Here is my “top twelve” list for my Egypt excursion that took place in December of 2006:
12. The piercing rays of the Sun in Egypt; the Sun appeared in a relatively low altitude in the sky. My eyes were squinting most of the time.
11. Riding for the first time on a camel was an awesome feeling! You’ve got to try it at least once in your lifetime.
10. On this entire trip, I was only addressed as "Sir" once. However, being escorted by an armed bodyguard the whole time did help to make me feel like a VIP.
9. On this entire trip, I only saw one red light.
8. Seeing a gorgeous Egyptian girl in the Cairo night bazaar and being mesmerized by her beauty.
7. All the temples, tombs, and other monuments in Egypt started to look the same after the third day.
6. Trying to figure out what to do for the rest of the day, after having to wake up really early and then being rushed by the tour guide to finish the day’s tours by midday. The Egyptian tour guides have a practice of leading two tour groups a day.
5. Alitalia sucks! The seats are the most uncomfortable of all the airlines I have flown. Alitalia’s seats have no cushioning effect at all. I realized this when I was sitting on the Delta flight on the way home to JFK from Milan. I also know why Alitalia are so notorious for loosing luggage; their sticker label does not stick onto your luggage. Both sticker labels fell off on my luggage when I picked it up.
4. I love the Egyptian peanuts; they have a naturally roasted taste! The Egyptian bananas are fresh and ripe and their oranges are really juicy! The Egyptian Dasani is very refreshing; maybe because the source is the Nile river? The peanuts, fruits, and Dasani are all about a fifth of the prices here in America.
3. Seeing an Egyptian woman covered in a black drape carrying a 20 inch CRT TV on top of her head and crossing the street in chaotic traffic.
2. Seeing the shooting stars twice while sleeping overnight in the Baharia desert.
1. I will never forget the Aswan merchant with the calculator. He has a funny way of running numbers on his calculator like an experienced accountant, but the end result of his calculation is always 30 EGP. Yet, I kept telling him, "Veinte libras". Merchants in the Aswan bazaar are now asking each other: "Have you ever seen a Mexican, who looks Chinese, but claims he is from Mexico?" There is a new legend in the Aswan bazaar: "The Chinese Alibaba". =)
10. On this entire trip, I was only addressed as "Sir" once. However, being escorted by an armed bodyguard the whole time did help to make me feel like a VIP.
9. On this entire trip, I only saw one red light.
8. Seeing a gorgeous Egyptian girl in the Cairo night bazaar and being mesmerized by her beauty.
7. All the temples, tombs, and other monuments in Egypt started to look the same after the third day.
6. Trying to figure out what to do for the rest of the day, after having to wake up really early and then being rushed by the tour guide to finish the day’s tours by midday. The Egyptian tour guides have a practice of leading two tour groups a day.
5. Alitalia sucks! The seats are the most uncomfortable of all the airlines I have flown. Alitalia’s seats have no cushioning effect at all. I realized this when I was sitting on the Delta flight on the way home to JFK from Milan. I also know why Alitalia are so notorious for loosing luggage; their sticker label does not stick onto your luggage. Both sticker labels fell off on my luggage when I picked it up.
4. I love the Egyptian peanuts; they have a naturally roasted taste! The Egyptian bananas are fresh and ripe and their oranges are really juicy! The Egyptian Dasani is very refreshing; maybe because the source is the Nile river? The peanuts, fruits, and Dasani are all about a fifth of the prices here in America.
3. Seeing an Egyptian woman covered in a black drape carrying a 20 inch CRT TV on top of her head and crossing the street in chaotic traffic.
2. Seeing the shooting stars twice while sleeping overnight in the Baharia desert.
1. I will never forget the Aswan merchant with the calculator. He has a funny way of running numbers on his calculator like an experienced accountant, but the end result of his calculation is always 30 EGP. Yet, I kept telling him, "Veinte libras". Merchants in the Aswan bazaar are now asking each other: "Have you ever seen a Mexican, who looks Chinese, but claims he is from Mexico?" There is a new legend in the Aswan bazaar: "The Chinese Alibaba". =)
Be All You Can Be. 