Greece in the News

The economy in Greece is causing the government to take some drastic measures that are not making the Greek people very happy. Hopefully, things calm down in the next 60 days because I am really looking forward to a neat experience. Safety is a concern.
Greece Financial Crisis

Extra Day in Cairo

I want to hear from you!  We have an extra day in Cairo. Here are some options:
#1 - Travel to Alexandria and see the Catacombs, etc.
#2 - Travel to the Al Fayyoum Oasis
#3 - Travel to the Nile Delta and Port Said

Our tour guide is from the Al Fayyoum Oasis and his family still lives there.

Let me know what you think we should do (because I cannot decide).

Thanks!

Crisis over

New Itinerary:

We will depart a day sooner and spend one extra day in Cairo. This actually turned out well and I am excited to have an extra day there. We will be asking our tour guide Abdo if we can do something the third day that most "tourist" don't get to do. Who knows what will happen! I can't wait!

A hot mess

Things that I have learned:

1. Airlines can cancel flights "because they want to."
2. It is not easy to simply transfer information.
3. Every time I call Expedia, I have to hear the same thing over and tell them that NO, I CANNOT LEAVE ON JULY 11 and arrive in Cairo on July 12.
4. Explaining the time change to a travel agency Representative is not a simple task. You would think that understanding how time zones work would be a job requirement for international travel representatives.
5. My head hurts.
6. They will take the money right out of your account to pay for tickets...but you must wait "30-60 days for a full refund."
7. Gardettos Roasted rye garlic chips aka the "brown things" are amazing.
8. Conducting business with people in Jordan must be done between 8am and 5 pm their time...in other words...2am and 11am our time.
9. Travel Insurance is a must for my next big adventure.
10. Thanks to everyone that has been online helping me figure out what to do.

Thanks to Stacee Barton, I looked up Royal Jordanian Airlines flight out of New York.  Found one, called and am now waiting to see if I can fly out of NY and to Cairo on the 10th and arrive on the 11th as planned. I would need to fly (an additional $300) from South Bend to New York the night before. My parents would pick us up since they live near NYC, we would stay in a hotel, experience "the city" on Saturday and then drive to the other airport to catch out flight out. 

I am waiting to hear from Expedia.  They said 24 hours. I think that RJA should have to pay to get me to NYC. OR bump us to Biz Class on our flight...............  that's my next battle. Will keep you posted!

Itinerary

Tickets have been purchased, immunizations have been received (Typhiod Fever and Hep A, Polio booster) and everything is good to go. This is what we will be doing:

Day 1 = Fly from Chicago to Amman, Jordan. Amman, Jordan to Cairo.  We will be flying Royal Jordanian Airlines. We will be staying at the Hotel Longchamps. This is Cairo's third ranked hotel and is privately owned.

Day 2 = Day in Giza (The Great Pyramids), Memphis and Saqqara (The bent and red pyramids).  I was referred via Trip Adviser to contact a tour guide named Abdo.  We emailed back and fourth and he has agreed to pick us up at our hotel and take us around for two solid days.

Day 3 = Abdo will take us to the Cairo Museum. This is the resting place for many of the Pharaohs mummies that have been found...including Ramses the Great and his father Seti the I.  We will also spend time visiting mosques and Coptic Cairo.

Day 4 = We wake up and are taken to the Cairo Airport. We will then fly from Cairo to Aswan.  This is where we will be picked up by Best Way Travel and taken to our Riverboat for a 4 day Nile Cruise. We will load our belongings on the ship and then set off to see the sites in Aswan. This includes the High Dam, botanical gardens and the tomb of Agha Khan. We will also take a felucca ride along the Nile. For those of you that paid attention in class, this is an Egyptian Sailboat :). That evening, we set sail.

Day 5 = Sailing to Edfu & Kom -Ombo and visit temples of Horus and Sobek 

Day 6 = Sailing to Luxor and visit West Bank ( Valley of Kings , El Deer El Bahari , Colossi of Memnon ). I am not sure which I am more excited to see, the Pyramids or the Valley of the Kings. I have dreamed about both my whole life and to be able to see the Valley of the Kings and enter three tombs will be amazing. This is where, in 1922, Howard Carter found the Tomb of Tut and my fascination with Egypt began. I linked Valley of the Kings to the Wikipedia site because there are the best pictures and the information is pretty accurate. 

Day 7 = Arrive in  Luxor and visit East Bank ( Luxor Temple , Karnak Temple ), then we are taken to the airport in Luxor to catch our flight to Sharm El Sheikh.  This is on the Sinai Peninsula. It is considered to be the Cancun of the Middle East and is a favorite vacation spot for people all over the Middle East (and world for that matter.)  Here, we will check into the Baron Resort.  I hope that I can save enough money to upgrade the hotel room to a super sweet one :)  It will be late and we will be tired. 

Day 8 = Snorkle and boat in the Red Sea. This portion of the sea is home to one of the most beautiful coral reef in the world. This is also an important place for Christians and Jewish people. This is near the place where it is believed that Moses parted the Red Sea and led the Hebrews away from Egypt. 

 I want fun in the sun and some time to debrief and let the whole trip sink in. 

Day 9 = We will depart the Baron Hotel and travel 3 hours (via private Mercedes limo) to Mt. Sinai.  This is the place where it is believed that Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. The burning bush is said to be at this location as well. (Although there is much speculation about how this mountain does not match the description in the Old Testament / Torah). Regardless, it is also the home of the oldest monastery in the world - St. Katherine's. Then we will head back to Sharm and the Baron Resort.

Day 10 = We will spend the day at the Baron and in Sharm doing whatever we want. 

Day 11 = Depart the Baron and head to the airport. We will fly from Sharm to Athens, Greece in the morning. Once we land in Greece, it will be a total culture change.  We will take a cab from the airport to our hotel The Centrotel in Athens. We will then spend the afternoon site seeing and eating :)

Day 12 = We will spend time at the Acropolis and other sites in Athens. 

Day 13 = We will be taking a boat to three of the Greek Isles: Hydra, Poros and Aegina.  We will have a chance to swim in the sea and will see some of the clearest, bluest water in the world.  

Day 14 = Day to relax in Athens and unwind......

Day 15 = Head to the airport and fly home. We will be flying on Turkish Airlines from Athens to Istanbul, Turkey. There is a short layover and then we will fly from Istanbul to Chicago. 

In 15 days we will set foot on four continents....North America (duh), Asia (Jordan), Africa (Egypt) and Europe (Greece).   Not too bad considering I have only ventured to Toronto, Canada. 

Things I have already packed.....

• Hand sanitizer bottles and wipes. (all under 3oz of course)
• mini shampoos and conditioners
• mini facial wash
• power converter for European countries
• 14 double A batteries for camera
• 4, floor length dresses and shoulder covers purchased at Old Navy outlet store. 
• new, nice camera :)
• passport

So far.......

So far, I have been struggling with trying to figure out how I want to spend our time in Egypt. There are so many places that I want to make sure I go visit. Here is the list of places that I can't live without seeing:

Alexandria

Cairo

Giza

Memphis

Luxor

Mt. Sinai

The Red Sea (whether in Sharm El Sheikh or Hurghada)

There are some neat things in Aswan however, I could give that up if need be. 

  

Those of you out there that are planning to be travel agents, feel free to contact me with an itinerary and a price. I am exhausted from looking and doing the math. I want to experience true Egypt but I also want a taste of the luxurious "tourist" stuff. But keep in mind that an Egyptian 5 star is more like a 2 or 3 star in the states. I want to keep it local and not pay mega bucks to travel with a tour company. Since this is my dream place to visit, I want to make sure that I am not rushed and can soak it all in.   I have about 13 days to spend there.....Any thoughts?  :)

Last week, I learned how to properly pack toilet paper for say, the hike to the top of Mt. Sinai.

Something else that I learned today - In order to get onto and archeological dig site, you have to be granted permission from the government. So I have contacted the University of Cairo to see what we can make happen. 

Crossed Something off of my Bucket List and Looking for a Great Camera

So, it has only been 5 days and I am trying to come back down to earth.  I applied for a passport yesterday, an item that was on my "Bucket List" (otherwise known as things to do before I die).  So this was a great accomplishment in and of itself for me.  

Now, I am looking for a reasonably priced, high quality camera.  I am not camera savy and I have a $99 Kodak that has been through a lot and usually resides in my purse in case I need to take that perfect picture! It has been abused.  Any ideas? Know anyone wanting to sell their camera? Cannon and Nikon I hear are good. I have checked Craigslist but have no idea what they are saying when they speak in "Camera lingo." 

THANKS EVERYONE!

Let the adventure begin!

    This is rough and will be changed but wow. What a roller coaster the last 24 hours! I was notified via mail yesterday that I received the Lilly Endowment Grant for Indiana teachers to travel to Egypt. This has been my dream since I was a child. Keeping a blog of the experience was part of the proposal so.....this is where my journey begins!

Indiana Business Article published Feb. 23, 2010