Blogs from Mediterranean, Egypt, Africa - page 13

Today was PACKED full and extremely long for us. Our excursion started bright and early, then ended over 12 hours later. We took a bus 3 hours from Alexandria to Cairo. I guess there was a posting for annoying people to join our bus, because it was full of them. :) We visited Giza and the Pyramids. They were just amazing! Camels, (again more men with mustaches), and armed guards all over the place. Everyone wanted to sell us something and have us pay in USD (since the USD is worth 5X their Egyptian Pound). Weather said 80, but I am thinking more like about 200 degrees. :) We also hit the Sphynx which was great too. Our bus was off schedule, so we were running back to it once we climbed to the top ... read more

Alexandria Highlights…. It was a nice leisurely morning as we did not have to meet until 8:30am. Our tour was among the first to leave port and enter the city of Alexandria. We took a drive through the streets viewing the beautiful architecture, albeit run down and imagining what these beautiful buildings would have looked like had they been maintained. We passed by the equestrian bronze statue of Mohammad Ali, not the famous boxer, but the founder of modern Egypt. Further on, we passed the elegant marble edifice, dedicated to the unknown soldier. Our first stop was the replica of the ancient bridge of Alexandria, where we took many photographs including a wonderful view of King Farouk’s palace. From there, we took a scenic drive on the boardwalk of Alexandria, and eventually arrived at the ... read more

Untitled Today I got up at 6am. My clothes weren't dry, so I dried them with the hairdryer - it worked. I ate some peanut butter crackers for breakfast, got dressed, and was out in front of the hotel by 6:50am. I was worried no one would come to pick me up since I couldn't get in touch with anyone yesterday to confirm. They finally showed up (a little late)!! The driver's name was Mohammed and the guide's name was Hussein. We started the 3 hour drive to Alexandria. We stopped at a rest stop about halfway there. My first experience w/ Egyptian public restrooms - it's true there's no toilet paper or paper towels, but there wasn't an attendent at this restroom asking for baksheesh. Almost to Alexandria, we stoppe to watch the fishermen - ... read more

Day 60, Saturday, March 17, 2007, Alexandria, Egypt (Port Closed due to High Winds) Well the Commodore has made the final decision. We will not be able to call in Alexandria, Egypt due to the port being closed. The winds have been, and are still very high and no ships are being allowed in. We have been floating around for about four hours now waiting for the winds to die down but unfortunately, they have not. Our tour today to Cairo was a 12 hour one, with three hours to Cairo, and three hours back with about six hours there. The tours there just would not be possible now that it is 10:00 a.m. The buses apparently have to travel in convoy with guards aboard them. We will now be calling in Athens early—1200 tomorrow. We ... read more

What do I do on the weekend you may ask. Well the weekend is full of many things. I usually wake up at 1 or 2 because I stayed upp very late. Then I eat breakfast and maybe take a shower. Then I make phone calls, check e-mails, and then study. Around 9pm is when all the real fun happens. I either go to some performance by musicians or to a party. So far I have been to Andoran folk dancing, Sengoli musicians, birthday parties, birthday picnics, and house warming parties. Tonight is St. Patricks day so we will celebrate that as well. If there are no parties or shows then we go to coffee shops and relax. Some coffee shops have pool tables, bowling alleys, ping pong tables, and other entertainment. Also we go shopping. ... read more