Travel | Sherry Lachelle Travels

My first impression of Cairo was of a dirty, polluted, congested city with very aggressive drivers. Most of the buildings had re bar sticking up, so they could continue building as they saved enough money. The “Travel Channel” doesn’t prepare you for the reality of experiencing a culture so very different than your own!

It was a country of contrasts…the call to prayer echoing through the streets…five times daily…sexually suggestive noises and gestures…the desert…the lush tropical Nile valley…ugly buildings…beautiful colors of the spices & fabrics. It was an amazing trip!

I booked the trip through a company called GAP Adventures, based out of Canada and met my fellow travelers the evening I arrived in Cairo, in March, 2009′. There were 4 Australians, 4 Americans, 3 Irish and 3 Canadians. Learning about their lives and countries over the next couple of weeks was an added bonus!

The weather varied from the 40’s in Mt. Sinai to the 90’s in the Wadi Rum desert of Jordan.

We spent the first day in Cairo and then took the 12 hour night train from Cairo to Aswan, stayed for three days and then traveled for 2 hours by private van to Luxor. After two days there we took the night train back to Cairo.

To avoid paying a single supplement GAP will pair you up with a roommate, but on this trip there were no other solo females, so I had my own room in the hotels which was nice because they were usually quite small.

I’m not much of a museum person. When I travel I’m most interested in the people, the landscapes, the culture and the activities.

On the train ride back to Cairo, I went to the club car where you could purchase snacks/drinks and encountered an eclectic group of travelers. While attempting to make conversation with a man from Japan, one of the waiters tied a towel around his hips…jumped up on a table…and started gyrating to the music…picture an Arab Elvis!

If you’ve ever been shopping in Mexico…the salesmen hawking their goods in Egypt are far more aggressive! Being the fearless female that I am, one morning in Aswan, I set out on my own to shop. Some of the men would make odd noises as I walked by…sort of a clucking noise with their tongues. I dressed conservatively…but I think they have a distorted opinion of western women…probably from T.V.

One of the issues we encountered were the private shopping stops and pre-arranged restaurants. We decided after eating quite a few “not so good” meals to venture out on our own and the few times that we were able to do that – the food was much better. We assumed that there are kickbacks to the tour guide for bringing people to their shops and restaurants.

We risked our lives walking two miles…crossing five lanes of speeding… horn honking…Egyptian drivers…who must have inhaled too many Turkish coffees…to reach a French Restaurant called “Le Bodega”. It was worth it…the food was excellent!

I didn’t get sick with intestinal problems …very vigilant with my disinfectant wipes…and I didn’t eat any vegetables that weren’t cooked.

The Kissing Camel

More later…

Egypt holidays: Colourful chaos in Cairo, Aswan and Luxor (dailymail.co.uk)
Egypt holidays: Colourful chaos in Cairo, Aswan and Luxor (azzasedky.typepad.com)

Leavin on a Jet Plane…to Sacramento today! This will be my third trip to California this year. I’ll be interviewing with about 20 tour companies for a position as a Tour Director, along with hundreds of others. We’ll also get to go on a couple of fun day trips. Tomorrow is a City tour of Sacramento…followed by a wine tasting in wine country. On Thursday, I’ll be headed to Yosemite for the day. I went hiking in Yosemite back in 2006. I was there by myself touring around California via Amtrak trains and buses. On the bus ride from Napa to Yosemite, I met a girl from England and she and I hiked together the following day for nine hours…about 14 miles…with lots of elevation changes. It was harder than hiking down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up…which I did by myself back in 2007. Here are a couple of photos from that trip:

This career change is exciting but also makes me feel a bit apprehensive/nervous. Public speaking was never my thing, but I joined Toastmasters back in November and have given two 5 minute speeches already. I think it takes courage to make big changes once you’re older and I’m proud of myself. I’m trying to get comfortable with being uncomfortable!

To change the subject…an update on the care packages for the homeless that I made and distributed. I gave a pack to about 6 of my co-workers and about 10 other family/friends. So far, I’ve heard that two of them have been distributed to people at street corners. I’ve given out two of them. I was stopped at a light and there was a guy holding a sign that said, “Veteran…Need help.” He saw me rolling my window down and starting walking over with a smile on his face. When I said I had a care package for him, I could tell it wasn’t what he was expecting, but he thanked me. A guy came into the office (which is an old home in a semi-residential area) and was looking for donations for the shelter that he stays at…for people with drug/alcohol problems. He had a printed up card with the name, address and mission of the facility that he handed to me. I had donated $20 to a guy from the same place, a couple of years ago, who stopped me in a grocery parking lot. Anyway, I told him about my care package and he accepted it with a “thank you”. It’s fun to hear about how the others are distributing theirs and I can tell it makes them feel good doing so!

Other than that, I’ve been making lots more recipes from Pinterest and am taking my new work-out clothes (from Christmas) to Sacramento to jog/exercise in while I’m there to keep my body and attitude in good shape! I’m excited about reading a new book I downloaded to my I-Pad to read on the planes, etc….”The Help”. I haven’t seen the movie yet and like everyone else, usually enjoy the book better than the movie.

I’ll have lots of photos to post when I return and stories! Hope everyone has a peaceful, fun and inspired week!

~Sherry~