EGYPT and the Suez Canal!

Hi there out there in your neck of the woods~
lots to catch up since my last blog...so Halloween party came and went and suffice it to say that I fell ill that afternoon and was in bed until we got to Egypt! I will find others who took pictures and get them in here at some point~it sounds like a wild time!
Female "issues" had me lay low for a couple of days and actually a doctor visit in Suez City...the best part of this adventure was that they thought I was coming in to "have a baby"...the look on their faces when they saw me was priceless...my, my, not a good idea to be un-well in a foreign land~well, the upside was that I was going to be ok and just needed to lay a bit lower than usual...imagine that~so with that said, I headed to Cairo to meet up with my 3 day tour...the first day was a wash by the time we trekked down to the city~about 2.5 hour drive with traffic once in the city. I had dinner at the Meridian hotel-(hello-another posh palace to stay in!) where we were staying and found the amazing bed and layed and watched TV until my roommate came in from the day. Fortunately from th

e sounds of it, I only missed the museum, which I had fortunately seen before but the Nile river dinner was a bit corny! The amazing part about this little trek was that our hotel overlooked the pyramids across the street. Now, the last time I was in Cairo (18 years or so ago), we stayed in Cairo and the pyramids, which were out in Giza city were in the middle of nothing, nowhere~now Giza is a major city! So, we got up the next morning to go and be one with the pyramids. Of course having been here before, I did not imagine that I would still have the overwhelming feeling of awe at these spectacular man-made miracles! We walked around again, but this time I skipped the camal rides (been there, done that, don't need to do it again!), but watched as others got knocked around on them!
From there, we headed to the Mohammad Ali mosque in Cairo, along with the Citadel fortress that surrounded the mosque...it was yet another amazing site-I just think that these humongous structures are so amazing that were built so long ago with no modern conveniences to build! The mosque was beautiful, but not quite the level of the ones in Turkey, but will do for Egypt!

There is always shopping involved on these tours, so a stop at the Khan Kalili Bazaar, where there were plenty more Egyptian style chatchki's, along with an amazing array of spices, perfumes and the like...the colors were fabulous just to look at and of course, I needed to bring some saffron home for the second middle eastern dinner I will make...the first dinner is overbooked, so I thought I would offer up the second one! I also bought all my guests at the party party costumes, one in each color-whatcha think? Up for the party? And for dessert, I bought a set of hookah pipes!

From there, lunch on the Nile river, but this time, as the story goes, meals are amazing in these port! HOT, fresh pita bread with hummus and 10 basketfuls later, our table was ready for actual lunch~which was made up of lamb kabobs, chicken and veal with some brown rice-we were laughing so hard when the full dish came, because we had literally eaten enough bread for several days! Again, travelling with Theresa and JB, but added bonus of Kate and Alden (a professor!) and Carmina, one of my work study students who is from San Diego...

We then had the choice to go the Cairo American University library or to go back to the hotel...guess what a choose...nah, the hotel actually...hung out by the beautiful pool while gazing at the pyramids.

The evening dinner and leisurely evening was a double bonus! And the next day was also leisurely, so several of us walked around the area, a bit of sight shopping and then headed back again poolside until we headed back to the ship last night around 1800 to dinner on the ship.

We left port around 2230 but come to find out only to anchored right off shore to be in a que to head up the Suez Canal today. Here was one of the first images I saw as I went out today to look at the Suez...a love note in the sand...
Along with the Suez, I decided that this was going to be "spa day" for ro...I also announced it over the intercom, and it became spa day for many...for moi, haircut, mani, pedi and massage...I am feeling pretty beautiful and relaxed just about now...

Tonight Tony, our hotel director has set up a special dinner for the 209 of us who are only on board out on Deck 7~while gazing out on the Suez, we will be having steaks and potatoes and corn to order, along with I am sure a beautiful dessert bar....looking forward to an "fancy dress up night on the veranda"...here is a quick pic from tonight of Debbie, Theresa and I...We arrive in Alexandria at 0800 in the morning... more on Egypt, Alexandria style tomorrow...

lots of love until then~

ro