Wonder la a.k.a. Veegaland a.k.a. Wonderland

On Friday, March 22, 2013, Pati and Beebee went to Wonder la to escape the March heat in Fort Cochin. There are two amusement parks in India named Wonder la, one in Kochi (Cochin) and one in Bangalore. Their internet website is http://www.wonderla.com/ and there is a facebook page at /wonderla that seems to feature the park in Bangalore.  According to the brochure given to each visitor, they have had "150 lakh happy visitors."   (A lakh is a number used in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere in South Asia to mean 100,000, so read the claim as 15 million happy customers.) Wonder la has changed names a few times; it has also been known as Veegaland (still printed on the receipts) and Wonderland.

And speaking of the brochure, every man, woman and child pictured (and every one pictured has typical Indian features) is wearing Western-style clothing.  That is to say, jeans and t-shirts. Yet no one in the park on that Friday was wearing jeans and a  t-shirt. On the other hand, the brochure did not show anyone in a typical Western bathing suit, and that is quite accurate. Indians dress modestly, even at amusement parks, and enjoy the dry rides and water rides fully clothed in everyday clothing. The only concession Beebee saw to accommodate the rides was that the ladies left their dupattas (long scarves) at home: this is a common-sense compromise for safety.  The only bare knees at the park belonged to infants and to Pati, who did wear Western-style swim trunks but with a modest t-shirt. Beebee wore calf-length fast-drying pants and a t-shirt.  Photography of the water rides is absolutely forbidden in the park.

Among many hundreds of visitors, Pati and Beebee were the only non-Indians. The park staff and other park visitors seemed genuinely happy to see them. Standard admission is about $10 USD but for twice that you can get a band (the Fastrack: No more Queues!) that lets you go to the front of every line - even the food lines. They bought the front of the line passes for themselves and their driver of several days, Simon (there was no way they could have lived with themselves if they had frolicked in a water park while he sat in a 100 degree parking lot waiting for them).  As it turned out, that was a good decision in another way, because Simon had been to the park before with his family and knew where the best rides were and the best order to visit them.  He rode a few dry rides with them, but skipped the water rides, probably because he hadn't come prepared with a change of clothes.

The park is fun, but like the people of South India, very gentle. One of the most interesting things Pati noted was how terrified people were on relatively tame rides after arriving via roads whose traffic may be the most terrifying in the world.  Most of the rides could be found in the kiddie section of a US park, but the riders screamed as if they were riding the Anaconda at Kings Dominion. On the other hand, Beebee was very happy to get off of the Spinning Coaster, which is, as its name suggests, a roller coaster with cars that spin as they move forward on the track.

After riding quite a few dry rides, they all went to the Vintage Kitchen for lunch.  Fortunately, Simon did the ordering for them.  Although a restaurant manager came up to them as they waited, saying "this is vegetarian only, " they replied that they did eat vegetarian and soon found themselves seated at one of the communal tables with their trays of food. The meals were like thali, with a large mound of rice and smaller bowls of chutneys.  Since there was absolutely no silverware (grab pinch of rice, dip in side dish, stuff in mouth - neatly!), Beebee had a flash of insight into what the manager meant by "vegetarian only."  They washed their hands at a large sink, and Simon (at least) dug in to eat. However, it was obvious to the restaurant staff that help was needed, so two large spoons were produced and the meal was consumed. The staff even brought napkins at the end, as well as a user survey, which Pati happily filled out.

After another hand-washing, they headed to the water rides.

Pati and Beebee were surprised to discover that some rides were segregated by gender (which Simon also did not seem to be aware of): at least one "Play Pool" was sign-posted "Gents" with another play pool apparently for women and children only.  Of the dry rides, Simon, Pati and Beebee also rode the Dashing Cars (bumper cars) together; Beebee noticed at the time that she was the only female on the track, and afterward noticed another bumper car ride (with only 3 riders) beside the first one for women and children only.

The water rides are a huge part of the park, with many slides and pools for floating.  While safety is clearly important in this park (apparently some scarier rides have been closed), the slides seem less safe than in the US because, for many of the slides, the riders are expected (required) to go down them head-first.  Beebee opted out of these slides.

While the park is not spectacular on a US scale, the people watching is world class. They are nice, friendly, and having a good time. It is pretty easy for Western visitors to have a good time too in that environment.  The best example of this occurred in the Wave Pool where Pati and Beebee stayed for their last 45 minutes in the park.  The Wave Pool is divided by a floating line several feet wide into the Gents on the left and the women and children on the right; the Gents side is larger.  As the pool filled with people waiting for the waves, Pati was surrounded by a group of young men who engaged him in conversation. They cheerfully encouraged him to cross the line and join Beebee on the ladies side, knowing that that there would be trouble if he did so.  Pati refused, but diplomatically. After about 30 minutes, Beebee was surrounded by a group of six curious teenage girls who asked the usual questions: What is your name? How old are you? Is that your husband over there? Do you have any children? And one question new to Beebee: What are your qualifications? (apparently meaning education) The girls were there with a (male) teacher and were celebrating a 15th birthday for one of the six. The girl who first addressed Beebee spoke the best English, and one or two could manage handshakes only.

After the Wave Pool, Pati and Beebee were ready to call it a day.   It was a very good day.  And even better because Simon was there.

Home Again

Pati and Beebee are home again.

 

It is cold at home, especially compared with where they have been for the last month. There has been an abrupt change from 40 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Farenheit. Well, that's only a slight exaggeration: the temperature in Phuket was 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) while the temperature at home is 42 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 degrees Celsius). (For the record, they had experienced 40 degree Celsius temperatures during the trip.) While they were in India, Pati and Beebee had mailed home their winter jackets to reduce the amount of luggage to carry, so walking out into barely-above freezing weather was somewhat bracing.

 

They were met at the airport by their makal (daughter), whom they had missed a lot, and and quickly stuffed into the car for the trip home. (Yes, they had taken too much luggage!)

 

Their first meal after the flight was grilled chicken tacos at Cafe Rio in Sterling, Virginia. They had not seen tacos on any menu for two months, and that was the immediate craving.

 

They have been forgiven by the kitties for their long absence.

 

They are trying to remember what their normal routines were before the trip. They are estatic to be able to use the WaterPik again and to use regular tap water for brushing teeth, without worrying about stomach problems from swallowing the water.

 

They are pleasantly surprised by their blooming flowers (daffodils and hyacinth) and by the green shoots on the climbing rose.

 

They plan to look at the thousands of pictures and videos they took during the trip. Surely there will be a large subset of very good images!

 

They had a very good trip, but they are also very glad to be home again.

Posted with Blogsy

Timeshares: Phuket Style

Pati and Beebee were walking to the beach when a guy on a motorcycle called to them ("Do you speak English?"). They stopped - dumb idea. He said he was working for the Thailand department of tourism and wanted to ask them questions about their vacation in Phuket. This led to Pati and Beebee holding scratch-off cards to try to win a prize for answering the questions (there was the faint whiff of rat in the air).
Pati scratched his card and it revealed that he had only won a backpack. The survey guy seemed a little sad for Pati. Beebee then scratched her card and the guy's eyes went round as saucers (he wasn't native Thai). He said "Oh my gosh, you have won the grand prize!" He shook Beebee's hand and said this was great news for him too. Apparently anyone who discovered a grand prize winner got a prize himself.
Beebee had definitely won one of six prizes: (1) an iPad 2; (2) a luxury cruise; (3) 20,000 Baht in cash (a.k.a. $600 USD); (4) a laptop; (5) a dream holiday; or (6) an iPhone 4s. The survey guy then apologized and said "People just won the cruise and the laptop so those prizes aren't available." It sounded like Pati and Beebee had better act fast! He also wanted to make it clear that the iPhone was not the latest version (only version 4, not 5). Boy, that luxury vacation was looking good. Because of Beebee's good luck, he said it was urgent that they attend the "90 minute holiday presentation" and collect their prize. Gosh, where did that come from?
Pati and Beebee told the salesman they couldn't go immediately because they had an activity scheduled (they really did). The survey guy thought this was unwise but Pati and Beebee held firm. He then wanted to schedule a time the next day to pick Pati and Beebee up so they could collect their prize. Strangely enough, they were busy that day too (possibly because the rat smell was getting pretty strong). Try as they might, Pati and Beebee could not think of a time that they were free. The survey man was vexed! Finally, because it was getting really hot, Pati suggested that the survey man give them a number to call when they were free to be picked up. The survey man didn't think this was a good idea because prizes were slipping away and his boss was "a pretty busy man." However, this seemed to be the best Pati and Beebee could do so he relented. (The number [called from the US] is 011 66 84820134 and The TripAdvisor web site has a list of hotels for anyone who would like to be picked up. For example, lobby of the Indigo Pearl would be a lovely place to have them pick you up. Tell them Kishor sent you).
Pati and Beebee thought this was just another time share scam but learned that there is a special twist in Phuket. It seems that the scammers rent buildings for a couple of years that they present as their timeshare. Then they disappear with the money and the real owners of the building retake possession. The timeshare purchasers find themselves out of luck (and they say you can't get rid of a timeshare). To offset this problem, the scammers offer amazing deals!
When they realized their vacation would end before they had time for their "90 minute holiday presentation," Pati scratched the space on Beebee's card that told exactly which of the grand prizes she had won. It was the "dream holiday!" With a little research, they learned that this holiday was in the actual timeshare. They also learned that whenever someone tries to collect their prize the timeshare is fully booked. Those places must be great!

Posted with Blogsy

Zorb a.k.a. Rollerball a.k.a. Hamster Ball

Pati and Beebee became giant hamsters on Saturday March 30 when they rolled downhill in an even bigger hamster ball.

Rollerball (Zorb to New Zealanders) is a specially-designed double-hulled plastic sphere which rolls down a hill with two passengers floating on 40 liters of water inside.  "Zorbing at Rollerball" in Kalim Bay, located "just two minutes from Patong Beach" in Phuket, claims to be the world's longest zorbing experience at 190 meters.  At 950 Thai Baht ($28.50 USD) for a single roll or 1600 baht ($48 USD) for unlimited rolls in one day, how could they not spend several hours rolling down a hill? Everyone did it as kids when there was only grass to roll on.  This is lots more fun!

The rollerball company website at www.rollerball.co shows pictures of their rollerballs.

There is also zorbing in the USA (www.zorb.com) in case Pati and Beebee just  have to do it again after they get home.

And now the faithful readers of this blog know why its subtitle is Gods, Temples, and Hamster Balls.

Two Long Days

Pati and Beebee leave for home just after midnight local time on April 2. There are two flights in their itinerary, the first from Phuket, Thailand to Seoul, South Korea, and the second from Seoul to Washington Dulles. The first flight of 5 hours 45 minutes completes entirely within April 2. The second flight of 13 hours 40 minutes is a different story, beginning in April 2, then back to April 1 at the International Date Line, then back to April 2 as the flight enters the time zone just to the west of Hawaii. Including the layover in Seoul, the total travel time is 20 hours 55 minutes.

Some fun facts about Pati and Beebee's travel through multiple time zones:

Some rough calculations indicate that April 1 will be 27+ hours long (24 hours in Thailand plus 3+ hours after crossing the date line) and April 2 will be 44+ hours long (20+ hours before reaching the date line plus 24 hours after passing midnight of April 1 again). However, these times are misleading; it is better to look at all the times expressed in a single time zone, in this case, EDT.

For example, on a recent crossing of the same flight from Korea, the airplane crossed -165 degrees longitude at 10:54 pm EDT (3:54 am local time) and then crossed -150 degrees longitude at 12:47 am EDT (4:47 am local time). (These longitudes are approximately time zone boundaries.) The time spent in the time zone appears to be 1 hour 53 minutes (based on local times) but it is actually only 53 minutes (looking at the equivalent EDT times).

In addition, when traveling across time zones, very few hours are 60 minutes long. In the time zone example above, the aircraft reached the eastern boundary (-150 degrees longitude) of the time zone at 11:47 pm local time, at which point, the time jumped to 12:47 am local time. The hour beginning at 11:00 pm in the time zone from -165 to -150 degrees was only 47 minutes long as far as the flight was concerned.

From Phuket to Washington, Pati and Beebee must cross 12 time zones: since the US is observing Daylight Saving Time, the difference is actually 13 time zones. And since the earth is turning toward the East at 60 mph, the airplane is chasing its destination instead of just flying toward it. Each time zone is crossed in about an hour, plus or minus, calculating from time zone boundaries crossed expressed as EDT local time.

For reference:
Phuket local time = UTC + 7 = EDT + 11
Seoul local time = UTC + 9 = EDT + 13
International Date Line = UTC + 12 = UTC - 12 = EDT + 16 = EDT - 8
Washington Dulles local time = EDT = UTC - 4

Posted with Blogsy

Phuket, Thailand

Pati and Beebee made a mistake going to Phuket, Thailand. There isn't too much wrong with it but there just isn't that much right with it either. Itis over developed and everywhere you look something else is being built. All the wonderful things on the covers of travel guides are an hour away by high speed boat. It takes an hour to get almost anywhere even though Phuket is a small island and the taxi prices are at Miami Beach levels. The beaches themselves might be beautiful if you could see them but they are entirely covered by rental chairs. This was probably a nicer place to visit last year and even nicer the year before. It is just overbuilt, overpriced, and overcrowded now.

Posted with Blogsy

Flying Hanuman

Today (Wednesday 27 March 2013) Pati and Beebee rode the flying Hanuman.

The Flying Hanuman is a zipline adventure in Phuket, Thailand.  With 28 platforms, two sky bridges, a sky rail,  staircases and rappelling, it criss-crosses a beautiful forest for a one- or two-hour eco-adventure.  Costs range from 3490 baht ($104.70 USD) for Journey A (the complete two-hour course plus a meal and seasonal fruit) to 3250 baht ($97.50 USD) for Journey B (like Journey A but without the meal) to 2300 baht ($69 USD) for Journey C (one-hour, 16 platforms only).

And who is Hanuman?  The ape-like Lord Hanuman is a Hindu god, one of the main characters in the Indian epic Ramayana; he appears also in the Mahabharata.   Hanuman is considered an avatar (incarnation) of Shiva.

Pati and Beebee were picked up at their hotel just before noon and driven to the zipline in an air-conditioned van. The pickup, delivery, and return to the hotel were provided by the zipline at no extra cost (that is, the ride cost rhe same whether or not the transportation was used).The trip each way took about a half hour.

There were 10 people in their group and two guides (Joe and another guide). The other persons were a Russian mother and daughter (who both had Dolly Parton hair and spoke extremely limited English) and six young men from Qatar (best guess, since one wore a t-shirt with the word Qatar on it and they were clearly middle-Eastern) who spoke limited English. The safety briefing video (which appeared to be on YouTube) was in English, and instructions were given in English, except that one of the other guides spoke Russian and briefed the mother and daughter separately.

The first thing to be done was to walk up a steep hill to the first station.  As it happened, Pati and Beebee started out directly behind the first guide (who was leading up the hill) and were able to keep up with him, followed by the Russians. The macho young men, starting up in the rear, started to pass everyone, sharing the narrow path, even walking ahead of the guide. Five of the young men got to the first platform first and took all the seats as the group waited for an earlier group to leave the platform. The group also had to wait for the 6th young man, who had made a last-minute stop at fhe restroom. After the first three platforms (and ziplines), the 6th young man declared that he was sick and left. At this platform, another zipline employee was waiting with bottles of water for everyone. The young men complained that the water was not cold and one of them made a point of expelling water from the top of the platform (perhaps he was mimicking vomiting). He might have been the same one who left.

The young men did as much horseplay as they could get away with and generally did not interact with the rest of fhe group. But as the "ride" progressed and other people  cheered for them also, one or two of them would return smiles.

The guides were competent and joked a lot to put everyone at ease. At some point during the ride, they started calling Pati "Papa"  and they called the Russian mother and Beebee both "Mama." (the Cambodian guide also did this; they seem to be terms of respect.)

At the end of the ride, Pati and Beebee ate the provided lunch (which, by then, was an early dinner) of Thai food. It was delicious. After this, they were driven back to their hotel in a different air-conditioned van.

Then then walked down to the beach to watch the sunset. Then they went back to the hotel to be ready for a 7:45 am pickup on Thursday for a speedboat visit to three islands, Phi Phi, Maya, and Khai.

Angkor Wat

Pati and Beebee arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia at about noon on Friday, 22 March. They were met at the airport by their guide Chhay (pronounced "Chai" as in Thai tea) and driver Mr. Thom. Chhay was born in 1977 when Pol Pot was in power (readers of this blog might want to review that history). When he was 22, he became a Buddhist priest for seven years. Then he became a tour guide for the next seven years. He is married, with one child aged six. Mr. Thom is actually a medical doctor and practices medicine at a hospital when he is not driving a taxi. He hopes to "break into" the tourist industry by driving a taxi.

Chhay

After the long drive from the airport, they checked in at their hotel and were soon off again for touring that lasted until 8:30 pm.

During this time, they visited Angkor Thom during the (hot!) daylight. They climbed to the top of one tower (40 very steep steps) and found a policeman there who acted as guide and helped Pati and Beebee with their photos. When they were ready to climb down, the policeman wanted to sell them a medalian of some sort. Pati negotiated a price with the policeman (he really didn't want the medalian but the policeman had been very nice) and made the purchase. Later, Pati saw other policemen and realized he had purchased the friendly policeman's badge.
Later, Pati and Beebee climbed to the top of a tall steep hill and watched the sun set on Ankor Wat's towers. On the way down, Chhay told them "Too bad it is cloudy, sometimes this is very nice." After this, they were driven back to the hotel and had 15 minutes for a quick shower before going to a "dinner show" which was a buffet of many delicious Cambodian foods (most of which they didn't even get to try, being too full) followed by a one hour cultural show. Leaving the restaurant at 8:30 pm, they were finally back to the hotel and in bed by 10 pm, planning to leave again at 5 am in order to view sunrise over Angkok Wat.

They left the hotel at 5 am on Saturday and drove to Angkor Wat, where they settled in on a ledge of a library (where the sacred book was kept) to await sunrise. At about 6 am, the sun began to rise behind the towers, and Chhay took them from spot to spot to get the best photos. Coincidentally, one of the best shots was possible because it was March 23, when the sun rises directly above one tall spire.

(Indelible memory: sitting on a ledge of a library at Angkor Wat, waiting for the sun to rise, listening to a serious discussion by a former Buddhist priest about farting as a symptom of the body being out-of-balance)

Pati and Beebee had gotten a boxed breakfast from the hotel ("toast" with jelly and about half of a dragon fruit). Mr. Thom and Chhay drove them to a restaurant where they ate most of this plus ordered an omelet and tea from the restaurant.

After breakfast, they continued their visit of Angkor Wat, as well as visiting Banteay Srei, Kbal Spean, and Banteay Samre. (interested blog readers can Google these places.)

Each time they got out of the car, they were quickly drenched in sweat in the 90+ degree heat and high humidity. Each time they got back in the car, the driver had a cold damp washcloth and a chilled bottle of water for each of them.

Finishing up their touring, they went back to the hotel, had a cooling swim in the hotel's pool, ate dinner at the hotel's restaurant, and went to bed.

On Sunday, fhey slept in until 7 am, had breakfast at the hotel, and were picked up at 9 am. On this day, they finished visiting Angkor Wat, seeing Prah Khan, Neak Poan, Ta Son, East Mebon, Pre Rup, Ta Nei, and Ta Promh. (Interested readers can Google these...). As the day before, they went back to the hotel (at about 3 pm this day) and had a cooling swim. Then they used the hotel's free (except for tip) tuk-tuk to go to Pub Street in Siem Reap, which is a "hip" street with lots of restaurants and shopping, and back to the hotel. They had pizza for dinner, wanting some food that was more bland than the Cambodian food they had been eating.

Several times since arriving in Siem Reap, Pati and Beebee have seen a band playing at various venues. The members of this band (there seem to be many such bands) have all been maimed by landmines set during their civil war. Their purpose is to call attention to these injuries and to raise money to treat those who have been injured.

Another frequent sight is small children selling postcards and other trinkets to tourists. They have learned how to count to 10 in many languages, and flip through their sets of postcards naming all the sights. They are much more endearing than the adult male Egyptian touts. But they too are persistent to the point of harrassing tourists: tourists cannot look in peace at what they have paid to see and have traveled many miles to see. (Tourists pay a large fee to see the ruins, while Cambodian citizens can enter for free.)

Tomorrow Pati and Beebee will be touring outside Siem Reap; this may become a later post.

Posted with Blogsy

An Incredible Day in Bangkok

Some days everything goes right.

 

On Thursday (21 March 2013), Pati and Beebee no longer had the services of a tour guide. They decided to see just what they could accomplish on their own, benefiting from their experiences with their tour guide, Leang.

 

First, they slept in until 7 am, which they had not been able to do yet in Bangkok. After a leisurely breakfast, they decided to visit the large mall Siam Paragon. (Pati needed to buy another memory card for the camera, having filled up two 32-gigabyte cards so far and working on a smaller 16-gigabyte card, while Angkok Wat is still to be visited.) This mall is located on a SkyTrain route, but the SkyTrain does not go through Chinatown, where they were staying. They also wanted to experience the SkyTrain, so they decided to take a taxi to the mall and afterward ride somewhere on the SkyTrain.

 

They arranged with the reception staff (on the second floor of the hotel) to get a taxi to the mall. There is a travel office on the first floor of the hotel building, but it is actually not associated with the hotel. The process is for a receptionist to use a walkie-talkie to call hotel staff that waits on the first floor (street level) to greet arriving guests; this staff flags down a taxi. The street level staff person explained to the taxi driver, who spoke very little English, that he should take us to the mall. Pati and Beebee got in the back seat of the taxi. Beebee observed the taxi driver turn off the meter. She told him to turn on the meter. He touched the meter, it flickered, and went back off. Beebee told him again to turn on the meter. He turned it on finally. (Fares tend to be lower when the meter is used. Otherwise, if a fare is not agreed upon before staring off, the driver can demand a very high fare at the end of the journey.)

 

The driver then asked if they wanted to go to a floating market. They said no, they wanted to go to the mall. He then asked if they wanted to go shopping (he knew a place...). "No need to buy, just looky looky" (he really said "looky looky"). They said no, they wanted to go to the mall. He continued to drive. Beebee got out maps of Bangkok from her purse and opened them, intending to track where he was going. Fortunately, he gave up trying to sidetrack them, and drove finally to the mall.

 

On the way, he took some interesting shortcuts through a police facility and through Chulalongkorn University (fans of Jack Shepherd will recognize the university). For these shortcuts, he first accepted a card from a guard post, drove through the facility, and then surrendered the card again before exiting.

 

Upon reaching the mall, he said get out here. They did.

 

Siam Patagon is an upscale mall with many pretty things to look at but nothing worth lugging around the world. Pati found the memory card he needed in the electronics department of the major department store in the mall.

 

The mall contains a huge theatre complex. All of the movies showing were in English with subtitles. Pati and Beebee decided to watch Olympus Has Fallen. Their two tickets cost about $12 total. In this theatre complex, movie goers must select their seats. As Pati and Beebee sat in their plush seats waiting for the previews to start, it seemed that everyone would be sitting in Row D with them, but eventually Row C and other rows began to fill. All the movies previewed seemed excellent; some of the previews were for movies not in English (that probably won't make it to the US).

 

As the previews finished, a video began (not in English) that featured the current king. Immediately, everyone in the theatre stood up and remained standing until the video ended. It seemed to highlight the good works he has done as king. He is currently 86 years old and in ill health. He has reigned for 68 years, and is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records for the length of time as a ruler.

 

Olympus Has Fallen is an excellent movie.

 

After the movie, Pati and Beebee found their way to the SkyTrain and bought one-day passes. They decided to find Lumpini Park, since it is featured in some eBooks they are reading (Jack Shepherd fans will recognize this reference). It was two stops south of the mall, so they got off there and wandered through the park for an hour or so. Jack Shepherd calls Lumpini Park, near the Dusit Thani Hotel, the one green lung of Bangkok, and he goes there regularly to run. He stays frequently at the Dusit Thani. Upon entering the park, they saw a large group of military officers in riot gear. Fortunately, it was only a training exercise.

 

While in Lumpini Park, Pati and Beebee heard Gangnam Style in the distance. As they walked toward the music, they saw a large group of people in exercise-type clothing performing various routines to peppy music. They learned later that this happens every day at 5 pm.

 

After completing a long circuit around the park, they returned to the entrance. While they were standing there, consulting the map to find the way back to the SkyTrain, a man approached and offered help. He was an American living in Bangkok, he said; it was his home. He lives in Bangkok so that his sons can study languages there, with fees much more affordable than they would be in the US. He explained how to get to the SkyTrain and left when they seemed to understand. As they walked toward the station, he stopped and came back, saying he would lead them there; it was his exercise. He went with them as far as he could, showing them the exact stairs and direction to take. He said the best way back to Chinatown would be by water taxi (the express that Pati and Beebee had taken with Leang on Tuesday) and told them approximately how to find it and where to get off.

 

Three stops after getting on the very crowded SkyTrain, they were off again and found the water taxi. Using another map they were carrying, they figured out which stop to get off on, and barely got off the boat before it left the dock (the press of people getting on made it hard to get off).

 

Consulting the map again, they struck off walking north toward Chinatown. It was dusk when they started walking, and quickly became dark. They were unsure exactly where on their street the hotel was, although they thought they knew where the street was, and it was not a very long street. As it turned out, their map was not up-to-date considering the new construction for the subway, so they became unsure and consulted their map again. At this point, an elderly Thai gentleman stopped and offered help. His English was good. He knew where the street was, and said he was going in that direction. In fact, he passed his real destination (an office) and led them to within one block of their street.

 

Soon Pati and Beebee were back in their own hotel. It had been a good day. They went to Cotton (the hotel restaurant) for their last dinner before leaving. Because they were later than usual, the live band was setting up to play. There were three members: one played clarinet, saxaphone, and mouth harp; one played guitar and was the lead singer; and one played bass. Their performance was excellent, and Pati and Beebee stayed for several numbers after they had finished their dinner. There were only three couples dining during the performance, but the band appreciated the applause they got.

 

When Pati and Beebee finally got up to leave, the clarinet player wai'd Beebee (the wai is a Thai greeting in which a person bows slightly while pressing the hands together as if in prayer). Beebee responded by wai-ing the members of the band. And then they all at the same time wai'd her. It was a lovely moment.

 

And then to bed because the flight to Cambodia was the next day.

Posted with Blogsy

Bangkok Through Leang's Eyes

Pati and Beebee arrived in Bangkok at about noon on Monday (18 March 2013). Having had very little sleep since Sunday morning (and that interrupted by pilot and crew announcements), it was a sleepy day spent walking around Chinatown and eating at the hotel.

They had previously arranged by email (while in India) with a tour company called Thai Tour Guide to take two days of tours. Their guide, Leang, arrived at their hotel promptly at 9 am on Tuesday. Leang is a 20-something young woman who describes herself as "20% Thai, 80% Chinese" since her father is Thai (and Christian) and her mother is Chinese (and Buddist). She has three younger brothers; the next-to-youngest is getting married next January 19th, the most auspicious day for him and his wife-to-be. Leang's English is understandable and she hopes to learn Dutch in order to increase her desirability as a tour guide.

Leang

The daily arrangement was for Leang to buy tickets, food, and anything else necessary during the tour; then Pati would repay her at rhe end of the day, plus her guide fee.

For Tuesday, local travel was used. Upon leaving the hotel, Leang led Pati and Beebee through the narrow sidewalks to the Express Boat pier. Here they caught the boat and rode for two stops, getting off near the Royal Grand Palace and Royal Temple (Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha). After visiting these, they then visited Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha).

They ate a lunch of Pad Thai at a small local restaurant, eating at a sidewalk table because outside was cooler than inside.

In the afternoon, they took a tour of canals off the Chao Prya river, using a private long tail boat. (The "long tail" refers to the long (more than 10-foot long) drive shaft from a huge car engine sitting on the back of the boat; the shaft ends in a propeller.) During this ride, they passed Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn).

Disembarking from the long tail boat, they walked to Pak Klong Talad (a Flowers & Vegetables Market). This is a large indoor market that supplies other sellers.

Ending the day's tour at about 5 pm, they caught a tuk-tuk back to the hotel, where Pati settled the day's account.

Dinner was at the hotel's restaurant, named Cotton, which serves delicious hot and sour soup (Pati and Beebee ate it every day as an appetizer).

On Wednesday, Leang picked them up at the hotel and they drove an hour or so to observe lifestyles in the country. On the way, they stopped at a salt farm (a series of ponds where salt is crystalized from salt water and bagged for sale to use for food preservation, but not for table use).

At about 8:30 am, they arrived at the Maeklong Railway Market, a unique local fresh market in Damnern Saduak. The small-gauge railroad tracks run through the middle of this Market. An iron railing runs parallel to the tracks on each side. Vendors with stalls behind these bars pay a higher rental rate than the vendors who sell next to and on the railroad tracks. The train comes through twice a day. An alarm sounds when the train is near. Then the vendors near the tracks lower their awnings back to the iron bars, move their produce from the tracks, and make sure that produce beside the tracks is not so high that the train carriage might hit it. As soon as the train passes (slowly), the vendors raise their awnings and return their produce to the tracks. (Readers of this blog might want to watch some YouTube videos of this process.)

This market and the train passage has become very popular with tourists; they come daily to observe and take photos and videos. There are so many tourists at times that they interfere with the market. Also, some tourists are so eager for photos that they stand in the track directly in the path of the incoming train, which causes problems for the train operations. Leang instructed Pati and Beebee where to stand for good photos without causing problems for the market or the train.

After leaving the train station, they visited a a Floating Market in a private rowing boat, rowed by a strong, cheerful lady of indeterminant age who very thoughtfully provided umbrellas against fhe sun.

Following this, they each had a bowl of noodle soup at a small eatery beside the market. Leang then brought them papaya with sticky rice, a most delicious dessert, as papayas are ripe now.

Driving back to the city, they concluded their tour with Leang at the hotel, ate dinner at the hotel, and turned in for a good night's sleep.

Posted with Blogsy

Ayurveda

Ayurveda means life (ayur) science (veda). It is an Indian medical system that depends on diet, herbs, massage, and oils. While Pati is a sceptic, he wanted to give it a try so he and Beebee went to an ayurvedic clinic in Fort Cochin.
Upon their arrival, the receptionist gave Pati and Beebee a services guide that included pictures of the treatments. They were glad to see the pictures since, otherwise, they would have had no idea what they were asking for. Pati found a row of pictures that included pouring oil on one's forehead. Ever since he observed a minor accident at Jiffy Lube he had wanted to try that. Beebee studied the pictures until she found a row that did not include forehead oil dripping and chose it.
As they were waiting to enter their separate treatment rooms, Beebee told Pati "If I scream, I expect you to come and save me!" When Pati realized she was serious, he said he would. (About half an hour later, Pati realized he hadn't asked Beebee to come save him if he screamed.)
Pati and Beebee entered their separate treatment rooms. Pati's therapist was standing about six inches from him and said "Put you clothes on this hook" pointing to a hook on the wall next to Pati. Pati waited a second for the therapist to leave so Pati could disrobe but it became clear he wasn't going anywhere. Pati was uncomfortable but disrobed to his briefs. The attendant then handed Pati what appeared to be a three inch wide and eighteen inch long piece of crepe paper with a waist string, pointed to Pati's briefs, and said "Those too." (This was the point where Pati realized the "scream protocol" was incomplete.) Pati complied and couldn't decide if he looked more like a sumo wrestler or Baby Huey.
The therapist then sat Pati on a stool and gave him a head and shoulder massage. The stuff the threrapist was rubbing on Pati's head smelled nice and felt OK (but not magical). Aside from the fact that Pati was naked except for a flimsly paper thong, the treatment wasn't too bad. This part of the massage lasted fifteen minutes. The therapist then got a towel and carefully - a little too carefully for Pati's liking - cleaned his feet. After this the therapist produced a step stool and told Pati to use it to climb on a wooden massage table and lie down on his back. With paper thong flapping, Pati did as he was told.
The therapist then massaged the entire front (sans the bit covered by the thong) of Pati's body including both sides of his arms and legs with a liberal application of sandlewood oil. Pati thought "This is pretty embarrassing but at least I didn't have to roll over." The therapist then said "Roll over" to Pati (Pati again wished that he and Beebee had been more careful in developing their scream for help protocol).
Pati rolled over with considerable effort since he found himself more slippery than any fish. The massage continued on Pati's backside, backside included. After about a total of thirty minutes, the front and back massage ended - much to Pati's relief. It was now time for oil to be poured on Pati's head. The therapist again said "Turn over." Pati found this even more difficult than the first time and wondered if this massage was covered by his travel insurance.
When Pati finally flopped over, a second therapist entered the room (great) and prepared Pati for the oil application. The second therapist put plugs in Pati's ears, covered his eyes with something white, and tied a string around the upper half of Patti's forehead (Pati is pretty sure the mechanics at Jiffy Lube do this too). Then the warm oil started flowing from a brass bowl with a hole in the bottom. Pati peeped around the white things covering his eyes and estimated that the bowl would hold about sixteen ounces of oil. After about a gallon of oil had dripped on Pati's head he realized that the therapist team must have been recycling the oil. Eventually the treatment ended.
Pati was pretty oily at this point and looked forward to showering in the small bathroom attached to the treatment room. That was a mistake. After another very careful foot wiping, the therapists walked Pati to the bathroom and sat him on the toilet (lid down - Pati's first break). They then filled a five gallon bucket with extremely hot water and used a large measuring cup to pour the water on Pati, lathering him all the time. They then rinsed Pati and meticulously dried him with towels. Even though - under careful supervision - they let Pati partially dress himself they again carefully wiped his feet, put on his socks, and tied his shoes.
Pati then paid for his and Beebee's treatments and gave all the therapists a nice tip (so they would never do this to him again). At the end he asked Beebee what she thought of her treatment. She said nothing but gave Pati one of her special looks. She then abruptly spun a 540 degree turn on her heels and oiled out the door.

Posted with Blogsy

Photo guru

Pati and Beebee went to the Periyar tiger preserve. The trip involved a boat ride through what appeared to be a man-made lake. Pati had their camera and was taking pictures of birds, deer, and wild boar (nice ride but no tigers or elephants to be seen).
The man in front of Pati said "I don't get here often and I didn't bring my camera. Will you email me your pictures?" Pati actually suspected that the man did not want to pay the 50 Rupees charge to use a camera (Pati didn't want to pay it either but he did along with two special fees for being a foreigner). However, since Pati plans to put his better pictures on a web share sight, he said yes.

Soon the man started pointing out various birds he wanted Pati to photograph. Shortly after that he said "You are too slow with the camera and are missing the moment. Give it to me and I will take them." Pati surrendered the camera. The man admired the camera saying "You need a longer zoom!" Pati noted that the man with his camera was fumbling with it and not quite "capturing the moment" either. After a couple of minutes, Beebee (who had an assigned seat behind rather than beside Pati) said "Where is the camera?" Pati explained and smoke came out of Beebee's ears as it sometimes does (Pati has no idea why). She told Pati to get the camera so that she could take some pictures too. Pati ask for the camera but was sure the man who had it thought she was being selfish since they knew he had forgotten his camera and they had remembered theirs.

While Pati was trying to take pictures around the other passengers who were standing and blocking the "Do Not Stand" signs, a guide came and offered to take photos for Pati and Beebee. Pati agreeded and the guide would go to various points on the boat taking unobscured pictures of the wildlife. He regularly brought them back to show Pati and Beebee. Pati noted that the guide used the many settings on the camera with ease. In fact, Pati knows more about his camera now than he did before the ride. After the boat ride had ended, Pati and Beebee asked the guide if he would like them to email a copy of the pictures he had taken. At first, he said no because he didn't have a computer. Then he thought of an email address of a friend who might accept them for him. Pati and Beebee copied the address and gave the guide what they hope was a nice tip. Since no one else was tipping and the guide seemed both embarrassed and happy, it probably was a good tip.

Periyar Guide

After Pati and Beebee got off the boat, Pati looked for the man in the seat ahead of him to get the address he would like the pictures sent to. Pati couldn't find him but was strangely unconcerned. Later -- on the drive home -- their driver, Simon, suggested they stop at a coffee plantation for a drink. Pati has learned to say yes to about everything so he said "Yes." They climbed a steep metal ladder to a shop on the second floor. When they got to the top, they found that the shop keeper was a twenty-something American looking blond girl. She had the full San Francisco from the flowers in her hair to the anklet ring of bells that jingled when she walked. Pati said "Are you from around here?" She said no and asked if Pati and Beebee would like to hear her say something in her native language so they would know where she was from. Pati has learned to say yes to about anything so he said "Yes." The flower girl shopkeeper then said "Dingle fingle pringle bingle " or words to that effect. Pati and Beebee blinked so she said "Dutch."

At that instant the man who sat in front of Pati on the boat climbed in (out of all the gin joints...). He asked who the shopkeeper was and the flower girl said she was. The man said he had a headache and wanted coffee. The waitress kindly offered him an aspirin and asked if he would like some water. He said yes but he wanted tap water (a.k.a. the free stuff). He took the aspirin and turned to Pati --who again found himself setting behind the man -- and asked what an aspirin is. Pati and Beebee assured him that it cures headaches. After taking the aspirin, the man went to the flower girl -- who gave him the free aspirin with the free water -- and demanded to know why his coffee was taking so long. Pati admired the man's easy way with people!

Pati then asked the man if he was the fellow on the boad who asked for a copy of the pictures. After examining Pati like a bug, the man eventually said yes (since they were among the very few non-Indians on the boat even Pati thought that should be a simple question). The man gave Pati an email address and said Pati only needed to send the forty or so best shots as attachments. Pati said "Would a link to a web site be OK?" The man said "No, that would be too much trouble for me, just send the pictures as individual email attachments."
The conversation then turned to Pati and Beebee's travels. The man explained they were pretty much a waste of time since they had not made a detailed study of Indian history before their trip. "What a wonderful man!" Pati thought. He wondered if he could -- by paying a large sum -- have the man be their guide and share more of his wisdom. Unfortunately, Beebee said it was time to go.

The next day, Pati and Beebee spent the day on a houseboat in the Kerala backwaters. Soon after the trip started, Beebee saw the man leaning out of a smaller boat taking their picture! Pati was very pleased and wanted to see if the man would join them for a further sharing of his wisdom. Unfortunately, smoke started coming from Beebee's ears again. Pati turned to make sure her hair did not catch fire. When he turned back, the man was gone. What a lost opportunity.
(Except for the smoke, all of this is true.)

Posted with Blogsy

A Fawlty Towers Moment

Pati and Beebee are staying two nights at a nice resort in Madurai. After arriving at about 2:30 pm without stopping for lunch, they "had the rest of the day free" (tour-speak for nothing else planned) to have a late lunch, wander about the property, and relax in their suite.

The restaurant is a large, simple-yet-elegant room with all dark wood furnishings. Pati and Beebee were greeted by a lovely hostess (let's call her Polly, although that probably isn't a common name for a resident of Tamil Nadu) and given their choice of tables. She then brought them the menus, one with many pages of Indian foods and one large laminated card with Italian food. Pati and Beebee were ready for some comfort food and decided to order two personal-sized pizzas from the Italian menu. They settled on a veggie pizza and a pork sausage pizza (the Fairfax County health nurse didn't say anything about pork...) and waited for the waiter to arrive to take their order.

On cue, the waiter (let's call him Manuel, although that probably isn't a common name here either) arrived and said, in English, "Are you ready?" Pati and Beebee said "yes." Manuel then collected the menus and walked away.

Pati and Beebee sat in shocked silence, unsure what had just happened. It seemed certain that no food could arrive if no food was ordered. After a few minutes, they caught the eye of the hostess and explained what had happened. She, in turn, wanted to be sure that it was a waiter that took the menus. Perhaps she did not know the word "waiter" but this remark was in keeping with a Fawlty Towers theme.

The hostess then personally attempted to take the order for the pizzas. This was clearly not in her job description, as she was unfamiliar with the Italian menu, but she tried valiantly. At this point, it was unclear just what would come out of the kitchen, but hungry people will eat what is set before them.

Faster than any pizza place in the US, two small pizzas arrived, a veggie and a pork sausage. They looked good and tasted good. The only surprise was that the "pork sausage" appeared to be sliced Vienna sausages. At least if it came out of a sealed can, it shouldn't cause food poisoning.

Hungry people will eat what is set before them.

Written Monday 11 March 2013

Posted with Blogsy

Indian Traffic Rules

Written Sunday, 10 March 2013
When Pati and Beebee visited India the first time, they were puzzled by the traffic rules. Perhaps it was Northern India rules that were the problem. Pati and Beebee are now in South India. Simon, the driver assigned to take them on their 5-day tour through Kerara and Tamil Nadu, is a very good driver and obviously understands all the rules of the road. From close observation of Simon's driving, this is Beebee's new understanding of the rules.
Most roads are meant to carry traffic in both directions. Vehicles tend to stay to their left on the roadway.
Sometimes there is a dashed line or solid line(s) in the middle of the roadway. This is merely a suggestion of where the middle of fhe road is; it has nothing to do with where vehicles drive. This is true even when multiple lanes are indicated for both directions.
Each direction of traffic uses up to 110% of the roadway. (This is based on an assumption that the width of the shoulder on each side is approximately 10% of the width of the roadway itself.) Motorcycles frequently drive on the shoulder.
Passing of a slower vehicle is acceptable, provided that the opposing traffic is not occupying all of the space that would be needed for passing (except see above: it can be assumed that an opposing motorcycle will move over onto the shoulder). Passing a vehicle that is itself passing another vehicle is acceptable. (And so by induction...) Today Beebee saw a two-way roadway completely filled with traffic going in one direction.
The procedure for passing another vehicle is to ease to the right to see if anything is coming in the opposite direction; if there isn't (or if there is but there is enough space and/or time), honk at the other vehicle and then pass it, pulling back in front of it immediately.
if there is a fender-bender, stop and work it out with the other driver. Other drivers in the viscinity have the right to stop, get out, and help judge who is at fault. Whatever happens, do not get the police involved: there will be too much paperwork. (Pati and Beebee observed this happening today on a narrow road between Munnar and Madurai.)
Always drive as fast as you can. Beebee has not seen a speed limit sign yet (or possibly just doesn't recognize them when she sees them).
Beebee has not been able to fathom what traffic lights have to do with traffic in India.
Unlike some of Pati's posts, none of this has been made up.

Posted with Blogsy

The longest way to travel 100 feet...

When their time in Egypt ended, Pati and Bebee found themselves exiting the shuttle bus between terminals at the Cairo airport. The bus also seems to make various unrelated stops in Cairo but eventually arrived at the international departures terminal. When they got off the bus, Beebee pointed to a sign about 100 feet away that said "International Check-In" and said "I think that's it." At that instant two porters appeared and seized their bags. Since they were used to overly agressive providers of service they went along with it. Egypt is on hard times and they assumed the porters really needed to earn a couple bucks.
The lead porter, who had an official airport uniform on, said "Where are you going?" Pati answered "Etihad international departures." The porter said "Show me your ticket!" that seemed odd but there was a paper sign on the door of the airport stating an admission fee (Pati and Beebee were never charged) so a lot of things seemed odd.
Pati and Beebee produced the ticket and the lead porter said "You are going the wrong way." He and the assistant porter began a rapid retreat with Pati and Beebee's luggage. Pati and Bebee scrambled to follow. They went past dozens of domestic check in gates and turned up a long hallway that didn't lead anywhere.
The lead porter said "Give me you ticket!" Pati said "What?" The porter said "Give me you ticket, I check . You wait here." Pati and Beebee produced the ticket and waited with the assistant porter as the lead porter scampered down the hallway.
When the lead returned he said "Are you in a group?" Pati and Beebee thought this an odd question but answered "No." He said "This way for groups and the line is very long." The long hallway was empty except for Pati, Beebee, and their two porters.
The lead porter said "There is another way with no line but it will cost you twenty." Pati said "Twenty what?" The lead porter answered "Twenty." Pati said "Twenty Egyptian or twenty American?" The porter replied "Twenty." His ability to speak English seemed to have vanished.
Pati had already tipped the porter so he assumed the twenty was some sort of airport fee. He had been to Orlando so he knew any sort of fee was possible. Pati did not have twenty Egyptian (about 60 cents) so he held up twenty American and said "Is this ..." Before he got to say " it," the lead porter ripped the bill from hand and started a rapid retreat. The lead porter had a luggage cart with half the luggage and the second porter was about 50 feet ahead carrying two bags in a near trot. Pati stayed with the lead porter and Beebee trotted after his assistant since she is fond of our luggage.
As they jogged along, the lead porter said "You tip my friend!" Pati said that he had already given the tip for the luggage. He said "You are rich, I am poor, you tip my friend. Obama good." Since they had been so helpful, Pati tipped his friend using Pati's last 50 Egyptian pounds.
When they reached a door with a conveyor belt sticking out of it, the porters literally threw the luggage on the belt and literally ran from sight, probably off to help another traveler.
Pati and Beebee went through the door. Beebee said "This is where we were going in the first place." The line was long and the service proceeded at a glacial pace. Pati said "Do you think we were scammed?" Beebee gave Pati one of her very long looks.
Later, Pati and Beebee wanted a snack. Pati asked if they took Visa or dollars. They said "No, only Egyptian pounds." Since his Egyptian pounds were in the second porter's pocket, he became very angry. As he left without a snack, he saw a sign that said "Public Relations." He went to the desk and said "How can you expect tourists to come to this country if they can't even walk through an airport without being scammed?" Then he described what had happened. They looked at him as if he were the dumbest man in Egypt since Pharoh Akhenaten (Pati thought that too).
Then things got interesting. The man at the public relations counter said "We want tourists to come to Egypt and this should never have happened. Will you help us find this porter?" Since Pati and Beebee still had two hours before their flight, Pati said he would help. The man asked Pati for a description of the porter. Pati, always aware of his surroundings, said "He may have been Egyptian and he wore some kind of uniform." The man behind the desk asked for Beebee to come over and confirm these details.
The man behind the desk then made a call and eight policemen in street clothes, a detective, and a mid-level military officer arrived. They took Pati and Beebee back to the place where they met the porter and started showing Pati and Beebee employees in the various uniforms used at the airport. Pati identified the uniform. Then the officers started bringing individual employees saying "Is this the one?" Pati thought he recognized one but it turned out to be Beebee. Then they brought an employee and Beebee said "That is him!" Every one said "Are you sure?" She said she was. Even though Pati suspected that she might be trying to shift suspicion from herself, he didn't say anything. The police searched the man and found Pati's twenty and the original tip. The police had Pati sign a complaint written in Arabic and gave him back the twenty plus the tip. Pati said he didn't need the tip back but the police said if he didn't take it the porter would go to jail. Pati took the money.
There are good Egyptians and bad Egyptians just like there are good people and bad people everywhere. The good Egyptians want to help and definitely want tourists. They deserve them! The bad ones had better watch their annual performance reviews.

Posted with Blogsy

On the Road to Munnar, India

Pati and Beebee left Fort Cochin this morning (9 March 2013) at 6:30 am headed for Munnar with their driver, Simon. It was necessary to leave so early so that they could observe elephant washing beginning at 8 am on a river. They were the second group to arrive on the riverbank, and several other groups arrived before the elephants did. While waiting, they observed several Indian men out in the middle of the river washing clothes and then bathing themselves. Then elephants came down the same small road that the people followed from the main road; there were three of them with 2 handlers each. They were walked into the river and made to lie down on their sides; then their handlers scrubbed them good all over. It is a daily ritual, and everyone (elephants and handlers) seemed to enjoy the time in the river.

At about 9 am, Simon took Pati and Beebee to a homestay very near the elephant washing for breakfast. It was a simple delicious meal, with chipatti (flat round bread), potato curry, chickpea curry, tiny bananas, rice, coffee (for Pati), black tea (for Beebee), cold water, and spiced coconut meat and candied banana slices for dessert. The total cost, including tip, was 220 rupees ($4.40 USD). The husband and wife running the homestay were very friendly. The wife produced a guest register for Pati to sign, and proudly showed off her collection of small bills from visitors from many countries. Pati gave her a US one dollar bill for her collection. She is yet another type of world traveler: she stays at home, and the world comes to her.

Continuing on toward Munnar, Simon stopped at a roadside spice exhibit and store. Pati and Beebee were guided through a large garden where specimens of many spices were exhibited. (The guide, a young Indian woman, had very good English that switched between British English and American English.) They saw huge jackfruit for the first rime, and a gigantic form of bay leaf. After the tour, they stopped to buy some whole spices from the store associated with the garden. As they were finding their way back to the entrance, they were stopped by an Indian family who wanted to talk about the spices they bought. But that seemed to just be an excuse to talk with Americans. They were extremely friendly, and their (British-flavor) English was very good. From the wife, Beebee learned a word in their dialect (Malayalam) for "daughter": makal. Pati and Beebee miss their makal very much!

Finally in Munnar, Pati and Beebee checked into their hotel and had a small late lunch while their luggage was delivered to their room. Simon then drove them to the tea museum, where they watched a film on the history of tea in Munnar and then watched how tea leaves are processed. One of the workers in the factory took a special interest in Pati and let him "beyond the ropes" to see the machines up close. The worker took Pati and Beebee through each part of the process, even to the drying room where he fed wood logs to the huge stove. He posed for a picture in front of the fire and seemed to enjoy explaining the whole process.

Simon with Munnar Tea Plantation

After the tea museum, Simon drove Pati and Beebee to a lookout point and directed them to walk down a steep road into a tea plantation so that they could see the plants up close. The scenery is so beautiful; it is hard to stop taking pictures.

Simon then drove them back to their hotel, and he went off to spend the night with a friend. He will be back at 9:30 am Sunday to continue the tour to Madurai, where Pati and Beebee will spend the next 2 nights.

Posted with Blogsy

Cochin, India Through Rafi's Eyes

On Tuesday 5 March 2013, their first day in Cochin, Pati and Beebee decided to "check in" with the tour company that is to take them on a 5-day excursion through the states of Kerara and Tamil Nadu beginning Saturday. The tour company is called Carnival Travel. Pati has been corresponding with Peter of Carnival Travel for several months to set up the visits and hotels. Peter has very good English and has been very helpful, even so far as to talk with the hotel owner in Cochin to make sure the room was confirmed, even though Peter and his company did not make the reservation and do not profit in any way (except in good will) from this service. Peter's father was at work and recomfirmed all the arrangements for the Carnival tour. He also was able to arrange for a guide/tuk-tuk driver to drive Pati and Beebee around Cochin for a few hours on Wednesday to see the local sights.
The guide's name was Rafi. (if it wasn't "Rafi" it was something that sounded like Rafi.) With about 3 hours of driving and viewing, they visited (in some forgotten order):

• The fishermen's village, where boats were drawn up on the sand
• An outdoor area where a large number of men were making a huge fishing net
• A spice market, where Pati and Beebee bought several kinds
• The laundry, where clothes are washed, dried, and ironed the old-fashoned way (beat against concrete blocks by a man up to his knees in water, hung on twisted hemp lines outside to dry, and ironed with a heavy (6 kg) metal iron heated by coconut shells burning inside it). This laundry is used by the hospitals and hotels. Beebee looked for their laundry but didn't see it.
• St Francis Chuch, where Vasco da Gama was buried for 14 years before his body was returned to Portugal
• A Jain temple
• A spice warehouse, where they observed piles of spices, one type per room (they saw the black pepper room and the ginger room)
• View Point, which was the top floor of a tourist store with a good view of the harbor
• The grand opening of an Ice cream shop. This happened by chance as they drove by and saw a video being made. Rafi stopped and everyone had a free chai masala and small handful of sugar crystals and raisins.
• A private museum being cared for by the widow of the owner
• An oriental-looking temple surrounded by a pond and a fence topped by barbed wire, open only once a year with much celebrating and elephants
• Various road side temples (with a stop just long enough for a photo out the side of the tuk/tuk), one of them for snakes (cobras)

After touring, they had lunch at Casa Linda, then napped in their air-conditioned room before attending a cultural performance that included kathakali. Here they were able to observe the actor applying makeup before the performance. Following this performance (the whole experience took 2.5 hours), they headed to Dal Roti for dinner. Pati and Beebee are vegetarians this week, which is hard in a town that prides itself on its seafood. After Beebee's food poisoning in Barcelona, they are trying to strictly follow the Fairfax County health nurse's admonition to avoid chicken and fish. Beef doesn't seem to be available here (where cows are sacred) and they will not eat lamb.
Written Wednesday 6 March 2013

Posted with Blogsy

A dangerous transaction...

As Pati and Beebee have traveled, they have noticed that the TP rolls in their hotels have gotten smaller and smaller. Today, Pati noticed that their roll had only about 40 tissues. Upon inspection, he determined that it was actually a new roll!
While trying to learn their way around Cochin, Patti and Beebee walked to a sundries store that was about 10 feet by 15 feet in size. The merchant greeted them and asked what they wanted. At that point, eyes narrowed and voices became low. The merchant said "Sir, I am an honest man, but - out of curiosity - how much do you seek?" Pati held the merchant in a steely gaze and said "At least enough for five American wipes."
The merchant gasped and quickly closed the door to his shop. His voice came in a whisper "Such a thing can be had but it is very difficult and will be very expensive." Pati said he was willing to pay what was needed. The merchant then broached the question of grit and tried to offer extra coarse. Pati said "I will accept nothing rougher than medium." The merchant clicked his tongue and said "Come back - one hour." As Pati and Beebee left they heard pounding and beating sounds from the yard behind the shop. When they returned, the merchant spat out "Thirty rupees!" Pati threw down fifty and said keep the change (since 30 rupees is sixty American cents).
When they carried their prize back to the room (avoiding prying eyes), Beebee quickly hid it in a secret chamber.
Aside from the parts which are not, this is all true! The rest Pati made up.

Posted with Blogsy

Egyptian Traders aka Touts

In Egypt, touts are called "traders" even though the trade is your money for their product or "service." Normally, traders are the "in your face" obnoxious men who thrust postcards, scarves, hats, sunglasses, bookmarks (anything you really don't want) in your face as you attempt to walk briskly toward a temple or other attraction that you really intend to spend money for. It is hard to keep in mind that this selling is their only livelihood and there are far fewer tourists to go around since the revolution.
Since the revolution of 2011 the traders have become even bolder, crowding the entrances of historical sites and creating a gauntlet between the tourist busses and the entrances. They approach everyone and do not take "no" for an answer. "No" is yes and no reply at all is "maybe" and "maybe later" becomes "yes" on the return to the bus ("you promised ..."). They are excellent in singling out the weaker members of the tourist herd (small delicate-looking ladies are a favorite target) and attacking them, draping scarves over their target's shoulders with the apparent philosophy of "you touch it you buy it." Beebee refuses to be a delicate-looking lady and ignores their overtures of "oh you look like a doctor with your glasses" (a common ploy in Cairo).
The day after Pati and Beebee (and the group) visited Karnak temple in Luxor, the guide told them that the traders had gone on strike at Karnak and closed the temple. This seemed incredible. What did it mean to go on strike? To refuse to hastle tourists? That didn't make sense. The only understandable scenario was that the traders blocked the tourists from entering, but that seemed extreme and where were the police in that case? There was no good explanation.
After weeks of trying to ignore traders, Pati and Beebee experienced a new kind of tout on the Nile cruise. These traders were primarily fishermen but also sold merchandise (or more likely the other way around). Traders would bring their boats alongside the Domina Prestige Nile cruise ship and offer their wares to anyone that was visible on the top deck or in windows. These traders were selling shirts. Each shirt was inside a plastic bag that the trader would heave onto the top deck (about 40 feet above water level) toward any passenger that seemed interested. The potential customer was expected to try on the shirt. If the shirt didn't fit (or wasn't wanted in the first place), the passenger would toss the shirt back down to the boat. (Yes, some shirts fell in the water.) If the shirt was wanted, the customer tossed the payment back down in the original plastic bag. (Yes, some money fell into the water.) The traders that accompanied the ship through the locks on the Nile (standing on the locks) also offered table cloths and napkins. It was amusing to watch, because the traders were far below. Then Beebee noticed that, as the water level lowered, the traders were getting much closer to the passengers! But the gates opened, and the traders were quickly left behind.

Posted with Blogsy

Rameses II and Nefertari temples at Abu Simbel

Thursday 28 February 2013

Pati and Beebee visited the temples of of Rameses II and his wife Nefertari at Abu Simbel on Lake Nasser on Thursday. Their day started with a 2:45 am wake up call for a 3:25 am departure from Aswan via bus (they had planned to fly but learned that Egypt Air will resell confirmed seats if someone offers them more money). They traveled with about 20 tourists from England (Pati and Beebee quite like their English traveling companions). They took their pillows and a breakfast packed by the ship.

The bus traveled from their Nile cruise ship to a local meeting point where about 30 busses and smaller vans met to form several armed convoys. It was important to get there early to be in the first convoy, so that the most time could be spent at their destination before starting back with another convoy. Most busses in the convoy get an armed solder to ride with them. Pati and Beebee's bus got to the meeting point early enough to be part of the first convoy, but did not have an armed soldier on their bus. Their bus started as bus #5 of 7 busses, but within about 30 minutes, it had passed the 4 busses ahead of it and sprinted down the road.

The sun came up a few hours later. It rose quickly and was beautiful. The moon, just past full, was high in the Western sky for the whole trip.

The distance between Aswan and Abu Simbel is 300 km and takes 3 hours to drive. The north-south road is almost entirely straight and has a good surface. At the southern border of Egypt with Sudan, the bus turned East toward the Nile, Lake Nasser, and the temples. From the guide's description, it seemed that the bus (and group) was very briefly in Sudan.

At 6 am, the guide awoke the tourists and everyone ate breakfast as the bus travelled the remaining 30 minutes to the temples. The ship had packed enough breakfast food for two meals: 4 sandwiches, an orange (Pati had 2), 2 bananas, cheese, boxed orange juice, potato chips, and a bottle of cold water. In fact, most passengers saved some food for an early lunch.

The air was chilly when they left the bus, and did not warm up for an hour or so. Guides are not allowed to accompany tourists inside these temples, so all the groups from all the busses stood outside (there was plenty of room) shivering a bit and facing the temples while their guides explained what they would find inside, showing them professionally-taken photos.

The two temples are those of Rameses II and of his favorite wife Nefertari. They were preserved from being submerged in Lake Nasser (the largest man-made lake in the world) during the 1960s when the high dam was built by being dismantled into many huge, heavy pieces and re-assembled much higher. The Rameses II temple faces East; on two days of each year the sun reaches to the inside back of the temple to illuminate a statue of him. These days are February 22 (his birthday) and October 22 (his coronation day). Pati and Beebee were in Egypt for the birthday of Rameses II, but were in Cairo instead of Abu Simbel.

Interesting trivia: Rameses II ruled for 67 years and conquered 67 countries, taking a wife from each country (yes, 67 wives). Nefertari, the queen of Nubia (where Abu Simbel is located now), was his favorite wife. He had over 200 children, 97 of them daughters. He married 13 of his daughters; many (over 50) of the children of these unions died young of causes associated with inbreeding.

After an enjoyable 2 hours at the site wandering inside and around the temples by themselves, the group met at 9:45 am to begin the journey back to the ship. This time there was an armed uniformed guard on the bus with a small machine gun. The guard, who looked to be in his early 20s, left the bus at Aswan. As before, the trip was uneventful and they arrived back at fhe ship just after 1 pm, when lunch was served.

Posted with Blogsy

Finally on the Nile

Written Monday 25 Feb 2013
Pati and Beebee are onboard the MS Domina Prestige for their trip on the Nile this week. The ship starts up the Nile (south) at 9:30 tonight. Tomorrow they meet with their group with their tour guide/Egyptologist to get the lowdown. Then the first excursion is sometime in the afternoon.
The group has 26 people plus a business guy plus the guide. Pati and Beebee are the only Americans in the group (probably the only Americans on the ship - maybe in Egypt). The other 24 in the group are British. Pati used a British tour company that he found on the internet, with very good reviews.

There are 72 cabins on this ship, so there are more than 140 passengers. There are other tour groups, each speaking their own country's language: so far German and Japanese have been overheard. Each tour group is seated together. The British group fills 3 tables at meals.

This afternoon Beebee had a leg/foot massage for 100 Egyptian pounds (around $16 US). Pati checked out the "hot tub" but didn't get in because it was icy cold. The swimming pool is cold too.

Pati and Beebee bought the all-inclusive drinks package so that they can get drinks "free" between 11:30 am and 11:30 pm each day. That includes bottled water, soft drinks, tea, coffee, juices, and alcoholic drinks. They have to pay for drinks outside that time, except at meals. Wine is only available at meals. It is VERY important to collect enough bottled water while it is "free," for use in the cabin and on tours. Passengers use bottled water to drink and to brush their teeth and tap water for bathing.

Beebee has sent a bundle of clothes to the laundry (happy happy joy joy) for about $20 US.

Internet access is available in the lobby for 20 Egyptian pounds (less than $3) for 1 hour, but the whole hour is used at once. That means writing all drafts offline and then posting in one marathon session.



Happy side note: Pati first made the round trip plane reservations between Cairo and Luxor using Expedia. However, Beebee became concerned about the short time they would have to switch planes when they got back to Cairo next week, since the first flight is domestic and the next flight is international, using 2 different terminals and having to handle their luggage themselves (not connecting flights). So Pati cancelled the Expedia flights (the agent couldn't figure out how to change just the return flight; her final suggestion was for Pati to change the flight in person after arriving in Luxor) and made the flight reservations directly with EgyptAir. When they got on the Cairo-to-Luxor flight, looking for seats in row 21, they found themselves seated in the second row. First/Business class! Beverages before takeoff! Meal service first! First bus to the terminal upon landing! And the best part - business class cost less through EgyptAir than coach cost through Expedia!

Posted with Blogsy

Posts may be limited this week

Pati and Beebee fly to Luxor this morning, where they will board the MS Domina Prestige Emilio for a 7night/8 day cruise up the Nile to Aswan and then back. They will keep writing posts for this blog, but may not publish posts as frequently as before since the cost and quality of internet service is not known at this time.

 

This is posted at approximately 7:20 am local time (EST + 7) on Monday 25 February 2013. The Blogger date/time frequently is incorrect.

Posted with Blogsy

The touts tell the Nigerians how smart Pati is!

Pati and Beebee just got this email. Even with the fiscal cliff, the FBI is only charging $280 (anything more less would be a scam) to mail them an ATM card :) Pati thinks the FBI is doing an excellent job since they know he is owed $2.3 million before they even know his name! Pati thinks they should simply deduct the $280 from the $2.3 million in case Pati's bank account is too small.

Should you visit Cairo?

Egypt's economy depends on tourists and very few are here. Pati and Beebee have seen very few Americans (mostly in the bathroom mirror). Major hotels like the Hilton seem to be closed or nearly closed. Tour boats are sitting idle. People are in financial trouble here.
Our tour guides want us to know that Americans are safe and welcome here. Pati and Beebee think that is true if one is concerned about being attacked or robbed. That seems unlikely. They even use the edge of Tahrir Square, which seems to be constantly blocked by protests, as a way to safely cross the street.
However, there are problems in Cairo. Pati decided to describe them -- not as a rant -- but as a way for readers of this blog to properly set their expectations too should they visit in the future. Pati and Beebee liked Cairo very much but had to overcome culture shock in the process.
The biggest problems in Cairo are the touts, traffic, litter, and unavailability of change and small bills.

• Touts

The touts come up with friendly greetings "Hello, America we are your friend. Mrs. America your glasses make you look like a doctor! Let me show you something in my shop." They use tourists natural desire to be polite against them. Pati and Beebee were warned by their hotel's staff to be aware of touts and they tried to be. However, yesterday, Pati wanted a SIM card for his international phone so he could make calls within Egypt at the local rate. He went into a shop that sold phones and asked if they sold SIM cards. They said no and then someone in the shop said he sold them next door. When Pati and Beebee went in the shop, they found it sold perfume. When Pati objected they said they had a SIM and asked to see Pati's phone. Pati asked how much the card would cost and a chorus answered "Don't worry! Very cheap!" Before he knew what was happening, one of the store workers was disassembling Pati's phone to "See if SIM card fits." Pati - starting to get a little agitated -- again asked how much. The store worker said 85 Egyptian pounds and then quickly revised it to 185 Egyptian pounds (more than $30 USD and at least three times the value of the card). Pati knew he was taken but was willing to pay to get out of the shop before things got worse. The shopkeeper nearly vacuumed every Egyptian pound out of Pati's shirt pocket (where he hid his walking around money) then found a US $20 and took it to "make change." Then a pitch started to sell perfume - "both for men and women" that Pati could take elsewhere in Egypt and "sell for double." Pati was beginning to believe the change was never coming (he had once given his keys to the Chevy dealer in Springfield and been offered test drives while they "try to find them") and was ready to run (the time for walking had long passed). At that instant the change did come (possibly fear of the tourist police) and Pati and Beebee left. The shop worker followed and said "Now that I have helped you, you help me" while making a sign for money. Before Pati could answer, Beebee had him across the street. Otherwise, Beebee feared the shop worker would tickle Pati until he had to pee and then charge him to use the bathroom.
What was the bottom line for the touts? First, Pati lost about $20 that he didn't want to lose but could afford. The touts got about $20 which was a lot to them but the way they got it made Pati avoid all other merchants. Pati and Beebee didn't even glance in the windows of shops they might have liked to have visited and made purchases in. Tourists spending money in Cairo could be good for the tourists and good for Cairo. The touts take a little money but prevent tourists from spending much more. Pati and Beebee became afraid to even speak to anyone on the street because of the touts. That was a shame because Pati and Beebee knew that most Egyptians are nice and helpful people - they just couldn't tell which were nice and which were touts.

• Traffic

There are few - if any - stoplights in Cairo. Drivers ignore lane markings and drive within inches of each other both front to back and side to side. There are no safe pedestrian crossings. The only way to cross the streets is to follow an Egyptian and weave between moving cars. Pati suspects that someday there will be one gigantic chain reaction crash that kills everyone in Cairo - except for the touts.

• Litter

Cairo is dusty and littered. It might be difficult to control the dust because of the sandstorms but the litter makes no sense. When people are done with something - say a food wrapper - they just drop it and move on. Cairo has 22 million people and a large number of them litter. The piles of litter are unsightly and smell. It would be so easy to have a government program to use some of the 4.4 million unemployed in Cairo to clean the litter off the streets. It would be even easier for the residents to become more aware of the effects of the litter and try to minimize their littering. (I don't think Pati's feeling about the litter are cultural bias. Litter breeds pests. Also, the litter hurts tourism which is a major element of Cairo's economy. Pati once heard a fellow tourist - whom Pati felt was a little grubby himself - describe Cairo as "very dirty.")

• Change

For some reason that Pati can not understand, small bills and coins are in very short supply. This is a problem because when one wants to buy something inexpensive, no one can make change. There are lots of inexpensive things in Cairo but they are impossible to buy. For example, Beebee wanted to buy two postcards in the Egyptian Museum but didn't have small enough change to get them. Another, more pressing, example is going to the restroom - every one of them has an attendant wanting a tip (it isn't clear what they do but Pati suspects they do the cleaning). Pati paid $1.50 for a quick pee at the Egyptian Museum because that was the smallest denomination he had.

• Should you visit Cairo?

Cairo has many more wonderful things than problems (e.g., you can look at the mummy of the Pharoh of the Bible). Most Egyptians also seem genuinely nice and visiting Cairo can be inexpensive. But, given Cairo's problems, Pati thinks you should visit but only with a professional guide. Pati and Beebee would not have survived without one. TripAdvisor is a good starting point for finding one. Pati also thinks that people who want to visit Egypt should do it soon. If its problems are addressed (especially the touts), Pati thinks Cairo will be packed with more tourists than Rome.

Posted with Blogsy

Concentrated Cairo

Pati and Beebee are spending three full days in Cairo. The first two days they are going on excursions arranged by Orbital Travel. They have an air-conditioned car (though it is too cool already to require it), a driver who speaks almost no English, and a guide who is fluent in English (as well as German). Although his university degree is in archeology, he has been a guide for 18 years. He is married, with two children (son aged 13, daughter aged 8). He has a brother and a cousin in the U.S.; he said they "won the green-card lottery." He has never been to the U.S. himself; his children want him to take them to Disneyland. He is an excellent guide.

Each day for the tours, Pati and Beebee are picked up at their B&B, driven to each place of interest, escorted by the guide who buys the tickets, walks them to the best parts and explains them, taken to an excellent authentic Egyptian lunch (the guide and driver eat separately), and driven back to the B&B at the end of the day's activities.

On the first day of tours (Friday), Pati and Beebee were picked up at 8:30 am following an 8 am breakfast provided by the B&B. The guide climbed up to the 3rd floor to get them (80 steps); it was agreed that he would just call the hotel desk when he got there the next day and they would walk down. They visited the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities (originally named the Cairo Museum) in Cairo, the Pyramids of Giza, and the Sphinx (Khafre's head attached to the body of a lion). The three pyramids visited from the outside, in size order, were the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre (which appears larger only because it sits on higher ground), and Menkaure. Pati and Beebee also went into the Pyramid of Khafre, climbing first down a narrow passage, then up, to get to the burial chamber. The visit to the Museum included the best parts of the Museum, which is huge, but did not include the Mummy Room. Pati and Beebee plan to go back to the Museum on their own on their third day in Cairo to see more, especially the mummies.

Pati and Beebee were fortunate to visit the Museum on Friday, because that is the only day that Egyptians get off from work. That is the day that many go to the mosques, or to outdoor places to relax, or to Tahrir Square to protest. (Protests in Tahrir Square happen every Friday, each with its own pre-announced theme, because it is a very important square. There is a tent city of protesters living on the square, who apparently form the core of the protesters.) The guide took Pati and Beebee to the Museum early in the day to get that tour completed before that day's protests started. The Museum is just off Tahrir Square on the opposite side from the B&B. Pati and Beebee arrived at the museum just before opening time (9 am) and the museum was quite empty of tourists (2 or 3 other groups) for the entire visit.

As it turned out, Tahrir Square had only a small protest, with the larger protest in another square, so the return to the B&B in the afternoon after seeing the pyramids was uneventful.

On the second day of tours (Saturday), Pati and Beebee visited the Mohamed Ali Mosque, a bazaar, Memphis (the original capital about an hour south of Cairo), and Saqqara near Memphis. The Mosque could not have been visited Friday, because it was being used for religious purposes. The guide, in addition to showing the features of the Mosque, also gave an easy-to-understand description of the 5 pilars of the muslim faith, explaining how similar it is to Christianity (his faith).

The souk (open-air marketplace) was just opening, with vendors setting up their stalls. The guide arranged for one man of the group of policemen there to walk around with Pati and Beebee, to discourage their being harrassed by sellers. This man was dressed in ordinary clothes, but had a pistol in a holster tucked into the back of his waistband. Pati and Beebee walked through slowly, observing the wares being set out, and the whole process in general. They were most interested in the spices, but did not buy any, since food products would probably be confiscated in at least one of the customs checks during the rest of the trip. Pati wondered how many of the objects sold came to Egypt via China. The officer who accompanied them spoke only a few words of English; while polite, he was uncomfortable in this duty. As they were about to exit the souk, a vender called out "American housewife" and he did not mean Beebee.

The drive to Memphis and Saqqara took about an hour. Here at Saqqara were the oldest pyramids in Egypt, including the step pyramid, the bent pyramid and the red pyramid. As they approached the step pyramid, there was an abrupt change from green plantings to the Sahara desert. At Memphis, they visited a fallen partial statue of Rameses II that was so hugh and heavy that the government just built a small building around it where it lay. There is also an alabaster sphinx there, which archeologists now believe belonged to the female pharoh Hapshepsut

Pati and Beebee decided to skip a visit to a carpet workshop, and they all stopped for lunch in an interesting outdoor restaurant. The meal was called "barbecue" and the meat (chicken and beef) was cooked at the table on a personal-sized grill. There were small bowls of side items and baklava for dessert. (They were especially appreciative of this meal, because they had left the B&B at 7:45 am before breakfast was available.)

Arriving back at the B&B at 3 pm, they said goodbye to their driver and guide and were on their own again. They arranged through their B&B to be taken to (and returned from) a dinner cruise on the Lady Diana on the Nile. Their driver arrived at 6:20 (climbing up the 80 steps), advised them to take jackets for Nile-watching atop the ship, and off they went for an "exciting" 45 minute drive to the Lady Diana. While the driver had some English (and tried to communicate), he definitely said "woman driver" while passing a timid driver who had been afraid to enter the traffic fray. The cause (or effect) of her timidity was exhibited in the metal gouges down the length of the side of her car.

On arriving at the Lady Diana, Pati and Beebee were led by their driver through another ship in order to enter the Diana. The cruise meal was a delicious buffet of Egyptian food at western prices. A beer was about $6.50 which would buy a brewery in some parts of Cairo. This was followed by the entertainment as the ship cruised slowly up the Nile (south) for some distance and then back down again. The entertainers were a singer whose American English was superb when he sang English-language songs, a belly dancer who was a great hit with the Asian men there, and a sufi dancer, who wore three skirts (that lit up at appropriate times) and spun counterclockwise for at least 20 minutes with no sign of dizziness. It is impossible to describe sufi dancing adequately in words. Pati and Beebee spent about 10 minutes "up top" enjoying the view in the chilly night.

The row of tables beside Pati and Beebee's held 8 Asian men, and the next row had about 8 more Asian men and women. One man had a video camera; each of the other men had a large camera (high-end Nikon SLR's) with a huge lens, and each woman had a smaller camera. Until the belly dancer appeared, the men spent their time photographing each other and other people's cameras. Then they focussed their huge lenses on her. They also ate an amazing quantity of food.

Pati and Beebee finally got back to the B&B at 10:30 pm and collapsed into bed.

On Sunday, Pati and Beebee returned on their own to the Egyptian Museum, only a 5-minute walk alongside Tahrir Square. This time they visited the Mummy Room where the best mummies, including Rameses II, are kept. Then they walked around the rest of the Museum at leisure. Beebee's favorite exhibit is the Narmer Tablet. Before they left, they tried to buy postcards at a counter in the Museum. The clerk did not have change, so they hope to find postcards at the airport.

Leaving the Museum, they ate lunch at Cafe Riche, an authentic Egyptian restaurant with delicious food. Tonight they plan to go back to Felfela for their last dinner in Cairo. They have eaten there twice before; it is a wonderful experience.

Posted with Blogsy