Restaurants & Bars – Page 12

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Cruising the Nile Like a Queen

June 20, 2018February 16, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THE PHARAOH’S DINNER CRUISE

Moksen, my nephew Bassem’s new father-in-law, invited us to be his guest on an early Nile Dinner Cruise. He’d enjoyed our hospitality on a visit to the States and was eager to return the favor. He returned the favor in spades!

An Early Arrival

Since we’d allowed plenty of time to visit the monastery during our trip from Alex to Cairo, we were early to the cruise. Izzat entertained us a little by driving us around the elegant neighborhood near the dock of the boat, but that didn’t take very long and we really didn’t have time for anything else. Hence we arrived at the boat long before anyone else – and what a boat!

I’m telling you Cleopatra would have been thrilled to take a cruise on this boat. The photos really don’t do it justice, but the boat was covered in gilded pharaonic decorations. The waiters wore the same garb as Cleo’s servants would have worn. All that was missing was getting fanned by ostrich plumes and I have a feeling if I’d asked for it, they would have been able to comply with my wishes.

An Excellent Meal

If you remember any of the details about my nephew’s wedding and reception, then you know that no expense was spared. This dinner cruise was similar – the best of the best.

While we waited for our party, I checked out the restroom facilities and they were much improved over our roadside stop. Then we wandered around the boat checking out every elegant detail.

Before long Moksen and his lovely wife Shahira, first on the left side, were coming aboard and the party started. It was a huge, delicious meal and I was thrilled to be with my family once again.

Once we’d eaten our fill (and a little bit more) we all wandered outside to enjoy the view from the decks. Our hosts had invited us to the early cruise – about 2:30 – and this allowed us to see Cairo in all it’s daytime glory. I’m sure the evening experience is romantic, but I would not have traded our daytime views for anything.

I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to enjoy this amazing trip. It seems as if every time I travel I say, “This was the trip of a lifetime,” but each time it seems true. From family tours of historic American sites when I was a child to wandering through the English countryside in my twenties to the Danube Cruise I took in 2016, they are all singular experiences many people never get the opportunity to enjoy. This trip was no different. Each day was an absolute wonder. It has taken over a year to share it with you, but it is finally drawing to a close. Only one more full day to share and then we’ll have to see what our next adventure will be.

Enjoy and come back tomorrow for our return to the Fairmont. The second time around was a little more problematic that our original stay!

ART, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Shopping, TRAVEL

Our First Day at Sea

June 18, 2018March 7, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: ENJOYING THE BOAT

There she is! Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas. On our day at sea, we explored many of her charms and suffered a few of her deficiencies. Come along and see how it went.

Up & At ‘Em

First up, the gym! I’m an early riser, so I take advantage of it to get in an hour on a stationary bike. The gym on Vision of the Seas is nice, but quite small. On this morning, pretty much every spot on the equipment was filled.

I got my hour in and headed back to the room via the the buffet. I filled up my soda cup, got Bill some ice water and picked up a few pastries in case Mr. Bill was ravenous.

Breaking Our Fast

We enjoy the luxury of sit down service and convivial company, so we returned to the Aquarius Dining Room for our morning repast. There is no assigned seating, so you get the luck of the draw in table mates. The luck of the draw in food was pretty marginal, especially their sorry excuse for Eggs Benedict.

We ended up at a table with a bunch of round dancers, who were nice, but only interested in their dancing, so we were relieved when a mother and her daughter arrived. After a little chatting we discovered they’d been caught in all the flooding from Harvey and it was interesting to hear about their experiences. They became our new cruise buddies and we enjoyed seeing them several other times during the week.

We went back to the room so Bill could wrangle with his computer and the market. I took a shower and got ready for the day, in part by perusing the Cruise Compass and picking out the good stuff, like the Art Auction

Champagne Art Auction

One of my favorite things at sea are the Park West art auctions. How can you lose if you’re spending your morning looking at art and hearing tidbits about artists and the art world, while you sip free champagne? I’m probably not ever going to be bidding, but it’s relaxing, fun and interesting. Bill doesn’t exactly feel the same way. He’ll attend, probably more for the champagne than the art, but he sits there, giving me a running commentary on the dangers of buying art at sea, just in case I get the urge to lift my bidding card.

Were I to actually bid on something, it would be because I thought it was a pretty picture and I’d enjoy looking at it. Occasionally I’ll say something complimentary about a painting and Bill reacts as if I’m considering purchasing a fake Mona Lisa and he demands to know which wall we’d hang it on. It sort of takes the fun out of the dreaming, but I just shake my head in amusement and have another sip of champagne.

Beyond the champagne, there’s always a free gift of art. This time a 7×7 seriolithograph by Yuval Wolfson. If I had any space on our walls, I could frame it and hang it. Instead it will end up in my scrapbook. There was an extra bonus this time which will also find its way to my scrapbook. To hold the audience’s attention, they also have drawings for Royal Caribbean chotkies, like t-shirts and water bottles. To my amazement I won one of the drawings and I got two lovely 8×10 photos of the ship – one of which is shown above – and which will kick off my scrapbook of this adventure.

Winding Up the Day and Gearing Up for the Night

The auction lasted past the sit down lunch, so we were forced to go back to the Windjammer for a buffet lunch. It was marginally better than the Embarkation Buffet, but that’s not saying much.

Usually we would have explored more of the boat, but on this trip, Bill had to keep an eye on the market, so we went back to our room. I really can’t complain about the relaxation. The room was comfortable, the sea was just outside our window and after catching up on my travel journal I did a little reading.

Come back next week and I’ll tell you about formal night.

Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Off to Dinner

June 4, 2018June 4, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL HERE: NICE TO MEET YOU!

Even though the Embarkation Buffet on Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas was a disaster, it was still early in the cruise, so I gave them a pass. I blamed us for being so last minute and hoped better meals were ahead. I was also interested in who we’d end up with for table mates.

Matches Made in Heaven

When it comes to our table assignments, so far we’ve been pretty lucky and thankfully, for this cruise, our luck held. I’m not much on names, but Couple #1 was a youth pastor and his stay-at-home wife. Couple #2 was a pair of coffee shop/truck entrepreneurs. Couple #1 was on their first cruise to celebrate an anniversary. Couple #2 seemed to be frequent cruisers. He liked to gamble.

I happen to enjoy formal dining arrangements, a holdover from traditional cruising. One of the big reasons is because I don’t like training a new waitperson for each meal, but I also like the opportunity to get to meet new people, even if though no one may become my new best friend.

We’ve been through a variety of seating arrangements, from formal, timed meals with assigned seating, to Norwegian’s Freestyle. My least favorite was Freestyle. We were traveling with friends, so we really didn’t miss the chance to meet people, but having a new waitperson every night was not so much fun.

Not Exactly Heavenly Food

I was looking forward to our first meal, because first nights at sea are traditionally lobster night. Not on this cruise. You could get lobster, but it was over there on the part of the menu where you had to pay a surcharge. I like lobster, but not enough to pay extra for it. Instead I had escargot for an appetizer, lamb shanks for my entree and a pear concoction for dessert. It was a decent meal.

The escargot was off the charts. Not even the hint of a complaint in that department. The entree was OK. I would have preferred lobster, but nothing wrong with what I had. Dessert was a disaster. If you ordered a Pear Chocolate Crisp, what would you think you were getting? Well, probably not what I got – a row of mousse-y squirts with puree’ed pear in the middle of each squirt and a hardened chocolate decoration stuck in the center of the plate.

They really liked mousse-y, pudding-y desserts on this cruise. Like the Chocolate Sensation they always had in the buffet. It was kind of a chocolate fluff with a chocolate crumb crust. If you saw my face while I typed that, you’d know how bad it was. The Pear Chocolate Crisp was in the same category. With their penchant for mousse and pudding you might think their Creme Brulee would have been good. Well, it wasn’t. It was better than the Pear Chocolate Crisp, but so runny that I would have been embarrassed to call it Creme Brulee.

Instead of beating you up day after day with how bad the meals were, I’ll do some summarizing here. The Lobster Bisque was awful. No cream was used in the making of that soup! Campbell’s cream of tomato soup is thicker and at least as tasty, if not more flavorful. Two guys at our table would order steaks cooked exactly alike, but only one of the steaks would come out with grill marks on it. How did they even do that? The carrot cake was so dry that you could have choked on it. Each meal was an exercise in how not to cook! What a disappointment!

As bad as what we were eating was, one of the ladies at our table required a gluten-free menu and she was having a very hard time. This was no fad thing. Gluten made her sick and caused her hair to fall out. She was not the kind to make a big deal out of it, the way I see some people do. She was very gracious and appreciative of the efforts expended to accommodate her, but I noticed she would look hopefully at every dish delivered, give it a taste and then quietly push it away.

It was time for bed, at least for me. Come back next week for the next chapter of our adventure.

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

Eating Good in the Alex Neighborhood

May 30, 2018May 30, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: A FEW BITES

Yes, we did finally find The Fish Market Restaurant, but that’s not where we had lunch. Let me tell you about our midday meal before getting to dinner.

Return to the Food Court

When Bill was finally able to drag me out of The Royal Jewelry Museum it was past lunch time. Those big buffet breakfasts came in handy, but eventually you have to eat. Bill recognized the neighborhood as being the one where the Four Seasons Hotel, Mall and Food Court had been and I found it on the map I was carrying. We were only a few blocks away. We’d been exploring new things for hours. Something familiar sounded good.

We had a nice meal and did a little wandering around in the Four Seasons. Then we headed outside to find a cab, because we were going to take a look at Montazza, one of King Farouk’s palaces. Bill was quite excited by the prospect of visiting a favorite childhood memory, but it was a very different place than he remembered.

Montazza

Bill’s memories of Montazza were from the time when Nasser was still in power and it was still being maintained in its former glory. Now the gardens are sparse and obviously not cared for. I suppose they run the sprinklers to keep the grass growing. A different class of people also seemed to be in charge. Going to Montazza was a special occasion back then. You dressed up and you behaved appropriately. Now casually dressed people are spread out across the ill-kept grounds and they think nothing of getting up from their McDonald’s picnic and leaving the trash where it lies.

Still, we walked throughout the grounds and took these pictures. There is a thin veneer of the former glory, but close inspection shows that everything is about to fall apart. This is was a very sad visit. Afterwards we took a taxi back to the hotel, but here’s some images so you can imagine along with us how beautiful it once was.

Snack Time

Remember when we’d gone back to Delices for ice cream the night before. Well, while he was there, Bill bought some baklava. I thought he’d eat if after the ice cream, but he didn’t. I thought he’d eat it for breakfast, but he didn’t. He waited until we got back from our museum adventures and had it as an afternoon snack. Yep, that’s him on our balcony taking a selfie.

After snack time came nap time. After some research we finally found out where The Fish Market was and planned to head that way.

Mitzergana

One Arabic word I know is mizergana. I’m not sure of the spelling, but I know how to use it. The evening we went to The Fish Market was mizergana. Things were just broken and off. Not anybody’s fault necessarily, but the finely-tuned engine that is our marriage wasn’t doing so well. The plan had been to grab a taxi to the restaurant, but instead we walked. I dressed for the taxi, so I wasn’t thrilled.

The Fish Market wasn’t quite what we expected. Yes there were big ice tables full of fresh fish, but from the description of the place we thought that once you picked your fish, then they’d give you a wide variety of ways to cook it. Basically you either got fried or grilled. It was good, but not our vision.

Something else I didn’t expect was a mizergana tummy. About halfway through the meal I began a series of restroom visitations. I don’t know if it was the brisk walk to the restaurant, too much strange food or just par for the course. Whatever it was, for the next hour or so I stayed in close proximity to a toilet.

Our visit to Alex was almost over. I’d used Bill’s nap time to get us packed up for the road. Come back next week and learn which attractions we saw before leaving town.

DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, Shopping, TRAVEL

A Sweet Alexandrian Tradition

May 16, 2018May 16, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: DELICES PASTISSERIE

After our five mile stroll from the Four Seasons to The Cecil, Mr. Bill was ready to get to our room and take a nap. He suggested we forego whatever surprise I had in store, but I urged him to hang with me just a few minutes more.

Delighting Alex since 1922

Our balcony at The Cecil gave us a jaw dropping view of the Mediterranean Sea, but it also overlooked a lovely little park that filled the block next to the hotel. In one of my visits to the balcony I’d spied people sitting along the sidewalk on the south side of the park, chatting over coffee and pastries. Delices didn’t mean anything to me, but since they’d been around since 1922, I thought they must be doing something right.

With the front door to the hotel just steps away, I led Bill to my discovery and was he ever happy. The pastry store fronts two different streets and inside is case after case after case of amazing looking pastries. Bill’s desire for his nap disappeared completely as he wandered from case to case trying to decide which treat he would indulge in. After narrowing it down to a few favorites, Bill gave me the final choice for something to share. I chose the the chocolate treat above, of course.

Naptime

We took our treasure back to the hotel to enjoy and then Bill promptly went down for a nap. I don’t do naps very well, so I used the time the way I usually did – updating my travel journal, catching up on social media (when there is wi-fi), doing a few crossword puzzles and reading.

It had been a long day for Mr. Bill. Museums always tire him and the Bibliotheca Alexandrine had been a humdinger. We’d had our stressful moments with the rogue hantoor driver and that wild taxi ride. Then we’d walked five miles. Quite a day! Even though I don’t usually manage to take a nap, this time I eventually dozed off to sleep.

Late Night Stroll

When we woke up, we both wanted a little something to eat, but not a full meal. Bill wanted ice cream and I reminded him Delices had ice cream. We were out of that room in a flash!

I had on a snakeskin printed lounging set I’d gotten from my Aunt Edie. It’s perfectly acceptable for wearing out in public, even though that’s not something I usually do. I’ll wear it down to breakfast or perhaps put it on when I know we’re going to spend most of the day in the car on a long drive, but it’s not my go-to outfit for a stroll around a big city like Alexandria – especially when a peek outside tells me there are more people out and about than there had been during the day. I suggested I change clothes, but Bill insisted that all we were going to do was pop over to the pastry store. I slid into a pair of canvas espadrilles and threw a windbreaker over my outfit.

Yes, we went right over to Delices. Both of us got some ice cream. Even though that’s not my usual snack, an ice cream cone sounded fun for our late night adventure. However, we did not immediately head back to the room.

Bill led me off down a side street full of action. All the stores were open and the sidewalks were lined with pop-up vendors. You could buy anything from toilet paper to an engagement ring along the street. Crowds of natives wove between the stalls and the stores, laughing, talking and occasionally making a purchase.

I’d had a moment’s hesitation when Bill veered into the side street. It was late. I wasn’t dressed right. I didn’t know if it was safe. I could have made all kinds of excuses to scurry back to the hotel, but I’m glad we didn’t. We got a look at the real Alex without any tourists (besides ourselves) in sight.

Water is a constant challenge in Egypt. There’s the need to stay hydrated in the desert sun and heat, but you can’t drink anything out of the tap. To meet this challenge every other store sells bottled water and on every block there’s a rickety wooden stand staffed by a burka-ed grandmother. We opted for the grandmother every time that we could. On our way back to the hotel we visited the grandmother we’d chosen to be our vendor in Alex. We also bought a Coke Zero from her so we could enjoy a little of my nephew’s bourbon.

A sweet ending to an exciting day. I’ll leave you with one final photo. More museums are in store for next week. Come back and visit me then.

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

An Alexandrian Adventure

May 9, 2018March 6, 2018 Jane Sadek

We were in no mood for another hantoor tour!

TRAVEL THERE: STARVING , DAZED & CONFUSED IN ALEX

The smallest things trip you up when traveling – like landing at the Library of Alexandria mid-day. If there were vending machines in the Library we didn’t find them. There was no coffee bar. We found a sorry excuse for a gift shop, but all they had were tacky souvenirs. We were about ready to eat a few books.

Where’s the Fish Market?

Instead of just finding the closest place to eat, Bill decided our next stop should be The Fish Market, a restaurant recommended to us by several people as the best food in Alexandria. So Bill started a campaign to find this marvelous place. There was one small problem. No one knew what he was talking about.

One of the first people he asked directed us to go back towards Fort Qaitby, where we’d visited earlier in the day. He was all ready to head that way when I pulled out my phone and showed him the directions he’d gotten would take us, not to a restaurant called The Fish Market, but to an actual open air fresh fish market in the old part of the city.

So, he tried another tack. The people he was talking to were confused by his inquiry. Most thought he wanted to buy fish and directed him to various grocers in the area. Finally, he found someone who would listen long enough for him to explain that he wanted a restaurant where you were able to pick out your fresh fish for cooking and then have it served to you at the table. Bingo! Someone knew exactly what he was talking about. They said they didn’t know if the name was right, but there was such a restaurant in a mall that’s connected to the Four Seasons Hotel.

Bill was beaming. He decided we’d grab a cab and head to the other end of the Corniche where the elegant Four Seasons Hotel was the anchor of a popular mall.

Terror in a Taxi

Bill hailed a cab and negotiated the fare. We headed off with the beach just over our left shoulder. We anticipated a short ride along on the main drag.

Suddenly, there was a big traffic jam due to some construction. Our driver left the main drag and headed off away from the beach. I’ve already told you how scary it was when we got off the major thoroughfares in the hantoor. I really wasn’t paying all that much attention to our taxi driver or his vehicle until he started taking short cuts through parking lots.

Remember those terrorist I was worried I’d run into in Dahab? Well, suddenly I was afraid they’d found me in Alex. I realized the noise on the radio was actually some sort of political rant. Of course, I couldn’t understand what was being said, but the tone is the same all over the world.

Then I took a look at our driver. He had the same beard and crazy look every terrorist on the television seemed to have. Hanging from the rear view mirror were a selection of Islamic prayer beads. Please understand. I don’t think every Muslim is a terrorist, but I was beginning to think the one driving our car was. There were a number of decals on the windows and none of them looked like they were devoted to a prophet of peace.

We had no idea where we were. He’d made so many turns since leaving the Corniche I couldn’t even guess where the beach might be. I started to think about the fact that this was our first day in Alex and it would be a few days before anyone expected to hear from us again. What could happen to us before anyone even realized we were missing?

When I was young, my favorite Bible verse was, “What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee,” a verse from Psalms. The rational person I walk around as most of the time was pretty sure everything would turn out OK, but that person who thought Dahab was the end of my line was quickly taking over. I had forgotten about the verse on the way to Dahab, but suddenly, it was on my mind. I began to repeat it silently. Rational me thought everything would be OK. Irrational me wasn’t taking any chances.

Before too long, my friend the terrorist was back in familiar territory. His detour had taken him around the construction and he was about to turn right onto the Corniche. Part of me felt a little silly, but I was reminded how fragile life can be. All of us are one careless decision away from tragedy. Keeping that in mind makes each moment sweeter.

Soon we were getting out of the taxi and heading towards the mall. Would The Fish Market Restaurant be inside?

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Welcome to The Cecil Hotel

April 4, 2018February 16, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: FADED GLORY ON THE SEA

Ah! Civilization! Crystal chandeliers, beautiful draperies, crisp linen sheets, thick carpeting. Welcome to Alexandria’s Cecil Hotel!

So Happy to be There

Izzat pulled up in front of a glorious edifice right next to the Mediterranean Sea and set our bags on the sidewalk. A bellman appeared and ushered us through a revolving door and the obligatory security equipment. My mind registered old style elegance in the lobby, but I’d had a long day and was just ready for a decent room.

After the usual front desk rigmarole they pointed us to one of those antique elevators encased in black rod iron. We rode it to our floor and WOW! It wasn’t the Fairmont, but to my eyes it was even better. This was elegance the way it used to be and for my money, I like it that way. Gorgeous furniture, elaborate urns, ubiquitous crystal chandeliers and a floor that only creaked a little bit. As we strolled down the thick elegantly patterned carpet we were impressed with the way the magnificent door to each room was recessed to create a small alcove.

Then we entered our room. It was small, but so lovely that I didn’t even care. Of course my first stop was the bathroom and there I found some comic relief. In the mode of luxury hotels everywhere, the ends of the toilet paper had been folded into a point, but this one was a little off balance. It was just what I needed.

Moving In

Since we’d be in Alex for several days, I went through the motions of unpacking what we’d need in the way of clothes and toiletries. As I got us organized for the next few days, Bill was inspecting the room. He discovered the balcony which overlooked a park and the sea. He even found the ice bucket and then went on an expedition to locate the ice machine.

In my unpacking, I’d found the bottle of Bourbon my nephew had bestowed upon me and when Bill went for the ice, he also found a can of Coke Zero. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a drink quite so much!

The Breakfast Buffet

After a good night’s sleep I was up early and raring to get out to the museum. The Cecil didn’t have a gym, but we’d be doing a lot of walking, so I wasn’t too worried about it.

Once we were ready to attack the day, we headed downstairs to breakfast. Yes, it was another buffet, but the space designated for the morning repast was a delight. Black and white marble floors, large bouquets of fresh lilies, huge windows, antique iron chairs and marble topped tables. What was there not to like?

I was sick to death of breakfast buffets, but the space was so pleasant that I was able to enjoy the atmosphere. I was also very excited about the day ahead. The days of leisure were over and we were going to start in on my long list of museums. I could not wait! Come back next week and join us on our way to the Library of Alexandria.

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

Welcome to Dahab Paradise Resort

March 21, 2018February 12, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: A SECOND LOOK AT DAHAB

Okay, this is where I confess that there is actually nothing wrong with the Dahab Paradise Resort. The real problem was my attitude. I still say we had no business heading off into a desert the US State Department warned us to avoid, but if we were going to be there anyway, this was a nice place to go.

The Bare Necessities

The Dahab Paradise is a lovely resort, but not in the traditional American five-star sense. You’re not going to find stationary in your desk drawer or a terry robe in the closet (what closet?). However, you will find very nice people in a very attractive facility. The open air lobby looks out on the gorgeous pool. Beyond the pool is the Red Sea. Your room will be clean. Our balcony was a small piece of heaven. The furnishings are very appropriate for a hotel in the Sinai Desert. They had a definite Bedouin charm. In other words, if you’re going to Dahab, stay here.

There’s a very nice open air restaurant not far from the pool. We had a fine dinner there and the breakfast was spectacular – especially if you are Egyptian or like Egyptian foods. Personally I love pita, feta and olives for breakfast. They will even fix up whatever eggs you want, but I’m not very eggy.

Now the bathroom facilities are minimal. Don’t drink the water and only one of you will be able to be in there at a time. I couldn’t face the shower and hubby wasn’t crazy about it, but it was functional.

Hanging by the Pool

The Dahab Paradise pool is out of this world. It looks beautiful and our family had a great time in it. There are plenty of chaise lounges and umbrellas for those of us who prefer to stay out of the water. It’s so gorgeous that it’s a little surreal to think, “Here I am in the Sinai Desert and right over there, about 30 miles away is Saudi Arabia.” The only real problem is the radical Islamist who cause so much trouble are probably even closer.

Once I was over my pout I was thrilled to discover my coloring cards and colored pencils had done their trick. My grandnephew climbed up into my lap after his dip in the pool and I thought my heart was going to burst. Even my grandniece, who is a little more stand-offish behaved as though I was on her team. Of course, we’d be heading back to Cairo the next day and then parting ways until our next chance to get together.

Drinks in the Conversation Pit

After everyone was out of the pool we went back to our rooms to get freshened up, but soon we were back outside for the sunset. The hotel has a great sunken conversation pit on the grounds with a wonderful firepit. My nephew Shady moved to the head of the class with a bottle of bourbon. All these guys are scotch drinkers and I’m not. So, time after time the rest of the crew would be sharing a nice buzz and I’d be sober as a judge. This time Shady showed up with a bottle of bourbon and gifted it to me. Thank you Shady!

Awhile later they let us know dinner was served and we enjoyed a delicious moonlit meal. That’s one of the picture postcards from the trip seared into my mind, but no one thought to take a picture. The time in the conversation pit and around the dinner table under the stars were moments words don’t do justice and even a thousand words would not have been able to aptly describe it.

Next up we’re headed back to Cairo after a quiet morning at Dahab Paradise. Come back next week to read about that.

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

Midnight at the Oasis

February 7, 2018February 10, 2018 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.

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

Broadway on the Red Sea

January 17, 2018January 17, 2018 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.