Whales in the desert

On the road again

It's another very early start today as we're off to the Sahara dessert all together in a 4x4 jeep. Even at this early hour of the morning there are lots and lots of cars all driving like maniacs, weaving in and out, whole families on one moped or a sofa strapped to the back, goats roaming across the road, people walking across the 4 lane motorway and of course a truck which cant be bothered to go to the turn round point so it drives the wrong way down the motorway. The motorway gradually gives way to empty dessert roads with sand blowing over the roads before the road disappears and we head off road bumping along until we reach an old temple and further on a cave which was home to a hermit and finally the Black and White dessert a fascinating area of pure white sand covered in black fossilised trees.

Salt Plains

Rob & Tom dune surfing

The drive continues past salt plains and endless dessert sands until we reach the National Reserve and head towards Wadi El Hitan. I really thought we were nearly at our end location but after another half an hour of bumpy driving I realise I'm mistaken! I have no idea how the driver is navigating as I can't see any road signs, rocks or markers but we do arrive at the visitor centre, which from a distance is almost invisible, its sand covered buildings cleverly blending into the surrounding dessert. The area is rich in fossilised remains of whales and is an important part of our understanding of the evolution of whales, in fact it's called The Whales Valley.

After a walk and a sand blown BBQ we set off for the fun part of the day, dune surfing. It starts out with the 4x4 climbing to the top of a huge sand dune, Rob and Maria can't see what's coming until we dive over the top into seeming nothingness and down the other side. After doing this in a 4x4 of course we must have a go on skate boards, I volunteer to be chief photographer, purely because I'm too chicken to do the boarding! After this there is still a stop at a local pottery factory, El Fayoum before the long, long drive home, some drinks and a wonderful Egyptian take away.

Water in the sahara desert

Walk like an Egyptian

The Egyptian Museum with Mustafa

Tutankhamun's Chair

Coffee stop

It's an early start today for a walking tour of Cairo, so into 2 taxis with instructions to go to Tehrir Square, the site of the revolution in 2011. At the Egyptian Museum we meet Mustafa, our guide for today.
Inside the museum Mustafa patiently leads us through a potted version of the Egyptian Pharaonic history, making sense of events and artefacts that have been found. Randomly part way round the museum we're accosted by more excited children all eager to take our photograph or have a selfie with us. Outside the museum it's time to walk like an Egyptian across the 7 lane roads of Tehrir Square, this is a big challenge for me especially, I'm not good at just walking slowly and steadily across the speeding traffic, trusting the drivers to miss me! I need a Turkish coffee by the time we reach the traditional coffee shop! After coffee we are taken for a traditional Koshary lunch, this consists of fried onions, noodles, macaroni and rice all topped with a garlic and vinegar marinade and chilli – what a carb fix.

Khan el-Khalili

On top of the gates of Old Cairo

We now need a long walk to work off all those carbs and Mustafa seems to know just the route. It starts at one of the old gates of Cairo and goes across the old city to the other side, a souk known as Khan el-Khalili, but first we have to get through the gate. There are already a couple of tuk-tuk's stuck in the narrow gateway both unwilling to give way and everyone from shop keepers to pedestrians are getting involved, there's much arm waving and gesticulating and all the while Maria and I are being swept along in the throng of people towards the ever decreasing gap around the vehicles! We both breathe in and try to make ourselves very thin as we're pushed through the gap and eventually emerge on the other side, both very relieved.

Khan el-Khalili

In the souk

Mustafa shows us the way up to the top of the towers guarding the gates of Cairo but says he doesn't need to go up them today as he doesn't wish to die, I can understand his sentiments when I see the wobbly iron ladder but the views from the top are magnificent. The walk continues through the ever narrowing street, selling everything from sexy underwear to dish clothes and gets increasingly narrow and dirty. There are thin cats everywhere, ducks and chickens trying to find scraps to eat, piles of rubbish and old men smoking shisha pipes. We emerge gasping from the smell onto a busy junction right at the centre of old Cairo, fortunately there's an underpass which leads us into wider streets full of gold shops and rich fabrics. The final stop of the tour is of course a mosque.

Now we've finished the tour we need to freshen up so a short taxi ride takes us to The Four Seasons Hotel where we try to creep through the lobby to the bathrooms to make ourselves more respectable, oh the difference between the grim surroundings of the afternoons walk and now, sheer opulence and calm. A cool drink by the hotel pool is a world away from the mayhem in the streets we've left behind and to add to the calm Tom negotiates a faluka ride for us on the Nile, so calming and it feels like a million miles away from the city.

Our evening meal is booked at Sequoia, a restaurant on Zamalek (an island in the middle of the Nile) but first we have to get there. Lets go by horse and cart, of course, just how to arrive at a posh restaurant! Price negotiated with the driver, he assures us all 5 of us will fit in the horse carriage, but it is a tight squeeze, with Rob and Maria sat facing forwards, Dave and I facing backwards and Tom sat up with the driver, except that the horse sets off without him! Thank goodness Tom can reach the reins, but if we thought that was the only fright we're wrong. The horse sets off at a canter, well he is trying to pull 6 of us in the carriage, and he's going the wrong way, so after shouting on our part and broken Arabic from Tom we get our point across but not before we've gone through the underpass at a gallop with the carriage swaying fit to over turn. Ok says the driver and proceeds to do a U turn across a 3 lane road with cars honking and fortunately missing us! Mish mish, the horse, is now trotting across the bridge in the right direction and seems to know his way to the restaurant. The roads again become increasingly narrow going down to a one lane road and as we're travelling at horse miles per hour we're building up quite a queue of traffic behind us. It was like an episode of my big fat gypsy wedding, I wasn't sure the restaurant would let us in but they did and the views across the Nile were stunning with great food and of course shisha.

Rob & Maria relaxing on a falouka

Coptic Cairo

St George's Church & Monastery

The Hanging Church

After a cooked breakfast of pork sausages and bacon which Tom has been craving for, Ahmed picks us up to drive us to Coptic Cairo where we wander around the Coptic church of St Georges, the nunnery, a synagogue, graveyards and eventually the cavern church (St Sergius & St Bacchus) where the holy family are supposed to have found refuge after their flight from King Herod. I can't help feeling a little sad that I can't share this experience with my mum and dad, they would have been so interested.

Dave & Tom in contemplation

We leave the Coptic area and I can't help smiling as we've definitely exceeded Dave's rule of only 3 churches in one day.... but as we walk towards the Amr Ibn El Ass Mosque Ahmed has asked us to meet him at we are accosted by a very excited and enthusiastic group of people who insist we join them in their celebrations. Quite frankly we've not got a clue what is going on, only that they are very eager to meet us, the whole hall of children, adults, singers turn round to welcome us and before we know it we're joining in with the dancing, well shuffling awkwardly from foot to foot. This followed by the strangest photo call session ever, I feel like a celebrity and I'm not sure I like it! However, they all seem very happy that we stopped by. Eventually we reach the Mosque where Ahmed is patiently waiting for us and he kindly shows us round the mosque explaining the customs and etiquette to us.

A warm welcome in Cairo

Ahmed drives us to the downtown area of Cairo where he leaves us to wander around the streets, watching people selling mint and lemons in the streets, the tiny shops and the bigger department stores and of course the people. The drive home gives us enough time to decide to go to Festival City tonight to eat. This is a very large Mall with food court attached and fountains just like we've seen in Dubai and like Dubai the fountains dance to music while being illuminated. The meal at Beirut is a Middle Eastern meze, all gorgeous food washed down with lemon mint smoothies.

Amr Ibn El Ass Mosque

Festival City fountains

Now is the time for us to split up, Tom to go to the airport to pick up Rob and Maria, while Dave and I return back to Rehab. This sounds so straight forward on paper, but in practise was so complicated, a taxi that picks someone else up, 2 taxis that don't turn up when booked and finally the one that does picks us up tries to take us to the airport! What should have been a 20 minute ride for us turns into well over an hour. I begin to think the boys and Maria will be home before us. 

First egyptian beer together in a dry City.

Al Rehab and the Nile

After yesterday's excitements we start today slowly, taking pleasure from drinking coffee on the balcony before walking the route Tom took us on our first night but in reverse. First the mall, it is deathly quiet with very few shops open, maybe we're too early so we move on passing the food court and on into the Souk and on to City Square, here there are a few craft stalls setting up but very little else happening. We return to the Souk to have a coffee at a busy corner where we can indulge in people watching. There are several ladies smoking shisha, the car wash next door is doing a roaring or should I say spraying trade, washing cars, we are definitely the only white faces here. There's a boy who looks only 12 years riding round the souk on a motorbike with a pillion passenger and further round there's a car for rent but it has 4 very flat tyres! We move on to the food court for lunch at The Grand Café before returning to the apartment to wait for the Uber driver to take us to Tom's school and after a whistle stop tour of the very impressive facilities which include a full sized AstroTurf pitch and an Olympic sized pool, we catch another taxi back to Al Rehab, trouble is he doesn't seem to know the way and between his lack of English and our lack of Arabic, the journey is longer than necessary cutting down our preparation time for tonight.

Jan & Tom 

Whirling Dervish

Belly Dancer

Tom has instructed us to be ready to be picked up by 5.30pm tonight for a surprise, the only clue we have is that we should dress in smart/casual clothes. So by 5.25pm we're sitting ready and waiting as Tom dashes in heading for the shower telling us to stall the taxi if necessary, with our lack of Arabic that shouldn’t be hard! The drive is long and manic with lots of traffic, weaving in and out before we eventually reach the banks of the Nile. Tom has book us all onto a dinner cruise with entertainment for the night, what a great surprise. As the boat sets sail, the sun is just setting and there's a cool breeze blowing across the deck, fortunately the meal and entertainment are inside. The entertainment is a belly dancing show with a "curvaceous" belly dancer dressed in a bejewelled bikini which accentuates the shimmying. But the highlight for me is the whirling dervish that follows. How this man doesn't fall over or throw up with all the turning he does is incredible and then the lights go out and the costume lights up. Just as I think he can't have anymore surprises left, the costume is gradually shed in layers each one revealing another layer of lights, it's very impressive.

Alexandria

Fill every available space in a car! 

Alexandria Library

King Farouk's Palace  

Ahmed our driver for today picks us up at 8 am after taking “Mr Tom” to school, he’s taking us to Alexandria today. The journey will take 3 hours and we are kept entertained by the egyptian driving, sofas being transported on bikes, men travelling along the motorway in the open boot of a car, men travelling to work on the back of open flat bed trucks or horse and carts travelling the wrong way along the carriageway. Ahmed keeps us informed what we are passing and what some signs mean. It’s interesting to talk to an ordinary Egyptian about daily life, politics and his aspiration. Once we reach the outskirts of Alexandria the traffic builds and progress again slows until we pull up outside our first stop The Alexandria Bibliotec, the biggest in the world. It is impressive a huge sloping roof covering a vast hall with central steps leading down through the centre. When we look back we can see blue and green coloured glass strips set into the roof all glittering in the sunshine.Our next stop is Montaza Palace Gardens and. King Farouk's  Palace. We can only walk round the outside of the palace peering through the railings. Our final stop is The Citadel reached by driving along the Corniche and over Stanley Bridge. We are the only white people there and certainly the only people in shorts through out Alexandria. The Citadel is wonderfully preserved and restored and from the walls has amazing views of the bay which is vast and from one tip to the other lined by tall buildings.

A lot of the buildings along the bay of Alexandria are extremely dilapidated. The plasterwork is falling off, balconies often broken or missing, patio doors that open onto fresh air. The apartments are obviously occupied but look like death traps.

Alexandria bay and fort

Meal at "The Tap"

I must admit the journey back passes me by as I fall asleep in the car only waking briefly at the speed bumps that seem to be randomly placed. After a quick shower and change we set off with Tom for The Tap in New Cairo City an area that isn’t a dry city so we can all have a beer while we eat and watch the Arsenal game. And so to bed

Flight to Egypt

Dave & Jan at Birmingham Airport

There’s someone singing in the room, oh I know why, it’s 3 am and we’re going to Cairo to see Tom. By 3.30 am we’re on our way to Birmingham airport soon checked in and waiting for the gate to be announced. Our flight to Cairo is not direct we go via Frankfurt. No sooner has the flight taken off than we’re being given pecan pastries and coffee by stewardesses and then the flight is landing. Now the fun begins! We only have an hour till our next flight and this time is being whittled away by the non arrival of steps. When we’re finally released from the flight we march smartly through the airport following signs for flight transfers and specifically B32, it’s miles of corridors up steps down steps a mono rail and finally a dead end at a security check point. We have to go through security which seems to be taking ages before finally running to find gate B32, we arrive there breathless just in time before they shut the gate. A long coach drive across the airport tarmac before we finally reach the plane only to be told the flight is delayed as 15 people checked in for the flight but haven’t made the flight! “no wonder” I say but on the bright side there are 15 people slower than Dave and I.

The rest of the flight and journey goes smoothly and at last we’re about to walk out of the airport into a sea of taxi drivers who look like paparazzi, oh to be famous. Ahmed our driver meets us with a large sign saying "MORSE" which helps us identify him, but unfortunately for him, as Morsi the deposed President, was to say the least unpopular, he had many suspicious looks from fellow taxi drivers holding up that sign until we arrived. He drives us to Al Rehab and our apartment home for the next 10 days. We are met by the owners who don't speak much English but do their best to show us around and explain everything. Fortunately Ahmed, who is Tom's regular driver helps out with translation. The apartment is very Egyptian and spacious with 3 balconies and beautifully cool. Tom has also kindly stocked up the Apartment with essentials, including beer and wine, as Al Rehab is a dry city this may come in useful.

Tom, Dave & Jan at City Square, Al Rehab

We catch up with Tom before setting out with him as tour guide to show us Al Rehab, the mall, the food court, the souk and city square before we eat at a local restaurant, El Dehany. A lovely meal of traditional Egyptian tajin and stuffed vegetables before walking back to the apartment and collapsing in bed...

La Orotava

I've wanted to come to the Corpus Christi celebrations here in La Orotava for several years now and after a mistake in the date last week, we've finally made it.

The town is gently humming with anticipation and preparation is going on everywhere. The streets are being swept, no parking barriers erected, pop up bars set up, lawns receiving their final trim and the flowers dead headed so they look their best. We enjoy a relaxed tapas lunch in La Duquesa bar in front of the Inglesia de la Concepcion. As we enjoy Ropa Veijo and red wine we watch a floral display being made from carnations in the shadow of the church. A trip inside the church late reveals this was only a tiny part of the stunning floral arrangements.

After checking into the beautiful Hotel Rural Victoria, all old Spanish wood, galleried walkways and an enclosed courtyard, we stroll to the town hall. This year's "sand carpet" has the theme of mercy. The design and size are amazing and best viewed from upstairs in the town hall. We stand on the balcony, speechless trying to take in the details of the picture in front of us. As we walk back through the Town Hall we're equally impressed with the lovely Spanish building, the Victoria Gardens beyond have been manicured to perfection.

After a fiesta in the hotel we join the crowds, perambulating in their finest and it appears tightest most blingy clothes, stumbling across a wine tasting/tapas fiesta with Spanish salsa music. The crowd is a happy mix of babes in arms to old folk walking with sticks, all enjoying fiesta.