Steve's Food Poisoning Count = 2

Well, to those who are interested, I'm recovering today from a bout of nasty food poisoning that took me out of commission for all of yesterday. Although this one didn't have all of the nasty stomach and digestional issues... just a 102 fever, aches, chills, and the whole kettle of fish. For those of you concerned, my fever broke last night and I'm back to normal today, just feeling like someone kicked me between the eyes.

Round 1 happened while at a beach resort in Morocco, buffet food. I should have known better. Round 2 happened at a "upscale Western" coffee shop here in Cairo, after eating a boxed cold cut sandwich... you know, a sandwich in a triangular container, nicely packaged and sliced diagonally so as to look appealing and entice you with its 3-5 day old goodness. I have to say, my guard was down.

Today, we went looking for "safe" options for lunch and settled on, are you ready for this, McDonalds. Considered upscale for this part of Cairo (your meal costs more than a dollar), they're supposed to observe different food handling practices. Their McArabia grilled chicken sandwich was kind of like a chicken Cesar flat bread sandwich, but with all the ear marks of McDonalds (over spiced).

So far, so good, but I'll follow up later with the final results.

~S

10 Things I admire about the Egyptians

Spending the last couple of weeks here in Egypt, I've had the chance to witness "a day in the life" of many Egyptians... Here are my favorite attributes:
1) Coolheadedness: Witness the sheer volume of traffic here in Cairo, and you'd want to rip your hair out. They do it day in and day out with a minimal amount of arguing or complaining.
2) They're happy: Take a glance around here in Cairo, and you'll see a lot of Egyptians smiling. Whether it's smoking the Sheesha, riding the bus, talking with friends or window shopping, they look happy.
3) They're hard workers: From the hotel staff in the resort towns (Gamal and Momo) to the touts in the streets, they're always ON, trying to make a buck, or a pound, in their case. They're always ready, willing and able to put on the hard sell, enter into deep negotiations and spend what we'd deem an eternity coming to a final offer for a good or service.
4) They're very patient: Along with 3, they'll wait their turn and then take a long as they need to accomplish what they want.
5) They think on their feet: Any of the touts has a story to keep you engaged, regardless of where you're from, what your name is, or what you're interested in. They'll adapt their story to direct you in one of many directions depending on where your interests lie.
6) They realize the value of customer service to westerners: To get the tip or western dollar, they'll cater to your needs and pretend to like you, even if they don't. I truly believe they do like us though, if for no other reason than they know we have money.
7) They're courteous: With 20 million people in Cairo alone, they realize that a certain level of human decency is necessary for co-existence. In traffic, they'll honk, let you cross the street (or do their best to miss you) and flash their lights to signal their intentions. Even the touts use "Welcome" and "Thank You, Enjoy Your Stay" frequently.
8) They have a vast social network: Everyone knows a guy who knows a guy... to you get you a deal on whatever you want. Plus everyone has the confidence in their network that it's the best around.
9) Most are devoutly religious: Many can be found at the Mosques multiple times a day or stopping what they're doing to do their devotions. With many different levels and interpretations of Islam around, the culture seems to be tolerant of how far you'd like to take your faith.
10) Best of all, they have humor: Their humor is subtle, quite dry and they'll frequently pull one over on you, only to bust out laughing at your reaction. You realize that they find our culture and all its idiosyncrasies very funny.

~S

Wedding Bells in Cairo

The Egyptian weddings are held on every night of the week. We flew in and there were weddings, we came back from the Pyramids and there were more weddings, we were falling asleep last night and another wedding party went by. How do we know this you may ask? The wedding parties travel together in huge car caravans constantly honking in a rhythm - - … - - … and everyone joins in honking, if not joining the caravan too! To help the large group keep track of where they were going, one wedding had some young guys in the back of a pickup light up some flairs and hold them high as they were weaving in and out of traffic.

Tinted glasses

It seems that some of our blogging may have sent an incorrect message that we weren't having fun on this trip. It is quite the contrary, as I could've never even imagined how much I would enjoy the experience and how much we'd learn...about other cultures, yes, but even more so about ourselves.

True, the snippets we post seem to highlight the things that have stuck out in our eyes as being different than what you would experience walking down the street in the US. Different does not mean bad and I even say, different is something that can teach us. Take for instance the act of haggling over prices. This is common practice and goes against my direct and to the point nature. But if you sit and observe the process it is done in a very friendly and respectful manner and the success comes in being patient and good-humored.

Everywhere you turn in Egypt you are shown the utter patience of the people and it is truly inspiring. In Cairo at any given time of the day you can have 20 million people walking and driving in the city yet it is said you rarely get a traffic jam that will come to a halt. Is this because they have figured out the trick to traffic lights? Haha, no, the first rule in driving in Egypt is that there are no rules. The fact is that people weave in and out of traffic on foot and the drivers communicate their location to walkers and other vehicles by honking. They don't use designated lanes but let each other merge in front or cut into the flow from a side street. It's like the city all pulses and flows as one.

The one battle we face is wearing the tourist skin but not wanting to be a tourist. We are indeed visiting the countries and taking in their sights as tourist and it may just be too much to ask to not be treated as such. And let's face it, we do not speak the local language and therefore we will always be an outsider and I can respect that.

This trip will continue to open our eyes and to everyone reading about our experiences...keep challenging us with thoughts, comments and questions!

~J

Camel, Camel, Camel pt. 2

Jesse and I raced camels in the desert just outside of the Pyramids last night at dusk. I find it amazing that such an awkward animal can carry so much. Everything they do, from the way they walk to the way they chew looks funny and I can't help but look at them and laugh.

Unlike the Bedouin and their donkeys, the Egyptians do name their camels. Mine was "Mickey Mouse" and Jesse's was "Ali Baba". Hers wanted to constantly go right, and probably would have gone in circles if she hadn't kept steering it left.

It's a punishing ride though, and I think I've bruised my butt and inner thighs. I was definitely sore walking around and sitting today.

~S

Egyptian Museum

So we went to the Egyptian Antiquities Museum this afternoon. All I have to say is wow... what a lot of well preserved artifacts from Egypt's past.

It makes me think that the commercialism of today's society isn't quite so bad, considering all the "stuff" that the Egyptian Royalty were buried with, not the least of which was King Tut. We saw his mask, sarcophagus, and copius amounts of jewelry, adornments that archaeologists found in his tomb.

Among the overwhelming amount of things in the museum, I managed to find carvings and figurines that proved the Egyptians brewed beer and had at least one dwarf king (let's hear it for diversity). I didn't find any evidence that they make sport of dwarf tossing though. They also complained about their work... in a very office space style. I found one painting humorously depicting a man's work of taming baboons, and hieroglyphics to suggest that this wasn't the career that he had dreamed of.

We weren't allowed to use a camera, so you won't get to see any of what we saw. There's so much stuff in that museum, 1 day isn't enough to cover any of it in depth... but then again an Egyptology degree would also be very useful.

~S

I'm tired of being a tourist.

Today at the Egyptian Antiquities (which are indeed ruins from Egypt's past) Museum, I realized that I was tired of being a tourist. I'm having an absolute blast exploring the world, meeting different types of people and experiencing new cultures, but the dollar sign that's been stamped on my forehead along with the word "Tourist" is wearing my patience thin.

I know that for every 1 person that approaches me with "welcome, please spend some money," there are a million others here that aren't interested in me or my money.

It did help staying in Dahab for an extended period of time though, so that the locals got to know us, and began to joke around.

I'm hoping that in India or Nepal we get the chance to visit a CARE project, and do some less touristy things.

~S

Camel, Camel, Camel, Camel. Camel make it easier.

Egypt is the land of 24 hour non-stop tourist activities. The busses run at night, so you can get places in the morning, spend a complete day there and then return on the bus that night. Next day, completely over-tired, you can do it all again.

That said, we've found it very hard to break from the tourist nature of this country and find the "real" Egypt. The places we've gone, people have been selling everything. So far, we've had the following offered to us :

1) Taxi rides. We took a short walk in Dahab here and in 30 minutes received over 40 offers for taxi rides. Apparently, people don't walk anywhere around here

2) Camel Rides. Climbing Mt. Sinai, camels and their owners were everywhere and trying to get you to take a ride. They'd repeat "Camel Camel Camel Camel, Camel make it easier, you want camel ride" over and over again. I spoke with some girls who did break down and get a camel ride and they actually got off early, because it was so freakishly high and tipsy. I actually had a camel follow me down the street here in Dahab, as if to solicit a ride from me

3) Restaurants. Here in Dahab, there's a boardwalkish thing that runs along the water. A lot of restaurants are off of this and the "Matre D" comes out to greet you as you walk by, actually impeding your progress, asking you to come check out his menu. Although he's got pretty much the same diverse menu as all the other restaurants in town, there's some unique selling point that makes his restaurant unique like "25% off" or "special price for you my friend" If you ask about their fish of the day, they won't just tell you, but take you over to the fish case and show you the fish, show that the gills are still pink, and the eyes are still clear. Overall though, I have no complaints about the food - it's been relatively fresh, edible (no digestive issues) and inexpensive.

4) Shops. People who run shops that sell tourist stuff like Hookas, pyramids, blankets, traditional clothing, t-shirts that have a ridiculous English phrase on them will take the same approach as the restaurants and actually come to block your path as you're walking by.

5) Bracelets, trinkets, marble eggs, geodes etc. Some of the most aggressive sellers are the kids as they walk along the beach here in Dahab and peddle their trinkets. The usual phrase is "BUY ONE!" with little regard to tact. When you tell them "La!" (no) they don't go away.

6) Blankets and Mattresses. Again, agressive kids were renting these at the top of Mt. Sinai. They couldn't understand why we didn't want any and continued to follow us while we looked for a spot to sit and watch the sun rise. At one point, I had to ask one boy to stop following us. They then proceeded to get us back by laying out blankets for others all around us.

7) Snorkel guide. So we're snorkeling off the coast of Dahab here, and some guy swims up and trys to "show us where the pretty fish are, special price". No thanks, I can look at a reef myself.

8) Bathroom attendant. This is something, I'll never understand. Why should I be charged for a bodily function that I really can't control. It's not like the bathrooms are even remotely clean. I feel for the females that might actually have to touch something in the bathroom.

I think this is effecting us so greatly because we're here to just observe (which is impossible without being heckled) and experience the "real culture" not the tourist culture. Maybe we need to rethink the places we visit.

~S

Food

This is Part I of I'm sure many blogs to come from food we experience around the World.

Spain:
Spain’s olives were really good. The paella, which was the local rice dish, was tasty but like all the other food in Valencia it did not have any spicy kick.

France:
I think I already mentioned that I love crepes. Crepes were definitely the winning feature from France. There are two kinds of crepes. The buckwheat Gallete is served as a savory entrée crepe filled with veggies, meat, seafood, etc all typically tasty options. Then there is of course the dessert crepe filled with anything from Nutella to Apples and ice cream to flaming liquor. Everything else was kind of nondescript but always had a lot of butter either cooked in or served along side the meal.

Morocco:
The French breakfast of bread, butter, jam, and coffee carried over to Morocco as well. The specialty was Tajine (tagine) or couscous. Tajine happens also to be the name of the pot which the meal is cooked. It is clay with a flat dish bottom and a domed top. The meal is cooked covered and usually consists of a meat and some veggies or almonds or prunes in an oil base. Couscous is served as a Tajine side and the spices varied depending upon where we ate but they were very good. The Couscous dinners were basically a whole box of couscous and then your meat or veggies cooked and put on top.

So far, Morocco has the most refreshing drink we’ve come across which is mint tea. I know Steve journaled about the process of making mint tea, I don’t know if he’s posted it, but Hassan was our teacher so if you have any questions you’d have to ask him. Even when it was sweltering heat, the mint tea was always refreshing. Overall it was served with slightly too much sugar but if we’re not counting the calories from all the bread and butter I guess it doesn’t matter.

Dubai:
The food options were mainly hotel restaurants that catered foods from all over the world…kind of like restaurants in the US. We did not eat out except for the little café we walked to but we did find good canned Hummus at the market.

Egypt:
The Egyptian falafel, Ta’miyya, has been our favorite right along side the Baba ghanouj. Tahini is also used a lot in the food, as a side, or dressing. The local drink options have been a Hibiscus tea, Karkady, and a couple brown drinks that the server said he didn’t know what were the ingredients. We tried one and it tasted fermented which could either mean it was bad or it was made from some sort of fermented bean. I’ll look it up online if I remember the name.

Milkshakes are also very popular in Dahab. Everyone serves milkshakes and advertises that theirs is the best. Steve’s form of “milkshake” is the Lassies they prepare with fruit and yogurt blended into a smoothie.

You only need 2 things to survive

Those two things are toilet paper and ear plugs. When traveling you have to always be on watch for the chance to use the restroom…that is if you are trying to still stay hydrated in the heat of the Summer. Most places are not clean but you can feel much better if you have toilet paper on hand. This is because either you are asked to pay for it or it does not exist at all. I’m mainly writing for my female readers on the above subject.

The next item that will save you is a pair of earplugs. I consider myself a very good sleeper and there’s not many places I can’t fall asleep and have a good nights rest…that is if there isn’t some odd noise coming through the room walls or from within the room when you are sharing with strangers. Even on long airplane rides they can be a blessing when the smattering of young kids decide to start up a chorus of crying for hours.

So there you go…on your next trip don’t forget to bring a roll of toilet paper and some earplugs.

Tons of new pictures posted!

Hey everyone, using our internet here in Dubai, we've uploaded all of our pictures to date. Check them out in the Picture Gallery Link on the right.

Dubai - Dare to dream big

Dubai has me fascinated...

It's a town that dares it's creators to dream big and then finances their creations. Here we've found...
1) An indoor ski hill, complete with slope side Chalets at the attached hotel.
2) A replica of the canals of Venice
3) A replica of many old Arabic buildings on the outside, while inside, it's a 5 star hotel.

Seed money from oil has financed the rapid creation of Dubai as we know it, and there's no signs of it slowing down at all.

We went to the Dubai history museum the other day and it's a pretty short exhibit. While civilization has existed here for many centuries, the current history of Dubai goes back to about the 1950's when the ruling powers here decided to bring this city online and make it a center for tax free shopping and tourism.

Talking to the taxi drivers has revealed that there's a slightly darker side to the rapid development of Dubai. They've alluded to the fact that Dubai opens its borders to immigrants from Pakistan, India, Asia and uses these people to work the construction jobs. They don't offer the workers citizenship, pay them incredibly low wages (~500 dirhams/month) and don't help them out with any costs of living here. Workers choose to come here because there ARE jobs, unlike in their home countries, but they can't afford to bring their families here, and can't afford to send much money home. Most of all, they have a hard time finding some place to live. One taxi driver we spoke with said that he was sharing a room with 4 other guys, and none of them could afford to bring their families. It's sad.

~S

Sony Digital SLR - Drooool

While waiting for Jesse to get her haircut last night at the mall, I wandered into one of the many electronics stores here in Dubai (I'd say there's as many to rival Tokyo, if my memory serves me correctly) and played around with the newest Sony Digital SLR camera.

I'm really happy to see that Sony's stepped up to the plate with a full SLR camera. The menus were pretty self explanatory, the picture quality was phenomenal and the camera felt good in my hands. Not having used the Canon or Nikon D-SLRs, I can't compare, but it's something that I'd definitely check into when I get back to the states. That's assuming that I get a job again, and begin to make some disposable income.

Our current ultra portable Sony is holding up well, churning out pictures left and right, as you can see on our Picassa site. Check them out!
~S

Dubai and its two faces

Inconsistent would be the best way to describe Dubai. Everything has gone smoothly for us and being here is like being in the US...there's really nothing to overcome except for trying to understand where the Emirates truly stand. First, you read that you need to be mindful of the religious beliefs and customs of the land in how you act and dress, etc. Then you arrive here and all they cater to is the opposite of the beliefs. The city revolves around tourism and the consumerist nature of those visiting. The places to visit are either over-the-top resorts or malls that have ever brand name you little hear could ever desire. Of course these places are selling the same merchandise that you would see in America or Europe. So what gives? How can you encourage visitors by building this city yet judge them for their style or habits? The real kicker is that we went out today to walk to Jumeirah where there was supposed to be a good cafe and a trendy area right on the coast. So we are walking in the most intense heat we've ever experienced. It's definitely over 100 deg F and humid to boot. We were both wearing our white travel shirts which are long sleeved, pants that are rolled up and buttoned in a capri length, and Teva sandals. I'm only mentioning this because it wasn't the coolest thing you could pick for this weather but it is respectful of the culture. Needless to say we were drenched by the time we reached Lime Tree Cafe, it was really good food though and had a refreshing Lime Mint drink which was like a Mojito without the rum. Their Carrot cake was phenomenal although still not as good as the one I make. :-) Anyhow, then we took a cab to the Emirate Towers where there was a bar on the 51st floor where you could look over the city and enjoy a cold drink. We made it all the way to the elevators before being turned away by our dress ie. our pants were rolled up and we had on sandals. Granted the guy said it was better when we rolled down our pants but our shoes weren't appropriate. Are you kidding me? We walked away without a fuss but I was not happy. Any girl dressed in a very skimpy outfit with open toe high heels would've been waltzed right to the top but we were discriminated against for being more modest but I suppose not classy enough because my shoes were Tevas (with toe covers). If you want to visit for the amazing shopping and don't mind the hypocrisy, I would say Dubai would be a fine place to visit (best in the Winter though) but I can't see that I would search it out again as a destination other than the curiosity of seeing the Burj (tallest building in the world when it is finished) and the man made Palm and World islands. We have enjoyed our taxi rides though as you learn more of whats going on in the working level of the city from the very talkative drivers. Best of all I enjoy that everyone has been friendly!

Saying Goodbye to Morocco

After two weeks of experiences we could have never dreamed up, we have left Morocco and landed in Dubai. Each city in Morocco had a different flair. When we landed in Casablanca I wasn't quite comfortable with knowing when to bargain, when we were getting a fair price, and when and where to be out walking around the streets at night. Two weeks later after being to Marakech, the Berber villages, Agadir, and Rabat, we were back in Casablanca and it was a different experience since we understood a little more of the culture. For me it wasn't immediately comfortable because I like my space and if I want something I will approach the person selling but this is a world that is entirely opposite. Not only that but I've never stuck out so badly in my life. There is no blending in when you are obviously a foreigner and don't speak the native languages. But what I really enjoyed was seeing a different way of life. Everyone seems to know everyone else walking along the street. The networking seems to be a vital role in existence as does arguing. I feel that Morocco was a perfect stepping block in my journey into the rest of the World.