Attraction Review – Page 10

Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, Shopping, TRAVEL

Visiting Chichen Itza

January 30, 2019December 11, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: A VERY LONG DAY

Our visit to Chichen Itza was a very long day and there is no way I can cover all of it in one post, so I’ll start with the logistics of the day and we’ll work from there.

Finally Chichen Itza

Though Chichen Itza has always been at the top of my Yucatan Wish List, I didn’t make it either of the other two times we visited the area. Both of our previous visits have been via cruise ship to the port of Progresso and Chichen Itza is significantly inland from there, so we chose more accessible Mayan sites.

The first time we visited the ruins at Dzibilchaltan and it was a particularly enjoyable shore excursion, complete with lunch and a rodeo. The archaeological site was interesting and there was a wonderful museum. Last time we went to Xcampo. It was a smaller site, but still interesting. So, we’re getting pretty knowledgeable about the Mayans, but nothing can prepare you for Chichen Itza. It is both marvelous and horrid.

Up Early & Out Late

The first thing the guidebook I bought warned me about Chichen Itza was to avoid excursions from Cancun, because so much time is spent in transit. Well, I appreciated the advice and understood the reasoning, but this was it. If I didn’t go this time, chances are I might never again get the opportunity.

As we shopped excursions I saw two versions of the trip over and over. Either you had to be on a bus by 4 AM or you left between 7 and 8. The problem I discovered however, was that when you took later tours, you were in Chichen Itza during the hottest part of the afternoon, because all the tours stopped for lunch before going to the site.

Then Sandra Rubio, my travel agent at CTC Travel turned me on to ShoreTrips.com and they had a package called the Chichen Itza Plus. This version of the trip would pick us up between 7 and 8, but we’d go to the site before lunch. SOLD!

Since we were among the first to be picked up, we had to be in the lobby at 7:10. When we got there after a quick visit to the breakfast buffet, they were waiting for us. It was quite the ordeal to get out of town though. The bus they picked us up in was bigger than the airport transport vans, but not as big as the full-sized tour buses. We stopped at several hotels in the smaller bus and then traded to the big bus, but even then we had many more stops to make.

All that driving took a long time, but it was interesting to drive around and see other parts of Cancun. I’d say it was about nine when we finally headed to Cancun. They served a small breakfast – pastries, coffee and orange juice. We were glad we’d hit the resort’s buffet.

The drive to Chichen Itza was about an hour and a half. They stopped off at a shopping opportunity to use the restroom. I was focused on sightseeing, not shopping, so they didn’t get to sell me anything. Another short drive took us to the archaeological site – which I’ll go into in detail later.

After a couple of hours at the site, we went back to the shopping opportunity to have a very nice buffet lunch. In my opinion, they would have gotten a lot more shopping out of me if they’d have let me use the restroom at Chichen Itza and given me shopping time after lunch.

Then, after lunch we made another short drive to Ik Kil Cenote. I’ll also tell you more about that in a later blog, but it was a great way to end the day. Well, the day wasn’t quite over. We still had to drive back to Cancun, which seemed to take forever in the dark.

As we neared Cancun, the lights inside the bus switched on, a recorded version of “Tequila” was played on the loudspeaker and one of our guides had donned a wild get-up that I supposed was intended to be Mayan. They served shots of tequila to anyone who wanted one, but right then it didn’t even sound good to me. I was whupped.

It seemed like midnight when we got to the hotel, but I think it was only about 8:30. Come back next week and I’ll tell you about our time in Chichen Itza.

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

A Few Final Points

November 14, 2018November 14, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: CLUB MED PUNTA CANA IS WAITING

Here’s a few things I didn’t have a place for in other posts about Club Med Punta Cana. I hope they’ll help you decide you need to go there and visit. If so, call my friends at CTC Travel.

Dinner A La Carte

You never have to face down a buffet at Punta Cana unless you want to or unless you didn’t get your Indigo reservations in soon enough. Indigo reservations can only be made in person at the restaurant on the day you want to eat there. They start taking reservations at 9 AM and if you wait too long, you either won’t get the time you want or you won’t get in at all.

We celebrated our anniversary by having dinner at Indigo. It was a lovely meal, but Bill made better choices than I did. He had some kind of whole fish and he says it was one of the most amazing meals he’s ever had. I had some Dominican shrimp in a plantain bowl. Good, but not one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever had. Here’s a few pics from Indigo and that meal.

Another Dinner Choice

With so much free food and drink available, we didn’t see much reason to spend money that way, but there was one opportunity to do just that. It was called La Cava. On the patios of Samana and Hispanolo (for dinner only) there was a section set aside for La Cava guests. You become a La Cava guest when you purchase wine, whiskey or cigars from La Cava and enjoy them with a meal. If we’d been there longer, we might have considered it, but we did just fine with the included comestibles.

Shopping

There were a few shops at the resort and they had lovely things – but there were no bargains. Not a single one. Especially not on larimar, a semi-precious gemstone found only in the Dominican Republic. The cheapest larimar I found at the resort was a pair of earrings with a tiny piece of larimar hanging from each stud. The price was $80 and if someone had brought it to me, I would have thought it was some cheap trinket they got for about 5. So none of my friends got larimar.

At the resort, everything is priced in Dominican pesos and while everyone can tell you how much that is in euros, they are not so good with dollars. That made shopping quite challenging. It also almost caused Bill a heart attack when he saw a receipt with a bottom line of 4210.

Several years back, Club Med celebrated its 45th anniversary by printing up lots of T-shirts and other items with the number 45. The items sold like hot cakes So, when their 50th came, encouraged by the sales of the 45 items, they printed up lots of 50 merchandise. However, the 50 merchandise was a bust. They almost had to give it away to get rid of it. but while everyone was rejecting the 50th anniversary merchandise, they were still requesting items with 45 on it. You’ll see the 45 logo all over the resort on everything from t-shirts and bikinis to flip flops and beach bags. Vintage 45 items are a status symbol. We spent a lot of time speculating on the ubiquitous logo and as we asked around, trying to solve the mystery, we discovered there were almost as many answers as their were t-shirts. Some Americans thought it was for Trump – NOT! Some French people claimed it was the number of a popular soccer player. I asked the Chief of the Village and he gave me this skinny. So, in case you ever go to a Club Med resort and wonder, well here’s the answer.

Farewell to Punta Cana

I think that about covers it. You should have everything you need to enjoy a resort vacation with Club Med – and I heartily suggest you give it a try. I’m probably the only person on the face of the earth that wouldn’t think it was the best vacation ever, but my best vacations are devoted to satisfying my inner Museum Girl.

Would we ever return to Club Med Punta Cana? If we were the sort to repeat destinations, then there is no reason we would not. It is a beautiful resort with great food and a lot of fun things to do. We just rarely return to someplace we’ve already been.

So will we ever do Club Med again? It is certainly a possibility, but we’d probably only go for three nights, not five. We had a great time, but while Bill is more active at sports than I am, neither of us prefer sports for days on end. I can see us doing it before or after a vacation devoted to all my museums, palaces and historic sites or just getting away for a few day.

Winning the fabulous door prize from CTC Travel certainly gave us a new favorite possibility on our wish list, but we’ve already got the next trip planned. I’m just not ready to tell you about it yet. Right now, as I finish up this post it is June, shortly after our Club Med vacation, I have no idea what I’ll be offering up next week on Travel Talk, but please come back. I promise it will be fun!

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

What Do You Do at Club Med Punta Cana?

October 31, 2018July 3, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: KEEPING BUSY IS EASY!

The list of potential activities is quite long at any Club Med and that is very true at Punta Cana. I would think that most people in the world would find more to do than they can imagine. So, what did we do?

And They’re Off!

If you like to wake up early and get busy, you can do that at Punta Cana. The buffet opens early and early tee off times beat the heat. The gym opens early and if walking or running is your thing, well then there’s 42 acres to trot around in 24 hours a day. The beach also beckons 24 hours a day and it’s so beautiful all the time, that’s always appropriate.

Official activities begin around 9. Some a little earlier. Some a little later. We were usually ready to roll around 10. And what are those activities?

Water Sports – Kayaking, Stand-up Paddle Baords, Snorkeling, Windsurfing, Sailing (some fees)
Creactive by Cirque du Soliel
Archery
Tennis – courts, lessons and tournaments for all ages and levels of skill
Bill practicing his chipping swing

Land Sports – Jogging, Walking, Beach Volleyball, Soccer, Triatholon, Marathon, Bocce Ball, Basketball
Fitness – all kinds of classes, everyday, in the gym, in the pool and by the beach, from Aqua Zumba to Yoga
Golf – Lessons for all levels and a mini-golf (putt-putt) course – actual rounds are off the property and must be paid for seperately
Excursions (fee required)
Kid’s Club – for all ages from nurseries for infants to teens
Shopping – a variety of boutiques from art and jewelry to cigars and whiskey -they don’t charge you for looking 🙂
Spa Treatments (fee required)

What’s even more amazing is that the lion’s share of all this won’t cost you a penny extra.

So What Did We Do?

Well, Bill was a regular on the tennis courts, the archery field and he took advantage of the golf lessons. Around noon every day, there would be a Crazy Signs lesson after the Aquasize class, followed by volley ball, water polo and other games where Bill’s height and excellent coordination made him a popular player. Bill also played in a ping pong tournament. I was the official sidekick and cheering section.

On the first day, I thought that after the orientation was over I might hang around the pool until the Aquagym class at 11:30. Someone else, who will remain nameless, thought it might be better for me to follow him to the tennis courts and observe his lesson – and that’s pretty much how I spent my five days at Club Med Punta Cana. It wasn’t what I had imagined, but it wasn’t bad at all. I read a great book and made wonderful memories with my husband. Not a bad use of my time.

Things I Wish I’d Known

I had imagined starting my day with yoga on the beach. There was actually a palapa for yoga right next to the beach, but yoga was at 5:30 PM every day. By that time, Bill had put in a full day and we were back at the room for Bill’s afternoon nap.

I had also envisioned getting up bright and early and hitting the stationary bike, as I do at home and on cruises. Of the things available at Punta Cana, the gym was the least appealing. It was clean and they had lots of almost new equipment, but the space was cramped and I like a little elbow room. None of the stationary bikes were recumbent either and an hour on one of those saddle seats didn’t seem very appealing. Also, walking all the way to and from the gym to get saddle sores, when walking to and from is what took up most of our time, was a little discouraging. So, the gym was not my friend.

I had also dreamed of cabana boys delivering exotic drinks with paper umbrellas in them. There were no cabana boys. You could get as many drinks of whatever variety you wanted, if you walked up to one of the bars, but there were no paper umbrellas to be found and if I wasn’t going to be waited on hand and foot, I’d just as soon have another slurp from our bottle of water, several of which they left for us in our room each day.

Relaxed Myself to Death

The bottom line is that I nearly relaxed myself to death. I’m just not athletic, not even a little bit, but I’m also usually a very busy person. I don’t relax very well. My thing on vacation is to see as many museums, palaces and historic sites as I can, but Punta Cana was not a hot bed of museums.

So, we had a great time at Club Med and Bill took full advantage of all the activities. I ate a lot, relaxed a lot and walked a lot. Speaking of eating, isn’t it time for lunch? Come back next week and we’ll grab the mid-day meal.

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, Performing Arts, TRAVEL

Let Club Med Punta Cana Entertain You

October 10, 2018July 3, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: ENJOYING THE EVENING PERFORMANCES

If you were looking for it, there was always something to do at Club Med. As I said earlier, live music entertained the guests in the Cielo Bar before dinner. After dinner there would be more live music, often from a different band. And so it would go into the the wee hours of the morning, but we can’t tell you much about that, because we usually turned in after the evening show.

Not Broadway, But Not Bad

Perhaps you read some of my reviews of our recent Royal Caribbean cruise which included scathing remarks about the on board talent, or lack of it. At Club Med, the performers weren’t pros (with a few exceptions) and they didn’t try to pretend they were, but the entertainment was completely enjoyable. Most evenings, some time in between the end of dinner and the beginning of the hard core partying, there would be entertainment. We found it quite fun.

Michael Jackson Tribute

Our first night featured a tribute to Michael Jackson. A professional performer danced to familiar Jackson tunes and he was accompanied by a cast comprised of Club Med staffers – known as GO’s (Gracious Organizers). We discovered a large number of the GO’s are interns on a stipend. Pretty much ~~slave~~ cheap labor, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The pro had the right build to play MJ and had someone doing great make-up. His wardrobe was very convincing and so was his dancing. While I can’t say it was just like watching MJ himself, it was high-energy, fun and entertaining.

After the MJ tribute there was something very familiar – an introduction to the staff. I felt like I was on a cruise – but without the trays of champagne. The intro went overly long I thought, but the Chef du Village (the guy in charge of Club Med Punta Cana) was embarrassing people who left early, so we sat in our seat until he was through.

Creactive Demo

Creactive is the name of the Cirque du Soleil (CDS) trapeze training school at Club Med Punta Cana. There guests can pretend they’ve run away and joined the circus. Bill wasn’t the least bit interested in taking a high-flying class and I’m a little acrophobic, so we didn’t take advantage of Creactive at all – except for the show they put on one evening.

The show was great. Performers, alone and in pairs, put themselves through their paces high in the sky. If you’ve ever been to a CDS show or seen one on TV I don’t have to tell you of the aerial feats of skill and awe they performed. However, it was also different from the usual performance.

There was no plot or theme and I missed it. I love the crazy costumes and surreal stories featured in the CDS shows I’ve seen previously. There was also none of the floor acrobatics, juggling and magic that make a CDS show so fantastic. As I said, it was a great show and this isn’t meant as criticism, just a warning about what to and not to expect.

After the show, there was a Balloon Party in the Rondele, a circular patio next to the Cielo Bar. Whatever they called a party at Club Med, it contained a lot of singing and swaying. There’s a song they sang all the time that started out “alle’ alle'” and included hand signals that everyone seemed to know – but us. It was called the Crazy Dance and they gave Crazy Dance lessons every day, but since I don’t know my right from my left, I stayed away. This was the Balloon Party, because they dropped balloons on the crowd. The White Party was white, because they dropped white confetti on you. The Red Party was red because…well you get the idea.

The Brazil Show

Another evening we were entertained with a show featuring Brazilian music and dance. As far as I could tell, there were no professional performers for this one, just jiggling GO’s giving it their all in skimpy costumes. I’m not complaining. It was a lot of fun.

Then out came the Chef du Village (CDV). This guy really needs his own TV show. I don’t think the stage at Club Med is big enough for him. He had on a knock-out Carnivale costume and performed some “magic” that were actually gags, which poked fun at his victim, but entertained the audience.

From Carnivale, the CDV moved on to world peace. (See I told you his stage was too small.) He recognized all the countries represented by staff and then moved on to the audience to see how many other countries were represented. Then we all sang, “We Are the World.”

No Dominican Show

We were disappointed on our final day that there was no show. It was supposed to feature the Dominican culture, which I would have enjoyed. The show had been on the schedule I took a picture of that first day. The show was on the schedule I picked up in the lobby. However, the schedule at the Cielo had been changed somewhere along the way and the Dominican show had disappeared. The only people to show up were Bill and I and one other group. There’s being prepared and being over-prepared. I think I was over-prepared – as if that’s a surprise.

Sometimes after the show we would head over to Cielo to check out the action, but usually we were worn out by so much relaxation, so we’d head to the room. Come back next week and I will tell you about our accommodations – and as always, thank you CTC Travel.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Dinner is Delightful at Club Med Punta Cana

October 3, 2018July 3, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: SAMANA, THE INTERNATIONAL BUFFET

I have no complaints about Club Med Food. I liked some things better than others, but there was not a thing available that was anything but good. Meals were delicious all day long, but dinner at Samana was something special.

Bon Jour & Bon Appetite

After our visit to Cielo, we’d stroll across the patios to Samana and climb the stairs. Just inside the doors we’d be greeted by a delightful lady we came to recognize by sight – even if we doubted she recognized us at all.

We’d tell her there were two of us and she’d find us a table. You could sit wherever you wanted, but we discovered we needed the hostess. One night we arrived and she wasn’t standing there, so we wandered around on our own. A bit later we came back to the door, happy to see her waiting, feeling quite silly for having tried to seat ourselves.

As soon as we had a table, a server would appear and offer us a beverage. Bill would get red wine and I would get white. Then we’d disappear off to the many, many buffet table. We didn’t stick to a particular order for our food. We’d wander about and pick the things that interested us most. I think the first night was by far the best, Beef Wellington, escargot, veal and much more.

Confession, I ate more cheese, morning, noon and night, than anyone probably ever should – but it was SO good. There’s a reason I don’t keep a variety of cheeses in my frig – I would eat them. Mozzerella, Blue, Gouda, Swiss, Emmantala, Tontine, Farmers, Feta, Brie – along with amazing breads, dried apricots, nuts and more. I ate enough that it should have been all I ate, but this was vacation, right?

The menu rotated every night. Around the central area,

a huge section for appetizers, mostly fresh seafood and shellfish
cheese and bread
the next section would vary by evening. The section next to the bread would vary with the evening and then the desserts would begin.
An inner circle would offer very international dishes, like tempura, sweetbreads, Mongolian bbq, schwarma, enchildas etc. etc. etc.

The back wall had

a salad bar
a pasta bar
a section for grilled seafood
then grilled meats and other entrees, like the Beef Wellington or Halibut Oscar
one corner had a pizza oven offering fresh slices – very popular with the kids
a section with Dominican foods.

In my youth I went with a group of my college friends to an all-inclusive resort – a Jack Tar Village on Grand Bahama. Eating was no problem. You couldn’t eat all the food they offered, but beverages were a whole ‘nother thing. The beverages were supposed to be included and you could usually manage to get one, but good luck getting refills. Thankfully, we discovered a rum factory nearby and dosed ourselves quite liberally with coconut rum, but could get little of anything beverage-wise from the staff. We also discovered the vending machines had beer. I didn’t have any of that, but I think our group had cleaned out every beer out of every vending machine before the week was over.

There was no stinginess with alcohol at Club Med. All throughout dinner the waitstaff kept our glasses filled – both the wine and the water. It wasn’t fine wine, but it was fine – if you know what I mean. The guest population of the resort was primarily French, if you remember, so I doubt Club Med could get by without the good stuff. I noticed that most people were drinking rose’, something that surprised me. I knew it was becoming a thing over here, but apparently the French like it, too.

After dinner there would usually be entertainment, so come back next week and enjoy the shows with us. I can’t sign off without another thank you to CTC Travel. Thanks so much, we loved Club Med.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Performing Arts, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

Drinks at Cielo Every Evening & All Day Long

September 26, 2018July 3, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: ROCKING WITH A TROPICAL RHYTHM

When they raise the traffic gate and welcome you into Club Med Punta Cana, you enter another world. It took me a few hours to slither out of the daily grind and figure that out, but I did. I was still in a bit of a rush as I hobbled back to our room and then headed out again for dinner, but by

dessert, I was on island time.

Dressing for Dinner

Sandra Rubio, my travel agent at CTC Travel, warned me they had themes each night at Club Med. It wasn’t a have-to thing, but something to add to the fun. She’d mentioned a pirate night, but if they have one of those at Punta Cana, it didn’t happen while we were there. Our first night was White Night. I wore a mostly white top and some white jeans, but if you are into themes, be warned, don’t take any shortcuts, especially on White Night. Your fellow members have spent a lot of money on gorgeous white sundresses, white linen suits and all things white.

Saturday was Denim & White, Sunday Red & White, Monday Flowers, Tuesday 45 & Fluorescent – then we went home. The 45 thing requires an explanation, but it can wait.

Meet You at Cielo

Cielo Bar is a large, circular, open air, (wait for it) palm-frond-roofed bar/cafe/coffee shop/living room sort of place that takes central stage in the entertainment section of Club Med Punta Cana. We were wandering in and out of it all the time.

During the day they had salsa lessons and various games. The bar was always open for coffee or drinks. A serve-yourself soda fountain sat at one end of the U-shaped bar. A very convenient restroom was around the back. Though we never quite figured out a schedule, there were often snacks available – pastries in the early hours, chips, salsa and guacamole during the day and at night hors d’oeuvres. Comfortable sofas and lounge chairs hugged the outer edges.

Most of our evenings began on the white sofas of Cielo. A live band would entertain the crowd. We’d try to make conversation with some of our fellow GM’s (Guest Members), but most of them were French. We grew to absolutely love the French Connection. We also discovered we weren’t particularly proud to be associated with the other Americans on the property.

We didn’t usually bother with evening hors d’oeuvres, because the fabulous buffet meals kept our hunger at bay, but we would have a drink. The first night I tried a rum & coke, which was fine, but I’m really a white wine girl and that became my regular. Bill would get a beer with a tequila shot chaser. He really was on vacation.

Many of our French friends would arrive at Cielo in family groups, but unlike the usual situation with American families, the children were not the center of attention and they didn’t sit staring into a tablet or phone. French children of all ages were expected to sit quietly in their seat, enjoying their hors d’oeuvres and sodas, while the adults chatted with one another. We were very impressed by this. Temper tantrums and meltdowns just didn’t happen. Americans are doing something wrong.

Eventually, we’d leave Cielo and head over to Samana, the dinner buffet. Dinner officially began at 6:30, but the Cielo experience began at 7, so Cielo is where we began our evenings. Then we’d wander across to Samana. I’ll tell you about that next week.

Accommodations, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Falling for Club Med Punta Cana

September 19, 2018September 22, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: LEARNING HOW TO BE CLUB MED MEMBERS

Though I was pretty put out that the orientation tour had fallen out of my grasp, I had to admit we had landed in paradise. Have I mentioned how grateful I am to CTC Travel? I still can’t believe I won the trip.

Learning Our Way Around

As I marched all over the campus trying to get my bearings we made some important discoveries. The tile around the pool was pretty slick when it got wet. We found Samana, where the evening buffet would be served. We found the Cielo Bar, which was sort of the living room of the property. We found the auditorium where we would have met the tour and where the evening’s entertainment would be. We also found the gift shops and the area where we could get pool towels.

Perhaps my best find was the schedules for every day of the week, posted on a wall in Cielo. I took pictures of them, because the Club Med app was not only sssslllllooooowww, it also ate up a lot of battery. I suddenly didn’t feel so frantic. I’d gotten the general lay of the land and even if the app wouldn’t serve up the schedule as fast as I wanted, I had a back-up plan. Later, I would also discover a place in the lobby where they made printed schedules available every morning. My hysterical anxiety began to abate.

And Then I Literally FELL for Club Med Punta Cana

A quick look at my watch said dinner was not far off and I wanted to freshen up a bit beforehand. The rain started falling more seriously and Bill told me to watch myself on the slick tile.

We headed towards our room in the rain. I took off my flip flops, because they seemed to add to the slickness of the tile. As we came to some steps, four at the most, Bill grabbed a hold of me to be sure I didn’t slip. I was being really careful, but suddenly there was no traction and I was down.

I hit so hard that Bill was convinced I must have broken my hip. He kept trying to roll me over to see the damage. I knew I hit an elbow and one of my arms, but my buttocks was well-padded. No problem there.

Everything else paled in comparison to what was going on with my foot. Since my foot had come out from under me without any traction whatsoever, I couldn’t imagine why it hurt so much, but my big toe and my fourth toe hurt like a cuss word I am not going to say. After I got home I decided my foot had hit a wall next to steps as I came down, but it had all happened so quickly I couldn’t figure what had happened.

So, rain was pouring down and my foot is killing me, but right that minute all I wanted to do was get to the room. I put on a brave face and limped away as Bill tried to convince me I should instead be figuring out what was broken. Come back next week and find out what happened.

Architecture, ART, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Miracle at Mokattum

July 25, 2018February 17, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: HUMBLED BY THEIR HUMILITY

There is a section of Cairo on Mokattum Mountain that is the home of the garbage people. They are outcasts of polite society. It’s enough that they are garbage collectors, but they are also Christians, almost 100% of them, and in a predominately Muslim country, that too is a problem. Yet rarely have I been in a place with as much joy.

Curiosity Got Me There

Sometimes in Egypt it’s hard to discern what is fact and what is just tradition. Take the Pompey Pillar in Alexandria for instance. Everybody knows the pillar has nothing at all to do with Pompey, yet his name continues to cling to it.

Mokottum mountain has a lot of traditions attached to it, not just the story of the Coptic pope with the faith of a mustard seed, who got the mountain to move. The name of the mountain, which means “broken mountain,” is considered proof of …I’m not sure what to call it – event, miracle, legend, tradition. I’ve also heard a story of a Bible being found floating in the Nile opened to a particular verse which led to the location of this church – or another church. The details are fluid. With so much smoke about Mokattum, I wanted to check out the fire.

Mokattum Church

The Zabbalene (garbage collector) neighborhood of Cairo is not a garden spot. It has a very distinctive, unpleasant and fetid odor in the air. As we rolled through the area the reason became apparent. Huge piles of garbage sit everywhere, waiting to be sorted through. Someone opened the garage-like door of a warehouse as we drove by. Inside were more mounds of garbage, which I presume were more valuable than those which sat in the open air. At this point in the tour I was still a curious tourist.

We arrived at the entrance of the church and joined a small group being lectured to by someone from the church. Izzat and Zuzu disappeared for this part. At first it was the usual tour guide stuff. This guy started this church this way in this year. We have this many members.

The facts buzzed around my head as I followed the guide from one area of the church to another. I shifted from listening to observing. This guy was neatly groomed, but it was obvious his outfit came from the piles of garbage. He could have used a haircut, but you could tell he had a self assurance and self esteem many pampered US teens could benefit from.

I also saw joy. He loves his church. He was so excited to share each and every piece of information with us. He was so proud of the carvings on the wall. He is in awe of the huge number of people who show up each week to worship. It’s the largest church in the Middle East.

His joy was not just associated with the church. His personal testimony is that God loves him, protects him and provides for him. He is so grateful to be a part of the Body of Christ.

I saw how I must look to him – a privileged tourist. Imagine how many meals, how much education, how much medical care and other basic needs could be filled with the money Bill and I had spent to be right there at that time. He had every reason to resent me and my intrusion into his life, but instead he was thrilled we had shown an interest in his community. He hoped we’d come back and worship with him. We spoke to him briefly to tell him how much we admired the church and were humbled by his joy. He spoke to us as an equal, holding his head high and treating us like a fellow brother and sister in Christ.

After the tour, Bill visited the restroom and could not resist taking this picture. It broke our hearts. I thought of all our country club mega-churches with our slick-talking celebrity pastors. I thought of the people who prefer to participate in ministries that will take them on vacation mission trips. I thought of all the $1-3 donations people thoughtlessly tack onto their grocery bill or pet shop total, and then forget about by the time they get to their car. I thought of all the money we spend on saving cats and dogs, when these people so desperately need a little saving. How in the world does that stack up to the needs of those in Mokattum?

Those garbage collectors have it right and I admire them. I walked away from Mokattum Church a little different than I arrived. The guide’s love and acceptance of me expanded my own heart a little bit. I didn’t come home and sell everything that I have, but I’ve got a new understanding of the joy of the Lord and I’m trying to practice it with the same abandon as my brother in Mokattum.

It was on odd place to go for our final tour in Egypt. Luxury hotels, museum visits, yacht trips and a city of garbage collectors. Next week, I’ll share our last few hours in Egypt. I’m writing this particular post on a pretty day in February, knowing it will be posted in August, and that’s a little weird. Who knows what adventures will follow this blog series!

Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Sightseeing in Cairo

July 4, 2018February 16, 2018 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST?

This trip to Egypt was one best thing after another, but our day in Old Cairo was special for many reasons. Let’s get started!

A Long Wait

During my 1996 visit to Egypt, my niece had plans to take us to the churches in Old Cairo, but those plans were always for bokra (tomorrow) and bokra never came. I really didn’t know what I was missing. I was so focused on getting to the Pyramids and the Cairo Museum the churches weren’t even on my list.

This time things were different. Old Cairo was on my radar and the research I did told me not to miss it. It also told me not to let anyone squeeze it into some part of a day, but to keep demanding the outing needed its own day.

First, Bill and Ayman tried to squeeze it into the day of the wedding, but I said no. Then they suggested I see it on the day we transferred from the Fairmont to the Mena House. I kept saying no. Then I was somehow supposed to drive from Alexandria to Cairo, see the churches and get on a plane. Nope that wasn’t happening either. I’m only occasionally stubborn, but on those occasions, I’m very stubborn.

The Cairo Museum

And speaking of stubborn. Remember Zuzu, our guide to the Pyramids? Well, he was back for a repeat performance. And remember how he was determined to take us to Giza before we went to Dashour or Saqqura? Well, we had the second stanza of that. We were going to the Cairo Museum before we went to Old Cairo and that was that.

I have been to the Cairo Museum and unlike my first trip to the Pyramids, my visit to the museum trip was very satisfying. I felt like I had the time on that trip to process everything I saw. If I lived there, I would go to the museum on a regular basis. Since I didn’t live there, I wanted to spend my time doing new things. That didn’t happen. So here I am out in front of the Cairo Museum with Zuzu listening to whatever it is that he wanted to tell me about the museum.

Old Cairo, Finally!

Old Cairo is very, very old. To impress this fact upon us, Zuzu started with this ancient fortress. It was known as the Fortress of Babylon in the early AD years and once the Nile flowed through it. That’s important later on in the story.

The Old City is a warren of churches. There is St. George’s Church and Covent, The Hanging Church, St. Barbara’s, Abu Sargus Cavern Church and a Synogogue. It gets a little confusing, because some of the properties have changed hands several times. Several have been rebuilt several times. As I researched this part of the trip, I imagined having to walk great distances to see these various sights, but they are actually cheek to jowl – right in the same place.

Next week we’ll go start touring the churches. You won’t want to miss that!

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

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!