Egypt: Day 1
Arrival
30 August 2008, day 207 of my travels. Arrive in Cairo via Egypt Air from Athens. I had the privilege to sit next to a Katrina of Australia on the airplane. We had a nice chat. Unfortunately we were with different tours, but it was amazing how many times we crossed paths in the next few days. Turns out different tour companies travel the same paths. Pickup at airport provided by "On The Go", my tour company. Kate and Ali got in around the same time so we were off on a van ride through the most insane automobile traffic yet. 3 lanes and a shoulder easily fit 6 rows of cars. It is no problem for a van or bus to stop on what we would consider a 'freeway' to pick up people standing on the side of the road. Saigon takes the prize for insane motorcycle traffic; Cairo for automobiles.
Caught a glimpse of the pyramids on the way to the resort. Pyramids - mission accomplished.
After a short rest at the hotel, around 12 people in our group headed off for a dinner cruise on the Nile River. Because of the aforementioned traffic, we were late. Luckily our tour guide had some pull and they held the boat for us. The food was good, the view from the top deck splenid, and the belly dancer was entertaining. However, the dervish dancer was mind boggling. Dervish dancing (wiki) ranks near the top of "human skills". This dude could spin around in a circle for about 15 minutes without falling over from dizziness. All while twirling this large decorative dress around and doing other balance tricks that most people would find difficult while standing still. Oh, and he had a midget dervish dancer as his warmup act. Unfortunately I did not bring the camera for this one. Need the pint size backup camera asap. The D80 does not make a good dinner date.
The three musketeers from down under drove the cruise boat for a few minutes. We survived.
A few of us had beverages at the resort afterwards. I ran into 3 dudes that shared a hostel room with me in Athens. Turns out they were on the Intrepid Tour with Katrina from the airplane. I ran into her the next morning as she was burning one while waiting for her bus.
Here is the tour I did. On The Go- Road to Jordan. Photos and further blog to follow as time allows.
I have realized that this website has a bigger purpose than just showing off some photos and trying to tell a decent story. If it inspires only one of my friends, or even a complete stranger to set off on a journey of their own, be it 1 week or 1 year, the hours behind this laptop will have been worth it.
Happy travels.
30 August 2008, day 207 of my travels. Arrive in Cairo via Egypt Air from Athens. I had the privilege to sit next to a Katrina of Australia on the airplane. We had a nice chat. Unfortunately we were with different tours, but it was amazing how many times we crossed paths in the next few days. Turns out different tour companies travel the same paths. Pickup at airport provided by "On The Go", my tour company. Kate and Ali got in around the same time so we were off on a van ride through the most insane automobile traffic yet. 3 lanes and a shoulder easily fit 6 rows of cars. It is no problem for a van or bus to stop on what we would consider a 'freeway' to pick up people standing on the side of the road. Saigon takes the prize for insane motorcycle traffic; Cairo for automobiles.
Caught a glimpse of the pyramids on the way to the resort. Pyramids - mission accomplished.
After a short rest at the hotel, around 12 people in our group headed off for a dinner cruise on the Nile River. Because of the aforementioned traffic, we were late. Luckily our tour guide had some pull and they held the boat for us. The food was good, the view from the top deck splenid, and the belly dancer was entertaining. However, the dervish dancer was mind boggling. Dervish dancing (wiki) ranks near the top of "human skills". This dude could spin around in a circle for about 15 minutes without falling over from dizziness. All while twirling this large decorative dress around and doing other balance tricks that most people would find difficult while standing still. Oh, and he had a midget dervish dancer as his warmup act. Unfortunately I did not bring the camera for this one. Need the pint size backup camera asap. The D80 does not make a good dinner date.
The three musketeers from down under drove the cruise boat for a few minutes. We survived.
A few of us had beverages at the resort afterwards. I ran into 3 dudes that shared a hostel room with me in Athens. Turns out they were on the Intrepid Tour with Katrina from the airplane. I ran into her the next morning as she was burning one while waiting for her bus.
Here is the tour I did. On The Go- Road to Jordan. Photos and further blog to follow as time allows.
I have realized that this website has a bigger purpose than just showing off some photos and trying to tell a decent story. If it inspires only one of my friends, or even a complete stranger to set off on a journey of their own, be it 1 week or 1 year, the hours behind this laptop will have been worth it.
Happy travels.
posted by CountryBoy at
10:36 AM
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