tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20509134543626669272024-03-21T11:58:34.973-07:00Land of the Pharaohs, here we come!Our family adventures in Egypt from August 2012 - June 2014Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-55814885592295275582013-06-26T14:51:00.000-07:002013-06-26T20:04:59.827-07:00The Final Post Fom EgyptJune 26, 2013 ... Good bye Egypt<br />
I received a call from Ashraf, our driver, today expressing concern about the gas situation. He will still be here to pick us up tomorrow morning at 5:45 but the second car to hold all our luggage has been unable to get gas and he was still on the hunt to find someone else. On Sunday June 30th a planned protest will occur and because of this the powers that be have been limiting gas for cars and cutting electricity and water. I'm ready to get out. I'm feeling excited to return back to Canada and I hope to stay in touch with the friends I've met this year - it's been difficult to say good bye to them. Our experience here has been beyond anything I imagined it could be and I'm so grateful for it. Ma'salama Egypt Sarah <br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Hard to believe that our ten months are now finished and it's back to Canada tomorrow. This has been a fantastic experience and I feel fortunate to have had this opportunity. We have seen, heard, touched, smelled and tasted an entirely new culture and our lives are enriched because of it. Yes, there have been frustrations but we didn't come here to find paradise. We came to experience life outside Canada and see how life operates in another part of the world. After all, "he not busy being born is busy dying." Mike</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">Thank-you Egypt for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime! </span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">The year is over! 311 days of living in Egypt and tomorrow!!! Tomorrow I get to go home!! Some days I thought I'd never be able to say that!! But I've had a great year! Definitely one that I will NEVER forget!! I've met so many different people and many good friends (Maya Tadros, Donya Hashish, Mina Dbooni, Noelle Riad) I hope that we will keep in touch and someday I will get to see you guys again!! :) Thank you to everyone for making my year as great as it was!! I feel very blessed to be able to say that I have had the chance live in a different country with a very different culture!! Even though Egypt and I have had our ups and downs, in the end I'm very glad that I agreed to coming on this adventure! Many memories and amazing trips that I'll never forget! Even if I try!! Now it's time to go back to Canada and have one of the best summers ever!!!!!!! (Allie Kerr, Brianna Gorsline and many other people!!) :) Becca</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: purple; float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaAasSOcAFQvlAuw3oWRqoUS1Evvm6MRnW28D1d_iHYFaqc5SufA9_pCXCJCpHpoJyZN0qRP9pJpIsKEtLQYEJjBsBYYJPFSqSWYiUdONPDbdmpplFjvcA73vF_6VYXm_UbKJ7gDNZP0/s1600/DSC_9321(rev+1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaAasSOcAFQvlAuw3oWRqoUS1Evvm6MRnW28D1d_iHYFaqc5SufA9_pCXCJCpHpoJyZN0qRP9pJpIsKEtLQYEJjBsBYYJPFSqSWYiUdONPDbdmpplFjvcA73vF_6VYXm_UbKJ7gDNZP0/s1600/DSC_9321(rev+1).jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last visit from our <br />
building buddies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: purple; float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TTsLcY325VEI2Kym_kVaohVQwr8N9Y506H4AanrtBjbIiNz-ntxLSBA951lHkMOYrGB9eMidbnwq5CzUgfaN3UNMZw5HtYHsDnHp8t0mrl2zBEBnF4-EY66BiA_gGAgaI7yEHhZMk_4/s1600/DSC_9323(rev+1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TTsLcY325VEI2Kym_kVaohVQwr8N9Y506H4AanrtBjbIiNz-ntxLSBA951lHkMOYrGB9eMidbnwq5CzUgfaN3UNMZw5HtYHsDnHp8t0mrl2zBEBnF4-EY66BiA_gGAgaI7yEHhZMk_4/s1600/DSC_9323(rev+1).jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gonna miss this face!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOUuZjKJz9vXvSf8IncYhmdIGHnDZmXbkO2xJ1GcvltPkoTuAzxw9gDvOfhYIAHsfiLNE7RRncmnUIiT0WoHBN8J3zFwJuKWcnqfT38LLyJxzLBiJFZCPWSEZinYdnLtzEu_Q2e2CcTE/s1600/DSC_9322(rev+1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOUuZjKJz9vXvSf8IncYhmdIGHnDZmXbkO2xJ1GcvltPkoTuAzxw9gDvOfhYIAHsfiLNE7RRncmnUIiT0WoHBN8J3zFwJuKWcnqfT38LLyJxzLBiJFZCPWSEZinYdnLtzEu_Q2e2CcTE/s1600/DSC_9322(rev+1).jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So cute!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-44635574623671941282013-06-17T07:03:00.000-07:002013-06-17T07:03:23.963-07:0010 More Sleeps ....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DDxoUUfnXo0/Ub8Vj0rJuOI/AAAAAAAABPU/BwCX_0vy800/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DDxoUUfnXo0/Ub8Vj0rJuOI/AAAAAAAABPU/BwCX_0vy800/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+092.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIIFqEEaI7Kj6Nf3UOYIXhMIX34XOt2wq_VWMShIx00HnbwFAMFBIEVe-EIYoLWqsX0mmFWHvSHn4JTEeq10gckdN3nrW68_Yht3ZDVnll9YjhOQfkePg95A-8yf0KOt_Chp0HCDrNYs/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIIFqEEaI7Kj6Nf3UOYIXhMIX34XOt2wq_VWMShIx00HnbwFAMFBIEVe-EIYoLWqsX0mmFWHvSHn4JTEeq10gckdN3nrW68_Yht3ZDVnll9YjhOQfkePg95A-8yf0KOt_Chp0HCDrNYs/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+093.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-17009390707953392622013-06-12T13:15:00.001-07:002013-06-12T13:15:59.191-07:00Jordan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uEM9L3rNuI8/UbjU-FQQvnI/AAAAAAAABN0/84-8sMrQJxo/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uEM9L3rNuI8/UbjU-FQQvnI/AAAAAAAABN0/84-8sMrQJxo/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+020.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoD8iwkHfUQqPdzIz6PE-h_MiWjR4gUDd1EC_na70qPvC2dqSbLeaJhGNKcL_NFuEr1ZRJoSPnF2Bs0jMTZllvalpJB3EzieASFX29tZxz7FyKt0L9xNkSwvJN141TMTPZ_E5dbeDUdxg/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoD8iwkHfUQqPdzIz6PE-h_MiWjR4gUDd1EC_na70qPvC2dqSbLeaJhGNKcL_NFuEr1ZRJoSPnF2Bs0jMTZllvalpJB3EzieASFX29tZxz7FyKt0L9xNkSwvJN141TMTPZ_E5dbeDUdxg/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+021.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aptVuvJZ9QU/UbjU-0LlzqI/AAAAAAAABN4/rJSm8r9fj1Q/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aptVuvJZ9QU/UbjU-0LlzqI/AAAAAAAABN4/rJSm8r9fj1Q/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+022.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZsCMgp-SIZOYn8L1VXnwW27CqTXqBTp_f5YqgIB26ZgsGuep-p9St_3dwt7LF6nTLP1sDFtuQd6oIBRzZWAumNraVkGzoGABGQosd3IPPPIAmcwFaGEiyUTPnaYY87YYTGHVT5AdTcY/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZsCMgp-SIZOYn8L1VXnwW27CqTXqBTp_f5YqgIB26ZgsGuep-p9St_3dwt7LF6nTLP1sDFtuQd6oIBRzZWAumNraVkGzoGABGQosd3IPPPIAmcwFaGEiyUTPnaYY87YYTGHVT5AdTcY/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+023.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5sl27HCs4ytEDgPuEem2f1fa4VzZ_2bcuRW9MUbtrdpCn7NxHwTszRcXFSvy9NFQXpfw2HxFGWzuQa59WomYQ0aCMuaaF4UErWu5jkZUsMZP9JHl1dF0Wt70CZUAGVV-ksqpk-tRK_4/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5sl27HCs4ytEDgPuEem2f1fa4VzZ_2bcuRW9MUbtrdpCn7NxHwTszRcXFSvy9NFQXpfw2HxFGWzuQa59WomYQ0aCMuaaF4UErWu5jkZUsMZP9JHl1dF0Wt70CZUAGVV-ksqpk-tRK_4/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+024.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPg0RSMH9A1p9vVoSZb_it1Ww2AZPt_cRqTdCJ4yy5tvFjpcGU7Em-CTAgB632Ln3HdD4rYPXQKoZ56NN9dlllob5mhJdhbr1WssEnyWxx7GKZvs8uKenoACXvWKaamQ5CSBI3m1Vn00/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPg0RSMH9A1p9vVoSZb_it1Ww2AZPt_cRqTdCJ4yy5tvFjpcGU7Em-CTAgB632Ln3HdD4rYPXQKoZ56NN9dlllob5mhJdhbr1WssEnyWxx7GKZvs8uKenoACXvWKaamQ5CSBI3m1Vn00/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+025.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZFvbJN0igWH9C273rBZ-iyGdVvEQCvRIjf2E4Lzgp1yRJVYYtF3xWzQcIEOhTyt-BA-DyuEiGusC4-_pKJvaSL-ha1xTBsso0_COfORH0_bY7ve1O8L98E0DRT7I8idK4AeMP7vZUqk/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZFvbJN0igWH9C273rBZ-iyGdVvEQCvRIjf2E4Lzgp1yRJVYYtF3xWzQcIEOhTyt-BA-DyuEiGusC4-_pKJvaSL-ha1xTBsso0_COfORH0_bY7ve1O8L98E0DRT7I8idK4AeMP7vZUqk/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+026.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4ha7LsAbdb8fNEgFCsfD6LabYDvurOBtE0c_gEf_Xy6bt-7oKf4e28yNxvuZtwT2ceqgXq_RZF39ecyrNn77Q52tl9DvdAQ4ltoeV1jNjyRpAgPGlhWvrrMz5KkQ3u6yeF1m07kmxfQ/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4ha7LsAbdb8fNEgFCsfD6LabYDvurOBtE0c_gEf_Xy6bt-7oKf4e28yNxvuZtwT2ceqgXq_RZF39ecyrNn77Q52tl9DvdAQ4ltoeV1jNjyRpAgPGlhWvrrMz5KkQ3u6yeF1m07kmxfQ/s1600/Land+of+the+Pharaohs+-+Page+027.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-17479989047393045972013-05-28T13:21:00.001-07:002013-05-28T13:21:34.900-07:00Pro-Am Golf Tournament - May 17-19<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;">We were offered a free weekend at the Stella resort in Ain Sokhna in exchange for Sarah being the </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">official photographer of the pro-am golf tournament there. We accepted, mainly because it provided </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">a great opportunity for Sarah to add to her photographic repertoire. As well, the resort is absolutely </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">beautiful and you get treated like celebrities.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFOIRrDdhHSSgsYrVDkU4hrJGRRdjQyXEuUjG0Sx6BAHKrKnnwNrW0w7alqWf3NU_TC9POZl9UoZwbNkQhVGjVsOb3coQk1iIyqe8V6C7kd0hHjzg6w4TQ2utgLjtf7NXdMqO9morGVE/s1600/DSC_7677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: yellow;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFOIRrDdhHSSgsYrVDkU4hrJGRRdjQyXEuUjG0Sx6BAHKrKnnwNrW0w7alqWf3NU_TC9POZl9UoZwbNkQhVGjVsOb3coQk1iIyqe8V6C7kd0hHjzg6w4TQ2utgLjtf7NXdMqO9morGVE/s1600/DSC_7677.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Broadhurst on the first tee.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: yellow;">The two big name golfers there were England’s Paul Broadhurst and Ireland’s Ronan Rafferty. Although </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">they are not household names in North America, they both have multiple victories on the European golf tour and both played for the European side in the Ryder Cup. True, it was twenty years ago but they can still play.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">There were also numerous up- and- comers in attendance. The tournament was won by a young </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Englishman named Matt Ford who shot a course record 63 in the final round. The longest drive, 325 yards, was recorded by 65 year old pro Nick Job. The fairway sloped downhill somewhat which helped boost the yardage but still awfully impressive. 325 yards is out there in Peter Cole range.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wx0QIEfSEXBsgVpkclWRh82HuhNv4dzFxTSrlkhDA8-hvmCsrB8CpyDn4QZIc7Bo1jJH1ilv-mUiEJfrr0KRAyp6OCzljkiTEsnEFITnoU6iFBDA2B_NqSYJN2VuJJdU2W1RZRQSchY/s1600/DSC_8073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: yellow;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wx0QIEfSEXBsgVpkclWRh82HuhNv4dzFxTSrlkhDA8-hvmCsrB8CpyDn4QZIc7Bo1jJH1ilv-mUiEJfrr0KRAyp6OCzljkiTEsnEFITnoU6iFBDA2B_NqSYJN2VuJJdU2W1RZRQSchY/s1600/DSC_8073.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ronan Rafferty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspbwssN9jJW2wXfLeIlT2NVkAg9Bd9PhaddmkxfgP2IGqk7lAN1DVA8SCaR65NA_Z-6limTCamdCthTICwz3qpa2xGCoCQ9bD8IfSdiN25uTe0YAeovZgq76EF5H8XqP_68B6qIWDOnU/s1600/DSC_8082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: yellow;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspbwssN9jJW2wXfLeIlT2NVkAg9Bd9PhaddmkxfgP2IGqk7lAN1DVA8SCaR65NA_Z-6limTCamdCthTICwz3qpa2xGCoCQ9bD8IfSdiN25uTe0YAeovZgq76EF5H8XqP_68B6qIWDOnU/s1600/DSC_8082.jpg" height="213" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick Job</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: yellow;">Each foursome was comprised of one pro and three amateurs. There were three ways to distinguish the pro: first, he was usually the only one wearing long pants; secondly, he was the only one playing from the back tees; thirdly, he was the only member of the group not drinking alcohol. Beer was flowing freely among the amateurs.</span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">We spent many hours on the course taking pictures on the tee, in the fairway and on the green. Sarah’s amazing skills and fantastic camera resulted in many outstanding photos over the two days that we </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">were there. On the final night there was a gala dinner which took place on the practice putting green. </span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;">It was a high class affair with a 7 course meal which is why I wasn't invited. Sarah spent most of the night, wandering through the crowd and taking candid photos. Once again, all the players, wives, husbands etc. were having a great time.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vBjhIBJ6_apgClGObSiglwZU0fWkls4lOhgJOYBYGAOLsJzWrTZ5O7iS2QEVXN8mqVM2gkv2p3-orSN7ebaWKWXJIhes_BQbkHc7yRkSyQ70FmsVRkczyOi3tjpGrChLtkl5nFK-Hkc/s1600/DSC_8206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vBjhIBJ6_apgClGObSiglwZU0fWkls4lOhgJOYBYGAOLsJzWrTZ5O7iS2QEVXN8mqVM2gkv2p3-orSN7ebaWKWXJIhes_BQbkHc7yRkSyQ70FmsVRkczyOi3tjpGrChLtkl5nFK-Hkc/s1600/DSC_8206.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt Ford on the 18th</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.stelladimaregolf.com/pro-Am.aspx?ProAmId=19">http://www.stelladimaregolf.com/pro-Am.aspx?ProAmId=19</a> - This is the link to the golf club pro-am webpage. It hasn't been updated with the 2013 photos yet but I expect that it will be shortly.<br />
The photos have already been posted on their facebook page - you can find them here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stelladimaregc?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/stelladimaregc?fref=ts</a><br />
by scrolling down the wall or clicking on photos.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BpRe2B_Jo3g/UaUD2kjIKTI/AAAAAAAABMs/AUYZYPUxE6E/s1600/DSC_8228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BpRe2B_Jo3g/UaUD2kjIKTI/AAAAAAAABMs/AUYZYPUxE6E/s1600/DSC_8228.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final putt in front<br /> of the crowd.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFmBhYnMisKFDYOCSdBa99jtEyn5Aysyt68FM97AJGzbhnJr1qdJreovA59ewxRQCSz616HtoBg31vRQFHkNBw1_TnssSF5sDR_8B_dg1P4gdN0iT5UPNv7komK2Wh3p4FYpSSbHJhgs/s1600/DSC_8208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFmBhYnMisKFDYOCSdBa99jtEyn5Aysyt68FM97AJGzbhnJr1qdJreovA59ewxRQCSz616HtoBg31vRQFHkNBw1_TnssSF5sDR_8B_dg1P4gdN0iT5UPNv7komK2Wh3p4FYpSSbHJhgs/s1600/DSC_8208.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new course record</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXp90oo4q57zIHH7Y1GyXcE6ioOO_Hb6StxKIGTRqLkYOSJSyQrqB-ifDseN4NAXOJcm-r3NYe5mnCMEtptoacjgqyy046QJV4Buep1zmuZQ2Dl1fnSTrE7oJOWoMwP0NNQ3ZaZyS26k/s1600/DSC_8291%2528rev+1%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXp90oo4q57zIHH7Y1GyXcE6ioOO_Hb6StxKIGTRqLkYOSJSyQrqB-ifDseN4NAXOJcm-r3NYe5mnCMEtptoacjgqyy046QJV4Buep1zmuZQ2Dl1fnSTrE7oJOWoMwP0NNQ3ZaZyS26k/s1600/DSC_8291%2528rev+1%2529.jpg" height="640" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Congratulations Matt Ford!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkK_9UTgG_am_y612VleY6ThrJ6hEvZcAK7jy6Zh8ftXyxiF6vglxz_BsxjBcwjxDuM6nG6yMeylBP6ANWZBD08kFDegjOJS0rmyHhdswgcpuw-Q5dMJiBJQHQKGFQuIjqos4BKGcC6SM/s1600/DSC_7818.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkK_9UTgG_am_y612VleY6ThrJ6hEvZcAK7jy6Zh8ftXyxiF6vglxz_BsxjBcwjxDuM6nG6yMeylBP6ANWZBD08kFDegjOJS0rmyHhdswgcpuw-Q5dMJiBJQHQKGFQuIjqos4BKGcC6SM/s1600/DSC_7818.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pFnucufs12g/UaUDntLIcUI/AAAAAAAABMM/hjLbAlEj3m8/s1600/DSC_8147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pFnucufs12g/UaUDntLIcUI/AAAAAAAABMM/hjLbAlEj3m8/s1600/DSC_8147.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out this players hair ...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PT73zcmCMhY/UaUDsLnvkcI/AAAAAAAABMU/qvKFRhzgNbg/s1600/DSC_8148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PT73zcmCMhY/UaUDsLnvkcI/AAAAAAAABMU/qvKFRhzgNbg/s1600/DSC_8148.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">..... or shall I say HAT - Sarah's mouth hung open<br />in surprise when he took his hat off. Apparently these<br />are available everywhere in the US.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hbt9m14UST0/UaUECalMCNI/AAAAAAAABM8/Ru5flzkOvV0/s1600/DSC_8313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hbt9m14UST0/UaUECalMCNI/AAAAAAAABM8/Ru5flzkOvV0/s1600/DSC_8313.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Broadhurst and his wife at the gala dinner.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDdxmWxkjq8dam94Nsp_e-m_f0LfDRj8istvApAULR0l-EXEC5FGEldBNieW3OCQ4Uh5_wDj-Bh1pUXWfoeas4s0PAQV4pc3dHDNjuyWwOAVUgizaPEQOa2bV2Cc6UmpzW82tLb-LkEY/s1600/DSC_8363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDdxmWxkjq8dam94Nsp_e-m_f0LfDRj8istvApAULR0l-EXEC5FGEldBNieW3OCQ4Uh5_wDj-Bh1pUXWfoeas4s0PAQV4pc3dHDNjuyWwOAVUgizaPEQOa2bV2Cc6UmpzW82tLb-LkEY/s1600/DSC_8363.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah with the team from South Africa.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-43388292286367272772013-05-24T02:43:00.001-07:002017-10-24T09:09:55.620-07:00Grade 10, CISE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11wOQR3f2xoVKAcnjs-AYGQnwo-3H3rVXJokHjhxrqY1yP7334GLo8ocKerX_cqU_lhlKA421V8y3aFbnubnLUOlDY3oQWNZfttrzFDGldDiMVccZ9rpPv8I_nQHNsHAwmsN928VIy8g/s1600/DSC_7630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11wOQR3f2xoVKAcnjs-AYGQnwo-3H3rVXJokHjhxrqY1yP7334GLo8ocKerX_cqU_lhlKA421V8y3aFbnubnLUOlDY3oQWNZfttrzFDGldDiMVccZ9rpPv8I_nQHNsHAwmsN928VIy8g/s1600/DSC_7630.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
This is Becca's official grade 10 school photo.<br />
The class photo was taken on the day that she was away at a volleyball tournament. Guess how annoyed I am about that??<br />
<br />
Since her trip to France, she has really branched out and spent a lot more time with her friends. I hoped this would happen - it's just too bad that it took this long. The weekend that Mike and I went to take golf photos, she stayed with a friend the entire weekend. When she came home, she brought a homemade lasagna with her! It fed us for two suppers, one lunch and I finished it off last night. It was delicious! Last night she went to a birthday party and won't be home until later tonight because they are taking a trip to City Stars Mall and she already has another birthday party on her calendar. I think it's fantastic that she's going to leave here with lots of fond memories of school, friends and parties.<br />
<br />
34 more sleeps (for those keeping track)<br />
<br />
An observation completely unrelated to Becca: I was thinking this morning that I haven't seen one hybrid car in Cairo. Not one. I thought my dad might find that interesting.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-59847484491251678532013-05-23T13:45:00.000-07:002013-05-23T13:45:22.205-07:00May 11 – The Harlem Globetrotters came to Egypt!<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
How could we miss this! We didn't even know about Cairo International Stadium in Nasr City. It’s huge with several buildings. The hockey stadium where the globetrotters were playing was really nice. We figure there were
about 2000 people there to watch and it looked like it could have held at least
18,000 more. I wonder if a hockey game has ever been played here? The kids in the audience were cute - all waving little Egyptian flags. The show was exactly what you can expect from the globetrotters. Becca hadn't even heard of them before! She really enjoyed it and I'm sure the theme song is burned into her brain now too. The next time she hears it in a TV add, she'll think of our afternoon in Nasr City. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XBm7R_ZCwiU/UZ59UHfL_MI/AAAAAAAABLM/1vWwbdtzu6s/s1600/Globetrotters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XBm7R_ZCwiU/UZ59UHfL_MI/AAAAAAAABLM/1vWwbdtzu6s/s1600/Globetrotters.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-86976057512745477492013-05-22T12:15:00.002-07:002013-05-22T12:16:33.855-07:00May 2-5 Golf Holiday<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
May 2-5 Our Golf
Holiday in Ain Soukna at the Stella di Mare Golf Hotel on the Red Sea<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve been here before. We know the hotel well and like it a
lot. This time we were going specifically to play as much golf as we wanted and
to relax and enjoy our last big break before the end of the school year. We played 4 rounds of golf! Some rounds felt
good – some not so good …. Becca was our chauffeur with the golf cart. We enjoyed the pools at our hotel and the
Grand Hotel on the sea. The weather was hot and sunny – just the way it is 95% of the
time. It was a really nice holiday. We came home feeling relaxed and ready to take on the rest of the school year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One afternoon while out on the course, the golf pro noticed
Becca taking photos of us and came up to ask her if she was a photographer.
Mike quickly told him that I was the photographer and he asked me if I would be
interested in photographing their Pro-Am Tournament on May 16-18. After some
thought and more discussion, we decided it would be a worthwhile experience for
me and agreed to do it. More to come on that weekend soon!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-5k52apOipQEnKMq3H6Ii4wbwkSPwOFtLjDjFQufA2cChNJ4B1EBoq_9oZBBxtKXT9EydFdG_nBXPiCaANecqWjnLkin84V7gYoYkG88fJ-0To7C8EyiWq8ByQkN5rewFSXJOGNnwUU/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-5k52apOipQEnKMq3H6Ii4wbwkSPwOFtLjDjFQufA2cChNJ4B1EBoq_9oZBBxtKXT9EydFdG_nBXPiCaANecqWjnLkin84V7gYoYkG88fJ-0To7C8EyiWq8ByQkN5rewFSXJOGNnwUU/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+010.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OZAggfgN0Brg1UEzW7OyKaKkGwnG4OhVroCqU3_iYdV4vXOuxfjebIdDb66yFw2jSSsJPFrOWSJvwnUaTEYyok9NJeJUkb813jzw1LxgHPR8yhje4J3WbDOb4iLVnkUljggQLcCMxYo/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OZAggfgN0Brg1UEzW7OyKaKkGwnG4OhVroCqU3_iYdV4vXOuxfjebIdDb66yFw2jSSsJPFrOWSJvwnUaTEYyok9NJeJUkb813jzw1LxgHPR8yhje4J3WbDOb4iLVnkUljggQLcCMxYo/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+011.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-43646890782173950552013-05-21T07:56:00.000-07:002013-05-21T22:16:49.574-07:00May 1 – Oriana and Karim’s Wedding<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'm really fortunate to have met Oriana through work. She must be one of the kindest, sweetest people I know. We spend a lot of time together and I was surprised and very pleased to be invited to her wedding! I was excited to see what happens
in Egypt at a wedding and so happy for Oriana. She kept me updated on the
events leading up to the wedding. 1<sup>st</sup> there was the ring ceremony.
They both put their rings on their right hand instead of their left – which
means they are officially engaged. Next there was the paper signing ceremony.
At this ceremony, they were officially married in front of their family. They
signed all their official documents and moved the rings from the right hand to
the left hand. And finally, the wedding day which was much the same as our
traditional wedding receptions after the church. There was time with the
photographer and then the party started with the first dance right away – and Oriana
and Karim had fireworks because the whole reception was outside. No tent required
in Egypt. There’s never a fear that it’s going to rain. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have to tell you my story leading up to the party …. I
still had one more place to look before making a decision on purchasing a new
computer. We had the day off because it was a holiday and we were planning on
going out for a nice brunch and then Becca and I had hair and nail appointments
at 2:30 to get ready for the wedding. I figured we had lots of time to check
out the Smart Computer Mall before brunch. Boy was I wrong. I ended up finding
a computer that I wanted to buy. But instead of telling me it was going to take
3 hours to get the computer ready to leave the store, he told me to have a
seat, it will be 15 minutes. He had to install Windows, various drivers, a
virus program and Microsoft Office among other things. Mike and Becca found a
doughnut shop and that ended up being our “brunch”, eaten in the tiny computer
shop where the nice man loading up my computer was chain smoking. When he finally handed me the computer, and I
handed him the money, we were already 90 minutes late for our hair and nail
appointments. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I should have just cancelled the appointments but I wanted
them to at least cut Becca’s hair. We had put it off too long. I feel bad for
the people in the salon. I will go back there someday soon. They were very nice
and accommodating and tried to work as quickly as possible and still managed to
make our hair presentable. I was really surprised – once I stopped being so
upset about being late – at how nicely everything turned out. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oriana told me she was making her first appearance at 6:00.
I was having a fit because it was 6:45 before we pulled into the parking lot.
We found a table and I was relieved to find out she hadn’t made an appearance
yet. It was just after 7pm when they finally came out into the garden. Phew!
What a crazy day. Oh and to top it all off – I FORGOT MY CAMERA. The photos I
have are from my friend’s i-phone (yay for phone cameras). And one day soon, I
will have a few photos from Oriana’s photographer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, back to the wedding story … at 7pm (ish) Oriana and
Karim came out to the beautifully decorated outdoor patio at the Country Club
in Uptown Cairo. There was a band playing traditional Egyptian music in front
of them and they were surrounded by family and friends – all singing and
dancing up a storm in celebration. They eventually made their way through three
arches and onto the dance floor where they had their first official dance.
Oriana had a beautiful photo presentation for Karim and Oriana’s mom had a
special gift for her. Then the dancing really started. There were fireworks and
the dance floor was lit up …. And it was FULL! Everyone was crowding and dancing
around the bride and groom and this, I’m told, is exactly how it is all night
long. At one point, they did manage to escape from the dance floor to come
around to each table and say hi to everyone. After a while the buffet opened
and we enjoyed a delicious meal. They cut the cake on the dance floor – and
Oriana tossed her bouquet from the stairs. The music was really good – a
mixture of everything with lots of English tunes too. Our group was ready to
leave just after 10pm. It was a beautiful reception.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRJCMMPc5fDE1cvmPYRiWgGyeIG-1tVVM3d7AVc3tAGzGDN957x9Y7AN5QwNd6qL1lT9wrnMlDZDBpdDdT_vUtKsyd2l2DwQnNSWgQQxXpGahbCTdP4WwLppWYIabGjpBhZAuot-bcFs/s1600/Oriana+Wedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZRJCMMPc5fDE1cvmPYRiWgGyeIG-1tVVM3d7AVc3tAGzGDN957x9Y7AN5QwNd6qL1lT9wrnMlDZDBpdDdT_vUtKsyd2l2DwQnNSWgQQxXpGahbCTdP4WwLppWYIabGjpBhZAuot-bcFs/s1600/Oriana+Wedding.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a truly wonderful group of women to work with. I love them all. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-11822550919886328642013-05-20T12:55:00.001-07:002013-05-20T12:55:28.947-07:00Alexandria - April 25/26/27<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRReeKNBTdu9hh6Z0aKu0vIOdNKLGjJzSB0DEsWkVZWri6v-K4akGufwxP_adW-YLx5BVt9-8kVAFE5IOK03qVvo3EUK9Y_Shy70flOEWqU0MzfBSk3zHIjjuRIZ0TuZfwdnzVGzo1M2c/s1600/Dressing+Room+Star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRReeKNBTdu9hh6Z0aKu0vIOdNKLGjJzSB0DEsWkVZWri6v-K4akGufwxP_adW-YLx5BVt9-8kVAFE5IOK03qVvo3EUK9Y_Shy70flOEWqU0MzfBSk3zHIjjuRIZ0TuZfwdnzVGzo1M2c/s1600/Dressing+Room+Star.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her dressing room star!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The day that Becca returned home from Paris was the same day
that Brianna had her big opening night at school for 42<sup>nd</sup> Street –
April 19th. She was honoured to play Dorothy Brock and we are all so proud of
her. She had a large group of family and
friends come to see and support her. I am very thankful to each of them for
being there for her on that milestone in her life that I only have a photo of.
There is a rumor that we’re going to be able to see a taped dress rehearsal
when we come home for the summer. My fingers are crossed for that for sure. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P6HIEuJ60Fs/UZp4LgPbEcI/AAAAAAAABJw/r9VTY3NpmsE/s1600/image+2013-5-6+0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P6HIEuJ60Fs/UZp4LgPbEcI/AAAAAAAABJw/r9VTY3NpmsE/s1600/image+2013-5-6+0001.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brianna was thrilled and surprised to see <br />her Great Grandma Ruth at the show. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On April 25<sup>th</sup>, Egypt celebrated Sinai Liberation
Day. We decided to take advantage of having a long weekend and headed to
Alexandria so we could put our feet in the Mediterranean Sea. It was a longer
drive than we hoped with construction and more speed bumps than I could count
to slow us up. It was at least nice to see some vegetation along the way
instead of just desert. We saw lots of grape vines, palms, banana, apple and
orange trees. Our first view of Alexandria was refreshing. The
sea was beautiful and the main highway for the city runs right along the coast
so you can always see the water and feel the refreshing cool breeze. We found
our hotel and were pleased with our room. We actually booked a 2 bedroom suite
– and it was very nice. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZzLWrCvILjSMZjxX4Wu43591k-DJ0a-ya9YAH8I65G45OHfWXgvVqgFpaEH8zq816KIoHkYcB-KuctqxT79cl2t2Nuzp068fI1vwxA-PHgeXbbgt64TrabIc627j1kSm8zxGovoomE4/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZzLWrCvILjSMZjxX4Wu43591k-DJ0a-ya9YAH8I65G45OHfWXgvVqgFpaEH8zq816KIoHkYcB-KuctqxT79cl2t2Nuzp068fI1vwxA-PHgeXbbgt64TrabIc627j1kSm8zxGovoomE4/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+005.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once we were settled, we went out for a very late lunch and
Becca and Mike ordered a pasta dish that came in a bread bowl.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3TdEqhKimAJlieQH6kC9k6kR4aEQKSNmIEdGVAiAVbHet1-45_crdZy_RYcfjV7zvwiL00nEJffakQj81O8YHMFa6lGG5Jxb9Op1B5aHzU94cIvt8u5_jOHfzq0YZqkmACEJSE6cDpY/s1600/Alexandria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3TdEqhKimAJlieQH6kC9k6kR4aEQKSNmIEdGVAiAVbHet1-45_crdZy_RYcfjV7zvwiL00nEJffakQj81O8YHMFa6lGG5Jxb9Op1B5aHzU94cIvt8u5_jOHfzq0YZqkmACEJSE6cDpY/s1600/Alexandria.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becca's pasta bowl.<br />mmmmm delicious!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After our lunch it was finally time to put our feet in the Mediterranean Sea. It was pretty cold – but that didn’t stop the locals from swimming. Most of the women in the water were swimming fully clothed, veil and all. We
walked down the beach for a bit then took to the sidewalk. It didn’t take too
long to notice that we seemed to be the only tourists in all of Alexandria.
It’s not as culturally diverse as Maadi. It was nice to be able to walk and not
be hounded by too many people for money (only the odd one – which was much
better than some places we’ve been). We stopped to watch the sun set and Mike
started talking to a guy who spoke some English. Before we knew it, he was
asking to have his picture taken with Becca. On the walk back to the hotel we
ran into a man who was on his way to have a beer by himself and he invited us
to join him. His English was strong and he seemed very nice so we decided to
take a chance and make a new friend. The bar that he wanted to take us to was
closed but he spoke, in Arabic, to someone and before we knew it, we were
sitting on the shore drinking beer and wine and snacking on peanuts and
popcorn. It was strange but nice. We learned that Alain was born in Cairo but
grew up in Germany, and owns a flat in Alexandria. After our drink, we exchanged
phone numbers with a plan to possibly meet for coffee the next day and went
back to our suite. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJsZ9FCygrgvfqt-eN64z1E6i8zFtEZeV_nfGuGQ5_yTL86m8c_n57Jo35ES28GtdYcgawdhJ2NU0o7Vro5HCZmN6JxKLhxHOiU1QxgpGi-IKHB8eaVLLVOOFpF-1b6C5ZQh8bqicPcs/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJsZ9FCygrgvfqt-eN64z1E6i8zFtEZeV_nfGuGQ5_yTL86m8c_n57Jo35ES28GtdYcgawdhJ2NU0o7Vro5HCZmN6JxKLhxHOiU1QxgpGi-IKHB8eaVLLVOOFpF-1b6C5ZQh8bqicPcs/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+006.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The next morning, we had a traditional Egyptian breakfast
delivered to our room including falafel which I love. We decided to start our
sightseeing with the closest venue – the Montazah Palace. It is set in
extensive gardens and overlooks a truly beautiful stretch of coast. It was
built at the beginning of the 20<sup>th</sup> century by Khedive Abbas II, a
relative of King Farouk (the last Egyptian King). The palace itself is closed
to the public but we enjoyed the grounds and view of the sea.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQC15jW2HGmcZk9Pff63lL3FKO-eVuNo0-THL9nlpqG9Iu-uqttrGUXZYgli67gMigIQaXkAdQ5pzFZpsx0nci9BsiK8KzEQHu79MruEwaT1MNJixgcreo98h32xPgjVoy_kYK5mUxwyM/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQC15jW2HGmcZk9Pff63lL3FKO-eVuNo0-THL9nlpqG9Iu-uqttrGUXZYgli67gMigIQaXkAdQ5pzFZpsx0nci9BsiK8KzEQHu79MruEwaT1MNJixgcreo98h32xPgjVoy_kYK5mUxwyM/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+007.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next, we met up with our new friend Alain for coffee and
then rode a public bus (for the first time in Egypt) all the way to the
library. We thought we would just get a taxi but Alain told us that taxis in
Alexandria do not run on a meter. The driver would take one look at us and try
to get top price (as much as 80LE) and then some. The bus was only 1 pound! And
actually, the bus that stopped for us wasn’t even open for business. The driver
was on his way to the terminal but saw us and took us beyond where he needed to
go so we could arrive safely at the library. The outside of the library was
very interesting but we were shocked to find out that it was closed that day.
So, we took a photo from the outside and moved on to the Citadel a.k.a Fort
Qaitbey. It looks like a castle and has a great view of Alexandria and out to
sea. We toured the fort which was just a bunch of stone walls, floors and
stairs with exception to the mosque in the middle (the oldest in Alexandria) which
had a marble and alabaster tile floor. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the Citadel, Alain took us to the Greek Club
overlooking the harbour for another very late lunch. When lunch was finished, we took the
bus back to our hotel and with the heat of the day beating down on us, we were
ready to be in for the evening. Mike and
I did take a walk down to a convenience store for some beer and snacks a while
later but other than that, we relaxed in our suite. We enjoyed watching a
couple old Woody Allen movies on TV. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEUlpClfzlxS_Hz9_NNQvHkzNBeBZY3oRWvTXN3myjs11LMtRe9XZfBNlIkpx0yviiQnH2TiFHlAbRpYkoHEPKBAii37CrhRwNuv0dzSKdf51U-WZaXsQ3DAFDwmphG4fD8lUI2lY5JU/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEUlpClfzlxS_Hz9_NNQvHkzNBeBZY3oRWvTXN3myjs11LMtRe9XZfBNlIkpx0yviiQnH2TiFHlAbRpYkoHEPKBAii37CrhRwNuv0dzSKdf51U-WZaXsQ3DAFDwmphG4fD8lUI2lY5JU/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+008.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Saturday morning, we went to the restaurant suggested by
the hotel for breakfast before heading back to Maadi. Breakfast could
have been better … I’ll just leave it at that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our time in Alexandria was too short! There are lots of sites we didn't get time to see like the Roman Amphitheater, the Graeco-Roman museum, Pompey's Pillar and the Royal Jewellery museum not to mention the INSIDE of the Library. If there is ever a next time in Alexandria for us, we know where to start.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-54725643489808795772013-05-19T12:40:00.003-07:002013-05-19T12:56:23.808-07:00Becca's History Trip - April 11-19, 2013<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWAm7irsYw4oE4I7Dz4xzjh7ZY0R-2JmC3ToHjhmS3x9a7kSYDVCUYkS7Au7kBywOJiIu2laXD0s4XCyF27ivcFyS_DjWTLYlFinACKl2T3yk_BAPyJO6HJaZy6rW32PeElhLiYa5JnE/s1600/DSC_7120(rev+1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWAm7irsYw4oE4I7Dz4xzjh7ZY0R-2JmC3ToHjhmS3x9a7kSYDVCUYkS7Au7kBywOJiIu2laXD0s4XCyF27ivcFyS_DjWTLYlFinACKl2T3yk_BAPyJO6HJaZy6rW32PeElhLiYa5JnE/s1600/DSC_7120(rev+1).jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 am - up and ready for the airport!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I apologize for the long wait between posts. I have no idea where the time has gone. I have about 5 posts coming. I'll try to do one every night this week until I get caught up. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Becca’s school history trip was from April 11 – April 19.
This was her first school trip of this kind. (Where multiple payments were made and then you leave with a suitcase
and passport and don’t return for 8 days.) She had a blast. They visited <b><span style="color: yellow;"><i>Paris,
Vimy Ridge and Normandy</i></span></b>. They saw all the Canadian sites and soil and museums
and memorial walls, plaques and cemeteries. Not to mention the Eiffel Tower and
Paris shopping! She took a small camera with her that she got for Christmas a
couple of years ago. Note to all reading this – never buy a camera that takes
double AA batteries. If it doesn’t have a rechargeable lithium battery – DON’T
BUY IT. I sent her with full power batteries and an extra pack of specific
camera Kodak batteries and both sets died on her before the third day. Now, she
could have forgotten and left the camera on or taken a video or two and drained
the battery that way – I didn’t get a detailed account – but still, if it was
rechargeable, she would have her own photos to show you. She has collected some
photos from friends thanks to their cell phones. She had a really great time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjty3hFi2IAkjISnhACrW_prHQ34fQQqNDqgZMIz_6GY9w7Z_kelc2fMRrDTNfQ_T-oplSuL6FV2l7DUiUs2gahxZHXsiLWtTrcXHB46nfTZabe-9XjUbZ9EbGQmEJ0DSDOKbnHjjUEQ/s1600/DSC_7216(rev+1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjty3hFi2IAkjISnhACrW_prHQ34fQQqNDqgZMIz_6GY9w7Z_kelc2fMRrDTNfQ_T-oplSuL6FV2l7DUiUs2gahxZHXsiLWtTrcXHB46nfTZabe-9XjUbZ9EbGQmEJ0DSDOKbnHjjUEQ/s1600/DSC_7216(rev+1).jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The minute she walked through the door. <br />
(I probably should have let her catch her breath after<br />
dragging a suitcase up 4 flights of stairs.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuNddmP4Vq3zQbY70hybbiXeH12GNIFKmLixVgq-bACdlInjRGPjp6p7ubdeKy7U8oVHrvFU3wqHLpqiLvrR7PW1jeerb0JFl-9XDSj9IVe7gz1eKttELvicVv3_Z9uQzUG7OQg2MkTY/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuNddmP4Vq3zQbY70hybbiXeH12GNIFKmLixVgq-bACdlInjRGPjp6p7ubdeKy7U8oVHrvFU3wqHLpqiLvrR7PW1jeerb0JFl-9XDSj9IVe7gz1eKttELvicVv3_Z9uQzUG7OQg2MkTY/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+001.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlA0Bk-UXUY8vQkDxHMcb1L0TIIhTgjvRb6CyGjQi7OqtswZ3bpS2j-ObQcvJ9qrkhgNy_BHazjOX9-FrOXiGGKcJYrv6g1Tlg1_puEmT1Wn2SSe21i5TjZnMSA0WqKnB6LnuG6inCo9o/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlA0Bk-UXUY8vQkDxHMcb1L0TIIhTgjvRb6CyGjQi7OqtswZ3bpS2j-ObQcvJ9qrkhgNy_BHazjOX9-FrOXiGGKcJYrv6g1Tlg1_puEmT1Wn2SSe21i5TjZnMSA0WqKnB6LnuG6inCo9o/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+002.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFM_b4rIb7dCX7G8fvu2_Zy5axocDF5VAl294brk4I3Vf5Nkq9wZeUu5clfdcTBVaggXSPDKyC8V0XouPPxpf_jDtQW40DMaVvfniNh6qMeY-7g80Q5Ax78-EQgMpxse6SyTCFC48BAI/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFM_b4rIb7dCX7G8fvu2_Zy5axocDF5VAl294brk4I3Vf5Nkq9wZeUu5clfdcTBVaggXSPDKyC8V0XouPPxpf_jDtQW40DMaVvfniNh6qMeY-7g80Q5Ax78-EQgMpxse6SyTCFC48BAI/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+003.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQs4YyH7Yr41jMro0jiV0q3CwUoFXekaQtm1qvQFrDbKPkQeUP0Kp1ZFrS20Erm5K_VCnbNhX9n5eiokxX5rSaV5VanR2mNiFlhqqn8kcYRXHru5A93SfZ-5edBdHud-7CoOoZAlLHCE/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQs4YyH7Yr41jMro0jiV0q3CwUoFXekaQtm1qvQFrDbKPkQeUP0Kp1ZFrS20Erm5K_VCnbNhX9n5eiokxX5rSaV5VanR2mNiFlhqqn8kcYRXHru5A93SfZ-5edBdHud-7CoOoZAlLHCE/s1600/Blog+photos+-+Page+004.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Becca - she got her hair caught in the back of the hair dryer at one of the hotels. LOL</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ61B053C68ZtKrhrT4ncs-_bF_eUIQMcuK1_nQYuvsf3t9DOs8Z4GYFBneP6vggLlhZmj1YFiylo2IpUtTdfy8nK1yQOxglB8DAVxJOWnPsFc-H6Gilx0qr8j-cmnZotcS9RfehV2kX0/s1600/IMG_20130325_155320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ61B053C68ZtKrhrT4ncs-_bF_eUIQMcuK1_nQYuvsf3t9DOs8Z4GYFBneP6vggLlhZmj1YFiylo2IpUtTdfy8nK1yQOxglB8DAVxJOWnPsFc-H6Gilx0qr8j-cmnZotcS9RfehV2kX0/s1600/IMG_20130325_155320.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqI4kZBqL5OxpAf9nSGePV_uN2_DkL4yELSGRhDSn_WXlDuT1Y-4Ic2LTeZdVLGrZK-jEj6vnCckve7pj5OvTrA7uRMYsyVROtpu8w_AY1zXgRU6RupTjyuHJkeAgFeFs7yu7HVl4P758/s1600/DSC_7218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqI4kZBqL5OxpAf9nSGePV_uN2_DkL4yELSGRhDSn_WXlDuT1Y-4Ic2LTeZdVLGrZK-jEj6vnCckve7pj5OvTrA7uRMYsyVROtpu8w_AY1zXgRU6RupTjyuHJkeAgFeFs7yu7HVl4P758/s1600/DSC_7218.jpg" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Converse shoes are protecting a lot of feet in Egypt. I bought a pair at the converse store when they had a 60% off sale earlier this year and Becca bought herself a pair while shopping in Normandy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-19370676320218584662013-03-22T13:56:00.002-07:002013-03-22T14:20:45.743-07:00Lions and Leopards and Elephants, oh my! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
One word: <span style="color: magenta;"><b><i>AMAZING!</i></b></span><br />
<br />
Our custom trip was planned by Ali at Sonata Travel (who has planned all our trips for us) with his partners in Kenya at Somak Safaris. Our trip was 5 nights and 6 days. Our flights were included. All our meals were included starting with dinner on the 1st day and our rooms were triple rooms. We had a driver/English-speaking guide and 4x4 safari vehicle with cooler full of water bottles the entire time. The fees for all parks and tours were included in the price. The only things not included were the drinks (any drinks including water at meals), tips and any shopping we wanted to do. We also had to purchase a tourist visa at the airport for $50 each. Our base cost was $5500. We spent aprox $800 while there on visas, drinks, tips, snacks, and shopping. <br />
<br />
The Itinerary:<br />
<br />
Day 1 - March 15/13 <b>ARRIVE NAIROBI, KENYA </b><br />
Arrive at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and proceed through immigration and baggage collection. Met by a local representative of Somak Travel <span style="color: magenta;">who taught us to say <b><i>JAMBO</i></b> for hello in Swahili</span> and transferred to your hotel. Check in and relax at the hotel. <span style="color: magenta;">Relaxing was required because our flight was an over-nighter that was delayed by 60 minutes with a stop in Khartoum where we sat in the plane for 50 minutes. Only Becca was able to sleep most of the way.</span><br />
In the afternoon pick up by Somak Travel and enjoy a city tour of Nairobi where you get a chance to see the Parliament Building and vicinity. You also get a chance to visit the colourful city market. Proceed to the Giraffe Center and feed the endangered Rothschild Giraffes. <span style="color: magenta;">Feeding the Giraffes was for sure our highlight of the day!</span><br />
Dinner tonight will be at the famous Carnivore Restaurant. <span style="color: magenta;">This restaurant is every meat lovers dream. If you ever do go - know that it's OK to say 'no for now' to a meat - they will bring it around again and again until you surrender your table flag. You don't have to eat at top speed (like we did) to try and keep up to all the different meats being dropped onto your plate. Becca thinks it's hilarious that she at an Ox Ball - yes it's exactly what it sounds like.</span><br />
Overnight at The Intercontinental Hotel <span style="color: magenta;">Very nice hotel and super friendly people.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilF9QgBiwHr2Af6AK7pVY5KnbjnYffCG2j5ZysdnHLkdgLw-KmPpvzt6H-uM6hCT0rmjpWFqeQtE9GgIwuFZG6foeyXBrthG0qgemFKpb9PDQYSuojxlE85GCeqxxKmgtyvswB9eF010M/s1600/Kenya+Day+1_0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilF9QgBiwHr2Af6AK7pVY5KnbjnYffCG2j5ZysdnHLkdgLw-KmPpvzt6H-uM6hCT0rmjpWFqeQtE9GgIwuFZG6foeyXBrthG0qgemFKpb9PDQYSuojxlE85GCeqxxKmgtyvswB9eF010M/s1600/Kenya+Day+1_0004.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Day 2 - March 16/13 <b>NAIROBI / ABERDARE NATIONAL PARK</b><br />
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. <span style="color: magenta;">Which turned into a take out breakfast for us because we fell asleep without setting an alarm or asking for a wake-up call and slept in. We slept for 12 hours! Boy were we tired. Gilbert, our driver, taught us how to say Hakuna Matata (no worries - but we already knew that from the movie The Lion King, we just didn't realize it was actually used.). </span>This morning drive through the lush coffee plantations in Kenya and on to the Aberdares. (170kms, 3 hour drive aprox.) Arrive in time for lunch at the Aberdares Country Club. <span style="color: magenta;">We saw men walking down the golf course fairway with their clubs and there were baboons on the green! During lunch we watched peacocks strut on the lawn. </span><br />
After lunch transfer in the lodge's own vehicle with your overnight bag to the Ark Lodge. Rest of the afternoon spent at leisure viewing animals from the deck of the lodge. Evening at leisure. <span style="color: magenta;">The lodge viewing areas were really big and comfy. Watching the animals by the watering hole, eating the salt off the dirt was very relaxing. We wished there were more people around - besides the three of us, we only saw two other guests. They were Japaniese but living in Nairobi for work. We learned the words KARIBU which means 'Welcome' also works for 'Your Welcome' and ASANTA SANA which means 'thank-you very much'. </span><br />
Dinner and overnight at The Ark Lodge<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX661cNLlEAnFr6rMmKkTFxFo3KFOmm0bOKibQAv7SaERPBU03p_fvgvzMNFupLzg5AswQ93B6mBo2M5Aiqs8Wm7BU6ZlVAyfLNDjz032vF_eXeaVI3MJtGzfhPW2CLmNCUnAnjnHOT1Y/s1600/Kenya+Day+2_0024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX661cNLlEAnFr6rMmKkTFxFo3KFOmm0bOKibQAv7SaERPBU03p_fvgvzMNFupLzg5AswQ93B6mBo2M5Aiqs8Wm7BU6ZlVAyfLNDjz032vF_eXeaVI3MJtGzfhPW2CLmNCUnAnjnHOT1Y/s1600/Kenya+Day+2_0024.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Day 3 - March 17/13 <b>ABERDARE NATIONAL PARK / LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK</b><br />
Breakfast at the lodge. After breakfast transfer back to the Aberdare Country Club and meet with your Somak Driver/Guide and drive to the exotic Lake Nakuru National Park (240kms, 3 hours drive aprox) <span style="color: magenta;">We crossed the Equator TWICE because of the roads around the mountains. We also stopped at a waterfall.</span><br />
Arrive in time for lunch at the lodge. <span style="color: magenta;">The lodge is beautiful, lunch was delicious and our view of the lake and little baboons was very cool.</span><br />
Afternoon enjoy an extensive game drive in the park home to Flamingos and sanctuary for the endangered black & white Rhinos. <span style="color: magenta;">Because of the rain, the road was washed out in places so we had to take a longer route to get to the Flamingos which meant we didn't have time for the rhino sanctuary - but that was ok, we saw a white rhino and her baby cross the road in front of us! We also saw lots of other birds, lions, giraffes and zebras and lots of cape buffalo. </span>Return back to your lodge at sunset.<br />
Dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge. <span style="color: magenta;">During dinner they had a man playing guitar for tips around the restaurant. He stopped at our table and Mike asked him to play some Dylan! He actually played a verse of Blown' in the Wind. After dinner, the bar had a performance from the Friends of Lake Nakuru Choir. Mike and I sat in the front row and before we knew it, we were up dancing and singing with an African Choir! It was a very fun night.</span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNCwEe2514OT7YNjzS-j_lLC0QmXQoqeWUDI2bnkLsnz7iWu2EdGnXsIoxSn8GzkzsCp-M-n2TvDmbGY5TPI_oKA8kosKFR6iy-Pz6ZQ7K-1CWYp9HQGAUVSIpN1m3k3a1HLiSmG8XTQ/s1600/Kenya+Day+3_0020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNCwEe2514OT7YNjzS-j_lLC0QmXQoqeWUDI2bnkLsnz7iWu2EdGnXsIoxSn8GzkzsCp-M-n2TvDmbGY5TPI_oKA8kosKFR6iy-Pz6ZQ7K-1CWYp9HQGAUVSIpN1m3k3a1HLiSmG8XTQ/s1600/Kenya+Day+3_0020.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
Day 4 - March 18/13 <b>LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK / MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE</b><br />
Early breakfast at the lodge. Today depart for the world famous Masai Mara Game Reserve. (330 kms, 5 hours drive aprox) <span style="color: magenta;">It actually took more like 6 1/2 but we had a couple stops along the way. And 6 hours in the jeep wasn't bad at all because Kenya is a beautiful country. We had lots to see out the windows. </span>The Masai Mara is Kenya's finest and most outstanding wildlife sanctuary where gentle rolling grassland ensures animals are never out of sight. <span style="color: magenta;">(unless it's March and there has been enough rain to make the grass grow very tall. In the summer when the wildebeests come back, they will eat the grass down and the animals will be easily in sight again) </span>The climate is gentle, rarely too hot and well spread rainfall year round. <span style="color: magenta;">(It rained both days we were there but after living in Egypt for 7 months and seeing rain only twice we welcomed the rain with open arms!)</span><br />
Arrive in time for lunch at the camp. After lunch check in and relax in your tent. <span style="color: magenta;">Some tent!!! WOW! Just the tent by itself was worth the drive. </span><br />
Enjoy a late afternoon game drive in the reserve. No matter how much you have thought about Africa, this is more than you expected - the big five - Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Rhino and Cape Buffalo are in abundance. <span style="color: magenta;">But will you actually find them? - that's the challenge and biggest worry for the driver/guide. Our guide, Gilbert, would tell us to never give up hope. On our first game drive in the Masai Mara we saw a lot of giraffes and baboons, zebras, wart hogs, cape buffalo, a hyena, ostriches and elephants, impalas, topis, gazelles and more!</span><br />
Dinner and overnight at Ashnil Mara Tented Camp. <span style="color: magenta;">So comfortable! </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakIs79Sus4MKZpw6jvZfmecmjcOFeULfD1Yc9v915o4rWfX5M1ZwrBURs5U1e0PFyz7AnIZo5-YsXoB47u3oCjtW4ZVimTGIf11AybUucHM-_NYAEyDIDvMTQtj98QAD9GtwtwcaVoo0/s1600/Kenya+Day+4_0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakIs79Sus4MKZpw6jvZfmecmjcOFeULfD1Yc9v915o4rWfX5M1ZwrBURs5U1e0PFyz7AnIZo5-YsXoB47u3oCjtW4ZVimTGIf11AybUucHM-_NYAEyDIDvMTQtj98QAD9GtwtwcaVoo0/s1600/Kenya+Day+4_0008.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
Day 5 March 19/13 <b>MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE</b><br />
<span style="color: magenta;">We had an optional hot air balloon flight here but we're not fans of getting up at 4am and with the recent fiasco in Luxor we're not too trusting of hot air balloons. However, Kenya is not Egypt and the standards and service is very different. I'm sure it would have been fine. In fact we saw the balloons floating gracefully over the Savannah grasslands and it looked very peaceful. </span>Enjoy an early morning game drive in the reserve with breakfast served at the camp. Rest of the morning spent at leisure with lunch at the camp. <span style="color: magenta;">Our early morning game drive took us to the LIONS!!! A whole pride + two others. Gilbert thought they looked full so he followed his instincts and looked around a bit and he found us the zebra they ate for breakfast! So cool! This morning we also found the hippos. Mike and Becca saw a crocodile but I wasn't fast enough to catch it with the camera. Our afternoon was very relaxing. I spent a lot of time reading and hanging out in that big fantastic chair on our deck. Mike had a massage - after all the bumps, it felt really nice. </span><br />
Depart for a late afternoon game drive in the reserve. The trees in the distance might turn out to be a family of giraffes. Those clumps of bushes a pride of lions, and the rock that moves a rhino lumbering out of your way. With diligence and some luck, you may encounter a family of cheetahs, or a herd of elephants crossing the path in front of you. Return back to camp at sunset. <span style="color: magenta;">We did see a black rhino and her baby but she did not want to see us. She quickly turned her back and hid behind some bushes. I didn't get her photo and Gilbert didn't feel it was a good idea to hang around. We spent a lot of time looking for a leopard, the only one of the big 5 that we hadn't seen yet. But, no luck ... Gilbert told us to not give up hope, we could see one on the way out.</span><br />
Dinner and overnight at Ashnil Mara Tented Camp<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERQIExsV-XbLTb42Yx8a2mZcVr-CokoZKcuXvniWpTQ9XaBNpWNGSzXM6rF-jtM_8iceQ7nZ8AmzAbDtuqcfEgM2olt9E_u6nr9AgchgRE85c9ZShmpPlD2zWFzjIqMtvU1SXZ6nRu6U/s1600/Kenya+Day+5_0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERQIExsV-XbLTb42Yx8a2mZcVr-CokoZKcuXvniWpTQ9XaBNpWNGSzXM6rF-jtM_8iceQ7nZ8AmzAbDtuqcfEgM2olt9E_u6nr9AgchgRE85c9ZShmpPlD2zWFzjIqMtvU1SXZ6nRu6U/s1600/Kenya+Day+5_0007.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
Day 6 March 20/13 <b>MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE / NAIROBI / DEPART</b><br />
Breakfast at the camp. This morning depart <span style="color: magenta;">(on our way out of the park we saw a lot of animals including a LEOPARD!) </span>and drive to Nairobi (350 kms, 5 hours drive aprox). Upon arrival transfer to the Somak Safari Lounge where a light lunch will be served. Freshen up and relax at the lounge. <span style="color: magenta;">What a nice gesture this was. They could have easily dropped us off at the airport but because we had a few hours they fed us lunch and let us lounge around on big comfy chairs and couches. We could have had showers if we wanted!</span><br />
Depart from the lounge and transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to board your flight back home. <span style="color: magenta;">The duty free at the airport has 1 litre bottles of smirnoff vodka for $9 US!! I brought home two. Kenya duty free has the best prices I've seen yet. </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hfyvWwIp0l8WeMxLvnonMQlCPtXzOZEB1f_ppPY1Qs48p6z9i8vUhHsY2Xcd8VkLNV2SFfLYBMz0BS86XffVtL_40MzgIz-5qpyT_hAuLN_nWJFxAwEm-IdjG8knz70Br-KmBUXNOvI/s1600/Kenya+Day+6_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hfyvWwIp0l8WeMxLvnonMQlCPtXzOZEB1f_ppPY1Qs48p6z9i8vUhHsY2Xcd8VkLNV2SFfLYBMz0BS86XffVtL_40MzgIz-5qpyT_hAuLN_nWJFxAwEm-IdjG8knz70Br-KmBUXNOvI/s1600/Kenya+Day+6_0003.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;">And now, the part you've all been waiting for: THE PHOTOS! I've attached a link to my facebook album so you can see all of our favourite photos instead of just a small selection : </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4587305723971.1073741825.1331881912&type=1&l=fae2aa6373" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4587305723971.1073741825.1331881912&type=1&l=fae2aa6373</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;">Enjoy! </span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;">If this trip is on your wish list of vacations - MOVE IT TO THE TOP!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span>
<span style="color: magenta;"> </span> <span style="color: magenta;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span><br />
<span style="color: magenta;"></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-74643781351479009072013-03-17T05:37:00.003-07:002013-03-17T05:37:50.474-07:00March Break Vacation UpdateHi All, we arrived safe and sound in Kenya. The plugs don't fit our devices so we can't recharge and internet access is hard to come by. We are having a wonderful time so far. We love it here. No SAND!<br />
There is a lot of green, real dirt, happy colourful people and best of all so many animals. We crossed the equator line twice today! Our first real game drive begins in 30 minutes. We are hoping to see some rhinos and flamingos. We spent a lot of time yesterday afternoon watching a herd of cape buffalo - so cool! Tomorrow we head to the big masai mara (no time to spell check) park where we hope to see one of each of the "big 5" animals. I'll post lots of photos and I have a lot more to say .... when we return at the end of the week.<br />
<br />
Happy St. Patti's day!<br />
<br />
Sarah<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-61085560267347852702013-02-16T03:50:00.000-08:002013-02-16T03:50:48.567-08:00All about Becca Boo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsROSw0eATItfILUL64quhSRQ2pUIJK3NnuzLHWNd7FPBek4Fx46aDDv2RXaBcP-W52LPPjQVm8UhRXXLCViqbhHuVJniIwxz43ib0BqtuaHh6VCkvm7d0QxqPY8YFvpNmA1sYikRuvOQ/s1600/BeccaBoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsROSw0eATItfILUL64quhSRQ2pUIJK3NnuzLHWNd7FPBek4Fx46aDDv2RXaBcP-W52LPPjQVm8UhRXXLCViqbhHuVJniIwxz43ib0BqtuaHh6VCkvm7d0QxqPY8YFvpNmA1sYikRuvOQ/s1600/BeccaBoo.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZkhWVio5vbuP1VlBLzAJ7ZFRlSJDxN2-B8sM66j5ygEFG8lRV43va750ZyGnyyAi4HzNq0KVG8l9i-ZFeKeSEyoW3BV1qFfioGHKXonlg4T4bPULTveMrcy6sA0swWr7xqPrtAxU9ms/s1600/BBall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZkhWVio5vbuP1VlBLzAJ7ZFRlSJDxN2-B8sM66j5ygEFG8lRV43va750ZyGnyyAi4HzNq0KVG8l9i-ZFeKeSEyoW3BV1qFfioGHKXonlg4T4bPULTveMrcy6sA0swWr7xqPrtAxU9ms/s1600/BBall.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-22975354272511359312013-02-11T09:59:00.004-08:002013-02-11T09:59:51.378-08:009 Items, The Citadel And Some Tombs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoi9R-fM-C0gU2fGiywOlq8ucBZVoUtTIBDfYjy06ou-8jFkIK-NEgh59JvQZwjHoHhkKTmeH6rxZDGZial1PwUbjC1lONq_DUOiE6Qd9SuH50vCFevi4gwbFZNTm77jWpf9Cvv24Upfc/s1600/Feb+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoi9R-fM-C0gU2fGiywOlq8ucBZVoUtTIBDfYjy06ou-8jFkIK-NEgh59JvQZwjHoHhkKTmeH6rxZDGZial1PwUbjC1lONq_DUOiE6Qd9SuH50vCFevi4gwbFZNTm77jWpf9Cvv24Upfc/s1600/Feb+9.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah and Maureen <br />"Hi Vicki and Dan Quinn!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
January was a pretty regular month – nothing exciting enough
to fill a whole blog post happened. So this is a re-cap of a bunch of different
little things that have been going on with us since my last post. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Item # 1:</b> Becca is playing basketball in a women’s league
that was put together to give the Cairo American College High School girls team
some extra practice. They play one game a week and are supposed to have one
practice a week. Becca missed one game because she had two exams the next day
and there have only been two practices. Nonetheless they are sitting in second
spot going into the “finals”. I will take some photos at the next game and post
the best ones for you to see. Mike has been coaching the team which everyone is
truly grateful for. (You didn’t believe he was going to step completely away
from basketball did you? Babysteps.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Item # 2:</b> Mike has written two articles for the Belleville
Intelligencer about our travels. I’m not sure why but we can’t access the
Intelligencer website from here so I can’t even attach a link for you to see. The
crazy thing is – we used to be able to. Thank you so much Brenda for mailing us
the first one. That was such a nice surprise! He plans to write one at the
beginning of each month while we’re here. They appear under the Opinions
section. If you haven’t seen them yet, perhaps YOU can find them on line. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Item # 3</b>: Becca made it through her first semester at CISE
just fine. She didn’t run screaming after her sister to take her home with her
at Christmas. She studied hard for her exams and came home after writing them
saying that they were easy. Second semester has started and she now has Math,
Gym, Civics, English and Arabic. Report cards should come home sometime this week....inshallah... <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Item # 4:</b> We have joined a gym for 3 months: The Samia
Alouba gym and dance studio. This is the same spot where Becca takes her
Hip-Hop lessons so I figured it would be nice to be able to work out while she
is dancing. The gym has three branches that we can go to. Only one of them
interests Mike so he goes to that one, and I’ve been to all three. One is a
women’s only branch and I really like that. The third one is the one with the
dance studio and they also have aerobics. It’s expensive (same or more than we
would pay in Canada) – but we like it and as long as we’re going and using it,
it’s worth it. Becca doesn’t need a gym membership. With dance twice a week and
at the moment basketball once (or twice if there is a practice) a week, she’s
plenty busy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Item # 5:</b> Lots of friends and family have sent us e-mails
hoping that we are safe. I can assure you, we are. On the weekend of the
anniversary of the revolution (Jan 25<sup>th</sup>) we tried to go downtown to
the jazz club and the driver didn’t want to take us. He said it would be safer
for us to stay put. So even when we want to go near the action, we’re warned
against it. We’ll stay here in our little Maadi bubble, and all is well. The
school has warned us to have some US cash on hand and a supply of food and
water “just in case” so we’ve done that but so far, so good. Our next planned
trip to the jazz club is Feb 21<sup>st</sup> – here’s hoping we make it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Item # 6:</b> We’ve booked a March Break Trip!!! We are very
excited to be going on an African Safari in Kenya. Mike loves animals and I can
not wait to get my camera out and click click click. Becca seems excited enough
about it, but anyone who knows Becca knows that her excitement about it will
come as it’s happening or when it’s over. We’ll be gone from March 15-22. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Item # 7</b>: It couldn’t be put off any longer – Becca and I
finally found a spot to get our hair cut. The salon is called Nefertari on road
233. And now that we’ve found the spot, we’ll be going back there again before
we come home for the summer. I had 13
foils put in (highlights) and a trim and Becca got a trim for a grand total of
295LE or $50. And we’re both very pleased with the results. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Item #8:</b> Winter is officially over. February in Egypt is
like May weather in Ontario. It’s about 13 degrees in the morning and warms up
to between 19 - 24 degrees in the afternoon. I have put my socks away! My
winter vest is put away too. Becca never did put on uniform pants – she’s been
wearing shorts to school every day. We’re still wearing long sleeves and pants
most days but this past Saturday we were out and about in short sleeves and it
felt glorious.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Item #9:</b> On Saturday we took a morning trip to see the
Citadel and tour the Mosque of Mohammed Ali then went to the City of the Dead
where we saw the mausoleum where Mohammed Ali’s family is buried. Photos of our
trip below …. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgwx6ZUCsBx-0zQl0ObIOWbA4gA7hOX0HScNHhlWJ-gR0jZCFLgQpUBu2G5wFV4_BduhFQkc9z-TRFsNq00dfPPEOciRcs0MwC8Ul_-L-yT9DqpJoNWW7MahlBmyB8dSZ02TcZumtMcQ/s1600/Feb+9+-+Page+063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgwx6ZUCsBx-0zQl0ObIOWbA4gA7hOX0HScNHhlWJ-gR0jZCFLgQpUBu2G5wFV4_BduhFQkc9z-TRFsNq00dfPPEOciRcs0MwC8Ul_-L-yT9DqpJoNWW7MahlBmyB8dSZ02TcZumtMcQ/s1600/Feb+9+-+Page+063.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittpH6oDh8pSxXKnSStwOFP0mOHnVJoNh2B5QoOAQBn6erTp3POSR38Dkc2vMkU2GVpd3269oq9G7zoRoG3OikH8Y5GpwHqH5-HO-76Wfo3zqA8Wx3azfapF-VcdRI9URTXE7qQIk5J60/s1600/Feb+9+-+Page+064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittpH6oDh8pSxXKnSStwOFP0mOHnVJoNh2B5QoOAQBn6erTp3POSR38Dkc2vMkU2GVpd3269oq9G7zoRoG3OikH8Y5GpwHqH5-HO-76Wfo3zqA8Wx3azfapF-VcdRI9URTXE7qQIk5J60/s1600/Feb+9+-+Page+064.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAi8TnkGJKS-YXsNzROyQ9SqoKbR4IebcBn5aASRc7yxJNRIXkPSLVk5v5ujs-OTJBgwDoHoqc4CJ-l4ZCf6LpPpcJOZaJVMEC59JqQOAO0YKKnNP7vCca2XblYKUrZinUeSBVqcxBqp8/s1600/Feb+9+-+Page+065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAi8TnkGJKS-YXsNzROyQ9SqoKbR4IebcBn5aASRc7yxJNRIXkPSLVk5v5ujs-OTJBgwDoHoqc4CJ-l4ZCf6LpPpcJOZaJVMEC59JqQOAO0YKKnNP7vCca2XblYKUrZinUeSBVqcxBqp8/s1600/Feb+9+-+Page+065.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-68650946128668953462013-01-11T06:34:00.001-08:002013-01-11T06:34:17.778-08:00more vacation photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As promised, here are a few more photos from our Nile Cruise, temple stops and safari.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2wAS9Rc6gtZZBXsYyQ8LO5_0MZ0W-PIwlhBIlUGECYARsMQgd6Y5FK_PreGoZNSh-UtfDEJaZwyrsWh0VKjBQPXNdsI8UAKIjoOciWeXa9AuOyxGt8VpIFxvSrL0h1aoVJs_Mqf_nTg/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2wAS9Rc6gtZZBXsYyQ8LO5_0MZ0W-PIwlhBIlUGECYARsMQgd6Y5FK_PreGoZNSh-UtfDEJaZwyrsWh0VKjBQPXNdsI8UAKIjoOciWeXa9AuOyxGt8VpIFxvSrL0h1aoVJs_Mqf_nTg/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+049.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixEyR_jDtuAZou5iJ4FNxc5okIYHfPpfwQCeiDl8ELzpMJo-DQHKHdGL5Aq8tqLvl83B_FKdhzNyQ37khscsLiehU8pFQEDF_bawcd32zy0ERpxolZqC4cjX_18d7PhmrmOKzFyz5Bpg/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixEyR_jDtuAZou5iJ4FNxc5okIYHfPpfwQCeiDl8ELzpMJo-DQHKHdGL5Aq8tqLvl83B_FKdhzNyQ37khscsLiehU8pFQEDF_bawcd32zy0ERpxolZqC4cjX_18d7PhmrmOKzFyz5Bpg/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+050.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JFh9txPiIISJjfeFlh1BshmVZ5hOtl82p-YYbv8oC_koKMTzKYiG-zPHloyDw25ofIfcL9K0EeQ70-ULziLAJQioosMoNJ5OXdwELfoXoY6OiVQpfPm4twADW3yg8YHqzQWy2z0tUUA/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JFh9txPiIISJjfeFlh1BshmVZ5hOtl82p-YYbv8oC_koKMTzKYiG-zPHloyDw25ofIfcL9K0EeQ70-ULziLAJQioosMoNJ5OXdwELfoXoY6OiVQpfPm4twADW3yg8YHqzQWy2z0tUUA/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+051.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0U5zfTps4LwZB3LkKs9dkcTWximbbVe3U5Egd44SHsLdxfJwZ2mBG0hMObMGiRJFSXrs94ONqB1WGnDxd5nH3z3KnBnCTrsFBy_w1-CWbwG7RwqOqSYTVV9fG3Hg41iIRDQKBKTcIEc/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0U5zfTps4LwZB3LkKs9dkcTWximbbVe3U5Egd44SHsLdxfJwZ2mBG0hMObMGiRJFSXrs94ONqB1WGnDxd5nH3z3KnBnCTrsFBy_w1-CWbwG7RwqOqSYTVV9fG3Hg41iIRDQKBKTcIEc/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+052.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGPcSKTlR4hA1JfMw7DmQ5unSTlSxvKnKGaRmc0g0TKMz1Frczfvbu0zKxRSUVvpeL3MH9n0590Xkh416y-QTr0msyTOBot5cFoiqMFCWHHLWLhybxrEgQz0J8_mampn-7d5ty0FPTqU/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGPcSKTlR4hA1JfMw7DmQ5unSTlSxvKnKGaRmc0g0TKMz1Frczfvbu0zKxRSUVvpeL3MH9n0590Xkh416y-QTr0msyTOBot5cFoiqMFCWHHLWLhybxrEgQz0J8_mampn-7d5ty0FPTqU/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+053.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUCAkarPxPDm7lAA0t-Ck35HDdvuecVAOGOhuts6mavxPyJILX7jnaVY3x4quP38fWtmm_2F4_EHItqMJ8D1_jslr1-homTbw6IVnr3SFd9Sjo1cN6Tue3CH_LIQeau4kpPtpJBCq_Xs/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUCAkarPxPDm7lAA0t-Ck35HDdvuecVAOGOhuts6mavxPyJILX7jnaVY3x4quP38fWtmm_2F4_EHItqMJ8D1_jslr1-homTbw6IVnr3SFd9Sjo1cN6Tue3CH_LIQeau4kpPtpJBCq_Xs/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+054.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIzk4tk8jPP9ngvJ4VkgxIMi-faz1p3tPZ8cLLIqAhnGmsWxp03MJ6X3IId6paQW_LI6UhBt5rmXF-OqLmbdMHUSzVYDNfR9zzUBRi4WN8IZlM8vI3_UYh_z0YI57EyojqGCxRuyp4qs/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIzk4tk8jPP9ngvJ4VkgxIMi-faz1p3tPZ8cLLIqAhnGmsWxp03MJ6X3IId6paQW_LI6UhBt5rmXF-OqLmbdMHUSzVYDNfR9zzUBRi4WN8IZlM8vI3_UYh_z0YI57EyojqGCxRuyp4qs/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+055.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3DwD8G5e0AZ0CsATcktwliKew6F_t7rm8a1hIGWsI2n52jfHgJxwTsX2NXHB5m7fETgYFBbo3jfGkzeYduzavJhqC5JdZMCSmvFuLaYsKmHtAMuCVc78Jf8MCyAHgr2VlKpyMXl23ls/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3DwD8G5e0AZ0CsATcktwliKew6F_t7rm8a1hIGWsI2n52jfHgJxwTsX2NXHB5m7fETgYFBbo3jfGkzeYduzavJhqC5JdZMCSmvFuLaYsKmHtAMuCVc78Jf8MCyAHgr2VlKpyMXl23ls/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+056.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ1qrtfMVKL3sIxtfT_PXP5JCQn4VNFnZsQ_HGgEZ-URS-_uVetFV9ar1td2Ajckd5P6dNrIU1YGSS2qwacFcscDF0xC0-tlDvRiwEpdF-5dnhBP1oPue2mABJ0qRQXTrYAS4F1Sz57Y/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ1qrtfMVKL3sIxtfT_PXP5JCQn4VNFnZsQ_HGgEZ-URS-_uVetFV9ar1td2Ajckd5P6dNrIU1YGSS2qwacFcscDF0xC0-tlDvRiwEpdF-5dnhBP1oPue2mABJ0qRQXTrYAS4F1Sz57Y/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+057.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWW05GVaAcO13OOBtqoWwuz5MZ5gGUUXYM9VXHRe37zIvjmUidgKmkJWu4NUGkKmtRtYXkS_Qz4Zaax9525FFNfzm-FWlomtxTsm2JWx_e2hi8fjN1popofJM6mWa4tH-18FatNtrqQk8/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWW05GVaAcO13OOBtqoWwuz5MZ5gGUUXYM9VXHRe37zIvjmUidgKmkJWu4NUGkKmtRtYXkS_Qz4Zaax9525FFNfzm-FWlomtxTsm2JWx_e2hi8fjN1popofJM6mWa4tH-18FatNtrqQk8/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+058.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpKt5hyQy_4s3BDtt-3UvbJMlKAkCOpVgxmDXdiZGCgWfgBaBAIYSIbyeqeUzAT_TmNE_AyrgSDunXDg-a5oyiNCrjuuakjMT0aytQ9YyZr_n-1VkpWfU3j7gra51fQyRlcu7cEYrO3g/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpKt5hyQy_4s3BDtt-3UvbJMlKAkCOpVgxmDXdiZGCgWfgBaBAIYSIbyeqeUzAT_TmNE_AyrgSDunXDg-a5oyiNCrjuuakjMT0aytQ9YyZr_n-1VkpWfU3j7gra51fQyRlcu7cEYrO3g/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+059.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ag_kvMPNrwEgautUlkyMDZZkprFBNxKI1jyxHcO2hYcIroRp6faPevKtU92SS6xgT1sxdHieC60B6PnA4cpfNmNmFKbAcuFr8xsQzn3Suo0PnyU8xuMAdg5Ib23akm11D4xEPjcc5gE/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Ag_kvMPNrwEgautUlkyMDZZkprFBNxKI1jyxHcO2hYcIroRp6faPevKtU92SS6xgT1sxdHieC60B6PnA4cpfNmNmFKbAcuFr8xsQzn3Suo0PnyU8xuMAdg5Ib23akm11D4xEPjcc5gE/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+060.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNABRJpaMiMnfm-EtdpQp-EoUVDQm8XgujZbJtljlVDcejR9jnF7ak1n07T1qjmQ8rBYIjGsZXIS-82-BMQLo2LlDCFNYe033OiAsYMdOK0cBav_OY4ouUlFiinsfPpeXETQL-np79XA/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNABRJpaMiMnfm-EtdpQp-EoUVDQm8XgujZbJtljlVDcejR9jnF7ak1n07T1qjmQ8rBYIjGsZXIS-82-BMQLo2LlDCFNYe033OiAsYMdOK0cBav_OY4ouUlFiinsfPpeXETQL-np79XA/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+061.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpciPsIOmiXLcLxRYD53DU-_wg3jY_Bij4QWLxaYg2dDu2zSIrx89ECcrLH38TgV9SSWbou7D_wCM1Zf6FdYoh8RD28SeT-v43YxqalFy_B4s9TKhhBad9oSiZVD2zs1ccYgtoNX09CeA/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpciPsIOmiXLcLxRYD53DU-_wg3jY_Bij4QWLxaYg2dDu2zSIrx89ECcrLH38TgV9SSWbou7D_wCM1Zf6FdYoh8RD28SeT-v43YxqalFy_B4s9TKhhBad9oSiZVD2zs1ccYgtoNX09CeA/s1600/Christmas+-+Page+062.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJ_Kj3tQSlm-BZfleVDP6fkefvpGX5YumixlFIm-Z6vs_WLU6JL-CF4xwUJXl1UD9GOjQRt0KP7Tuglylv_2ZKXNHX_hCZsNRjMSFZtRlxdEwymtLL-BKSDX-EpUgRijxmtdnY94Y8Bs/s1600/Christmas+Holidays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJ_Kj3tQSlm-BZfleVDP6fkefvpGX5YumixlFIm-Z6vs_WLU6JL-CF4xwUJXl1UD9GOjQRt0KP7Tuglylv_2ZKXNHX_hCZsNRjMSFZtRlxdEwymtLL-BKSDX-EpUgRijxmtdnY94Y8Bs/s1600/Christmas+Holidays.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
I only have one Hurghada photo to add - we really didn't take many. While we were there we spent a lot of time relaxing on our balcony, watching the sea and the Russian sun bathers and playing cards. This photo is of a t-shirt we found for sale in the kids section of one of the tourist shops along the main street. We thought about getting it for our nephew but decided just to take a photo of it instead.<br />
<br />
Our Christmas vacation will officially end tomorrow. Back to our regular school routine on Sunday. It's been a great 3 weeks off. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-79847591170492596842013-01-09T03:59:00.000-08:002013-01-09T03:59:12.042-08:00and then it rained ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
First of all, let me solve the cat mystery, I've made you wait long enough. Did you find them on your own?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RdGPmUtnwWMucvdfMOnqCivvylpMbPzuV_IdmzszvOdVFy_2Rjb-kFyyFzzUJWI_fKl9MfI3Nzgqnus8XxQRuRItz61kNwTHTMOHSbBmXqwL2fL43RcCDT0bqtM_6gSuLUaY7eRDdX8/s1600/Where's+Waldo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RdGPmUtnwWMucvdfMOnqCivvylpMbPzuV_IdmzszvOdVFy_2Rjb-kFyyFzzUJWI_fKl9MfI3Nzgqnus8XxQRuRItz61kNwTHTMOHSbBmXqwL2fL43RcCDT0bqtM_6gSuLUaY7eRDdX8/s1600/Where's+Waldo2.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And now for some excitement - IT RAINED! I know, not really that exciting but when you haven't seen or felt rain for over 4 months it's note worthy at least. On January 8th at about 11pm we heard a noise. It sounded like rain. We went out on the balcony and holy cow it was rain! It was windy and the road was wet. You could see it under the street lights and smell it in the air. It was pretty neat. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This morning, another rain cloud passed over and this time I got out my camera to document the moment.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbl60s8dx_IXxwdLQE4PK3QF1H7Bz4SY7Yv7FiqBpK_fxJeWxD5IkQvJAg01XXQ6BuHYDDCG0Q9tbIDTBR0l5ouVrAJm-uCwEVBdlL6fVDrH6SRGjgx32-bBRHU_qaB3cEuoo-6I5a9Q/s1600/RAIN_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbl60s8dx_IXxwdLQE4PK3QF1H7Bz4SY7Yv7FiqBpK_fxJeWxD5IkQvJAg01XXQ6BuHYDDCG0Q9tbIDTBR0l5ouVrAJm-uCwEVBdlL6fVDrH6SRGjgx32-bBRHU_qaB3cEuoo-6I5a9Q/s1600/RAIN_0002.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rain cloud in Egypt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTTZiJIn5GDQy0PMQDFXAqrbCJ8Ih5ssTAkXuxTqSPl9TfycxgJLpZVJ60hgaD8BXHUy-tO3zfydtOctpQvvaAG1Ok2NWVJqE_81Po1N72nc1V6NpEAhBAqJuDXHJvgAbSC7f6RvpueM/s1600/RAIN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTTZiJIn5GDQy0PMQDFXAqrbCJ8Ih5ssTAkXuxTqSPl9TfycxgJLpZVJ60hgaD8BXHUy-tO3zfydtOctpQvvaAG1Ok2NWVJqE_81Po1N72nc1V6NpEAhBAqJuDXHJvgAbSC7f6RvpueM/s1600/RAIN.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain drops on the window.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXH2Tsl_ISVt0L8CJUKfM-SV7uAzijgjRO5NJqag07ZABwBNWpmChb-yOIPUcBNn42wIYcikhJXJwJQcJjB07HuRy-xILlRg4g2mDiJKviKK0ah9p9eYTXvm0U79iCG-tsJACmVaEb5Q/s1600/RAIN_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXH2Tsl_ISVt0L8CJUKfM-SV7uAzijgjRO5NJqag07ZABwBNWpmChb-yOIPUcBNn42wIYcikhJXJwJQcJjB07HuRy-xILlRg4g2mDiJKviKK0ah9p9eYTXvm0U79iCG-tsJACmVaEb5Q/s1600/RAIN_0001.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain drops on the railing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzeBf-XquklXnYyr1a0SjQgun1RzJ5EL0ihRFe9HR0Bg-I13W7wSir91HzSyg5ULWk8TCdMMsgGhmMfLQO6JENfmU9wedi7hB9VauO58OYf53-pMgGeZVS2ptdyoeB8Z1C-0pBaJE0QI/s1600/RAIN_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzeBf-XquklXnYyr1a0SjQgun1RzJ5EL0ihRFe9HR0Bg-I13W7wSir91HzSyg5ULWk8TCdMMsgGhmMfLQO6JENfmU9wedi7hB9VauO58OYf53-pMgGeZVS2ptdyoeB8Z1C-0pBaJE0QI/s1600/RAIN_0003.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The road is wet! And not just from washing the cars.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-41952661095947922762013-01-06T04:32:00.000-08:002013-01-06T04:32:41.551-08:00Where's Waldo?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE6mfon1c9o/UOluNktOuPI/AAAAAAAAAuw/zTMoUCnODt4/s1600/Where's+Waldo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE6mfon1c9o/UOluNktOuPI/AAAAAAAAAuw/zTMoUCnODt4/s1600/Where's+Waldo.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-21358758805797449042013-01-02T09:16:00.001-08:002013-01-02T09:16:57.951-08:00Brianna's last two days <p>It's almost time to send Bri back to Canada. Her time here has really flown by. She had an opportunity to experience our everyday life here in Maadi and to experience Egypt as a tourist. It's been fantastic to have the girls here together for the holidays.<br>
At midnight on New Year's Eve we were hanging out with my parents and sister via Skype. With a quick chat to the Forster-Lett family before that. It was really nice to see everyone! <br>
On Jan 1st we did some shopping because it was business as usual here and ate a nice dinner at home. Then Mike taught us how to play Texas Hold'em. That was a lot of fun!<br>
Today, Jan 2, we took Bri on the Egypt subway, called the Metro, all the way to downtown Cairo. We stepped out into Tahrir square for the first time. ( I have been before but it was a first for Mike and the girls.) We had a very good experience up there. Three very nice men offered us directions if we needed. Two of them even helped us cross a crazy 6 lanes of traffic. It was great!<br>
We easily found our way to the museum and spent about 2 hours inside looking at as much as we could until our legs were tired.  Our favorite exhibits included the Royal Mummies and all of King Tut's treasures. Especially his death mask and throne. <br>
For Brianna's last dinner we will head to our favourite Italian restaurant for some wine and pasta!<br>
Her flight leaves tomorrow at 10:40am our time and she will be back in Toronto at 7:50pm her time. <br>
As for us .... we still have 10 more days off until school starts back up. We don't have any specific plans except to rest and maybe join the gym and I will be getting caught up on my scrapbook. I'm also going to put together a few more photos for you from our trip.<br>
In the photos below the girls are standing in front of the museum main doors (Mike is sitting on the right side) and then Mike took the second photo showing us in the square with some tents still set up in the background. </p>
<p>Happy New Year!</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfNArNNyYp0xHEZlOAQ1I9CMx0sXmYG4EaDyzVl2JsUyWqplUHo8ABsngP3I6Zgu1nKBNGM8nw-pFcc3LOcjHnGEFKiQB68pFLxLXuvk7PVal_BFzU3xrBQW34rk-iLcHfCTA0u8opps/s1600/2013-01-02%25252010.58.58.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfNArNNyYp0xHEZlOAQ1I9CMx0sXmYG4EaDyzVl2JsUyWqplUHo8ABsngP3I6Zgu1nKBNGM8nw-pFcc3LOcjHnGEFKiQB68pFLxLXuvk7PVal_BFzU3xrBQW34rk-iLcHfCTA0u8opps/s640/2013-01-02%25252010.58.58.jpg' /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDckr8BYX4nH5TSup-c0it05p2jmwWqwolNF80LPvNNm5ueMP9tw9muwAbYBO0G8JS4VV1zZ33erVKE33HgQNIFzVqXqvBgxA_ZAT4y0435I-RongO9SzXqiCCje6PF3e5G1Fs4SYHTpA/s1600/2013-01-02%25252013.45.07.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDckr8BYX4nH5TSup-c0it05p2jmwWqwolNF80LPvNNm5ueMP9tw9muwAbYBO0G8JS4VV1zZ33erVKE33HgQNIFzVqXqvBgxA_ZAT4y0435I-RongO9SzXqiCCje6PF3e5G1Fs4SYHTpA/s640/2013-01-02%25252013.45.07.jpg' /> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-81704221224664021562012-12-31T12:44:00.000-08:002012-12-31T12:44:21.571-08:00Happy New Year!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGAyO-8KViKNnPAQDToAybB1Yq9N7_rHv08qOMYIS7zKp0cfAJsKQeburkm2dqw1JDpMy07F37Uh885FY8_FTx0bZ5Xd05jkFFzBcewgyX7qd77iYgTG5F7nsLKUwZJFXNuZpWv7EVr4/s1600/DSC_4963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGAyO-8KViKNnPAQDToAybB1Yq9N7_rHv08qOMYIS7zKp0cfAJsKQeburkm2dqw1JDpMy07F37Uh885FY8_FTx0bZ5Xd05jkFFzBcewgyX7qd77iYgTG5F7nsLKUwZJFXNuZpWv7EVr4/s1600/DSC_4963.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a>Our New Year's Eve excursion was to the Sound and Light show at the Pyramids in Giza.<br />
We're pretty lucky to be able to just go hang out at the Pyramids on New Year's Eve.<br />
<br />
There's not to much to say about the show. It's so pretty to see the Pyramids all lit up. Even with out the sound part, I could have just sat there and taken photos of all the different lights. They turned the Sphinx into a Pharaoh and made him talk! We liked that part. They gave a bit of history on how the Pyramids were made and the Pharaoh's who were buried there. Mostly it was just cool to watch the Pyramids and Sphinx change colours.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfDsDjgLjy5SPwFPTYe6JPchx_cvlEZkKN_Tu64-j2uIYDN7JnomXCSFmvwfmHjX9CimsppQVz9SVY9QCCnidGNLLyK29n_RHhGxKrukuWjoDP5AY-zVUtveGGU0AGqKwhnI0AlL9XPc/s1600/DSC_4969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfDsDjgLjy5SPwFPTYe6JPchx_cvlEZkKN_Tu64-j2uIYDN7JnomXCSFmvwfmHjX9CimsppQVz9SVY9QCCnidGNLLyK29n_RHhGxKrukuWjoDP5AY-zVUtveGGU0AGqKwhnI0AlL9XPc/s1600/DSC_4969.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a>In the photos, we look like we're dressed for winter. It is winter here. This afternoon we walked to the mall and it was about 22 degrees and as soon as the sun went down we lost about 10 degrees. As you may know, I'm always cold, so 12 degrees in the dark with a breeze means scarf, vest and light gloves.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlRfZGLxyBjz6k4CgXSLFdECcFdb0kMLwqefa2aRkwTOPticyX0tzRQ_NOiMSSgavtWdzTIdxf0xEmYgP5mrL8IMBLum0O-kp8ibdpQfN6ybxjbzjDhYRp5WegWH85SoS2x9JdbHMhKE/s1600/DSC_4978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlRfZGLxyBjz6k4CgXSLFdECcFdb0kMLwqefa2aRkwTOPticyX0tzRQ_NOiMSSgavtWdzTIdxf0xEmYgP5mrL8IMBLum0O-kp8ibdpQfN6ybxjbzjDhYRp5WegWH85SoS2x9JdbHMhKE/s1600/DSC_4978.jpg" height="440" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bgj0QF-AllpnCGp5zqUkIRxCTP00rapk7mTIDapI_B-pXNcBLcyiEQAisSMFr-XC7UYWzYsuf3NKOaBIzqxUPIZqdVkHaAK00STtzkRvIXyBBVP8RQmnYUGPYGimOxMi13ynog45L8w/s1600/DSC_4999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bgj0QF-AllpnCGp5zqUkIRxCTP00rapk7mTIDapI_B-pXNcBLcyiEQAisSMFr-XC7UYWzYsuf3NKOaBIzqxUPIZqdVkHaAK00STtzkRvIXyBBVP8RQmnYUGPYGimOxMi13ynog45L8w/s1600/DSC_4999.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-49248396460313115812012-12-29T09:45:00.001-08:002012-12-29T09:45:55.378-08:00Desert Safari<p>Hurghada Day 3,  Dec 29th</p>
<p>Today was our desert safari trip. We were picked up at 12pm in a jeep and joined by a grandmother and her 4 year old grandson, Casper, from Norway and young couple from China that our guide called "made in China or Chinese".<br>
The drive deep into the desert was long and very bumpy.<br>
We rode 4 wheelers, climbed a small mountain, rode camels, visited the Bedouins, watched the sun set over the mountains, ate dates and bread and a full supper, played a few games and sang a song. Phew!! That was a packed full afternoon. </p>
<p>In the picture below the girls had just finished their camel rides. The camels are grouped in the background.</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXfNIcIosWtKpblwURduI5U-lvBtPlo7P10UNygbF2ZRmtCpgvCWwE8TnP4CUJrAdmDhkAMGmfLcAxBnMA9bVkaLI_mlZAPcvLoaQlbCgGkQnH4e2oNpFPIfsNIw2bjPhSNCIXteC62Q/s1600/2012-12-29%25252015.10.47.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXfNIcIosWtKpblwURduI5U-lvBtPlo7P10UNygbF2ZRmtCpgvCWwE8TnP4CUJrAdmDhkAMGmfLcAxBnMA9bVkaLI_mlZAPcvLoaQlbCgGkQnH4e2oNpFPIfsNIw2bjPhSNCIXteC62Q/s640/2012-12-29%25252015.10.47.jpg' /> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-73175198025090909292012-12-28T12:57:00.001-08:002012-12-28T13:03:47.890-08:00Hurghada, day 2<p>Day two went something like this:<br>
Breakfast<br>
Trip downtown in the hotel shuttle for some shopping. We found some presents, a birthday gift for a special little boy turning 4 today, freshly squeezed orange and strawberry juice from a corner juice bar and some crunchy green imported apples. We also fought off some aggressive sales people that just can't leave us alone. I really hate that part.<br>
We relaxed on the beach for the afternoon <br>
Played uno on the balcony before dinner<br>
Ate dinner<br>
Enjoyed an after dinner cocktail <br>
Watched the dance party from the balcony and headed to bed at 11. <br>
Tomorrow ... Desert safari .....</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAEjepqZ4qQdJZR4MnkIV7wCD-P8YoZShaSiQLpcF3XREF-Kv6qfGWTi6IsaYFJixi4yAcgLSkxG4eJdqDlrbR5jYtaSCSnotFOxzkP4lBvWsWIbWSE962h1hjuXs3FKLQ36f4IHrbW0/s1600/IMG_20121228_143100.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAEjepqZ4qQdJZR4MnkIV7wCD-P8YoZShaSiQLpcF3XREF-Kv6qfGWTi6IsaYFJixi4yAcgLSkxG4eJdqDlrbR5jYtaSCSnotFOxzkP4lBvWsWIbWSE962h1hjuXs3FKLQ36f4IHrbW0/s640/IMG_20121228_143100.jpg' /> </a> </div><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudswJx_7RsBKOpls_I00W5cWEpsQcDjEN0H7DRGKSJ3E_-0p4qPElBd6PwQKcYXEoxtVjlKCKVpDAfy4WWzNOwGj9YoYnVzbvOWnTWOETuCxrAIfuPObJO_sszBLEVV0dnr93wsw6TM4/s1600/2012-12-28%25252011.19.39.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudswJx_7RsBKOpls_I00W5cWEpsQcDjEN0H7DRGKSJ3E_-0p4qPElBd6PwQKcYXEoxtVjlKCKVpDAfy4WWzNOwGj9YoYnVzbvOWnTWOETuCxrAIfuPObJO_sszBLEVV0dnr93wsw6TM4/s640/2012-12-28%25252011.19.39.jpg' /> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-53853492080128072222012-12-27T06:21:00.001-08:002012-12-28T12:58:07.929-08:00Hurghada <p>We have arrived safely to our next destination. Hurghada was further away from Luxor than we expected and also a much bigger city than we imagined. The drive took almost 5 hours. Our little resort seems nice so far. The first thing on our list to do was find a market to stock our room fridge with drinks and fruit. At the market, the workers asked Bec if she would pose with them for a photo. She obliged but Bri wasn't interested. <br>
The next item on our list - relax on a lounge chair on the beach. Done and Done. </p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMc6sym8Zt5FEYkyqQ9RO4R1KrRhoVszSaiYaA2WQpNFgp0PhAHV4j49XZlkneBynQSdgfgcQRvajPuEDxhhNzO_YeIIncaHOKq0Ggzwj2o-Lbw-p65FVItG6sBFam4gt9DD2jHdK8KE8/s1600/2012-12-27%25252014.56.20.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMc6sym8Zt5FEYkyqQ9RO4R1KrRhoVszSaiYaA2WQpNFgp0PhAHV4j49XZlkneBynQSdgfgcQRvajPuEDxhhNzO_YeIIncaHOKq0Ggzwj2o-Lbw-p65FVItG6sBFam4gt9DD2jHdK8KE8/s640/2012-12-27%25252014.56.20.jpg' /> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-49714117882656911582012-12-26T09:12:00.001-08:002012-12-28T05:24:32.314-08:00Luxor <p>Today was a long and wonderful 8 hour day of touring. Brianna is NOT feeling well. It was bound to happen but we came prepared with drugs. Unfortunately they aren't working very quickly.<br>
Our first stop was the temple of Queen Hatshesput which is carved out of the mountains on the opposite side of the valley of the kings. Each temple we see is bigger and better than the last. Maybe the most interesting thing we learned here was not about the queen but about our guide. He was here in 1997 on Nov. 17 when the terrorists killed all those tourists. He was shot at. He managed to save himself and one of the two people he was guiding. <br>
More on this to come when I am not writing on my little cell phone.<br>
Next was the amazing valley of the kings. We visited 3 tombs; Ramses the 3rd, 4th and 9th. Because the tombs are not exposed to the elements we were able to see the colours painted on the hieroglyphics still as vibrant as they were 4000 years ago. When king Tut's tomb was found, it was in tact. The robbers hadn't got to it first. And his tomb is the smallest. They can only imagine what these much larger tombs might have held. It is believed that there are still two tombs that haven't been discovered yet and when they find them, the treasures will still be there. The last morning stop was the alabaster factory where we learned all about rocks and minerals and how they still hand make statues and candle holders and tourist souvenirs. We did some shopping here knowing that what we chose was made with real alabaster in Egypt and not an imitation made in China.<br>
After lunch and leaving a still sick Brianna behind we headed out to see the last two temples on our program. First the biggest of all the temples, the Karnak temple with its massive and really impressive columns and lastly the Luxor temple. By the time we got to the Luxor temple the sun had set and it was really pretty to see all lit up. Before we got to the Luxor temple we visited the papyrus factory where we learned how they make paper. We did a little shopping here too.<br>
Back on the boat we had a nice dinner and then watched a bellydancer! <br>
Tomorrow we head to Hurghada.</p>
<p>The photo below is the view out our window when we woke up .... hot air balloons over the valley of the kings. </p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGt877YP5SBeeL5_RXC3ERyJAHl-q2shEJEyufJF0A1FpZiw4XCMQQnjV31Tm2hJJxyv2AIaAJkjL23U2DtKgs3w9NNxHEDgxeGNnFA1XCBJ9YYiNZ4M9jg7u9kdV8BgNOSYjxvqyyqd4/s1600/2012-12-26%25252006.55.21.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGt877YP5SBeeL5_RXC3ERyJAHl-q2shEJEyufJF0A1FpZiw4XCMQQnjV31Tm2hJJxyv2AIaAJkjL23U2DtKgs3w9NNxHEDgxeGNnFA1XCBJ9YYiNZ4M9jg7u9kdV8BgNOSYjxvqyyqd4/s640/2012-12-26%25252006.55.21.jpg' /> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-69880694467913440152012-12-26T04:28:00.001-08:002012-12-28T05:22:25.178-08:00Christmas Day in Edfu <p>Merry Christmas!</p>
<p>Our day started with breakfast on the boat. We met our guide at 8am and walked to the kom ombo temple. This was the first temple we saw that didn't have to be moved. The people used this temple to pray for health on one side and long life on the other. There were also doctors here who had already invented and practiced using stethoscopes!<br>
This temple is also home to the Nilemeter which they used to measures the level of the water in the Nile and tax the farmers and the crocodile mummy museum. The Nile was full of crocks. They are now all living and protected in lake nasser.<br>
Our boat sailed on to Edfu in the afternoon. Here we took a horse and carriage to the temple. Abdul likes this temple the best. It's very big. The people were separated into classes. 3rd class was outside and furthest away from the alter. Bri and Bec are standing in the 3rd class area in the photo below. <br>
On our way out we bought galabayas for the party on the boat at dinner time.<br>
Our Christmas feast included roast turkey.</p>
<p>Next stop .... Luxor</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0u_HyWqleoBTzw8uWr_H6AcDgBn1RCOJYlRhTmpe85ZA4o2Cm_QEXvPulnTca50mi40CMSoXkYhZT6xe7zgXU8Plp3GJp-9-qZGeUvsxiEhdn6R9b6RTI0zvaxFo2kdYAOXRw6JvF_c/s1600/2012-12-25%25252015.35.04.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0u_HyWqleoBTzw8uWr_H6AcDgBn1RCOJYlRhTmpe85ZA4o2Cm_QEXvPulnTca50mi40CMSoXkYhZT6xe7zgXU8Plp3GJp-9-qZGeUvsxiEhdn6R9b6RTI0zvaxFo2kdYAOXRw6JvF_c/s640/2012-12-25%25252015.35.04.jpg' /> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050913454362666927.post-72688051265541786322012-12-25T00:08:00.001-08:002012-12-28T05:21:32.817-08:00Aswan <p>Today we met our guide Abdul. One of the first things he told us about himself is that he has two wives! He took us to the high dam first. Mike was very interested to learn about the 2nd largest dam in the world. Then we went to a little island by boat to visit the Philae temple. This is another temple that was underwater and moved. There was a lot to see and learn about here. Next we went to the essence house owned by the Alfayed family. We bought some oils and lotus flower essence. Our final stop was the unfinished obelisk. This giant granite pillar was worked on for 7 months until the day it cracked. Once cracked, it was no good. They decided granite wasn't strong enough for an obelisk and left it laying there on its side...unfinished.<br>
After our tour, we checked in to the cruise. The boat is very nice. We spent the afternoon laying around in the sun. During supper, Santa came to visit with presents for everyone. <br>
Merry Christmas!<br>
</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQeOy0yQI1858QCsItRNqSuiBvTIA4Ng_fbpOcu3jEDKrNaYTTL89P0wK0gWWcvyGFVurC3YvI7w6lyQdM8Eya5herJY7yMADN2dRvug3HPPfVwmwgJJ_q21VqRmHiN4ysiXgZ5RbRpk/s1600/2012-12-24%25252010.08.25.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQeOy0yQI1858QCsItRNqSuiBvTIA4Ng_fbpOcu3jEDKrNaYTTL89P0wK0gWWcvyGFVurC3YvI7w6lyQdM8Eya5herJY7yMADN2dRvug3HPPfVwmwgJJ_q21VqRmHiN4ysiXgZ5RbRpk/s640/2012-12-24%25252010.08.25.jpg' /> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933163598088079531noreply@blogger.com0