Malta, December 2008 - New Year's Eve

Started by going down to the restaurant for breakfast. I thought we were meeting in the restaurant but Kim and Karen said we agreed to meet in the lobby. We finally met up and decided to go to the place outside of the hotel. Both places were not that good. We will need to find a better place. After breakfast, we met Louise from FCm. She took us to the Libyan Embassy and pushed our visa applications through. She said they would be ready in the afternoon not the normal three days. Afterward, she took us to their office for a meeting with her company. The meeting went very well, I think they can help us out with a lot of issues. We went back to the embassy and picked up our visas. Cool! Louise had free time during the afternoon so she drove us to Mdina. We looked around a bit and found a nice café’ for lunch. The food was good and we had a few bottle of wine. She dropped us off at the Bay Street shopping area near the hotel where I found the Hard Rock Café’. I purchased my HRC items then we grab a booth and talked for several hours. We headed back to the hotel, Kim said that Moktar would arrive around 9PM. I was half-asleep when Moktar knocked on my door and said lets go, so we all gathered around 10PM in the lobby and ended up at a small bar at the bottom of the hill. This is where we celebrated new years. We then ventured over to Bay Street to find some food, ended up having pizza.

Malta, December 2008 - Back in Malta, Intro to FCm

Kim, Karen and I took of for the airport, we had two visa/airport guys going with us to make sure everything went smooth. We got special treatment and was escorted through customs. The plane took off on time and we got to Malta by 1:30PM. There was a driver waiting for us arranged by a travel company, FCm. Two reps from FCm also met us. The driver took us to the hotel, the Corinthia. When I checked in, they said that I had a free upgrade to the executive level so we all went up stairs. I checked in with no problems, but when Kim and Karen checked in there were told to go back to the main check in desk. All's fine now. After about 15 minutes, we all met in the lobby with the FCm reps. Looks like these folks will be able to help us with many issues. They do corporate bookings and bill once a month. They also help with Libyan visa. After our meeting, we were on our own until dinner. Around 7ish we met down stairs then walked down the Henry J Beans restaurant. We ordered Mexican, the food was good.

Germany, December 2008 - Back to Tripoli

Off to the airport, I do not want to go back Libya! This vacation was excessively short. Troy and Tim are great companions, we had a ball the entire time! Checking in at the Berlin airport is a bit different. Like Tripoli, you must wait until the flight is posted on a screen. Our flight was posted 90 minutes before takeoff. The flight was delayed by 30 minutes but the airline held our connecting flight until we arrived, that was unusually. When we got off the plane, a special van was ready and rushed us directly to the boarding gate via the tarmac. Arrived in Tripoli,  Troy and I were held up in customs because of our souvenir Check Point Charlie passport stamps in our passports. After everyone left the customs area, we were released. The good news is was that our luggage made it with us. Sat with Gareth, Phil and Troy at dinner. Phil and I were comparing notes about Egypt. After dinner, I went down to Gareth’s flat and gave him the chocolates and newspapers. We chatted awhile about Berlin and work.

Germany, December 2008 - Potsdam

Had a hard time our getting up this morning, too much to drink at the bar last night. Everyone met up in lobby at 9:30AM. We went to the tour bus pickup point to verify it was operating. Then we went around the corner for a small breakfast, brat and fries. We took off at 10AM to the Potsdam area. The tour was mostly via bus we did get off at the Sanssouci Place for a tour. The most interesting part of Potsdam was the old KGB “secret town” neighborhood. The famous WWII Potsdam Conference was held in this neighborhood at the Cecilienhof Place. When we got back to Berlin Tim just wanted to pick up fast food and take a nap. Troy and I finally took this opportunity to have a late lunch at the Hard Rock Café. It was my first real American style hamburger since I left the States. We went back to the hotel, I took a much needed nap and then rendezvoused with the others at our normal time. We had a few drinks then went to an Italian restaurant. The food was good, I had the pork medallions, the pizzas looked good to. I called it a night and said goodbye to Tim since he will have to stay until Tuesday to get his Visa fixed.

Germany, December 2008 - Solo

Had breakfast by myself again. I walked down to DD for a coffee, when I got back to the lobby Troy was waiting on Tim or me. I said I was heading upstairs to draft up my itinerary for the day and that I would be back down in an hour. I decided yesterday that I was not going to do the third walking tour. I went to leave and Troy was in the lobby waiting on Tim, they were heading out somewhere. I ended up walking all the way to the Sony Center via the park and “Straβe des 17, Juni”, this is the name of the main drive going through the park. I took better pictures of the Victory Column and Reichstag building, also took an aerial shoot of the Holocaust Memorial. I was tired after all of the walking so I went to the Ritz Carlton and relaxed in the lobby for 30 minutes. Then took the S-Baun to the Friedrich Station and switched trains then went to the Alexander Station. I walked along the elevated tracks until I found the Brauhaus Lemke brewery. The food was disappointing because they were serving only a buffet, but the beer was the best I have had in Berlin. I believe it was a bock or an alt. Then I went to the TV Tower and went up to take a few pictures. After all of that I hopped back on the train and went back to the Hotel. I tried to take a nap but decided to head down to Ka De We to check out the groceries on the top level, awesome. I met up with the guys at the hotel bar for our daily 6PM social hour.  The hotel staff was having their xmas party this night. By now we know the entire bar staff and they know us as the crazy Americans who spend over 200€ a night, the bar manager was working tonight so her staff could enjoy the party.  We ended up drinking til 7PM then we went to other steak restaurant the Maredo. I think this was the best steak so far this week. We went back to the hotel bar and drank until late.

Germany, December 2008 - Hop-on/Hop-off

Today the three of us rode the City-Circle hop-on/hop-off tour bus. Tim took this tour bus yesterday. It was much better than the walking tours from the two previous days. We got off at the Sony Center to show Tim, Hitler’s bunker location and we ended up walking to the Holocaust Memorial, Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag building. We walked back to the Sony Center and grabbed a bratwurst for the first time in Germany. It was great! We also went in to a brew hall for a bowl of soup and a beer. We got back on the bus and took it to Check Point Charlie. Took a few photos and read the history on the walls that were all over the place.  Back on the bus to the Fernsehturn – TV Tower stop. The line for the tower was too long so we bagged that idea and got back on the bus and got off at the starting point. Rested in the room for a bit then we met back up at our rendezvous point at 6PM, the hotel bar. We went to the Block House steak restaurant but there was a line to get in so we back tracked a few blocks and tried an Argentina Steak restaurant, Cayenne. Great choice, the meal was great. Went back to the hotel and had a night cap with Troy.

Germany, December 2008 - The disapearing Tim trick

I had breakfast at 8AM then met Troy in the lobby at 9:45AM. We went to the train station and bought 7-day passes and purchased the Potsdam tickets for Tuesday. Went to the Hard Rock Café for lunch around 11AM but it did not open until noon. Therefore, we ended up at the café around the corner from the hotel. I had a currywurst, the food was so-so. Then we proceeded to the rendezvous point for the Third Reich tour. The tour was very disappointing, only saw a few landmarks and spent most of the tour near the Berlin Wall monument. We got back to the hotel and killed some time before we met at our normal time at 6PM in the hotel bar. Tim had way too much to drink, he was slurring his words before we even left for dinner. We took a cab and got there in no time at all. Had dinner at a brew Pub in the Sony Center. The center is very cool at night, I took a lot of pictures. The down side was that we were watching Tim to make sure he did not get into any trouble but he disappeared. Troy and I spent 30 minutes looking for him but gave up and took a cab back to the hotel.  We tried to call his room but no answer.  We had a nightcap at the bar and called it a night.

Germany, December 2008 - Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

Met Troy in the lobby at 8:30AM, we went looking for a place to get breakfast. We went to the Zoologischer Garten Train Station and found several café’s and another Duncan Donuts across the street from the one we found yesterday. We both got a cheese and meat croissant and I of course bought a DD coffee. After we ate, we went for a walk in the park near the station. Walked down the Landwehrkanal. By the time we got back it was close to the meeting time for the tour. The group took the train to one of the main stations and transferred from the S-Baun to a light rail commuter train (DB-Baun) to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. It was cold! The combination of just a light leather jacket, t-shirt and the fact that I have lost so much weight made for a very cold day for me. We arrived at the information center were our guide met us. We walked down to the main gate and entered into a museum. Then we were taken into the camp. They have reconstructed three wooden bunkers. The rest of the camp just had the concrete foundations. We made our way to the gas chambers, eerie. As soon as I got back in Berlin, I went to a nearby department store and purchased a sweater. We once again rendezvoused at the hotel bar for a few before we headed out. We went to Reinhart’s for dinner. This is a very fancy restaurant, the food was excellent. After we got back Tim wanted to go solo tonight, so Troy and I just went walking around the neighborhood.

Germany, December 2008 - Bose

We were supposed to meet at the breakfast buffet at 9AM but Tim and Troy did not show until after I left. We met in the lobby after they ate. Troy’s luggage showed up first around 11AM, Tim’s luggage showed a little earlier, I did not get mine until the late afternoon. During the day we just walked around a three block radius of the hotel but found all kinds of stuff. We went clothes shopping and found a nearby xmas village area setup on a city block with all kinds of vendors from nick-knacks to food to drinks. We stumbled across and huge electronics store (Saturn), all three of us ended up buying a set of Bose speakers for the computer/TV. We rendezvoused at the hotel bar for a few before we headed out for the evening. (More than just a few).  Tonight we went to a steak restaurant around the corner, it was good but not what I wanted for my first steak dinner. Afterward we went to the bar next door to the hotel that we were in last night.

Germany, December 2008 - Are we going to make it?

Off to Berlin!  We left on time for once out of Libya. We arrived in Vienna with plenty of time to spare. However, the plane to Berlin was canceled so we were rushed all through the airport, first we went to the Lufthansa gate then the Austrian rep said that we had to fly to Frankfurt to catch a flight to Berlin. So we got on board the flight to Frankfurt, no problems. Then we got on the flight to Berlin, this time they put us in business class, Cool! Therefore, we made it to Berlin but our luggage was still in Vienna. Oh well, good thing I brought underwear in my carry on. We finally checked in around 12:30AM, and proceeded to get drunk at the hotel bar.  They closed up at 2AM  then we went out walking in the early morning air. Got to bed around 4AM.

Malta, November 2008 - Last day

Met Karen at Bonicelli’s, the café’ next to the hotel for breakfast. We then went shopping in Paceville, a little village up the hill from St. Julian’s. We found a glass shop that we had been looking for, I bought two pieces. We then found a large grocery store where I picked up a lot of UK cheese.
We met back at the Hotel around noon were a van took us to the airport. After we checked in we all got together for lunch. The flight was on time, no issues at the airport.  Got back home, had dinner upstairs and went to bed.

Malta, November 2008 - Walking tour Sliema & Valletta

Headed to the lobby, no one else was around.  We failed to make plans the night before.  Went for a small walk to kill time until the others showed up. I studied the Malta map so I knew where to go and what to visit. As it turned out everyone went on his or her own way. Karen and I were the only two who teamed up, which was fine by me since we get along so well. We walked around the peninsulas along the bay and shore of Sliema. We ran into a young French girl by the shore, we took turns taking pictures with each others cameras then said goodbye. Half way around Sliema, we ran into a couple from Ireland. We ended up talking and had a cup of coffee with them. They were a strange couple, I got a weird vibe from them, and thought they might have been scammers. Karen and I then continued our journey down to the Sliema shore at Sliema Creek inside Marsamxett Harbor. Karen wanted to stop and shop but realized that we should head over to our destination. At the Sliema Creek walkway there were many harbor cruise boats available, definitely will take one next time we are in Malta. We were only interested in the fiery that takes us over to Valletta. The fiery was only 93 cents, which beats taking a bus any day. The fiery took us across Sliema Creek and Marsamxett Harbor to the bottom of Valletta. We disembarked and walked up the steep road to Valletta where we started our walk around the old fortress of the city. There are many cafes, restaurants and bars. We ran into the cute French girl again. We found a small café’ on the side of a hill and went in for a small bite to eat and a beer. We ended up at a small park and took a few pictures then cut across town because I was not sure where I was. There was a film festival going on. We ran into Maureen, she had just got there and did not want to head back, which is where we were going. We got to the fiery, Karen was impressed with my sense of direction once again. Once we got back to Sliema, we started shopping around at some of the stores. We stopped at the Tex-Mex restaurant we saw earlier in the day. The food was tasty but was not Tex-Mex. We continued back, taking pictures and talking as the sun was setting. It was a long fun day with Karen.
We all met in the lobby for dinner, Deb, . Deb, Karen, Maureen, Troy and I had arranged for a van to take us to an upscale steak restaurant, Madeline’s Cottage. We had ordered an appetizer that the waiter offered, it was full of seafood, later we found out it was 75 Euros. Most of us ordered steak that was very good. I also had a pumpkin soup, which was very good, I ended up sharing it with everyone. After three bottles of wine, we headed back to the hotel. We got back to the hotel and went to “Muddy Waters” a bar next to the hotel. They had a local ale that was pretty good, Blue Label. The jukebox was good playing rock, Karen was dancing as usual. Deb and I started talking about grunge bands, she's from the Seattle area. Karen and Maureen went back to the hotel while Deb, Troy and I went back to the Irish bar for a few pints.

Malta, November 2008 - First trip to malta

Off to Malta! Flight was delayed an hour and a half. Sam was on our flight and offered to by dinner for us, he was staying at the hotel next to ours. Our hotel was right on the shore of Balluta Bay. Everyone checked in then met in the lobby to go to dinner. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant near the hotels. We had three bottles of a local wine, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Pinot Noir. The Cabernet Sauvignon was the best tasting. After dinner, we went walking around St. Julian’s Bay and found three bars very close to the hotel. We went inside the Irish bar for a pint. Back to the hotel for the night.

Libya - October 2008 - Leptis Magna

Troy, Gareth and I took off for Leptis Magna today. We swung by the Plasma to pick Don a new business travel. The trip was an hour and a half. I was able to go and see the stuff I missed the first time and took shots from different angles and walked a different route this time. We walked over to the light house which is located to the east of the city. Great views from this vantage point. Ended up to be a better time than I thought.

Egypt, 2008 - Last day in Egypt

Got up around 5:30AM, Bathed as much I could, no shower just a sink. The train arrived on time, surprise. They made up 90 minutes over night. The greeter met me at the station. We had time to kill so we went to a café across the street. Around 9AM Randa should up. We went to old Cairo for a tour. We toured the Hanging Church, St. George Church, Abu Serge, Ben Ezra Synagogue, Coptic Museum and Amer Abu El Ala Mosue. The Amer Abu El Ala Mosque was the last stop for the tour. The Mosque site on the highest point in Cairo surrounded by an ancient fort. We finished at 2PM. Had plenty of time to kill but I opted to head to the airport. Check in won’t be until 4:30 so I found a nice place to sit down. I grabbed some grub and a drink, and then updated my journals

Egypt, 2008 - Baloon Ride & Valley of the Kings

Early morning balloon ride today on the West bank. Not sure when I was suppose too be picked up so I got up at 4AM just in case there was a mistake. I went for an early morning walk to kill time. I met my guide in the lobby and proceed to the Nile where we took a river taxi. As soon as we got to the other side, I was personally escorted to a van where two other couples were waiting. We drove to the staging area where the balloon was being filled with hot air. After the balloon was ready, the five of us climb in the gondola. There was an Italian couple that was celebrating their 40th anniversary. The balloon ride was awesome! We climbed to 1,500’. As balloon rides go, we went up and down several times riding the currents and using the low altitudes for vertical maneuvering. We got low enough a few times on the cornfields that we could hear the bottom of the gondola scraping on the top of the corn stalks. After 30 minutes, the pilot was looking for a place to land. We ended up close to our departure point. A bunch of local farmers came out to collapse the balloon. The van met us at the landing spot. I was dropped off at a location near the river where I met up with Ahmed, my guide from yesterday. We drove to the valley of the workers that was not part of the tour but Ahmed had recommended it. I visited two underground tombs. Pictures were not allowed but it was early and no one else was around so I was able to take a few photos.
Next stop, the Valley of the Queen or temple of the Queen Hatshepsut. Very impressive and large. The guide gave a brief tour of the place then left me alone to take photos. When I was walking around I was at a location were a guard with an oozy want me to take his picture. I wasn’t going to argue. At first I thought, how strange, well he must do this a lot. Then he lured me into an open corridor for more pictures. Showing me good angles, then he wanted to take pictures of me. At this point I was feeling uncomfortable. I indicated that it was enough and I was going to leave. He gave me back my camera then asked for a tip. DOUGH! How could I have been so dumb? I gave him 5EP, he of coarse wanted more, so five more. Let’s call it a 10EP photo shot. Then I got the hell out of there. Met back up with Ahmed, we drove to a souvenir shop, why not, everyone gets a chance to take the tourist money. Bought a couple annex eggs.
Finally, we are going to the Valley of the Kings. Very cool, but not cold, in fact it was starting to get very hot and it’s not even noon yet. There are many tombs to visit but my package only allowed a trip to three tombs. Gee, I thought the outside temperature was warm, the tombs were like an oven. The color on the walls was still vibrant in most areas. Ahmed said they covered the paintings with egg whites and honey. The egg whites for the gloss and honey to keep the bacteria from eating the eggs. No pictures allowed inside the tombs, what else is new. Time to head back. We started our ride back through the west bank farmlands. Got back to the east bank then back to the hotel.
The train leaves at 8PM so I extended my stay for a fews hour so could shower and pack my bags. I had the hotel hold on to my bags so I could go out for the afternoon. I had lunch with the greeter at the same place we ate at yesterday but this time I wanted Egyptian food not the standard buffet stuff they have for the tourist. I went to the lobby bar had a few beers while I caught up on my journals. I walked to the market place near the hotel. I found the fez for Gareth’s kid I had been looking for this trip. Got back to the hotel around 3PM. I located a free Internet computer in the lobby so I checked out my email messages. I went to the hotel café for ice cream and a coffee ended up ordering a large salad. The first real salad I’ve had since I left the US.
I had a few more beers in the bar before I got my bags from the front desk. The driver was ready at 7:30PM to take me to the train station. The train was an hour and a half late but I got on in my private cabin and updated the journals and went to sleep

Egypt, 2008 - Luxor

Found out that there is no shower on the train so I had to take a French shower until I can get to my hotel room.  My train got in 4 hours late.  Met the greeter we went straight to the hotel so I was able to take a shower before moving on to the first destination.  This hotel is much nicer than the Oasis, maybe not as much entertainment within the hotel but just right.  We went to the Karnak Temple first.  The guide, Ahmed was very good, he asked how much information I wanted before we started, little; some; or a lot.  He gave me extra time to take photos while he waited.  The guide in Cairo did not do either of these things.  Next, we went to the Luxor temple, much smaller that the Karnak finished the tour in an hour.  Afterwards he took me to a Mideast rug broker, a friend of his.  This guy had tons of silk rugs from the Mideast and Africa.  He showed me 20 or so rugs.  I took pictures for Phil then we started haggling for a smaller rug.  I had no intensions of buying a rug but I set my price at sub $900.  He said the two I was interested in were $1,800 and $2,400 I thought there was no way I was going to walk out with a rug.  I started at $800 and said I just simply cannot pay more than that.  He came down to $1,400 but I was committed, I did go up to $900 thinking there was no way he would sell at that price.  He asked for my very best price but I did not budge, he grabbed my hand and shook, deal!  Wow, I was not expecting that.  Half price!  Ahmed was apologetic he thought I was pressured in to purchasing a rug.  We went to lunch at a restaurant on the Nile.  The food was buffet style and was so-so.  We talked about tomorrows plans. I said I needed to do some shopping.  I took a nap then wondered around the hotel area.  Had dinner at the bar.  I received am message that I will need to get up early to leave for the balloon ride around 4:30AM.  Time to go to bed.  When I got to my room I received a call that the balloon ride will be at 6:30 so I get to sleep an extra hour

Egypt, 2008 - Egyptian Museum and Train ride to Luxor

The night club was rockin’ out again for two or more hours. This is ridiculous! Was woke up by music chanting for at least an hour starting around 5:30AM. Had breakfast, was so-so this morning. Went for a walk and took pictures of the grounds. The tour driver arrived around noon, then departed for the museum. We met up with Randa and went on a three hour tour of the Egyptian Museum. She filled me up with too much information again, very exhausting. This is like any other museum in that there’s too much to see in just one visit. The number of artifacts is overwhelming. I saw the King Tut stuff and only remembered the parts that were in the special room of the museum. Learned a lot about Egypt history but it will be hard to retain the information simply because there was too much to comprehend. My legs were still killing me on the stairs especially walking down. I need to stretch them out tonight.
We then went to a tourist restaurant Sou’ree. It was a buffet style meal and pretty good. I was very tired and had two espressos to wake me up. After lunch I had four hours to kill before the train departed to Luxor. We drove around Cairo for awhile. Ended up stopping at the “Egypt Hotel” to rest in the lobby and catch up with my journal. Both Randa and the greeter were in the hotel with me. I’m looking forward to the train ride tonight. Its 700KM to Luxor. Thinking about doing the balloon ride in Luxor which is $85 (485 EP). I gave the greeter the money so they left the hotel to go to the office to drop the money off. The greeter got back around 6:30PM then we left for the train station. We still had two hours to kill so we drove around some more. Got to the train station around 7:30PM. The greeter stayed with me until the train arrived. The temperature was nice and there was a good breeze, very comfortable. The train arrived I boarded and went to my private cabin. Its slightly bigger than Amtrak but not as nice. Dinner was severed as soon as we left the station. This is not Amtrak food, more like airline food. Had a beer and a rum and coke. The beer was Luxor Beer, a larger 330ml 5%.

Egypt, 2008 - Dahshour and Giza

Sunrise was early, went for a walk.  Met with the greeter this morning was able to pay by credit card.  We took off to met with the Cairo guide, Randa, on the road.  We were heading for Dahshour to see the Bent and Red pyramids which are about 2 km south of the Mastaba Faraoun.  Dahshour is located in South Saqqara and 25 miles south of Cairo. Randa gave me a brief history on Egypt during our drive to Dahshour. (The constructor of these pyramids is thought to have been Senfru (2575 - 2551 BC), who was the first ruler of the 4th Dynasty. For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert village of Dahshour, has been off limits to the public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids, including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru.  Senfru's pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza's Great Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru's--miraculously--is still in place.)  Enough of the history lesson.

I climbed up the side of the Red pyramid and went down the opening.  Very steep and narrow!  Had too bend over sideways and step very carefully on metal steps.  The shaft went on forever, but eventually I made it to the first tomb.  This tomb lead into another tomb about the same size.  At the far wall steps hand been constructed to lead to the third and final tomb.  The tombs had a very particular smell, Vaseline or something like that.  After a few pictures I headed back up.  Believe it or not, going up was much faster and easier. Because, I was able to walk up straight and just bent over slightly.  Before I knew it I was back in fresh air but exhausted.  I needed ten minutes to rest and my legs were shot!  My legs did not recover for a few hours and had trouble walking down steps for the next three days. 
We drove back up to Giza, checked out the great pyramid, walked over to one of the side where a large pit had been excavated.  The pit was 1 of 5 around the pyramid made for ships and only two actually had ships in side, which are now in museums.   Next we drove over to the second pyramid took pictures and drove over to the observation area for more photos.  Then we drove down to the Sphinx and the valley temple or the granite temple of Cheops.  Randa was giving out so much information, too much to remember. 
We then drove over to a perfume facility to sample many different verities of scents.  All of the scents are made from locally grow flowers.  It’s amazing that the scents are so familiar with common soaps and detergents in the US.  Afterward we went to lunch or should I say I went to lunch.  Randa was fasting because it is still Ramadan.  She was kind enough to join me for lunch though I felt uncomfortable eating in front of her.  But she didn’t mind, she said she was used to it.  Had my first decent beer in three months, Stella, which is an Egyptian lager around since 1897 and 4.5%.  The food was good and the conversation was as well.  Her degree is in Egyptian history and she does this for a living.  We talked about my Arabic lessons, she accused me of being a bad student.  We commented on the dialect differences between the Arabic languages and phrases and word differences.
I went to a store to try and find gifts and knick-knacks.  I was dropped off at the hotel around 3PM, Took a shower and headed to the pool side bar to update my journal and have another beer or two.  As I am writing I was observing all of the different nationalities that are visiting this hotel; German, Dutch, Asian, UK, Italian, not too many Americans though. 
What a change from Libya.  Bikinis!  I talked a lot about Libya with Randa.  Egyptians are very curious about their neighbor.  Though Egypt and Libya are neighbors, they are worlds apart.  Its seems all of African is anti-Libya.
I finial got a one hour pass to use the Internet.  I checked my email and sent a few messages.  I sent Karen a message to check on Phil.  I also checked my AECOM email.
Dinner was pretty good, I ate at the Italian restaurant.  I ordered Lasagna, quite different than what I’m use to.  Called it quits around 8PM

Egypt, 2008 - Off to Cairo but no Phil

Left for the airport around 11AM.  Arrived at the airport, since this is our first time leaving Libya it took awhile to figure out how the to check in.   Eventually we saw what was going on.  Had to wait until our flight flashed on the ticketing area kiosk then proceed to check in.  Good thing we were one of the first in line, it took forever.  Went through customs, I got through with no problems but Phil was pulled aside, I assumed because he had two passports.  He waved me on so I proceed to go up to the waiting lounge.  Within an hour Phil finial showed up with an escort, he said they would not let him leave the country.  No explanation.  (Later I learned that his Visa had to be in the legal passport book).  I’m on my own for this journey.  The flight was smooth but full, the guy next to me was quite rude. 

The tour company, Champion Tours is A+!  The greeter was at the door of the terminal waiting for me as I debarred from the bus.  Way before the customs gate.  We traveled through downtown Cairo on the way to the hotel.  This city reminds me of NYC.  When we got to the hotel I checked in then the greeter wanted me to pay the balance of the trip in cash.  I said that I prefer to pay with my credit card and that we will discuss in the morning.  I had dinner in the hotel restaurant which was so-so.  I had my first beer in three months, a Sakara Gold.  This is a bad beer, I don’t recommend.

Libya - August 2008 - The Jebel Nafusa

Sarah, Karen, Phil and I went on a 12 hour adventure through the Southwest areas of Gharyan, The Jebel Nafusa (Western mountains). We visited several small towns including; Yefren, Bu Husayn, Ain az-Zarqa, Jadu and Kikari. At Yefren we stopped and took many pictures of the valley from the high cliffs and stopped at one area where locals were gathered and took pictures with them. This is also the area where Sarah and Karen were playing on the trees. Ain az-Zarqa is a natural spring hidden deep in a steep narrow valley near Jadu. At Qasr Al-Haj there’s a circular and enclosed fortified granary, it was closed today but we still walked around the entire place. We ended the day at Tameisa, a large abandoned and ancient stone village south of Jadu.
When we decided to head back we stopped at a road side baker and wanted to by a few pieces of flat bread so Sarah gave the guy a dinar and he gave us seven pieces, gees.

Our drive was a maniac driving back, I guess it was because Ramadan was starting soon and we had kept him out all day. He’s a good drive but very fast. The sitting arrangement was Phil in the front seat, Karen behind the drive, I was behind Phil and Sarah was in the back sitting in the middle position. Most of way back Karen and I were turned around so we could talk with Sarah. All the way back Sarah would grab the seat bracing for an impact because of the way the drive was maneuvering through traffic. One time we felt the van dip down forward on a hard stop, Sarah grab the seat extremely hard and her eyes pop out, her mouth opened wide but to her credit she never uttered a sound. That was a classic look on her face I will never forget. We made it back safe, had dinner and called it a night.

Libya, 2008 - Old Souk (Medina)

Bernard gave Karen, Joe, Mike Phil and I the tour that he and Sarah went on last Friday through the Medina and other parts of downtown. We met at the Marcas Sirilius Arc. He took us through the Medina pointing out different artifacts and buildings. We exited the Souk and headed to the Italian Square. Once again, gong over the history and architecture. We ended up getting a sit at an outdoor café and enjoying the scenery.

Libya, 2008 - Day Trip to Gharyan

Karen, Phil, The Candlelario’s, Helen and I went to Gharyan. We went traveling through the hills on Gharyan. This reminds me of the middle part of Arizona. We stopped at a few roadside merchants were they made and sold Berber pottery. Next, we found a traditional Berber troglodyte pit home. Amazing the temperature difference. It was near 100F in the sun, when we entered one on the side rooms in the pit the temperature dropped by 20-30F. Ancient AC. Next-door was a Berber home museum all setup so one can see how a family would function. We were invited in and given oregano tea. Then we made our way down the switchbacks in the valley below. We head back to Tripoli, one the way we spotted a restaurant and stopped. It was a Lebanese cuisine, was all order a chicken couscous dish. Very good.

Libya, 2008 - Day Trip to Leptis Mangna

Karen, Phil, Francisco, Foad, the Candlelario’s and I heading to the Roman ruins east of Tripoli, Leptis Magna. It’s about four times the size of Sabratha. We only saw about half of the sites, I ran out of steam because the sun was so intense. We will come back in November when its cooler. The driver was was Abdul Abkem the same drive that took us to Sabratha. He's one of the who drivers who wants English lessons while he is driving. On the way back we all slept so he had no one to talk to. Lucky us.

Libya, 2008 - Day Trip to Sabratha

Karen, Sarah, Phil and I headed to Sabratha and Tilel Beach which 90 minutes west of Tripoli. We took many  pictures of the ruins and museum located on the site. After we left the ruins and before we headed to the beach, we ate at a Lebanese restaurant, the food was very good.  And my first time eating real North African couscous.  After lunch, we headed west again to Tilel Beach.  First we stopped at a cliff overlooking the beach.  Very impressive and the water was crystal clear.  We drove a few more KM to a private beach that the drive arranged for us.  We hung out on the beach and enjoyed the Med.

Departure day!

Checked in at the US Air international gate and was bumped up to first class from the ticket agent, she was from Tripoli. She was telling me how wonderful the food is and how she misses the fresh produce. I enjoyed my wait in the new US Air club. First class on an overseas trip is the only way to fly. During the flight I noticed that the sun never quite set, I saw just a little bit of sun light the entire trip. The first class seats laid flat and I got a good night of sleep.

Never had jet lag.

I arrived at Frankfort and needed to find the US Air club. I ended up getting lost in the airport but finally found the US Air club and took a shower.

Departed for TIP and arrived on time. Kent, the IT guy from TCB Dallas was at the gate to greet me. Customs was weird, I was held up while a group of custom agents went over my passport. Later I was told that this is normal for someone that’s in the country with a visa for the first.