Today our long awaited journey to Egypt begins … Up at 6AM. Quick shower, dressed, organized carry-on luggage and walked up to Gypsy’s main house for a yummy breakfast of eggs with veggies and chicken sausage.
Our Uber driver arrived around 8AM to take us to the Santa Barbara Airbus pickup location. After a false start, when Gypsy realized she'd forgotten to pack sunglasses, and we turned around to retrieve them, we were off ...
While waiting at the pick-up location, a man standing near us began to engage us in conversation asking our travel destination. After telling him, I inquired the same and was told that he and his wife were seeing their friend off, who was returning home to Boston, and they were staying on another week before flying home to New Hampshire. I asked where in New Hampshire as that is where I went to undergraduate school.
While waiting at the pick-up location, a man standing near us began to engage us in conversation asking our travel destination. After telling him, I inquired the same and was told that he and his wife were seeing their friend off, who was returning home to Boston, and they were staying on another week before flying home to New Hampshire. I asked where in New Hampshire as that is where I went to undergraduate school.
We spent the next few minutes catching up on various people we both knew. Ours was an experimental college in the 1960s and 70s that had about a 15 year lifespan. Small world. We exchanged contact information and then were off.
The trip to LAX was otherwise uneventful — thankfully. Traffic was relatively calm and we arrived in plenty of time. After easily checking-in, we passed through security. At this point we began to realize how few people were in this usually very crowded terminal. We also became acutely aware that most airport staff were wearing surgical masks as coronavirus was just starting to be a “thing” in the U.S. After making the rounds of the shops in the International Terminal, we headed to the American Express Lounge to wile away the hours and have a bite to eat before our long flight to Frankfurt, Germany.
The trip to LAX was otherwise uneventful — thankfully. Traffic was relatively calm and we arrived in plenty of time. After easily checking-in, we passed through security. At this point we began to realize how few people were in this usually very crowded terminal. We also became acutely aware that most airport staff were wearing surgical masks as coronavirus was just starting to be a “thing” in the U.S. After making the rounds of the shops in the International Terminal, we headed to the American Express Lounge to wile away the hours and have a bite to eat before our long flight to Frankfurt, Germany.
Gypsy had previously arranged for our seats to be in the bulkhead, so we had plenty of leg room. Being concerned about the coronavirus, we immediately disinfected our seats and armrests, media controls and screen, tray tables and anything else we’d come into contact with. Safety first! To be honest, I remember little of the flight, except for watching “Ford v Ferrari,” having slept well, and that the flight arrived in Frankfurt before the end of the movie “The Goldfinch.” |
Frankfurt’s airport is huge — at least that’s how I perceived it two years ago when it seemed I ran forever to make a closely timed domestic flight from there to Dresden. Today was no different, other than we were running, walking fast, and taking a tram to a bus that took us to the terminal we flew out of to Egypt. With time to spare, but unable to talk ourselves into the Lufthansa Lounge — the American Express Lounge is outside of the security area we'd just passed through — we headed to a Minibar Frankfurt for hot chocolates and pastries. At the Egypt Air gate, we were able to upgrade our seats to business class, which was rather less luxurious than we’d hoped, but better than the steerage seats we otherwise would have had.
It was 8:30PM when we arrive in Cairo. Soon after we disembarked the plane, we were welcomed by Ahmed Selim, a representative from Kemet Travel, the local company that Sacred Earth Journeys has contracted. Ahmed, is a handsome Egyptian man, who whisked us through the immigration and country visa lines. While we waited for our luggage, he went off to meet others who were scheduled to arrive shortly. |
Rounding up our luggage, we made our way to a small café in the terminal to wait, along with another gal from North Carolina. About an hour later, Tamer returned with several other tour participants and our tour guide Freddy Silva.
Freddy warned us that traffic and driving, in general, is absolutely crazy in Cairo. It is. But, honestly, no crazier than India, Indonesia and any number of other countries I’ve visited. It took about an hour to arrive at our hotel in Giza — Mena House — which is a Marriott property.
Tired from traveling since 8:30AM yesterday, it seemed almost comedic checking in. We'd been told by Sacred Earth Journeys to pay Kemet Travel for our extra first night hotel stay that was apparently booked and paid for in advance. Yet, the Mena House reservationist told us that we must pay them. Since Tamer did not accompany us from the airport to the hotel, if were to have a room it seemed we must pay the Mena House directly. Since we don’t care who we pay, all’s good. No?
On the drive from the airport, Freddy placed an order for food to be delivered to the hotel — a late dinner. Though I can’t remember what it was called, I do remember the meat was very tender and nicely spiced with various herbs and wrapped in bread like a gyro sandwich. Trying not to eat bread (or at least not unless it is really good bread), after using hand sanitizer, I dug the sparse amount of meat out with my fingers and devoured it. Doing so made me laugh, as it was always a joke when in New Zealand to ask our fishing guides to make us “American” sandwiches, which unlike their own had more meat and veggies than bread.
Our room was very comfortable, though it had a very noisy air conditioner fan that, along with drumming music and singing that started after mid-night, kept me awake for hours!
Freddy warned us that traffic and driving, in general, is absolutely crazy in Cairo. It is. But, honestly, no crazier than India, Indonesia and any number of other countries I’ve visited. It took about an hour to arrive at our hotel in Giza — Mena House — which is a Marriott property.
Tired from traveling since 8:30AM yesterday, it seemed almost comedic checking in. We'd been told by Sacred Earth Journeys to pay Kemet Travel for our extra first night hotel stay that was apparently booked and paid for in advance. Yet, the Mena House reservationist told us that we must pay them. Since Tamer did not accompany us from the airport to the hotel, if were to have a room it seemed we must pay the Mena House directly. Since we don’t care who we pay, all’s good. No?
On the drive from the airport, Freddy placed an order for food to be delivered to the hotel — a late dinner. Though I can’t remember what it was called, I do remember the meat was very tender and nicely spiced with various herbs and wrapped in bread like a gyro sandwich. Trying not to eat bread (or at least not unless it is really good bread), after using hand sanitizer, I dug the sparse amount of meat out with my fingers and devoured it. Doing so made me laugh, as it was always a joke when in New Zealand to ask our fishing guides to make us “American” sandwiches, which unlike their own had more meat and veggies than bread.
Our room was very comfortable, though it had a very noisy air conditioner fan that, along with drumming music and singing that started after mid-night, kept me awake for hours!