be shared like that.

Yeah I have no idea, from what I gathered there were no rules.

That grey one looks like just skin and bones.

A lot of the animals looked like that.

Lots of satellite dishes too.

I noticed that too!

Lots going on there. But... not at all surprised that there's no cones or anything.

Yeah, with everything else that we saw.

That car (with the cat on it) wasn't moving, was it??

No, it was parked.

I remember when I first heard something similar. That Cleopatra is closer to our time than she is to the building of the pyramids

That's kind of where I was going with that.

I try not to comment on typos or spelling errors or whatever... Lord knows I make enough, myself.
But this really made me curious. So looked it up:

sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses or (rare) sarcophagusses)

I went back and forth, "Do I write Sarcophagi? Will anyone know what that means, will it sound stupid?" I guess it sounded stupid not to write it properly.

Because it looks like an awesome tub

Except it was for dead bodies.

Some are really ornate. I wasn't expecting that down so far.

When you're rich.

I'm sure she appreciates it.
And... I see what you did there.

She was complaining about all the butt pictures.

Anubis.
I don't know many Egyptian gods, but I know that one.

Good call! There were so many and we saw them all so many times, my head was spinning.

Really. Huh. I wonder if it was a place of honour for noble steeds or sacrifices to provide for their owners?

Good question. If he told us, I forgot.

Who?

Fixed!

You did mention.

OK, I'm getting old and can't remember.

Interesting. I would've thought there'd be more (in the original location, I mean.)

Well a lot of stuff was damaged in wars and floods.