Lifestyle Blog – Page 37

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.

Another Belly Dancer

Another Whirling Drvish

Belly Dancer

Swords and Fire

Whirling Dervishes

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

Charming Sharm

January 10, 2018January 15, 2018 Jane Sadek

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

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

December 27, 2017December 28, 2017 Jane Sadek

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

December 20, 2017December 3, 2017 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.

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

Don’t Miss Dashour

November 29, 2017November 25, 2017 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THE INFANCY OF PYRAMID BUILDING

I’m worried about Egypt. Tourism is their primary industry, but they aren’t exactly working hard to promote it. Bill and I shook our heads in disbelief during most of the trip. It’s almost as if they don’t want tourists. The first thing I’d like to do is just give everything a good cleaning and add some trashcans. Egyptians themselves are delightful and there are wonderful things to see, but you have to be serious about wanting to visit and you will encounter obstacles. Let me explain.

Do You Know the Way to Dashour?

Were Giza, Dashour and Saqqara in the US, they’d be owned by the National Park Service. All three complexes would be surrounded by federal lands and you’d get a tour map that helped you navigate your way from one site to another. All along the tour route, you’d see lovely hotels, a wide variety of restaurants and other attractions like miniature golf and water slides. Each site would have interpretive signs, museums, exhibits and gift shops. That’s not the way it goes in Egypt. Where is UNESCO, by the way!

Nothing about the Giza site suggests that just a short drive away are two more fantastic historical sites. You’re just supposed to know. There’s not a single sign that points the way. You head off down the road and wander along the side of a filthy canal. Along most of the way, both sides of the road has development, but it’s residences, not fast food and hotels. If you didn’t have a guide, I guarantee you wouldn’t find it.

While there, I discovered that you could ride horses between the sites. You can google “pyramid horse tours” and find all kinds of vendors, but since I didn’t know about the tours, I didn’t know to research it. You are now better informed than I was.

We eventually turned off the main road, but I didn’t see anything that said, “This way to Dashour.” A rutted goat path took us to a military installation. I don’t know any better way to describe it – white painted buildings, with guys in uniform carrying guns. This was not the appropriate welcoming committee for your average American tourist.

I do love one thing about Egyptians – their creativity. Wherever we went were folks who set up shop and went about their business without the accouterments Americans would demand.

If neighbors want to get together and smoke sheesha, why let the absence of a park stop you. Gather your chairs in the street and pass the hookah. The cars will figure out a way to get around you.
Want to have a souvenir shop? Then find a piece of pavement and start selling. You can hang wire between signs to display your wares or use a cardboard crate.
Need an office. Find a table and chair – any table and chair.

The guy in charge at the military installation had followed the examples above – right by the side of the goat path. Both pieces of furniture looked like they’d been built in the 50’s, but for completely different purposes. Sitting on the table was the ubiquitous glass for tea. Who needs anything else?

Worth It for Me

It’s no wonder that our nephew couldn’t understand why we wanted to go to Dashour. With the exception of a few pyramids in serious disrepair there is nothing there. I mean nothing!

But those few pyramids were worth the trip for me. While Zuzu hadn’t found much new ground to cover with me at Giza, he was invaluable at Dashour.

Obviously, the Bent Pyramid is bent, but hearing why and how it got that way, as I stood below it, was fascinating. We climbed up another crumbling pyramid to see the shaft built down into it, where the pharaoh’s body would have been carried and imagined the day of the funeral. How did they get him down all those steps? Another pyramid was tall and skinny, almost like a Christmas tree. How did these configurations develop into what we saw at the Giza Plateau?

I’d read right before I left for Egypt that they’d just found a new pyramid at Dashour – but where? And why didn’t they offer to show it to me for $20 more. I would have gladly coughed up the Jackson.

The whole thing begs for development. In our heads we laid out the informational signage, chose refreshment stands, picked out costumes for the guides and decided where the museum and shop should be. The Egyptians need tourists to spend more days in their country and with just a few bare necessities and a little signage, people would flock to see these wonders, but as it stands, Bill and I were the lone tourists. We would never have found it on our own and even if we would have, I doubt we’re brave enough to confront the military authorities guarding it. What a shame!

But our Pyramid tour was not over. On to Saqqara. Join us next week.

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

The Marvelous Mena House

November 8, 2017October 5, 2017 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: AN AMAZING HOTEL

I was predisposed to love the Mena House. I’d been hearing about it for years and it sounded like my kind of place. It had historical significance and it was a luxury hotel Bill’s place of birth would make affordable. Let me tell you about it.

Arriving in Style

I will admit there is something posh about being delivered to your hotel by a private driver and car. We pulled up to the security gate to be sniffed by dogs, checked by metal detectors and generally gone over with a fine tooth comb, but our driver handled it all while Bill and I marveled at the Pyramids looming over us. I thought we’d have a view of them. I didn’t realize we’d be next door.

The lobby was opulent and we were treated like dignitaries. Being treated like dignitaries takes a little longer than just being tourists, but it was kind of fun. We were whisked to our room on a golf cart by a servile employee of the hotel and escorted around our new digs as if they rooms of the old palace, instead of the very comfortable modern room we’d reserved.

A Delicious Meal

Our next stop was lunch. We wandered across the grounds and found a nice patio restaurant which served food all day long. The prices were reasonable, the service was attentive and the food was amazing. The travel gods were shining on us.

A Free Historical Tour

As we lazed about enjoying the view our nephew Steven and his friend John arrived. They’d fallen for the 8:30 sight-seeing tour I’d rejected. While they regretted waking up early, they were very happy with their day. We decided to meet up again soon and see the free historical tour of the hotel I’d seen advertised in the lobby. The parade of celebrities who have stayed at the Mena House is pretty interesting, but not anything compared to the amount of history that has occurred since it was built in the 1800’s as a lodge for royalty.

The Rest of the Stay

The only problem we had with our stay at the Mena House is that it was too short. We loved hanging out in our room and enjoying the patio with the great view of the pyramids. We loved wandering around the hotel and grounds, photographing all the beauty both natural and man-planned. The service was amazing. The food was great – whether we were enjoying the free breakfast buffet, having lunch with a view or enjoying a Middle Eastern feast at the Khan il Khalili restaurant (named after the famous Cairo bazaar).

I have a fantasy of returning to Giza some day to see the wonderful museum being built to replace the Cairo Museum and the Mena House would be the perfect place to stay – but I doubt I could ever get Mr. Bill back to Egypt. The place he has fond memories of growing up in doesn’t exist anymore.

If you’re still hungry for more about the Mena House, watch this video. If you want to know about visiting the Pyramids, then come back next week.

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

A Plethora of Pyramids

November 7, 2017October 7, 2017 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: DON’T LET GIZA BE YOUR ONLY PYRAMID EXPERIENCE

If you go to Egypt, you’ve got to see the Pyramids, but don’t stay in some Cairo hotel and take a day trip to the Giza Plateau. Get out of the city and stay at the Mena House. Someday, hopefully, they’ll finish the new museum that is supposed to replace the antiquated Cairo Museum and doing it this way will make even more sense. But even if they never finish the museum (a distinct possibility given the tomorrow/bokrah mentality) you don’t want to be just another tourist. There’s more to the Pyramids than you see at Giza.

A Tourist Trap to Avoid

Before I go into what you should see, let me steer you away from the Light and Sound Show. I had been warned, but back in 1996, the Luxor Temple Sound and Light Show was one of the highlights of my trip. The stunning display was interesting and entertaining. Chances are that in 1996 the Pyramid Sound & Light Show was pretty amazing, too, but it’s not anymore.

There’s a huge outdoor theater which would seat hundreds of people, suggesting the show was once a really popular attraction, but I’d be surprised if there were 50 people at the performance we attended. What’s more, the parking lot and entry were right next to a spot used as a toilet by the local camel population. You need to be careful where you step and the smell will bowl you over.

I had threatened to enjoy the performance from my balcony at the Mena House, but wasn’t sure if I could see it from there. It really doesn’t matter whether I could see it or not. The balcony would have been a better choice.

The obligatory Sphinx and Pyramid picture

You Will Go to Giza First – and You WILL Like It or ELSE

Egyptians don’t see their country the way we do. I had great difficulty convincing my nephew that I really did want him to schedule our guide to visit Dashour and Saquara. Having already seen Giza, I really didn’t want to waste my time there, but skipping it altogether was not to be allowed. What’s more my excellent guide, Zuzu insisted we had to start the day there.

My nephew and his friend had toured with Zuzu the day before and warned us that he was a little, shall we say, stubborn. With Steven and John, the main problem was that he was going to give them all the information they paid for whether they wanted it or not. I didn’t see that being a problem for me. I challenge any guide to tell me more than I wanted to know about what I’m seeing. However, Zuzu was a little stubborn in other ways, too.

When we got in the car to begin our day, I explained how I had already been to Giza before and I preferred to start at Dashour. Zuzu said we would get to Dashour, but we’d start at Giza. I tried several approaches to convince him I was the customer and he should do it my way, but whatever tack I used, he wasn’t going for it. I didn’t want to be that Ugly American, so content in the knowledge we would get to all three pyramid locations, I decided to sit back and enjoy the tour.

The Solar Boat Museum

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go to the Giza Plateau at all, because my previous unorthodox tour had not included the Solar Boat Museum and I wanted to see it. I just didn’t want to waste time stomping around the Pyramids and the Sphinx, if it meant I’d miss out on Dashour and Saqqara.

Well, we did stomp around the Pyramids and the Sphinx. And guess what, they looked just like they did last time we were there. Granted Zuzu provided more background information than I got from Ahab’s guides, but after a lifetime of watching shows about Egyptian archaeology, Zuzu didn’t have much to add that I hadn’t already learned from Zahi Hawass and Giorgio A. Tsoukalos .

The Solar Boat Museum is fascinating, but they make you wear these awful shoe covers and pictures are not allowed. The boat was buried in the sand somewhere around 2500 BC. It had been disassembled before burial and the pieces were intact when it was found in 1954. It was painstakingly reconstructed over a number of years and then in 1985, the Egyptians built the museum to show off the treasure. Don’t miss it if you visit the Pyramids.

My Giza duties fulfilled, Zuzu let Izzat take us to Dashour. Come back next week and enjoy that part of our day. In the meantime, here’s a video of our visit to the Pyramids.

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL

A Change of Gears

November 1, 2017October 3, 2017 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: GOOD-BYE FAIRMONT, HELLO MENA HOUSE

We visited Egypt to attend a wedding and what a wedding it was. Next we were headed to Giza for some Pyramid sight-seeing, but first we had to check out of the Fairmont and into the Mena House, after catching a few zzzz’s.

A Late Night Delivery

I stayed up very far past my bedtime celebrating the newlyweds, something that happened frequently on this vacation. When we finally got back to the room, we put away our wedding finery and gratefully fell into bed. An hour or two later, there was a knock on the door. I wasn’t sure what to expect, because of the urgency of the banging. Had a hotel guest confused our room for someone else’s? Was a wife fleeing an abusive husband? Had the newlyweds argued and needed a referee? Or was the party still going on and they’d decided to bring it to us?

Bill got up, went to the door and discovered members of the hotel staff with a cart full of food. My sister-in-law mentioned sending us some left-overs, but I’d assured her we didn’t need them. There was no microwave and while we did have a frig, it was full of refreshments the hotel wanted us to buy. We were also scheduled to be out of the hotel by noon. No time for a feast. Still, we’d ended up on the list of rooms to visit and they were going to deliver! Bill kept saying no thank you and the anonymous visitors kept bringing in trays of food.

Good Morning?

I’m persnickety about keeping a hotel room neat, but after our late night delivery I woke up at around 8:30 to what looked like a catering disaster. There were appetizers, main dishes and desserts all over the place. I wouldn’t have been too happy about that under any circumstances, but in this case, I had to pack before the car came.

I got myself ready and shuffled the food into a corner, but Mr. Bill didn’t budge until 10:30, which at least gave me an opportunity to catch up in my travel journal. As we’d planned the trip he’d tried to convince me this would be a good day for sight-seeing. His nephew Ayman, our travel agent, kept giving us itineraries with an 8 AM pick-up time and I kept sending them back. As I sat watching him sleep off his partying I felt pretty smug.

When he did get up, we found a snack among the desserts, but the rest of the un-refrigerated food seemed like food poisoning looking for a place to happen. The packing ritual didn’t take very long and by 11:30 we were in the lobby waiting for our car.

The Luxury of Having a Driver

While I love luxury, our travel budget rarely affords us much of it. We take nice vacations, but we always have the most economical transportation available. Thankfully, the groom insisted Bill hire a driver to transport us around when we were on our own and Ayman did us the favor of scheduling one guy to be our driver the whole time – even when we traveled to Alexandria.

Izzat was a treasure. He was very proper in a sort of Egyptian way. If you’ve been there you know what I mean and if you haven’t, I can’t explain it to you. He spoke impeccable English. The car was a Hyundai, so nothing extravagant, but very clean. So off we went.

Early in the trip Izzat was a little difficult to engage in conversation, but by the time we left Egypt he had warmed up to these two crazy Americans. He never wanted to be in a picture, however, and some of that might be because of his faith. Being Christian in Egypt is not illegal, but it’s also something of a disadvantage.

On our trip to the Mena House, Izzat was polite but distant. We observed the sites on the way out to Giza. Come back next week and I’ll tell you about our new favorite hotel.

DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

What’s a Wedding Without a Belly Dancer?

October 25, 2017October 25, 2017 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THE CELEBRATION’S CROWNING GLORY

If you’ve ever been to an Egyptian wedding and they didn’t have a belly dancer, then you’ve missed out on a wonderful treat. Bassem and Mariam’s wedding was an over-the-top experience in a lot of ways and true to form, when it came time for their belly dancer to appear, you can be sure she didn’t disappoint.

The Excitement Builds

From the moment the bride and groom made their pyrotechnic appearance in the Fairmont’s Pearl Ballroom, we were treated to excess after excess. Generous pourings of fine scotch, a grandiose buffet and amazing desserts were just the beginning. The dj kept the dance floor filled and a great time was being had everywhere you looked.

Suddenly, everything came to a screeching halt. The music stopped and the dance floor cleared, but the excitement level went through the roof. The belly dancer was about to make her appearance.

I Love Belly Dancing

OK, I’ll confess, I love belly dancing. Whether we’re enjoying a festival like Scarborough Faire, taking in the State Fair of Texas, eating at a Middle Eastern restaurant or attending a travel show, when the throbbing beat of drums announce the appearance of a belly dancer, I make a beeline to the edge of the stage.

While I’ve never taken a belly dancing lesson in my life, I did win a belly dancing contest on my earlier visit to Egypt. I’d dressed up for Gallebeya Night on our Nile Cruise with no idea I’d be belly dancing before the night was over.

When they began a light-hearted contest and were getting a slow response, I stepped up on stage to dance against a fellow passenger in the spirit of fun. When the music started, I wiggled around with my hands up in the air, making what I hoped were belly-dancing-looking gestures. I won the match-up completely unaware that it was just the first round. Time and again I was asked to dance against other passengers and to my amazement I somehow won every round.

On the last round, an appropriately-garbed and obviously properly-trained dancer shimmed up to challenge me and I tried my best to bow out of the embarrassing match-up, but no one would allow it. In my clumsy, but joyful attempts, I had become the crowd favorite and even though the real belly dancer danced circles around me, when the crowd was asked to vote with their applause, I was the overwhelming winner.

Over here in States, the dancers are a mixed bag. More often than not, amateur performers share their pure love of the art form and I revel in their delight. From women so skinny their ribs are hanging out to voluptuous ladies with rolls of fat freely jiggling, each lady who practices this art is braver and more skilled than me. Huzzah! Here’s a sampling of belly dancers we’ve enjoyed. And yes, that is Bill on stage. He’s always the guy they pick for crowd participation, but I’m the one who won the belly dancing contest.

The Best Ever Belly Dancer

Though I am a big fan of belly dancing, I have never in my life seen such a beautiful and talented dancer as I did that evening. While I have seen some attractive women shake their stuff, the crystal blue eyes, gorgeous skin and toned muscles of this wedding dancer put her in a class all by herself. Her performance included several costume changes. The first one, a red velvet number encrusted with many gems and spangles was without a doubt the most glamorous and elegant costume I could have imagined, but every time she reappeared, she raised the bar.

During her finale she invited everyone up to dance with her and this time it was me, rather than Bill who danced with the star. What fun we had. Enjoy these pictures of us enjoying the show. Then come back next week as we take off our wedding finery and head out as tourists.

DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Here Comes the Bride and Groom

October 18, 2017October 3, 2017 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: LET THE PARTY FINALLY BEGIN

Of course, my nephew and his new wife did finally arrive at their own wedding reception and a party like you will not believe began. Before I share the excitement, let me explain the delay.

The Big Moment – Delayed

The big moment at most wedding receptions is the entry of the bride and groom, but in Egypt they heighten the anticipation by not allowing anything to happen until the bride and groom appear. That practice almost caused a riot when the newlywed pair failed to appear after a couple of hours. The crowd settled down when snacks and some liquor appeared, but there was still an undercurrent of rumor around the ballroom.

Since we were in Egypt, I should have known traffic was the problem. A few weeks ago I told you about the crush of traffic in the construction-clogged neighborhood of Heliopolis, but in spite of the wedding’s Heliopolis location, that wasn’t what caused the problem. The guests who attended the ceremony made it back to the hotel in just a few minutes.

I’ve mentioned this was a holiday, the end of a long weekend, so many of the guests were traveling. The plan had been for them to skip the brief wedding and show up just in time for the entry of the bride and groom into the reception. Only the traffic was really bad and a large percentage of the people who really needed to be there were stuck on the road into Cairo.

Just about the time I was ready to gather up my broken shoes and head to the room for a good night’s sleep, my husband returned to the table. I really wanted to chew him out for abandoning me, but I reminded myself that I’d been the one who said I’d just stay at the table. I may or may not have told him that I was ready to go back to the room, but he let me know that the action was about to heat up. The missing guests were arriving in droves and the newlyweds were making their way to the ballroom.

Grand Niece and Grand Nephew have their moment

The Bride Arrives

Happy Embrace

That First Dance

Fireworks and Applause

While the rest of us were just anxious to get on with the celebration, my grand niece’s and grand nephew’s anxiety had been about something else. When the bride and groom appeared, the tiny wedding guests were to display a pair of signs about the last chance to run. As the excitement level rose in the room, they were hustled near to the stage. Since the wedding had already happened, the timing for the signs seemed a little off to this American, but this was Egypt and time has a whole different meaning there.

Then suddenly, the newlyweds were there – the beautiful bride and my handsome nephew. I doubt any group of wedding guests has ever been more glad to see their newlyweds. It was an astounding appearance! A lightshow, fireworks – even canned applause. You would have thought we were at the Olympics, but we were in a ballroom beneath the Heliopolis Fairmont. The award for bride of the season goes to Mariam!

If More is Better Then this was the BEST!

As soon as Bassem and Mariam showed up the flood gates of hospitality opened. Before too long a bountiful buffet was presented. I swear we could have opened up the doors to every one staying at the Fairmont (both the older section and the Towers) and still had leftovers for weeks.

There were two buffets, one for the main course and another for desserts. There were also several specialty stations. Problem was, my stomach had decided those few bites it got with the mezza was all it was going to get, so it had shut down for the night. What I did manage to eat was great, but I couldn’t do justice to all those beautiful proteins, carbs and fats.

The dessert bar was unbelievable. It stretched for what seemed like miles and had an amazing array of choices. Any cruise ship would have been jealous. In fact, I have to say that the actual offerings were better than any boat I’d been on. The table wasn’t overcrowded with the decor some cruise ships employ, but the selections were top quality to match their great variety.

Starvation abated, it was time to dance- and dance we did. The dj was great and pretty much every song was danceable. Like most weddings, there were more kids and women dancing in groups than there were couples, but the energy was high. Finally, I was not the only barefooted woman in the room. My sweet husband obliged me, by taking me out to the floor a number of times, as did several of my nephews, cousins and such. The groom spent a lot of time on the dance floor, but the bride could usually be seen enjoying her friends up on the white sofa in the lounge.

But the true highlight of any Egyptian party is the belly dancer and you’re going to have to come back next week for that. I’ll leave you with a picture of me and my guys.

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