Day 6, Cairo

We woke up early and walked to the Egyptian Museum. Krystin and I brought our Lonely Planet book and followed their guided tour. Good thing too, because the museum was very large and not always marked very well. We of course took our time in the King Tut galleries, which were unbelievable. The ancient jewelry was beautiful too, and we paid the extra 100EP to enter the Royal Mummy room, which was extra special becuase we had just visited their temples and tombs. We were just at Hatchepsut's temple two days before, and now we were standing over here mummified corpse. Morbid, but actually very moving. It's kind of crazy though, all these kings and queens removed from their final resting places and placed on display for countless tourists. We see their tombs. Then we see their mummies. Just not together.

We met Jaimee afterwards for the most wonderful food yet, Egyptian pizza called Fatari. It took forever to get our food and we were dying of hunger and losing our patience, but it was well worth the wait.

We cabbed it across the river in blistering heat and parking lot traffic to the lovely little island town of Zumalek, where we bought jewelry and found the (disappointingly low-stocked) Harley Davidson store.

We did make it back in time to visit a mosque, Azar, where Krystin and I were made to wear the smocks of shame. We were in capri pants and short-sleeved shirts, but apparently our clothing was too tight. We covered our heads, removed our shoes, and went inside to sit down and feel peaceful inside the open-aired four walls of the mosque. All since we've been here, we have heard the call to prayer throughout the day and night. I actually like it most of the time, it really reminds you that you're in a very different place and time than your home. However, it can be a little loud, and the cab drivers blast the prayer readings on the radio. It's so strange to be in a place where religion dominates everyday life so conspicuously. More on that later...

We had just about an hour to look for jewelry in Khan el Khalili before it closed. We didn't make out with much, but it was a good experience walking through the famous marketplace. There was definitely less stress, harassment, and annoying haggling than the souqs in Aswan and Luxor. We did end up feeling a little hoogie, and Krystin almost passed out, because the heat and the smells got to be too much to take.

We treated Jaimee to a delicious dinner at an upscale restaurant that mainly served Italian and American food. This was the first time we had taken a break from pure Egyptian fare, and it was a welcome relief. Unfortunatly we all woke up the next day with the poo... for the first time during the trip. Ironic isn't it?

Day 5, Luxor

We started with a late breakfast (first day we slept in since we arrived). We braved the Souq (Egyptian Marketplace) and bought fresh bread from the baker, oranges and bananas from one of the fruit guys, and cheese and fig jam from one of the corner markets. We settled into a table at Om Kalthoum and enjoyed our breakfast with coffee (Turkish for Jaimee, good old Nescafe for Krystin and I).

Jaimee went upstairs to work on her paper, and krystin and I walked to the Mummification Museum, which was underground and refreshingly air conditioned. The museum details the whole gruesome process of mummification, and had mummified animals as well as the mummy of a High Priest from the 21st Dynasty. It was a small museum, and we weren't allowed to take pictures, but it was very interesting to see everything that goes into the process... i.e. they use a little spoon and spatula to mash the brain to soup through the deceased's nose, then pull it out and replace it with linen. We saw a cross-section of a brain like that, very gross.

We taxied to the Karnak Temple next, the biggest we've seen so far. Sprawling over 100 acres, we raced through to try to see everything. The most impressive part of the temple was the Great Festival Temple, which had huge columns that still maintained some of their bright colors. We took a ton of pictures and really enjoyed just exploring.

Back to the hotel to meet Jaimee, we took a horse-drawn carriage (those things are everywhere and so cheap becuase the supply is so much higher than the demand this time of year) to the famous Winter Palace Hotel. This is where the rich people stay. Not the Angelas. We followed an intoxicating smell to an ice cream cart wheree a very nice Egyptian lady was making fresh waffle cones. We enjoyed our tasty treat, then adjourned to the lounge area and enjoyed cappucino like fancy folk just enjoying the quiet. The Winter Palace Hotel is where Agatha Christie was inspired to write Death on the Nile.

Let me take a moment to talk about how UNBELIEVABLY loud this country is... loud music blaring in the restaurants, in the cabs, on the trains, etc. Also, on the trains boys will crowd around a cell phone and blast music and watch videos. In the roads, there is the incessant sound of honking. Lanes aren't really divided on the roads here, traffic lights are ignored, and pedestrians definitely don't have the right of way. Each car is constantly honking, just so the other crazy drivers know that they're there. It's very chaotic, and especially overwhelming in the 100+ tempatures during the day... and the traffic never ends.

Cheers!'

Day 4, Luxor

Krystin and I joined a tour group of six other Americans staying at the lovely Nefertiti Hotel in Luxor. Our tour took us to Valley of the Kings, the temple of Hatchepsut, Valley of the Queens, and the Colossi of Memnon. Does it sound like a lot to squish in one day? It was, but it was also spectacular. Unfortuantely I won't be able to attach pictures I took myself of the tombs in Valley of the Kings/Queens, becuase photos aren't allowed, but it was pretty surreal being in the mountains, going underground to the burial places of Egypt's royals. It was unbearably hot though, and some of the tombs were even more oppressive. We entered the tombs of Ramses I, Siptah, and Ramses IV. No sense in paying extra to see Tut's tomb, all the goods are at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The Temple of Hatchepsut was fantastic. This was the only temple built for a queen, and one of the most important. It was huge, and had the mountains in the background, very impressive.

Valley of the Queens is also known as the unlucky valley because it's taken a lot of work to uncover them, and most of the tombs are very damaged. In addition to queens, they also buried some of the princes there who were not yet kings. Out of 74 tombs, only three are open. We saw two of them, Queen Titi, and the son of Ramses III, who was seven years old.

The last thing we saw on the tour was my favorite, the Colossi of Memnon. These are two enormous statues, which are all that remains of a temple that used to be there. Looking at the statues, you see the small city in the background. It's almost overwhelmingly beautiful and just HUGE.

We showered and got pretty, then off to the Luxor Temple. It was a cool night and the temple was lit up, causing an almost eerie feeling while gazing up at giant ancient statues. We walked around and took pictures, then spent some time relaxing on the avenue of sphinxes.

We found a small shop that sold alcohol and bought three beers (Stella), and enjoyed them on the roof with our tour friends. Then sleep!

Cheers!

Day 3, 4/20, Aswan

We sailed again wtih Autif, this time to Elephantine island. It was just Krystin and I becuase Jaimee stayed back at the hotel to work on her school paper. We headed to Elephantine island, which got it's name from some rock formations that vaguely resemble elephants. K-Dog and I toured ths small Aswan museum and saw some mummies (and a lot of goats). Mummies are cool. We explored the ruins of the Temple of Khnum, and the Temple of Satet, and the Graeco-Roman Necropolis of the Sacred Rams (where they buried the sacrificial animals). The guide was funny and kept asking us about American expressions like "Oh my God" and "wow!". Most of the guides speak English very well, as well as several other languages like French and German.

After Elephantine, we rode to the High Dam, which really wasn't much to look at. Picture the Hoover dam but a lot less interesting. The dam is essential to life on the Nile valley now, and allows them some security. When the dam was built, several Nubian villages and ruins were submerged. Lake Nassur is large and beautiful, but it's strange to think about all of the history buried beneath it.

We took at motorboat to the Philae Ruins, which were relocated because the dam had submerged them. Huge and beautiful. This was also the fist time we really saw a lot of other tourists, but it wasn't that bad. The hieroglyphics were so detailed and exactly the Egypt that I came hoping to see and experience. We explored the ruins for about an hour and headed back to meet Jaimee for lunch.

After a lunch of fuul, amiyah and fresh fruit, we set sail for another Nubian village to get henna tattos. We landed in an awkward situation at the first house, becuase the woman claimed to know henna, and kept us waiting in her bedroom for like 20 minutes. The whole time her young children kept at us, asking for money and trying to take things from us. Little Fatima almost made off with my wallet. Sneaky. Once we realized that this woman had no idea what she was doing, we thanked her and got out of there.

We met a man on the path who took us to his sister's house and we ended up getting our henna there. The house was beautiful, painted blue and covered with murals. It was also almost all open air- no roof just a courtyard, except for the few rooms. They made us tea, chatted with us, and painted beautiful henna on our hands. It was the perfect experience.

We trekked back to the boat and sailed around for another hour or so before checking out of Keylany hoetl and boarding a train to Luxor. That is where I am now, and I'll write about my experiences today when I get a chance.

Also, I miss Leo.

Cheers,
Angela

4/19, Day 2, Aswan

Headed to the airport at 3am for our 5am flight, which was blissfully short and uneventful. We checked into the Keylany Hotel at 6am and were happy to find it cute and mostly clean. Two hour nap and at 10am we started our felucca ride down the Nile with our captain/guide Autif. Jaimee, Krystin, and I had the boat completely to our selves, other than Autif and his two men. It was the most relaxing amazing experience. The cool breeze blowing over the water felt refreshing and almost got a little chilly, even though it was well into the 90's.

We sailed for two hours, lounging about and chatting with each other, until we reached Autif's Nubian village- Al Kobanya. His family prepared us a delicious authentic lunch of whole fish (stuffed with garlic and spices), tahina, bread, rice, and more. I was very nervous about my stomach, but I ended up being fine. We all sat on the floor arund the food and dug in with our filthy hands. Afterwards we drank hot tea, which is the thing to do here all the time even though it's so painfully hot. Hibiscus tea is actually really good once you put a spoonful of sugar into it... We took pictures and relaxed at Autif's home, then it was back to the boat. Interesting side note: if you saw the homes that the Nubians lived in, you would say that they are very poor and live a backwards life, but they all have TVs wtih dishes. They show American movies but just delete the bad scenes. We sailed back and stopped at Kitchner's island, which is covered in plants and tall trees with warbling birds.

Back in Aswan we went through the Souq, which is a marketplace like a big open bazaar They have a lot of them here. They hassle the hell out of you, calling out to yuou, getting in your face, following you down the street. Everything is 'you are so beautiful' and 'where you from?' and 'I pay you to look'. One guy called me a beautful chicken. Another guy got in Jaimee's way, and when we wouldn't move, she pushed him. He freaked out loike a little girl and yelled 'DON'T YOU TOUCH ME!!' Anyway, we bought a few things, but it was mostly just touristy crap.

So that was Day 2 in Egypt.

First Day in Egypt

Getting to Egypt required the longest flight of all time, complete with screaming children on all sides, and a complete lack of sleep. So far it's been worth it, but I'm dreading the flight home...

Day 1- April 18th, Cairo
We arrived in Cairo at 11:30AM, and Jaimee met us at the airport. We went back to her apartment to freshen up and let everyone know that we arrived safely. We then took the metro to Giza (in the "women's car") and were off to see the Pyramids. We decided to be touristy and ride the camels, which are HUGE in real life. So we began the long ride through the sand towards the Pyramids, while bouncing on tall funny camels. It was not the most comfortable ride and my ass still hurts, but it was fun. We rode all the way up to the pyramids and walked around a bit taking lots of pictures. Our guides were constantly being harrassed by the tourist police, who wanted money, it was a strange situation but they left us alone. The Pyramids were amazing of course, and it was an enjoyable way to start the trip.

Back to the apartment for a quick nap and shower, then dinner. We had koshari, which is a bowl of rice, pasta, lentils and onions, wtih a little bit of tomato sauce. Sounds strange but it was very good. then we were off to meet some of Jaimee's friends at a cafe. When we arrived, we found that the cafe was completely full, so they had gone next door to TGIFridays. The horror. We all had a laugh about it, then adjourned to the outside area to smoke sheesha... at Fridays. On the Nile. Sheesha is actually pretty tasty, like strawberries and very cool on your throat. The guys that Jaimee's friends with are actually track and field stars here, national champions and one Olympic hopeful. One of the girl's was from Spain, so I got to speak a little Spanish. They were all very friendly and fun. We finally headed back to the apartment for a two hour nap before we had to head back to the airport (dread) for our early morning flight to Aswan.

To be continued with Day 2 (which was AMAZING)

Cheers!
Angela

On My Way to Egypt!

Tomorrow I will be on a plane headed to Egypt! I'm so excited that I can barely breathe. I'm actually having chest pains.

Anyway, my suitcase is mostly packed... except for the being packed part. Everything I'm taking is piled around and on top of my suitcase. I'm fairly certain everything will fit, I'll make it fit anyway.

So.. the plan is to fly into Cairo, where the divalicious Miss Jaimee will meet K-Dog and I at the airport. We'll arrive around lunchtime, so that will be the first order of business. Then it's off to Giza to see the Pyramids. We are taking no chances, even if I'm sick for the rest of the trip, or if terrorism ensues.. we are seeing those damn Pyramids!! We'll probably take it easy that night since the next morning we'll be getting on another plane, this one to the Nubian village of Aswan (in southern Egpyt). We'll have two glorious days and nights in hot sunny Aswan, enjoying the Nile and maybe taking a felucca ride... then we'll hop a quick train to Luxor and spend two days and one night there checking out the temples and the Valley of the Kings. Sometime in our last couple of days we're going to make an afternoon out of the Khan El Khalili market, where I am supposed to buy a lot of people a lot of jewelry (I hope it's pretty!), and maybe even a quick day trip to Alexandria (I hope). It's going to be a busy week.

By the time it's over I'm going to be exhausted, broke, hopefully not too sunburned, and absolutely dying to see Leo. This is going to be the longest we've been apart in two years, and I know I'm going to miss him terribly. At least I'll have something wonderful to look forward to when I come home....

Ma'as salaama,
Angela

Yum Tapas

Tonight we chose Jaleo for our girl's night dinner. http://jaleo.com/

Jaleo specializes in Spanish tapas and sangria... delectable little plates of goodness. There were five of us, Krystin, Laura, Shayla, me, and our new friend Kristen who I met through my brother. We had reservations for 7:30 for the Jaleo in Bethesda (there's also one in DC and one in Crystal City). The restaurant is right on the main street and we were able to score free parking in the lot one block up. Bethesda is beautiful and the restaurant was absolutely packed.

We ordered a pitcher of white sangria ($27), which was beautiful and delicious.. with floating pieces of mint and strawberries. We also ordered a carafe of Rioja ($18?), which was really only two glasses. We did end up getting a second carafe of the wine, and a pitcher of the red sangria ($22), both of which were excellent.

The menu is almost overwhelming with so many different choices for tapas, all that sound so good you want to order one of each... Since there were five of us we basically each picked 2, and also ordered the 2 specials the waiter rattled off as soon as they popped out of his mouth- fried swordfish bites and some rabbit dish.

Some of the dishes we ordered: Firm sheep’s milk cheese, slightly smoked with a rich nutty flavor (good, but not great); Endives with goat cheese, oranges and almonds (AMAZING, one of our favorites); Slightly spicy chorizo wrapped in a crispy potato (not my fave, but the girls liked it a lot); Sliced apples and fennel with Manchego cheese, walnuts and sherry dressing (great flavors, the super-thin apples slices and the cheese complemented each other very well); Gambas al aijillo, famous tapa of shrimp sautéed with garlic and guindilla pepper (the best part was soaking up the leftover sauce with our bread, very garlicy and flavorful); Piquillo peppers filled with goat cheese (This was actually our favorite, we ordered three plates of them!); Organic Tuscarora Farm mushrooms sautéed with garlic and herbs (yum, yum, yum); Sautéed spinach, pinenuts, raisins and apples (I loved this one, but not everyone did); Crabmeat with cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower and sherry dressing (good, not great.. the crabmeat was kind of bland and the cauliflower didn't really fit in); Prince Edward Island mussels steamed with a bay leaf and a pinch of salt (very good and actually a substantial portion as opposed to some of the chincier dishes); Seared scallops with a traditional sauce from the Canary Islands (two huge delicious scallops with a very light sauce, perfect); Quail stuffed with apples, pork, foie gras then wrapped in bacon (the tiny bird was adorable, but the dish didn't really come together that well, too much going on); Beef short ribs braised in red wine served with a potato purée (pretty good but not memorable, the ribs were pretty fatty); Chocolate and hazelnut mousse torte (the girl's liked it, but I thought it was kind of dry, very chocolatey); Basque cake with semolina cream, cinnamon-vanilla sauce & ice milk (unbelievably good, the best way to end the meal).

Ok, so maybe that was everything we ordered... yeah, it was quite a variety. We actually found that the vegetable dishes were our favorites, even though we're all card-carrying meat-lovers (Welcome back Laura). The service pretty good for the most part, very friendly, but we did have empty water glasses a little too long. In Tom's defense, the restaurant was packed and I'm sure everyone was incredibly busy.

For all of that food and alcohol, our check came to $62 per person once we added in a 20% tip. Not too bad for the great food and experience. Definitely recommend for a fun night out. The best part was that when we were all finished and walking outside, we all agreed that we felt happily full, but not overstuffed.

Cheers!

The Bicycle

Last night Leo and I and a couple that we like to go out with decided to try a new restaurant. Our friend Gundy just got a new job so we wanted something 'nice'. I scanned the lastest issue of Baltimore magazine, which lists this year's top 41 restaurants in Bm0re. (I don't know why 41 specifically..). We (I) chose The Bicycle, in Fed Hill. When checking out the website, I got a little nervous that they didn't list their prices, and that the dishes looked like works of art, but it did not end up being nearly as expensive as I thought.

We arrived to find a cozy little restaurant with two separate dining areas (one in front with a window to the street, and one in back with a window to a flower garden) and a long open kitchen in between. We were seated in the front room, which did get a little noisy when filled. It was a very friendly environment, we were chatting with the table next to us and checking out each other's dishes.

The wine list actually included 18 bottles for $18 each, in addition to the nice expensive wines. So we went with an $18 Jumerilla from Spain. Not bad at all. We also ordered an appetizer to split, Lobster Ravioli (fresh ravioli with a citrus beurre blanc + fresh reggiano parmigiano cheese ). It came with 4 pieces, perfect for sharing. It was so damn good we wanted to order the entree portion too. For dinner Gundy and I both ordered the Sauteed Mahi Mahi (spicy coconut sauce, plantain hash, mango pico di gallo, micro cilantro). It was perfect. The vegetables tasted like they'd been picked an hour earlier. Everything was so fresh it was amazing. Leo ordered the Tenderloin (Grilled filet medallions, crispy smoked ham hocks, cannellinini bean puree, baby arugula, truffle essence + demi-glace ) which was also delicious and tender. Nick ordered the Rack of Lamb (cilantro-lime marinade, grilled pineapple-roasted poblano chutney, spicy apricot sauce, scallion-roasted garlic mashed potatoes), which was fantastic. This was an upscale restaurant with an almost informal feel, so he was cool with just picking it up and eating them off the bones. The portions were a very good size, we all cleaned our plates and were full but not stuffed. Their dessert special was a Bread Pudding, which we all are huge fans of, but it wasn't really all that great. Too bready. Not that it was bad... it was just that what Gundy and I ordered was better: Double Chocolate Waffle (hazelnut caramel, bananas foster + candied walnuts). The smell filled the entire restaurant and had everyone salivating. It was the best dessert I've had in a while, and I didn't want it to end.

All that amazing food, and the bill wasn't that bad. Once we added in a 20% tip and tax, it ended up being about $50 per person. I've paid a lot more for a lot less, and we all agreed that this was a great value for such a perfect experience. I'd definitely recommend this restaurant, but make sure you make reservations, it's very small.

Cheers!