If yesterday was a disappointment, today more than made up for it. It began at 5:30am when I woke up for an early morning stroll down to the river (about a mile away) to see if I could spot any hippos. In the pre-dawn there were already quite a few people gathering water in buckets …
Monthly Archives: March 2012
Caveat Emptor
If I visit India someday, I think I’ll skip seeing the Taj Mahal. I pretty much have grown to despise touristy stuff. Whether America or Tim-Buck-Two, can we please get off the beaten track? I’m currently in Bahir Dar, a city on the edge of Lake Tana in the Ethiopian Highlands. THE Lake Tana that …
Begging the Issue
Been walking the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for five days now. What to do with the beggars? They are everywhere, sitting in their misery with hands stretched out. Some blind, some deaf, others with deformed limbs, swollen extremities and missing appendages… others hunchback bent over double, some old and toothless, some women young with …
Sahara-Ho!
When I think desert, I think sand. In particular, sand dunes. In Israel I never saw sand dunes. Neither the Judean Desert nor the Negev had the type of desert I consider proper. But thanks be, finally I saw the real deal at the Siwa oasis. Siwa is located in the heart of the Sahara, …
10 Experiences from Egypt
Right now I’m at the Siwa Oasis – about fifty miles from the Libyan border. See map below, which shows the 1,000 mile route I’ve taken so far since entering Egypt. From Taba (the border of Israel) down to Dahab, then on to Cairo, Alexandria, and now Siwa. All Egypt is desert except along the …
Visiting the Pyramids of Giza
Today I had quite the adventure… I went to visit the pyramids. First let me talk about Cairo. It is a pretty amazing place. A mass of humanity, something to the tune of 17 million. I suppose it’s like New York City that never sleeps, where the horns never stop, where multitudes of people are …
Climbing Mount Sinai
The most recent adventure around here has been hiking up Mount Sinai with my Welsh companion Matt. We went with a tour group leaving from our hostel. The cost for going was $15 – that included round-trip transportation, a guide, and admission costs (everything, as we found out, but the fees for using the bathroom). …
Bartering in Dahab
Tourism is down here in Egypt. This translates into 1) good prices 2) not much of a crowd and 3) individualized attention. These all sound positive, but each have a negative too. Take the individualized attention, for instance. You can’t walk five feet without having someone try selling you something. Good prices sound good, but …
First Day in Egypt
After getting a passport photo from a local camera shop in Eilat, applying for a visa at the Egyptian Consulate and waiting a few hours for the paperwork to get processed, I was finally cleared for entry to Egypt! After catching a local bus to the border crossing at Taba, paying the Israeli exit fee, …
Snow in Jerusalem!
Below are pictures I snapped yesterday morning. The first is on Jaffa road, a main walking thoroughfare through town. This street is lined with shops and many of the store owners were standing out by their doors laughing. It was a jolly atmosphere as I exchanged excited greetings with them: “Boker Tov – it’s SNOWING!” …
We Have In-flight Food Options
I’m sitting here booking a flight…. Which meal option should I pick? Oh the choices.