Bangkok

Wow, so I havent updated in a while and so much has happened in that time. Once again Im apologizing for my late updates and will try to be more timely with them in the future.

After India we took a 4 hour plane ride to Bangkok, Thailand for a seven day adventure. Bangkok from what we have seen on tv and read about is a foodies paradise with street vendors and carts lined up and down the street. This would be a much different scenerio from India where we were with family who took care of all our food needs. This time we would be on our own to try and test out new and unique foods.

Best culinary experiences in Bangkok

5. Pad Thai from the street vendors. Pad thai is a dish made up of fried noodles, eggs, fish sauce and chicken. I've had pad thai back in the states but nothing compares to ordering it fresh on the street and watching them make it right in front of you.

4. Duck soup. Just like the names suggests it was a soup with noodles, vegtables, and of course some delicious crispy duck. So savory!

3. Crab and egg curry. A dish we had in the Chinatown section of Bangkok. Chris ordered this dish and it was instantly the favorite among all three of us. The mixture of eggs and crab was unbelievable.

2. Chote Chitr Restaurant

I was sick the first time Colin and Chris went to this place but they loved it so much they brought me back. It was right near the Royal Palace so I went and saw that first before eating here.

Delicious fish in curry. This place was a hidden gem in Bangkok.





1. Number one was the best culinary experience probably of the whole trip. Before we left Colin was constantly googling Anthony Bourdain (No Reservations on the Travel Channel) to see where he went and what he ate. There was a little restaurant in Chinatown in Bangkok where Bourdain went for an amazing meal. Colin was eager to find the restaurant, eat the same food, and even sit at the same table. It took us two days to find this place. We went there day one and couldnt find it so we ended up eating at the street side restaurant which is responsible for the number 3 best meal. It turns out this place was down the street from where we were, we just didnt know it at the time.

Of course Colin ended up finding it on day two (leave it to the pilot and his amazing sense of direction). The restaurant's name was in Chinese but it was the exact location where Bourdain pleased his palate. We ordered exactly what he did; one entire suckling pig for the three of us.
They brought out the whole pig with the strips of cooked skin on top of the body. Using chopsticks we would grab a strip and dip it into a soy sauce-like mixture. Unbelievably good! When we finished with the skin the restaurant staff brought the pig back in to cook with noodles. Within 15 min we were eating pig meat mixed with noodles and vegetables. One of the best meals i've ever had.

The suckling pig when its first brought out. Those strips of skin were amazing.

The pig meat served with noodles and some veggies....yummm

Bangkok = a foodies heaven

India 2

So this last post about India is a little late...okay well a good amount of time has passed since we left Delhi but we have been very busy since. Regardless this last post about India will cover some interesting topics.

The first topic is our trip to Jaipur which is located in the state of Rajasthan. It is a very colorful city with many shops and artisans that line the streets for many miles, or km (since we are abroad). The one thing I didnt like about Jaipur, and Agra for that matter is how dirty both cities are. They both make Delhi seem like a very very clean city in comparison. There is trash everywhere along with more visible poverty and many times we saw people defacating in the middle of the sidewalks...we're not in Delhi anymore folks. But outside of this Jaipur was a delight to see. The city of Rajasthan still has a ruler, and we got a chance to see his palace which was very impressive. Next to the City Palace was our favorite sight of the Jaipur trip. The Observatory called Jantar Mantar was a very interesting place to see because it was something different...different from the many many forts we saw. It was built by the Maharaja Jai Singh II between 1727 and 1734. Inside the Jantar Mantar was a collection of different instruments used to tell the latitude and longitude of Jaipur, predicting eclipses and even telling the time. There was a small sundial that tells the time accurately to about 20 seconds. The larger sundial (which is the largest in the world) tells time accurately to about 2 seconds. Think about that! Your watch is accurate to 1 second and this was created in the 1700's and is accurate to about 2 seconds. Amazing!

The rest of the sightseeing in Jaipur was filled with more forts...one of which was built in the middle of a lake. Very cool to see. We eventually made our way back to Delhi where we reunited with my family and told them about our great experiences. The day before we left, which was a Thursday, we met up with an Australian journalist posted in Delhi who is good friends with my uncle. He took us out to a couple of bars and we chatted about sports, life, and politics. We went to a restaurant called Panjabi by Nature located in Vasant Vihar (about 10 min. away from my aunts house). We enjoyed a good night there until the restaurant staff tried to overcharge us (almost double) for our night of drinking. I think they thought they could get away with it b/c we were foreigners and drunk but being Americans (especially from NJ) we dont take crap from anyone. We argued our bill, calmy and politely to start with but that soon escalated to us yelling and cursing a little. We argued and argued but they wouldnt lower the price so we paid but our friend Mike told them that he was going to write a nasty article about them and tell all his expat and journalist friends to avoid Panjabi by Nature. So if you are ever in Delhi do not, I repeat DO NOT go to Panjabi by Nature! Other than that blemish the night was a lot of fun and we enjoyed hanging out with Mike.

The day of our departure was pretty uneventful. Lots of packing and repacking to make sure our suitcases made the weight restrictions. Our flight was at 1 am on Friday morning so we got to the airport around 1030. Alka and Seema bua dropped us off and after we said our goodbyes we headed in and waited to board our flight to Bangkok.

Two countries down and one to go....Next stop Bangkok!

Delhi

Egypt was an unbelievable time but we had to move onto our second stop, which is New Delhi, India. We arrived in Delhi at 5:30 am on Wednesday morning after two quick flights and one not so quick 5-hour stop in Bahrain. My two aunts Alka and Seema were waitng to receive us from outside the airport after we spent about an hour in line for immigration. During this hour for immigration, we were under close infared camera security to monitor the presence of swine flu. Forms needed to be filled out stating where we were coming from, have we ever been to America (not us, ever) and did we have any swine flu like symptoms. What are swine flue symptoms…no one on this trip was oinking or smelled like bacon so I think we are clean. The precautions seemed a bit much including the camera but I think the people who took it overboard were the Asian tourists. Every single Asian tourist we saw in immigration had those white Michael Jackson masks on their faces. Like that would really prevent a deadly disease from entering your body. Oh, I have a piece of cloth covering so now I’m immune to anything the world can throw at me. Not a chance guys, not a chance.

After dealing with the mess at immigration and meeting up with the aunts, we drove through the streets of Delhi towards Vasant Kunj, where my aunt Seema lives and where we would make our home base. Surprisingly Delhi seemed less chaotic than Cairo in terms of traffic and was also a lot cleaner than I had expected. This may be because the Commonwealth Games will be held in Delhi next year so the city is trying to beautify and clean up. In my opinion, they are doing a decent job at cleaning but still have a long ways to go. Some areas of Delhi the traffic gets really bad because of construction of new metro lines for the games. Places with three lanes on each side of the road now bottleneck into one lane each and the traffic can get unbearable in these areas.

We unpacked and settled ourselves in Seema Bua’s (bua means father’s sister) house. One of the things I told my friends about India is that every middle class family has servants that work for them. This means someone to drive, to cook, and to clean…or people to do a combination of these tasks. After getting situated we waited for Seema Bua’s cook to come and make us breakfast. My uncle Murali suggested dhosas, which can be likened to crepes but are much tastier and served with cocunut chutney (sauce) and some sambar, which is a sort of curry. This is a typical south Indian breakfast and we happily ate our fair share. I ate more than my friends did because they made the mistake of filling up on airplane food on the flight from Bahrain to Delhi. I did not make such mistake and happily kept tucking away dhosa after dhosa. Simply delecious. After a filling and satisfying breakfast we relaxed in Seema bua’s house; we checked our emails and facebooks accounts and I called my parents to tell them of our arrival. Colin and Chris ended up sleeping for a couple of hours while I chit-chatted with my aunt and caught up.

Lunchtime rolled around and we went to the Hauz Khas neighborhood of Delhi to eat lunch with my grandparents. We had a table full of dal (lentils), aloo (potatoes), okra, and beans. The food was excellent but the company was even better. I hadnt seen my grandparents since last year in March so it was nice to spend some time with them. Chris and Colin really took a liking to my grandfather who kept them entertained with many stories of his life and things he has seen. They were really enamered by his life stories and experiences and would be for the rest of the time we spent in India.

After Wednesday, we started our half-day tours of New and Old Delhi. Our first tour took us to Jama Masjid (Masjid is Hindi for mosque) which is the eighth largest mosque in the world in terms of capacity. It can hold up to 25,000 people and we chose to see this on Thursday because Friday is a prayer day and it would be very hard to navigate our way through 25,000 people in the middle of prayer. The mosque would not allow us to bring in cameras but it was very beautiful. Emperor Shah Jahan who also built the Taj Mahal completed Jama Masjid in 1656. The mosque itself is located in a very interesting part of Old Delhi called Chandni Chowk. This is one of the oldest markets in Delhi and is something Colin, Chris and I have never seen before. We took a rickshaw ride (bicycle pulling a carriage) through the very narrow streets of the market (very very narrow) where it was hard for people to pass us while we were riding the rickshaw.

Here is a list of the places we saw on our tour. Most of them are forts and basically the same thing one after the other.

1. Jama Masjid – Mosque

2. Chandni Chowl- crowded ally filled with many shops

3. Red Fort- Giant fort built by Shah Jahan. Completed in 1648

4. The Baha'i lotus temple. The Baha'i faith believes in all religions and allows them to pray here

5. The Birla house where Gandhi spent the last his last 144 days and was also assassinated

6 Humayan’s Tomb- Mosloleuem .which looks a lot like the Taj Mahal. Built for Mughal emperor Humayan

7 Qutb Minar- largest minaret in the world.

We also spent some time at the Delhi Gymkhana Club which is a very very very exclusive (im talking it up more because I have membership there) country club in Delhi. It has everything from tennis and racquetball courts, to a swimming pool, bar area, restaurant and cottages to stay in. Everyone goes to this club and we always run into someone we know there. I took Colin and Chris and we had drinks with my aunt and uncle at the bar and just chatted. The club is usually the jumping off point for activities later on in the night. After we drank we drove to a neighborhood outdoor restaurant for some momos (dumplings). Great drunk food to quell ones hunger.

I think the guys really enjoyed our first few days in this amazing city. I did as well and I have been thinking about possibly living here in the future for a couple of years. But that would be well down the line (wife and kids). Its too big of a city for me to live alone in.

The White Desert

Well folks we camped out in the White Desert in western Egypt and survived. I used my uncanny ability to find food and water, to locate the stars and navigate home and to avoid dangerous animals in this unforgiving environment......Okay i didn't; we hired a tour guide and he took care of us, but I can do all that stuff if I really tried (I'm the Indian version of The Discovery Channel's Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild))

We left Cairo at about 8:30 AM on a bus bound for Baharia in the western part of Egypt where we would start our journey into the desert. The bus ride lasted around 4 hours and was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life...sweaty and sticky seats with a plethora of flies buzzing around is not fun, trust me. We finally arrived at Baharia where we met our guide for the evening Samy Kotary. Sammy, a portly gentleman with a Santa Clause smile (and belly to match) asked us if we wanted to bring some beers into the desert for a little partying. Of course we obliged, being 3 recent college grads who would rather drink beer than water. We told Samy 3 beers a person would do just fine and he insisted on having more. "I have at least 6 beers a day" he told us in his broken English. Probably why he had that massive belly.

Along for the 2 hour ride into the desert was another driver/cook Mohammad and a local police officer who acts as private security for tourists during the camping excursion. He had a sub-machine gun so we felt pretty safe that if anything came at us at night we would be fine. Samy assured us this was just a precaution and that nothing bad happens out in the desert. People mind their own business and the only animals you encounter are beetles and small foxes. Well Im not scared of foxes so lets saddle up and do this!

We drove for about an hour when the convoy of two 4x4's (there was a Canadian couple that came with us) stopped by a local eatery to have lunch. On the menu was flat bread, babaganouj, chips, and tuna fish. I know, where in the world do Bedouin people get tuna fish in the middle of the desert? They probably bought the cans at the local market so of course we knew it was the freshest (sarcasm in my voice and in my writing). Surprisingly the food was pretty good and after loading up on our lunch feast we headed out further into the desert in search of our camping spot.

Where we ate lunch.

On the way the scenery was absolutely amazing and you cant help but wonder if you somehow left planet earth and are now on an alien planet. Black rocks and sand along with jagged mountains stretch as far as the eye can see. This is a harsh and unforgiving place where only the strong survive and where Samy and his bedouin family apparently reside and make a living. Dont be fooled ladies and gentleman, beneath that soft facade is a tough desert man who could put Bear Grylls to shame.

After some time our convoy stopped at Black Mountain which is a popular spot with the many tourists who come through the area. Samy told us we could climb it so Colin, Chris, and I took off up the mountain's narrow winding path. It looked to be a fairly easy climb but believe me it wasn't. By the time we reached the top we were sweaty and tired with our lungs and legs burning. But the view from the top was worth the exhausting climb. We could see for literally miles and miles over the barren landscape. Wow!

Cautiously we descended from the heavens and climbed back into our 4x4's and headed off into the unknown. The sun was setting fast so we hurried to our campsite which was still about 45 minutes away. Along the way we spotted a flashing red light off into the distance and when we approached it we saw a backpacker. Apparently he was part of a larger group that backpacks through the entire desert, walking around 30 km a day. And its not like Egypt is hot or anything! How they do this I have no idea but we left him and found our campsite. It was set in the middle of salt deposits that just from the ground to form what looks like mushrooms. This particular one is called Mushroom Chicken...see picture below. Kind of makes your hungry, lol.

The guides then set up camp by positioning the cars in an L shape and covering the side with a giant canvas to block the wind. While they were doing this and also cooking our meal for the evening I walked out away from the camp and just admired the scenery. It was absolutely breathtaking to see the landscape and to think that right now we are in a desert in Africa! I returned to the campsite after my revelation and after using the bathroom facilities....which meant under the stars. This was my first time "going" outside (i dont think my neighbors would approve) so it felt very liberating. So after that experience I rejoined the camp and we ate a delicious dinner made up of rice, potatoes, vegetables and beef, all cooked to perfection. It was finger-licking good and filled us up very nicely.

By the time dinner was done with it was around 830 ish and we spent the next hour next to the campfire smoking hookah, drinking beers and singing with Samy. Well Samy was singing we were just keeping the beat by clapping our hands. Then at 9:30-10ish we all got ready for bed. Our sleeping arrangements consisted of single sized mattresses and a very heavy and warm blanket to shield us from the cold night. I lay awake for about an hour just looking up at the stars and wishing I could share this moment and this view with people back home. What a sight to see. With no light pollution from nearby cities and no smog from cars the sky was crystal clear to see the stars. It was truly magnificent. I actually woke up late into the night, around 3 am when the moon had gone down and without the light from the moon there were even more stars. Im talking about thousands upon thousands of stars just littering the night sky. It almost didnt look real.

Samy and Mohammoud singing by the fire

I awoke at sunrise which was around 6 am and slowly crawled out of my warm and comfortable bed. While the guides packed up camp Colin, Chris, and I watched the sunrise atop a rock formation and then we headed out back to Baharia.

Sunrise in the desert

The long ride back had me replaying that memorable night in my head and my one regret was not having a camera powerful enough to photograph the sky at night. That was my favorite part of the trip. Seeing all those stars makes you truly feel small in this giant universe. It was definitely something I will never forget.

Well my posts for Egypt are done and now I will move onto my travels in India. New post coming within a day or two so stay tuned!

Adventures in Aswan

Sorry to all my readers about not posting since the 21st. We didnt have internet access in Aswan or Luxor and I didnt bring my computer with me. But I am here now, so get ready for some interesting updates.

Since my last post about the pyramids of Giza we took a 13 hour train down to the city of Aswan on the Nile River. Once there we met our local guide Mahmoud who took us to our hotel and got us settled in. After settling down we took a small tour bus to see the Aswan Dam and then to the larger High Dam. Interestingly the High Dam was paid for by the Russians during the Cold War (basically to curry favor and to get Egypt on the Russian side) and provides electricity from Aswan to Luxor to Cairo. The total cost of the dam was around $400 million dollars...not a bad present just to pick sides! The dams themselves were nothing great to see but we enjoyed the scenery along the beautiful Nile River.

After the dams our guide Mahmoud took us to the Philae Temple which is located on an island on the Nile. We took a boat up to the temple and just marveled at the beauty surrounding the island and the island itself. The temple and the islands were the burial site of the god Osiris in Egyptian and Nubian culture. What we liked most was the ancient architecture that made up the temple complex. From the monuments and obelisks to the ancient hieroglyphic inscriptions on the wall the Philae Temple was absolutely beautiful.

Once we got back to the hotel we relaxed, showered and rested up for a big event which was to take place. At midnight we were to board a bus and take a 3.5 hour drive into the desert to an island where we would go the a temple called Abu Simbel. This temple was constructed for the King Ramses II and was completed in 1224 BC. Now the special thing about this temple is that twice a year the when the sun sets, the sun goes directly into the temple and shines on the statues of Ramses II which are located in the very back inside the temple. The dates for this phenomenon are October 20 (which we were present for) and February 20. Apparently these dates are the King's birthday and his coronation day, respectively.

Needless to say we were all very excited to see this phenomenon and gladly took the long and grueling drive to the site. Once there our group hurried to get good seats, actually standing spots, while 5,000 other people did the same. It was very surreal to see all these people running towards the temple and squeezing together to get a good vantage point. People were pushing and shoving, we even saw a Japanese tourist throw a German tourist down because the German apparently cut the line! You dont want to get in front of those Asians while they take their pictures. As for us, we stayed away from crazy Asians and line cutting Germans and eventually enjoyed a beautiful sunrise over the majestic Nile. Unfortunately we couldn't go inside the temple during the actual sunrise but we were allowed inside after. The temple was decorated with statues, paintings on the ceilings and hieroglyphics on the walls. Truly something special to see. We stayed a little longer to enjoy the scenery and then headed back to Aswan.

(Interesting note- In 1959 the temple was dismantled and moved from its original spot to the current location about 300 km from Aswan. The reason for this was because the original site was starting to flood due to the construction of the Aswan Dam.)

After a long and arduous tek back we arrived in Aswan at about 1 pm. Talk about no rest for the weary, as soon as we got back our Aswan guide Mahmoud took us to the local pier on the Nile River for a boat ride. This may not seem very tiring but 7 hours in a very uncomfortable bus with zero sleep can wear you out, believe me! Now today was apparently Mahmoud's day off (keep in mind today is now Thursday Oct 23) and he wanted to spend it with us, just hanging out. I guess our friendliness, charm, and dashing good looks eventually paid off for us. We took our boat ride up the Nile towards the High Dam and eventually parked it in front of a beach area. It was a hot day, as it usually is in Egypt so a swim was definitely in order. Can you name any other people that have swam in the Nile? It was very refreshing for all of us. And it also worked up quite an appetite for the group.

Mahmoud knew we would all be hungry and apparently set up a very special dinner for us. The beach we were at was part of a Nubian village along the Nile. In this village they speak Arabic along with their Nubian language is not understood by most Egyptians. The village consisted of stone and brick houses and had straw ceilings. The ceilings covered maybe 80% of the house, the rest was uncovered to allow light inside. The floor was covered in sand, the painted over with pictures of crocodiles and the gods and in the corner was a cage for baby crocodiles. Apparently the Nubian people raise crocodiles as pets and when they get too big they throw them into the Nile, on the other side of the Dam thank god!

The owner of the house Asmaa made us a delicious feast and Chris, Colin, and I all had our Anthony Bourdain moment. Its not everyday you can visit a local village and eat authentic Nubian food. Thank you so much Mahmoud. It was truly delicious.

I have to say that this entire day, Thursday was one of the best days I have every had. We swam in the Nile River, ate amazing food at a local village and just saw another side of Egypt that people don't really see. Aswan is a little slice of paradise and I would tell anyone going to Egypt to make time to go there. You wont be disappointed. Our guide Mahmoud was truly a good friend. We took many pictures together and will miss him alot. It really helps to have a local who cares to show you around. Talk about Egyptian hospitality. Congratulations to him as well for getting married on Friday, the day after our boating adventure.

Well its 5:30 in the morning Egypt time and I have to make some phone calls. Today we are traveling into the desert to spend a night under the stars. I will be back tomorrow evening and will surely update you all on that experience. Thanks for reading!

Giza

Today was a great way to fully start our tour of Egypt. We left our hostel at 8:30 in the morning with our wonderful driver for the day Egyptian Bob. Now I'm sure bob is not his real name, its probably one he tells foreigners so they dont butcher his actual name. As soon as we met him his first words were "Welcome to Alaska!" said jokingly with a big smile from ear to ear. All three of us knew this guy would be a fun guide to the city of cairo and Giza. As we left the hostel Bob told us a little about himself; he used to be in the Egyptian military and then after 20 some odd years he left and began doing driving tours for the same company he works with now.

The first stop Bob took us to was an Egyptian Papyrus company that makes paper using the papyrus plant, and then sells it to art institutes or individual artists for them to work on. Inside the company building we met Shareef who explained to us how they take the papyrus stems, filet them, and then press them for six days to get thin strips. These strips are then laid together in sort of a checkerboard outline and then pressed for another six days to become finished paper. Afterwards they are sent to the artists.

The papyrus strips being laid out. Very interesting process to make the paper, which is actually quite strong. Below is a finished piece of work.

This was one of my favorite pieces of work that was in the shop. It looks absolutely amazing and all of their artwork is for sale. You can drop some serious coin in this place, believe me.

After the paper company it was on to Giza to see the famed Pyramids. All three of us had been looking forward to this part of the trip since we booked our tickets. Bob suggested we take a camel ride to see them and we obliged. After bargaining with the tour company, and saving a significant amount of money we paid for our 3 hour camel tour to the pyramids. Each of us got our very own camel; mine was called Rambo, Colin's was named Charlie, and Chris' was named Michael Jackson...too soon. If you have never ridden a camel before let me tell you that its an experience in itself. They are much bigger animal up close and when you are sitting on top while the animal is standing you are at the height of seats in a greyhound bus....they don't have greyhound buses here but its a comparison. It takes a little while to get used to riding this beast and also takes some time to get used to its constant flatulence. Camels have really bad manners so you dont want to be directly behind one who is feeling how should i say, a little gassy? Other than that these creatures are strong and sturdy, trusted by the bedouin people of the desert for thousands of years.

My came Rambo...he had bad gas the entire time but lucky for me I was on top of him rather than behind him.

We rode our camels into the pyramid park and after going through security we were off on our tour. Our pyramid guide Hamdi took us through some desert area on the outskirts of the park and after a while we could see the famed pyramids in the distance. Our excitement only grew as we got closer to these engineering and architectural marvels. We all stood in awe, imagining thousands of slaves pulling and pushing stones that weighed on average around 2.5 tons, with some getting as heavy as 15 tons into place. The pyramids when completed stood nearly 50 stories high or around 480 feet but over time this number has decreased a little bit.

What a site this was. To see three pyramids next to each other was an impressive site and much better than seeing them in social studies books. One of my life goals and dreams was to come to Egypt to see these colossal structures and now I can cross that off on my bucket list.

Right next to the pyramids is the also famous sphinx which has the face of a man, head of a woman, and body of a lion. This was also an impressive sight but it was ruined a little because the sphinx overlooks a KFC and Pizza Hut in Giza, literally a football field away. Can you say commercialized area? Yea, I bet that view has Mr. Sphinxy feeling a little hungry.

After the pyramids and sphinx our driver for the day Bob took us to get some good old fashion Egyptian food, falafal sandwhiches. These were well received within the group but Bob had another surprise in store for us. He took us into downtown Cairo to his favorite cafe where he treated us to some shawarma sandwiches, tea and a little hookah. It was his treat to us in his effort to show us Egyptian hospitality. Bob you certainly are a very hospitable man my friend. Delicious food and drink, smooth hookah smoke and great friends made for a very memorable and fun afternoon. We did get some stares as foreigners from locals who were also enjoying the cafe and the great weather but I think it was more of an appreciation that we would go out of our way to really embrace the culture here.

What we have heard from Bob and the two brothers running the hostel is that most tourists come and stay in fancy hotels, go on group tours all day in giant buses and then come back to the hotel to lounge by the pool or watch tv. They would rather eat the McDonalds or KFC in the area than get out of their comfort zone and explore the city. For us this is not the way to really travel. You need to stay in hostels, backpack around and get out and immerse yourself in someone else's culture. Embrace the sights they see from the markets to the cafes, embrace the authentic food they eat no matter how weird it may seem and above all embrace the life they live here in another country. If you dont then your are really just cheating yourself...and who wants to do that.

Well friends another post down but more importantly another day seized. We head to Aswan tomorrow for some interesting activities so stay tuned!

Day 1 of the Journey

I want to start off this post with a quote from "The Beach." Now I never read the book so I dont know if its in there but I did see the movie and the quote pretty much sums up my thoughts and feelings on travel.

"Trust me, it's paradise. This is where the hungry come to feed. For mine is a generation that circles the globe and searches for something we haven't tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts, you know what? It's probably worth it."

There is something about this quote that just resonates with me and every time I read it I get a little more pumped up about exploring the world.

Moving on to the actual travel. We took off from JFK about 45 minutes late because of monstrous line on the tarmac. After finally taking off and getting settled I glanced over at my two companions and we all just gave a look of excitement. Excitement about what we will see and do but also about the unexpected. So much of this trip is unplanned and unorganized in the sense that we have a basic idea of what we are doing, but when it comes down to it we really dont know what we're in for. To me thats the best part. I know I will have a great time traveling and seeing certain places and things, but just knowing that around every bend and corner there is something new to see is the best part. The unknown is very appealing.

We finally reached Cairo at around 330 in the afternoon after many long and grueling hours in a cramped airplane with less than stellar entertainment and comfort. After we get through immigration we made our way to baggage claim only to find out that our bags, along with 1/3 of the other passenger's bags didnt make it. What a great start to the trip. Lost luggage counter was another hassle to deal with but we eventually made it out to the street where we were greeted by our driver Sammy who came to take us to the hostel. I have to say drivining through cairo is alot like driving through delhi. No one stays in their respective lanes and all you can hear is a symphony of horns from different vehicles. The rules of the road here are simple just like they are in India...the bigger vehicle has the right of way. Now im used to this since I have visited India many times but i could tell Colin and Chris were a little amazed at the chaos on the road. They were even more impressed with Sammy's ability to weave in and out of traffic, barely missing other cars by inches.

Once we got to our hostel we were shown to our room and the manager Mohammad asked us what our plans are for the 6 days in Egypt. We told him what we had planned on doing and felt proud that unlike most tourists we actually had a plan for day to day. Mohammad just laughed and said silly Americans, you do not want to do this plan in the order you have selected and with the groups you have chosen. I will take care of your entire trip, you pay me upfront and you dont have to worry about anything but entrance fees, food and tips. Any other time I would be hesitant to pay someone $400 for one week of activities upfront but Mohammad came highly recommended from the website Hostel World. We also spoke with another guest named Allan who said Mohammad knows what he is doing and will take care of you. Well, here is $400........

I will update the blog during the week with what is included in this $400 payment. Trust me, this will be something you dont want to miss....

As for the rest of the night in Cairo we went out to dinner and ate kushari, which is a delicious mix of pasta, rice and lentils that filled us up for only $2 US. Did I mention we got the large size?...gotta love the weaker Egyptian pound.

After dinner we went down a side street not too far from our hostel, sat down and smoke some hookah while enjoying the scenery and people watching. The hookah was very smooth and it was nice to enjoy that while sitting in very comfortable weather. Cairo weather has been good so far, and lets hope it continues.

Im finishing this post at 8 am on Tuesday morning as we get ready to travel to Giza to see the pyramids. What a day this will be.....

Until next time...