Egypt- in photos

I've had the pleasure of spending the past 5 days in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  No pyramids here ladies and gentleman.  This was a trip for rest and relaxation.  My friend Nikita and I shared a room at a 5 star hotel.  I do not usually have a budget for 5 star travel alone, but sharing expenses and a surprise complimentary upgrade made it possible on this trip.  Our hotel overlooked the Red Sea. The daily schedule was something along the lines of beach, pool, excursion, eat, repeat.  We kept things simple and had a great time.

Our Hotel

one of the great views walking the grounds of our hotel

this room was nice and spacious with 2 queen beds, two closets,  a sitting area, and a swim up pool outside of the sliding doors. 

The Beach

Our hotel had a private beach with plenty of lounge chairs and beach umbrellas for shade. You may notice that the water appears to be two distinctly different shades of blue.   The light blueish green water is shallow.  The deep blue water is where the reef drops.  That meant that this was also a nice location for snorkeling along the coral reef.  

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the mountains visible in this photo is actually an island called Tiran Island

Quad Bike Excursion at Sunset

This took place in the desert with the mountains as our backdrop.  

we are wearing scarves and sunglasses because the quad bikes kick up lots of dust while driving

my friend and travel buddy Nikita

sunset

Excursion #2- Snorkeling

The water was a beautiful clear blue.  The fish were colorful and varied along the coral reefs.  The temperature was very high, but that was forgivable on a moving boat with the fresh sea breeze. 

pictured with our snorkel guide

notice all the jellyfish behind us.  I never quite got used to feeling them brush against my arms or legs. 

screen shot of the day's forecast-it was the hottest day of the trip

mountain views from the boat

Overall, this trip was GREAT!  We had a good balance of activity and relaxation.  We met some interesting people.  We met at least 10 guys named Mohamed because that name along with Ahmed and Mustafa seemed to be the most common name in the country.  This is not an exaggeration!  We bartered with men working in shops because we know they were trying to overcharge the foreigners.  This is a common conversation while walking along a strip of shops: 

Salesguy: Hello, Sister!  You my color. (pointing to his arm and referencing our skin color) Welcome. I  give you good price

Me: (after observing souvenir item) How much for this?

Salesguy: Where you from? 

Me:  I want the price first.  Don't change it because of where I'm from

They would quote a price that was at least triple the value.  I would offer a much lower price.  We would meet somewhere in the middle. 

we had delicious grilled fish one night at a local market 

 Naama Bay- a local shop and restaurant spot 

The best part of this trip may have been the price!  Everyone likes to get a great deal.  I am on a mission to eliminate debt in my life, so budget is really important to me.  Sharm El Shiekh is very affordable.  Although Egypt has fairly cheap accommodation in general, part of this is influenced by a plane crash in October of 2015 which was linked to possible terrorism. Sharm El Sheikh has traditionally been a very popular resort destination for British and Russian tourist.   Because of that plane crash, tourism from the UK and Russia has reduced dramatically. During our stay, we mostly saw tourist from Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.  We did not ever feel unsafe in the time that we were there.  Here are some figures from my budget:

5 night hotel with complimentary breakfast and 3 meals for two at the resort- $328 USD 

This means that my half was $164 USD

Quad Bike and Snorkel Excursion- $68/person

Flight from Kuwait to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt-  $239 USD

In addition, I spent about $150 on meals, transportation, a wifi router, and a couple of souvenirs

This makes a grand total of $607.00 which was slightly over my budget of $600. 

I recommend this destination as a place to enjoy natural beauty and relaxation.  Although I never felt unsafe, I also recommend checking travel advisories before planning a trip since this location is still linked to threats of terrorism. I imagine that it would be a perfect addition to a vacation to Cairo, Egypt.  I look forward to returning in the future! 

  

Jordan Trip- Spring Break 2016

I’m going on a trip this weekend!   That’s actually not the topic of this blog entry. I still have to write about the last trip.  My previous blogging goal was one entry per week, but clearly that has not been happening.   I visited Jordan during our spring break in late March-early April.  I was fortunate to be joined by my mother and our family friend Ms. Denise. 

Day 1 of our trip was spent in Amman, Jordan.   Amman is a busy city with lots of buildings on what seem to be never ending rolling hills.  Our guide informed us that over half of the countries inhabitants live in Amman.  After living in Kuwait for the past 8 months, the thing I was most excited to see in Jordan upon arrival was ……grass.  I know it sounds simple, but grassy fields of green grass are just not common in Kuwait.  One thing that I was not excited about in Jordan was the cold.  The temperatures averaged about 45-55Farenheit.  Winter was already over in Kuwait and we were experiencing 70-80F regularly already.  I made the mistake of assuming that Jordan’s weather was the same as Kuwait because they are both Middle Eastern countries. 

We visited The Ancient City of Petra on Day 2 of our visit.  This city is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world.  The city is believed to have been established over 2,000 years ago by a group of people known as Nabataeans.  In this city, you find amazing structures carved into stone.   You can see how there was class distinction with cave dwelling homes built into stone for poor, middle class, and wealthy families.  Within the city you find places of worship, an amphitheater, and tombs for burial.  Petra is also a very naturally beautiful city with rose colored stone. I would recommend this a place to visit for anyone traveling to Jordan.

Petra Selfie-  This headscarf was all about staying warm.  It was cold. 

The Dead Sea was also a part of our agenda.  It’s difficult to explain why going to this body of water is fascinating.  My first impression was that the place was stunningly beautiful.   As we drove along the coast with a view of the sea, I couldn’t believe how stunningly blue the water was.  Unlike the rest of Jordan,  the Dead Sea was rather warm.  As we drove there from Petra, I noticed the temperature reading increase about 30 degrees as we decended to the lowest elevation on Earth.  The warmer temperatures allowed us to hop in and try floating.  After getting over the initial cold, I found the water to be pleasant and relaxing.  The surface was really rocky, so I recommend water shoes to anyone else who plans to visit.   It was really windy and there were lots of waves the day of our visit, so I had to hold on to the platform pictured below in order to not float away. 

The white substance at the bottom of the rocks is salt

We visited some pretty cool Biblically significant spots such as Mt. Nebo and the Baptism Site of Jesus.  If your childhood was anything like mine, then you spent A LOT of time in church.  I also attended a Christian school from preschool through 6th grade.   Jordan is one of the countries that the children of Israel passed through to get to the Promised Land.  Mt. Nebo is the mountain where Moses viewed the promised land and was buried.  When we visited this location, we could see Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Jericho in the distance.  

You are looking at "The Land flowing with Milk and Honey" - The Promised Land

Jordan is also believed to be the location where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.  This fact is disputed because Israel also claims to be home to the baptism sight.  In any case, it is the same body of water, which is the Jordan River.  The pillars below are said to be the location where the baptism took place.  Visitors are not allowed to  get into this water or draw water from this spot of the river.  However, there was a part of the river about 1/4 mile further where visitors are allowed to get into the water and have their own little baptisms.  My mother, Ms. Denise and I dipped our hands in the water and baptized one another in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   

The baptism location of Jesus beyond Bethany

This is the baptism site where visitors are allowed to enter the water.  The ropes in the water show the separation of Jordan and Israeli borders.  There was an armed guard to make sure no one tried any funny business with illegal border crossing. 

Overall, I enjoyed the trip to Jordan.  There were a lot of locations to visit.  The variation of climate and landscape is very interesting.  We visited mountains as well as the lowest elevation on land at the Dead Sea.  Our trip to the Desert at Wadi Rum was cancelled because it was too cold for a ride in an open Jeep.  I would recommend this trip for others with the following tips:

• bring water shoes for the Dead Sea.  It is very rocky and the salt water burns open cuts (i cut my finger on a rock)
• Hire a driver or arrange a tour with a tour company.  Jordan has a lot to see and do but the locations are spread out.  For example, Petra is about 3 hours from Amman.  The landscape is also very hilly with some pretty sharp twist and turns along the mountains.  Driving a rental is not for the faint of heart. 
• Know that English is widely spoken at tourist locations, but not necessarily common throughout the country

I have 1st world problems

My life abroad sometimes magnifies the fact that I truly have 1^st world problems.  The term 1^st world problems refers to the fact that the things that concern me are what people in 3^rd world countries might roll their eyes at or not even comprehend because they have more survival based issues going on.  This week I discussed an upcoming vacation to Egypt.  I asked my friend if the sand at the hotel’s beach would be soft or rocky.  I started to pout over the fact that I would need to wear water shoes. I had to stop and laugh with her over how bratty I sounded.  I have the privilege of visiting Egypt and spend days at a beautiful beach, but I’m worried about whether the sand is soft enough. 

This is my favorite local beach in Kuwait.  The sand is pretty nice.  If the sand in Egypt is too rocky, this sand will be waiting for me when I return. 

I can compare this conversation to a series of conversations that I have had with a taxi driver who drives me around on a regular basis

When going to pick my mother up from the airport:

Driver: you are excited to see your mother?  How long since you last saw her?

Me:  I haven’t seen her since September

Driver:  My mother in Bangladesh.  I have not seen her in 13 years. Too expensive

Me: Wow

Conversation after picking me up at my apartment

Driver: Madame, is this a teacher building?

Me: yes it is for teachers and staff who work at my school

Driver:  How many people live in your flat?

Me: Just Me

Driver: You don’t share?

Me: no

Driver:  How many beds?

Me: Two.  Do you share your flat?

Driver: yes, with 6 or 7 other men

Me: silently just thanking God

In my travel, I sometimes get the opportunity to see that other people do jobs for SURVIVAL that I would never even consider doing.  I have never had to consider accepting a position as a bathroom attendant or someone who request tips in exchange for toilet paper at a tourist attraction.  My apartment building in Kuwait has two security workers.  These gentlemen don’t seem to have days off.  They work 12-hour shifts day in and out.  I’ve learned that they earn a very small salary in exchange for their labor.  During a recent trip to Jordan, we visited the ancient city of Petra.  There were lots of children asking and begging us to purchase their souvenirs.  While some of these children were downright annoying, I had to be grateful that my family never required me to skip school and sell goods or engage in child labor to help pay the bills.

These little boys are selling my mother postcards in Petra

I don’t have survival-based problems.  I have clean drinking water.  All of my needs are met.   Lots of my “wants” are met as well.  I am really thankful for my 1^st world problems such as:

·      Should I hire a cleaning lady?  I have time to clean, but I just want somebody else to do it for me.  A cleaning lady’s services cost about $100/month for 4 visits.  I’m going to pass because that’s $1,000 that I can use toward a great vacation or a flight home.

·      I’m going to have to drive myself around again when I go back to the USA.  I’ve become accustomed to being chauffeured.

·      I’m going to have to bag my own groceries when I return home…. And put them in the car myself.  Here there are usually a few men waiting at checkout to do that for you.

·      My internet connection is not as fast in my apt. here as it was in North Carolina.  I have to wait like…5 extra seconds for things to load. And sometimes my shows pause for buffering. 

·      Sometimes I don’t know which of the 50+ possible restaurant options I want to choose to deliver dinner to my door.

 

1st world problems

Do you have these kinds of problems?  If you do, you might want to take a moment and count your blessings. 

When visiting Kuwait, Don't be surprised if......

When visiting Kuwait, people from the United States might encounter a bit of culture shock.  Next week, I will be hosting 2 ladies visiting from the USA. One of them is my mom and the other is a family friend!  Consider this my warning in advance about what NOT to be shocked by when visiting Kuwait.

Horn honking

In the USA, horn honking is considered rude and reserved for times of anger and to warn others of danger.  In Kuwait, the horn honking means hello, goodbye, get out of the way, do you want a taxi, and a host of other things. You will hear horns honking constantly.

this is a typical neighborhood scene

 Trash is all over the place

If countries were houses, and you looked at Kuwait, you would turn it down for lack of curb appeal.  Open fields seem to be the spare garbage dumps of the country.  In the US, we pay taxes for garbage trucks to take away our trash.  Kuwait has not taxes.  Although the country is quite wealthy, the government does not seem to invest much money into keeping streets and fields clean.

3     Malls have revealing clothing

Kuwait is a modest Muslim country.  You may find people dressed in a variety of ways from casual jeans and t-shirts to traditional abiyas and disdashas.  Women who cover only do so when out in public.  In the privacy of one’s home or among female friends, women can wear anything they like. 

4     The Nanny

The presence of nannies in Kuwait is much more prevalent here than in the USA.  Many of my students have one or more nannies who live in their homes.  Expats are allowed to have 1 per household.  Kuwaiti families are allowed to have one  nanny per child in the family.  Nannies often walk alongside parents wearing scrubs and tending to the children in public places. 

5     You might not meet any Kuwaitis

Kuwait has a huge population of expats.  Native Kuwaitis make up only 30% of the population here.  The other 70% comes from other countries like me and the 13,000 other Americans working here.  According to Wikipedia, there are over 500,00 Indians, 450 Egyptians, and 140,000 Filipinos working here among the larger populations.  In the USA, working at fast food restaurants and in retails shopping stores is a teenage right of passage.   In Kuwait, these jobs appear to be reserved for expat and immigrant workers. 

6   Personal Hygiene is NOT universal

I have gotten into some taxis that reek of body odor.  Read the paragraph above.  There are huge cultural differences amongst the people who live here.  Some of these folks don’t use the perfumed fragrances, soaps, and even daily washing habits that we are accustomed to.  Some people are in basic survival mode.  When your basic priority is making enough money to feed and provide shelter for your family, your grocery cart is less likely to contain Dove body wash and deodorant.

7

      Taxis will overcharge you

Drivers often ask wear you are from.  Some of them just want to make conversation and hear your thoughts on Barack Obama.  I have learned that many of them are just deciding how much to charge you.  The meters are usually the best way to get a fair deal.   Don’t brag about being from America.  It drives up the price.  Don’t say that you have been in the country for less than a year.  Anyone who is new and foreign is assumed to be wealthy enough to pay $3-$6 more than the actual price.   Also, you are not expected to tip taxi drivers. 

Ask for a biscuit in America, you will get the item on the left. Ask for biscuits in England or here in Kuwait, you will get the items on the right that Americans call cookies.  Throw in accents when asking for your items, and there is no telling what you will get. 

8     English is widely spoken, but you won’t always understand it

Lots of people here speak English, but it is not a first language for a majority of people that you encounter.  You can ask people to repeat themselves.  I often say “are you saying……” and repeat back what I think they said. Sometimes you will not understand at all.  Just be patient.  We native English speakers are in the minority.   We can hear lots of different accents and languages on any given day.   

Is That Camel Tasting My Hair?

Today I visited a farm here in Kuwait.  My teacher friends and I were checking out a farm owned by the family of one of the students who attends our school.  We found a place that is quite unique in Kuwait and the warmest hospitality that I have experienced since moving to this country.  AND, while I was posing for a photo with a camel, it started chomping on my hair. Yuck! Guess I know not to stand so close next time.

This beautiful blue and white house is not a typical style of home found in Kuwait.  It was one of the first surprises of the day. 

The farm harvest thousands of fish which are sold at local markets.

That's the camel that munched on my hair.  Selfie ruined! 

Camels!

Within this greenhouse, we saw a large variety of plants that are not native to this area.  In addition to flowers and potted plants, the farm grows lemons, oranges, pineapples, bananas, and tomatoes.  The owner explained that many people don't even attempt to grow these items because they don't believe it is possible in Kuwait. 

these strawberries are grown in  the greenhouse as well. They were delicious!

Yeah, they have monkeys on the farm

This generous family sent us home with wheelbarrows full of  fresh fruit and vegetables.  

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These ostriches allowed us to pet them until they realized we were taking fresh eggs.  Things got a little tense after that. 

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This family showed us lovely hospitality.  We spent almost 8 hours at the farm.  They gave us snacks,  prepared a lovely lunch including traditional Kuwaiti dishes, and sent us home with huge loads of fresh strawberries and vegetables.  They also gave each of us an ostrich egg.  I'm secretly hoping that a baby ostrich hatches from mine :).  

ostrich egg next to a chicken's egg

* Special thanks to Marife Escueta for sharing photos with me for the blogpost.