|
JAYNE WITH A WHY |
|
|
. : Recent Posts : .
IMAGES OF EYGYPT (Part 2) . : Archives : .
January 2006 . : On My Perch at Night, I'm Reading A Book On My Kindle: .
|
. : motley assortment of blogs from other parts of the multiverse : .
. : MY FAMILY MOTTO: FUCK 'EM ALL EXCEPT US: .
. : Credits : .
Template By Caz . : email: spadgesmum at gmail dot com .
|
|||||
Saturday, November 04, 2006IMAGES OF EYGYPT (Part 3)The main purpose for going to Eygypt was twofold; to have a real holiday & to celebrate our Pearl Anniversary. Hubs has worked incredibly hard in recent years & we haven't had a proper holiday in 3yrs. We went armed with a Globetrotter Travel Guide & the determination to do the 'touristy thing'. In a nutshell, I reckon we succeeded, quite nicely, thank you very much! We slept in late every morning bar one, had long leisurely breakfasts & then took organised tours from the hotel each afternoon. There was never more than 6 people per tour, so they felt quite personalised. With the exception of one highly irritating, heavily accented, self-opinionated dingbat female guide - who spent more time on her cell phone than with the group - all tours were informative & interesting. We stuck to the greater Cairo area, mainly because there's so much to see & do, but also because we'll hopefully go back to Eygypt within the next year or two & partake in a luxury* cruise down the Nile. Something that will fascinate me for years to come, is the strange 'marriage' Eygypt holds - that of African & Arab - as it's neither one nor the other. The Arab influence is primary, but the African influence is definitely there. Having lived in (almost) 1st World South Africa & (definite) 3rd World Kenya, Malawi & Ghana, plus The Magic Kingdom & now the UAE, I could see for myself how the two different cultures seemed to blend together & create its own unique identity. It really is strange, but on the other hand, it seems to 'work' so naturally. I initially felt the greater population of Cairo never slept, as the cocophony of noises from the 17 odd million population seemed to invade my sense of hearing shortly after unpacking! It was Eid & everyone was celebrating. Noisily. Very noisily! (I got over it pretty quickly, cos it was either that or get out.) Once Eid was over, the noise died down a tad. The traffic in Cairo can only be described as CHAOTIC! Three lane roads take five cars abreast, plus donkey carts. We never saw any accidents, so despite the incessant hooting, traffic seemed to flow, albeit very slowly in most cases. Headlights are definite optional extras on most cars & it appears it is the norm for drivers NOT to use them at night. Pedestrians run the gauntlet between cars & pedestrian crossings are as much use as a chocolate sundial. In closing, here are a few messages to organisations that (in my opinion) need to pay some close attenton to their services: Etihad Airways: When a (hate to say it - national) passenger & his wife are STILL busy buying duty-free 15 minutes after the flight should have departed, close the friggin doors & take off! You only have to do it once. Passengers will get the message. Also, I/We fail to understand that you have a smoking section in your Business Lounge in Abu Dhabi, but not in Cairo? Eygypt is a smokers paradise! Hilton Hotels - specifically the Nile Hilton: When your guests book a suite of 123sq.m (as advertised) do not assume they will be fobbed off with something two thirds of the size, which has a view of a building site & contains furniture that has not only been scavenged from deep & dusty storeroom, but is also broken. It took almost 3hrs, 3 (suite) changes & a heap of bitching for us to be finally settled into the correct suite. It simply isn't good enough. Oh..............also.............if the Hilton Fujairah can serve bacon & pork sausages in their breakfast buffet, then so can you. Dr Zaki Hawass - Director of Egyptian Antiquities etc.etc. Your museum is incredible, but for crying in a bloody bucket, please indicate that tourists are not allowed to take cameras or videos inside the museum BEFORE they get to the security check at the actual museum doors. If the taking of all photos is prohibited, why are local tourists not prosecuted for snapping away with their mobile phones.......in full view of (so called) security guards? To the sad bastards who make their poor malnourished & sore infested horses either canter uphill, pulling a carriage of a family of 4, or doing the same thing to the terrified animals in peak traffic in the city centre: I hope you are given the same kind of treatment in any form of afterlife you go to. Despite the above complaints, we really did have a wonderful time. It was not only a holiday I won't forget in a hurry, but also an amazing early anniversary for Hubs & myself. He spoilt me.........thoroughly!      Grandma appears to have managed quite well without us. She didn't lock herself out on the balcony, seems to have eaten well & only got lost once. Thanks to Bev for phoning & Mrs M for popping around to check up on the little grey haired old lady :-) *I'm a snob :-)  
|
