Category: International

beyond the fifty

ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, Shopping, TRAVEL

My Sharm-ing Shopping Opportunity

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: A MIDNIGHT TRIP TO THE LOCAL SOUK

Bokra is a word you hear frequently in Egypt.  It means tomorrow, but just like the Spanish word for tomorrow, manana, it also means ‘maybe tomorrow or maybe never.’  Since I’d been in Sharm I’d been promised a trip to the souk to do a little shopping and this was to be our last night in town.  As the clock ticked towards midnight, my anxiety grew, but I should have realized there was no need for worry.

THE SHOPPING

Mirette made good on her promise. It was well after 10 PM, but this was Egypt, so everything was still going strong. Maggie came along, because she still had some shopping to do, too.  The sisters headed off in one direction and I headed in another with Bill. Now that my mom is gone, souvenir buying is not as urgent, but I do like to pick up something for my bestie.

We wandered the shops but I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted. I like pharaonic jewelry, but it’s no longer fashionable in Egypt. Most of the jewelry looked like pieces I could buy anywhere, lovely, but they didn’t seem representative to me. Then there would be the pharaonic section, with huge scarabs or an elaborately decorated eye, but that wasn’t what I was looking for either.  I wanted something that would be worn frequently with pride, but I also wanted it to have an Egyptian flavor.

At one of the few shops which was closed, I found a lovely piece in the window that was just what I wanted.  The shop was locked up tighter than a drum.  Some shops were sitting wide open with no one inside, but if you entered a nearby vendor would come to help you.  I looked around helplessly and complained about the shop being closed a little louder than I normally would, but I was hoping someone would hear me, and then come over to offer their services.

Mirette showed up just about then to see how we were doing and I pointed out the necklace.  Darling Mirette disappeared for a moment or two and before I knew it, there was the shop’s proprietor, opening his shop and apologizing for his absence.  I’m not sure what it took to get the man back to the shop.  Perhaps Mirette was a friend or the shopkeeper understood her husband Ayman’s influence.  Whatever it was, we were very grateful, because nothing else in the bazaar was anywhere as lovely as the necklace in the window.

Come to find out the beautiful hand-made piece was beyond reasonable. I’d picked out the necklace for my bestie, but wished for one for myself. However, the proprietor was also the craftsman and he had only made one. I can understand why, because the necklace consisted of many tiny talismans and intricate beadwork, which is why I couldn’t believe the price. It was truly a unique piece. I satisfied myself with a lovely lapis lazuli lotus pendant. Bill pointed out that I could have taken the elaborate necklace for myself and given Deb the lotus, but then that wouldn’t have been quite fair now, would it.

Maggie too, had found just what we needed and we headed back to Mirette’s house.  The young ones had been put to bed long ago by their grandparents and a group of neighbors had joined the family, sharing sheesha and laughing at one another’s stories.  Soon the shoppers were gathered around, relighting the hookah pipes and telling their own stories – in Arabic.

I hate being the party pooper, but it was far beyond my bed time and all the chatter in an unfamiliar language only made it worse.  We were traveling in the morning.  I had my bags ready, but I needed to sleep.  Mirette carried us back to the hotel and another day in Egypt ended.

ART, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, Shopping, TRAVEL

A Lazy Day Beside the Red Sea

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE:  A LITTLE RELAXATION & A FEAST

When my husband first mentioned spending several days at the beach with his family, I was worried.  I don’t beach well.  About 20 minutes is all I can stand and that’s only if the wind isn’t blowing sand all over me.  I had visions of interminable days on end, chained to a chaise lounge, at the mercy of people who love the beach.  In reality, by the time I finally got a day to visit the beach, I was ready to enjoy it. 

POOL TIME

I may not see my grand nieces and nephews very often, but I’m no fool.  I bribe them with gifts and always have a little something up my sleeve. This trip that something was my coloring equipment.

A few years ago a friend gave me everything I needed to get hooked on adult coloring.  What she didn’t know was that I already loved to color, I just never seemed to have time for it.  Now I have a coloring book, coloring cards, coloring pencils and a great eraser that come out whenever I travel.  I like to color on the plane, but on this trip I also thought I could tempt the kids to color with me.  BINGO!

The Sharm Marriott has a great pool and when the family joined us there, I was already busy coloring.  Suddenly, I was the center of attention and they were eager to join me in a little coloring book action.  As they shared my pencils, their mom and I had the opportunity to chat.  It’s one of my favorite memories of the time in Egypt.

All good things must come to an end though and soon the nieces and nephews were on their way to Mirette’s house.  It was a time for sisters and cousins, so Bill and I stayed behind to enjoy the water a little more.  As I’d thought about our stay at the Marriott, one of things I’d looked forward to was a Margarita at the submerged pool bar, beneath a waterfall, but the bar didn’t open until late afternoon and I was never in the pool at that time, so I missed it.

BEACH TIME

Once the kids were gone, Bill wanted to move to the beach.  I was perfectly content to hang out at the pool until the bar opened, but it was his vacation too, so out to the sandy, sweaty beach I went.  After the allotted twenty minutes were over I begged to be released so I could wash my hair.  Reluctantly he agreed to let me go.

Now if you are a beach person, the Marriott was great.  Beautiful sand, gorgeous water, comfy lounges, rattan umbrellas, cabana boys delivering drinks – the whole nine yards.  I left Bill laying in the sun and retreated to the room.

THE FEAST

We were invited to Mirette’s home for dinner.  Her mother, Bill’s sister Mona, had been cooking all day.  What an absolute delight!  Mona is my favorite Egyptian chef.  She probably doesn’t realize she could charge me for her amazing macaroni and bechamel or her goulash (a sort of savory baklava) or her kufta or… so let’s not tell her!

She beamed as I dug in for seconds.  She’s well aware of the fact that I’m always counting my calories, so asking for seconds was a compliment of the highest order, but I supplemented the obvious with even more verbal exclamations of my complete bliss over her cooking.

Next was a little mid-night shopping trip, but you’ll have to come back next week for that.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

The Cathedral in Sharm el Shiek

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: SOMETHING YOU WOULDN’T EXPECT

After our amazing day on the Red Sea, it was nap time – only instead of napping, I washed my hair.  I had borrowed a towel from the room for our boat trip and the room steward (no maids) penalized me for it.  We’d started the stay with an armload of fluffy towels, but when I got back from the day on the yacht, the towel nazi had only left me one bath towel to accompany the one (I guess) he thought I was trying to steal.  It was funny how they all spoke such great English until that very moment.  Suddenly, we couldn’t communicate at all.  It was a small thing, but it left a distinctly bad taste in my mouth. 

Out for the Evening

Niece Maggie and her family invited us out for dinner.  They wanted to show us the hotel they’d stayed at during their honeymoon.  They hadn’t booked an over-the-top suite, like Bassem and Mariam were enjoying at the Baron Resort, but Maggie and Shady wanted us to share their memories.  Except for some security rigmarole going in and out of the hotels we really hadn’t had to deal with much in the way of security in Sharm.  That changed on this evening.

They let us into the hotel with relative ease, but then we wanted to go take a look at the pools – yes I said pools, as in plural.  For some reason this was a problem.  Maybe they thought we were going to try to swim.  Maybe they thought we were trying to gain access to guestrooms.  I don’t know, but they certainly didn’t want us to visit the pool.  Bill and I weren’t all that worried about it.  A hotel pool is a hotel pool – am I right?

However, it was obvious Maggie and Shady were really disappointed, so Mr. Bill went into action.  He strolled over to the desk and gave them a piece of his mind.  He told them the honeymoon story.  He told them we were Americans (as if that wasn’t obvious).  Then he resorted to pressure.  He pointed out that we were guests at their sister hotel just down the street.  He mentioned Ayman’s name.  He told them I was a travel blogger.  I’m not sure what changed their mind, but Bill had to turn his room key or something like that over to them while we were poolside.

I will admit the pools were beautiful.  Deep navy tile with white trim.  We’re still not sure exactly what they were trying to protect when they wanted to prevent our visit.  We had some dinner, which was delicious, but then they gave us the run around on paying the tab.  We had to go to the front desk to pay and then the tip couldn’t be charged on the card.  Weird.

A Real Treat

Next Niece Mirette came to take us to the Sharm Cathedral.  An exterior view is above, but it does nothing to prepare you for the gorgeous interior.  I could wax eloquent about all the details, but I will let the cathedral speak for itself.  As amazing as the visit was from an architectural and religious standpoint, what was most apparent to me was the love the people of the cathedral have for my niece.  They opened up late in the evening just so they could show us.  Everyone onsite knew my niece.  They were obviously and ostentatiously fond of her.  I was so proud of her for this.  Enjoy the beautiful cathedral, then come back next week for our final day in Sharm.

 

 

 

 

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, Performing Arts, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Midnight at the Oasis

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: CLIMB ON YOUR QUAD AND DRIVE

Imagine a sheik has invited you to his desert oasis for a banquet.  What would you expect?  What would you wear?  Well, let’s pretend my nephew Ayman is the sheik and I’ll tell you about our night under the stars.

Transportation

For this adventure we had a van, that took us to a place that rented quads to tourists.  Some of the girls wanted their own vehicle but I was content to climb up behind my hubby.  Off we went into the horizon.  In every direction it seemed there were miles and miles of sand, but straight ahead was a mountain and we headed towards it.

As we departed the rental facility, the mountain appeared no further away than the length of a football field, but as we took out across the sand, it seemed to back away from us.  At the same time, it got bigger and bigger and bigger.  The ride was a lot of fun, even if it was a little tame.  We had to line up and follow the leader.  Bill tried to jazz it up a little bit, but was admonished to get back in line and behave.  It was kind of like one of those trail rides where your horse plods along in a rut he’s trodded along for decades. You were imagining galloping along with the wind in your hair and all you got was dirt between your teeth.  On the quad you got wind in the hair alright, but you also got sand in every imaginable crevice.  Still it was fun.

The Oasis

Our destination was no oasis.  I didn’t even see a palm tree – merely a collection of tables in a nook below the mountain.  We were among the first guests to arrive.  We settled around what seemed like an advantageous table and let the evening unfold.  Service was, to say the least, slow.

While I wouldn’t say we were in a hurry, you really don’t want to leave these guys without any entertainment for very long – otherwise they will make it up.  Soon plastic cups and adult beverages came out of the bags some of the ladies had brought along.  As groups wandered in and began to fill the tables around us, our guys started providing some of that entertainment they are famous for coming up with.  Yes, that’s my husband waving the checkered scarf.

Just as night fell, the servers began to pass out platters of food.  It was, in fact, so dark that we had to guess at what we were eating.  While it was not the best food we had in Egypt, it was OK and no one got sick.  Then the entertainment began in earnest.  If you’ve been following this trip on my blog, you won’t be surprised to know there were belly dancers and sword dancers and belly dancers and fire dancers and belly dancers and native music and belly dancers and whirling dervishes.

The best part was the whirlers.  I’d seen quite a few of them by this time and pretty quickly you get down the shared repertoire.  However, these guys didn’t just whirl around on the stage and then go their merry way.  Oh no.  There was a rock ledge right behind the benches we were sitting on and suddenly we had a whirler doing his stuff right next to us.  Yes, it was pretty cool.

When the whirlers were done, the sword dancers came out and shortly thereafter it was time to drive back to the bus.  After our second quad trip, I felt grimy in places I didn’t even know were places.  We crawled onto the bus for the trip back to the hotel, but we couldn’t get into bed until we’d done something about the grime.  Sweet dreams until next week, when we’ll go yachting.

 

 

Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL

The Best Day in Sharm

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: IT DOESN’T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS

Have you ever been worn out from having fun?  That’s how I felt on my third morning in Sharm.  I don’t consider myself a beach person.  I can’t just climb aboard a chaise lounge and soak in the sun.  It’s great for about 20 minutes and then I’m ready to move on.  I’d had visions of sitting on the beach dying of boredom, but so far there hadn’t been a chance for that to happen.  It wouldn’t happen on this day either.

All Aboard 

Pick up time was 9 AM Egyptian time.  We were going boating, but I had no idea exactly what that might mean.  To my delight, we boarded a yacht.  To my further delight it was a private yacht, so our family had the whole boat to ourselves.  I couldn’t imagine how much it must cost, but on this trip that was all between my nephew Ayman and my husband Bill.  I was just enjoying it all.

The scenery was gorgeous, which was a real treat, but the time with family was even more precious.  I see my husband’s relatives in fits and starts.  We spend a few days together and then go our separate ways.  The kids have to get used to me all over again every time and then about the time they think they like me, the visit is over.  By the time I see them again, they’ve forgotten who I am.  While the situation is not as pronounced with the adults, there is so much to catch up on that we never get very far past superficial conversations about current events in their lives.  This trip gave us enough time to get past all that and have really wonderful conversations about their lives.

Our boat skimmed smoothly through the sea.  I thought we were going to an island and had packed accordingly, but instead our destination was a popular diving/snorkeling site.   I had anticipated putting on my swimsuit and  strolling along the shore of the island – perhaps going even deeper in the water, but there was no way I was going to hop into the water when I couldn’t touch the bottom.  You see, I’m not a great swimmer.  There was a time I passed all the swimming and life-saving tests, but after a summer of teaching at the local pool, I quit spending so much time in the water. Bill’s family all love the water and they don’t understand, but they finally learned I’m not abstaining to get their attention and I’m very happy to observe them having fun.

In the water they went, like the near fishes they are and a good time was had by all.  Their time in the water seemed very short.  There was kicking and screaming, diving and splashing, and then they were done.

We motored away from the swimming spot and soon it was time for lunch and what a lunch – one of the best meals of the whole trip.  The trip back to dock was quieter than the first leg of the trip, but what a sweet time it was.  All of us gravitated to the bow section and sat together on cushions.  No one said much, but there wasn’t much that needed to be said.

Then suddenly everyone was up.  A school of dolphins had adopted us into their family.  It wasn’t just a short sighting, they traveled with us a long time.  Even the crew remarked on the amount of time the dolphins chose to race through the sea beside us.  Then the dock came into sight and we began to gather our things.  We disembarked and went back to the hotel.  But this was Egypt, so even though all of us were worn out from a day on the sea, plans were already being made for the evenings activities.  I’ll leave you with some photos of the return trip, but come back next week and enjoy the next events on our busy visit to Sharm.

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL

I’ll Take a Pool With My Suite

Jane Sadek
Ready for Water Sports

TRAVEL THERE: HONEYMOON LUXURY

Day Two in Sharm el Sheik was pool day, but we didn’t just wander out to the pool at the Marriott.  It was a nice pool with a waterfall and a swim-up bar, but something even better was waiting for us.  The honeymooners had invited us to their suite at The Baron Resort and it had its own pool.  The suite, not the resort.

Meet in the Lobby

Eleven thirty was the call time for Day Two.  I was up plenty early and hit the gym for an hour on their stationary bike.  Bill joined me for the usual breakfast buffet, which took a little longer than I realized it would.  For once I was not ready at the appointed time and Mr. Bill showed signs of anxiety.  I sent him to the lobby and told him to make sure no one left without me.  HA!  I’ve been spending time around these guys for a long time.  There was no way they were going to be ready to leave at the appointed time.  I mean really!  Did you read about the wedding reception?  I was in the lobby within five minutes of Bill’s frustrated departure from our room – just in time for an hour of waiting for our transportation to show up.  It was a good hour though.  I inspected the boat someone bought for my tiny grand-nephew at the mall the evening before.  I had some lovely time to visit with my older grand-nephews who caught me up with their high-school/college-focused lives.  I also had a great conversation with my niece Maggie.  So, I didn’t sweat the wait.

The Baron Hotel

When our vehicle arrived, we piled in and headed back in the direction of the airport.  Taking a turn, we went down a long drive with desert on both sides and eventually entered an area under development.  I say that loosely.  It looked as if someone had started a luxury condo/townhouse complex at some point and then changed their mind.  As we drove along seeing building after building after building of abandoned construction I thought of the abandoned corniche (boardwalk) and wished better for Egypt and Sharm el Sheik.  We passed so many empty buildings in the almost derelict construction sites that I became concerned we weren’t headed in the right direction, but finally The Baron was in sight.

As soon as we drove up we knew it had been worth the drive.  We followed our newlywed groom up the elevator and through the halls to what seemed like the back of beyond.  He opened the double doors on an amazing suite and then stood back to get our reaction.  There wasn’t one for awhile, because we were stunned!  And so let the fun begin!

It was a marvelous day made a little extra special by the taste of luxury – but the day wasn’t over!  Ayman had scheduled a Bedouin Dinner for our evening activity.  Come back next week and we’ll head out into the desert.

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, Performing Arts, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Broadway on the Red Sea

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: WHAT’S NEXT SHARM?

I’m in Sharm el Sheik, a resort town on the Red Sea, and it’s past my bedtime.  I’m stuffed into the back seat of my niece’s car trying to stifle my yawns.  My husband is in our nephew’s car at some other location.  Our niece and nephew are on the phone discussing what we should do next.  It’s all in Arabic, so even though the whole conversation is on speaker phone, I have no idea what is going on.  Some resolution is made and we zoom across town to our next destination.  It might be late at night during the week, but you wouldn’t know it from the festival atmosphere.  Why all these people prefer to wander around inland,when there is a perfectly good Boardwalk on the Red Sea, just a few blocks away, I will never know.  That was my big question over the next few days as we scurried around trying to entertain ourselves.  Why were all these venues spread out all over town, when it had been so perfect to have everything right there at the beach?

Going to the Mall

Our destination was a mall, but is wasn’t like anything we have in Dallas.  Here in Dallas we are serious about shopping.  There they also shop.

My niece found parking, a constant challenge, as she continued her phone conversations, probably with her sons, who were wandering the city on public transportation.  We piled out of the car and reunited with our spouses.  All of us stomped through a virtually empty shopping center and I wondered where we would end up.  Don’t get me wrong, the place was beautiful with all kinds of lovely stores, but most everything was closed and it looked like a ghost town.

After what seemed like a long trek, across esplanades, around grand staircases and through narrow hallways, we arrived to the middle of everything, a large open-air patio, full of patrons smoking sheesha and enjoying a lively stage show.

My nephew Ayman started working the room and magic started happening – something I saw a lot of over the next few days.  Though it seemed our big group would have to break up into smaller bunches to enjoy the show, it was only an illusion, because we had Ayman.  Like the Red Sea parting, a large space opened in the center of the crowd and chairs began to appear out of nowhere.  In just moments our entire group was seated in the center of the action.

Drinks, food and hookahs were ordered and we sat back to enjoy the show.  The only problems were a few mosquitoes and the fact that I was about to fall asleep, but those were minor irritations.  The stage props suggested the show had a Broadway theme, but don’t let that fool you.  It was all the usual Arab entertainments, belly dancers, whirling dervishes, belly dancers, a magician, belly dancers, swords, belly dancers – well you get the picture.  I’ve included some photos below.

When the show was over we gathered up our belongings and headed back to the hotel.  This day, which had seeped over into the next, was over.  Within a few hours, we’d be climbing into another vehicle for our next entertainment.  Enjoy the images below and come back next week for more Sharm.

Whirling Dervishes
Another Whirling Drvish
Another Belly Dancer
Swords and Fire
Belly Dancer

 

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Charming Sharm

Jane Sadek
Off to the Desert

TRAVEL THERE: ADVENTURE PACKED DAYS

In Sharm el Sheik I took off my Museum Girl hat and embraced the Egyptian way to vacation.  As far as I’ve been able to discern, there’s not a single museum in the area.  It’s completely given over to entertainment venues and various sports rentals, from scuba gear to dune-buggies.  I can’t give you any real travel hints, because my nephew Ayman planned and booked everything.  I’d just show up in the lobby at whatever time I was told to be there and climb into whatever vehicle had been provided for our transportation.  

A Tiny Drip of Disappointment

View at the Sharm Marriot

The moment I arrived in Sharm I was ready to hit the Boardwalk and Corniche.  Some of my fondest memories of my previous visit were created there.  Each night we’d stroll along a thriving beach scene.  On one side was the beach and on the other was a line-up of amazing entertainment provided by various hotels.  At one venue you’d see a magician, next would be a belly dancer, then a singer, then a cultural variety show, then a comedian, then haunting music by a band of natives, then – well you get the picture.  And food – oh my goodness!  Each restaurant was bustling and at each one the cuisine tasted better than the one before.  I so wanted to re-live those nights of romance and excitement.

When we arrived at our hotel, the one we’d stayed at previously for old times sake, Bill was ready for a nap.  I unpacked our bags and set up the room for our stay.  Then I visited our balcony and enjoyed the view.  We were right by the pool and beyond the pool was the Red Sea.  Along with his nap, Bill was expecting a call from the family to give us the scoop on the evening’s entertainment.

Trying to make the best of a sad situation and really bad hair!

Finally, Bill woke up and initiated the call himself, because I was about to explode.  We’d be joining the rest of the crowd a little later, but first we’d have dinner on the Boardwalk.  The Arab Spring might have improved Egypt’s political situation, releasing them from the tyrannical Mubarek, but it also destroyed Sharm El Sheik.  What had once been a thriving international hot spot was transformed into a ghost town of empty restaurants with an occasional entertainer playing to an empty room. It broke my heart.  The lesser of the pathetic evils seemed to be an Italian joint, but it was bad service and bad food to go with my bad hair!

Let the Fun Begin

Heart-broken we returned to the hotel and went to the hotel portico at the assigned time.  My niece Mirette and her husband Ayman appeared in two different cars and whisked us away to enjoy the night – ladies in one car, guys in another.  Her intentions were good and she took us to a glamorous beach-side restaurant which proved there was some life in Sharm, even if the Corniche had died a brutal death.  Unfortunately, the wait was hours long and there was really no place to wait, so we climbed back in to the car to execute Plan B.

I can’t go on without telling you one very funny thing.  Public transportation and Uber are the way my grand-nephews negotiate the town of Sharm.  When we arrived with Mirette, there were her sons waiting for us.  When we moved on to Plan B, the boys wanted a lift.  They’d gotten themselves to restaurant, but the nearest public transportation was several blocks away and they didn’t want to wait for Uber.  So, since the car was full, Mirette opens up the trunk and they climbed in.

  I had a moment of jealously for this simpler way of life.  I used to live like that.  Cramming a vanload of people into a car, riding in the back of a pick-up truck, sneaking people into the drive-in in the trunk.  That was back in the days when you could legally drive with a cold one in your beverage holder.  That evening we giggled all the way to the bus stop, enjoying the simple pleasure of riding along with passengers in the trunk. Nowadays, America is so safe and politically correct that a simple moment’s pleasure has to be weighed against jail time.

The night was far from over.  Just about the time this Museum Girl is ready for bed, my nieces and nephews are just starting to enjoy the evening.  So come back next week and see where we headed after this.

DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Carnival Ride in the Sky

Jane Sadek
Welcome to Sharm

TRAVEL THERE: UP AND DOWN WITH LUNCH

You know those short flights where the plane never actually levels off.  You’re going up, up, up and then suddenly down, down, down.  The pilot barely gets in the air before the beverage cart comes out.  We’ll that’s how the Cairo to Sharm flight was, but with a little Egyptian flair.

Sardines in a Can

I don’t know how to explain this to you exactly, but Egyptians seem to take up more room on a flight than Americans do.  It’s not that they are bigger – one stroll through Walmart would prove that – but nonetheless what with gallebeyas, hajibs, turbans and toys for multiple kids they seem to take up all the area surrounding them.

What’s more they have softer boundaries.  I tucked myself carefully into my assigned space, but that’s not the general Egyptian MO.  The items put under the seat in front of them migrated into my space.  They took over the armrests.  Their skirts invaded my legroom.  At the same time, they wouldn’t be offended if my stuff escaped its boundaries, but I’ll confess I’m way too uptight for that. I squeezed into the most compact space I could and leaned towards my husband.

As if the luxuriating passengers around you aren’t enough of a challenge, the space assigned to each passenger is minimal.  I was forced to sit bolt upright, because my knees were jammed into the seat ahead of me.  As my fellow passengers found their seats, I was doing deep breathing exercises and checking my schedule to see how long the flight was.  I wasn’t exactly in distress, but I wasn’t in my comfort zone either.

Egyptians seem happier and friendlier than we do, also.  They called and waved to people around them.  Not to me.  I was obviously not on their team, but they reached around to pat one another and behaved as if they were about to enjoy a fine meal, rather than endure a crowded flight.  As the engines revved up the interior noise also rose and seemed to crush me even deeper into my seat.  Finally the plane pulled away from the gate.

Off We Go

We taxied to our runway, the pilot put the pedal to the metal and the plane lifted from the ground.  Just in case we hadn’t sensed the change, a dog in the luggage hold began to bark urgently – and he didn’t quit.  I couldn’t help but snicker at the chaos.

I swear the wheels had barely left the ground when the crew started down the aisle with their food carts, but there was none of the traditional, “What would you like to drink” stuff.  Instead we were tossed a package which consisted of a sandwich, a snack and a juice box.  If you didn’t want that, well then that was way too bad.  Apparently other people thought this offering was more exciting than I did.  A lady in front of me had somehow been overlooked in the hustle and bustle, so she screamed out at the attendant as if her life were about to end.

Stop and think about this.  The plane is making a steep climb, so the attendants have to hold their carts in place while they toss packages to passengers.  The noise level is already almost deafening, a dog is barking and a lady is screaming because she didn’t get her mini-sandwich and juice box.  I’m telling you it was a circus!

A Little Lunch

I can’t tell you what kind of meat was on the sandwich.  I doubt anyone could, but I had the comfort of knowing it was halal.  The dry roll holding the meat had no condiments, but there was some sort of pink pickle.  The snack was some sort of crispy thing and since I couldn’t recognize the fruit on the front of my juice box I gave it away.

I was crushing my paper waste and raising my tray when the pilot abruptly changed from heading straight up into the air to pointing the plane straight down to the ground.  I realized the attendant would not be back to pick up the trash as a braced myself for a hard landing.  The barking dog seemed to share my concern as he ramped up his serenade.

The whole bracing thing was unnecessary.  It was probably the smoothest landing I’ve ever experienced.  One moment we were in the air and the next everyone was getting off the plane with no gentle bump to say we had arrived.  Come back next week and enjoy Sharm with me.

DESTINATIONS, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Awkward at the Airport

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: WISHING FOR AN X-RAY MACHINE

You can complain all you want to about airport security in America, but I don’t plan to pay you any attention.  That’s because I’ve been through Egyptian security several times now and of all my experiences, this midday experience at the Cairo Airport takes the cake.

Unloading the Car

Bill and I are do-it-yourself-ers by nature, but you have to get over that if you want to board a plane in Cairo.  When you pull up to the terminal you get your going-through-security buddy and he’s not optional.  Our new buddy loaded our stuff onto his cart and led us through the terminal.  A lot of what happened in transit is a bit of a fog, because Bill handled all of it in Arabic.  Yes, I know I should learn the language, but I’m still learning English!

Unable to understand what was being said and done, I just shuffled along behind Bill and hoped I was getting it right.  Here in America you go through security and you are done.  It’s a pain, but it is one pain.  In Cairo, you go through security, you go through security again and before its all over there’s no telling exactly how many more times you will be put through the fun of taking off your shoes, emptying your pockets, having your luggage x-rayed and yourself patted down.  They vary the pattern so it won’t be predictable.

Going through the Process

The first pass went pretty well.  You weren’t allowed to offload your checked luggage at the airline counter before entering security, so it was somewhat of a hassle.  You and all your stuff had to go through the process together.  I can see the value of that from a security standpoint, so while I would have loved to get rid of the big stuff, that didn’t happen until later and I didn’t mind.  I guess that’s one of the reasons you get you going-through-security buddy.

The American in me felt some relief after that first pass.  I assumed we were through, but suddenly we had to go through the whole rigmarole again.  I was a little surprised, but only a little, because I’d already been in Egypt for days and going through some kind of security was an activity we did over and over and over.  At the hotels, they went over you with a fine tooth comb at the gate, then again at the front door and then a various areas through out the property.  You went through security to enter an attraction and for good measure you’d have to go through it again inside.  You went through security to enter churches, museums and if you didn’t actually go through a security gate, you knew you were being watched.

The surprise came after I stepped through the metal detector.  I was used to being patted down afterwards. I was not used to being fondled.  Yep, you read that right.  Just like in the US, women pat down women and men pat down men, but I got a fondler.  I stepped out of the metal detector and a hajib’ed woman signaled for me to assume the Vetruvian Man position.  I did.  She reached out and grabbed my boobs.  I’m not kidding.  It wasn’t a pat down.  It was like she was testing them to see if they were real.  I was so shocked, I was speechless.  I didn’t know if the treatment proved she had been poorly trained or whether she was doing exactly what she was supposed to do!

I wanted to swat her hands away and give her a piece of my mind, but I wanted to be through with the process and on my way to Sharm, too.  I also didn’t want Bill defending my honor.  On a previous trip to Egypt a man in a crowd had pinched my buttocks and I’d spontaneously complained about it.  Bill took off after a guy and I died a million deaths in the few seconds before I could get him to come back.  I didn’t want to draw any attention to us, so I just carried on through the rest of multiple security measures – but no one else grabbed anything I thought they shouldn’t, so I assume the treatment was specific to that one lady.

The flight to Sharm was a hoot.  Come back next week and I’ll share the experience.