Mind the Gap

London has been a breath of fresh air! We have really enjoyed the time that we've spent here and could see ourselves coming back for another vacation in the future. There is so much to see here that it is impossible to walk down the street without seeing something amazing and there is no way for us to take it all in during such a short trip.

As soon as we got to Heathrow Airport we were impressed by how easy it was to get around the city. We took the train from the airport into town and got off at Paddington station. We knew that our hotel was near by but had no idea which way to go as we left the station. That is when Ryan's excellent sense of direction kicked in. He picked a direction and basically headed straight to our hotel which was no small feat considering how many little hotels are squished into the row houses in this neighborhood.

As we walked we were pleased to pass many restaurants, pubs and corner stores. We stopped to get some snacks and then settled in our hotel room for the night. We crashed really hard after a long day of excitement and travelling.

Our first tourist trip was to head to the British Museum. We went to Paddington station and bought our Oyster cards which are a pay as you go cards for travelling on the underground and buses in London. Once we figured out which tube line and direction we needed to go it was quite easy to figure out where we were going. The bonus of being here in London is that we can ask for directions without the potential of a massive language barrier.

There was so much to see at the museum that we weren't able to see it all with one trip. We were very surprised to learn that there is no admission fee and we were allowed to take pictures! The highlight for me was definitely the Rosetta Stone which I have wanted to see since I was little. The Roman and Greek sculptures and artifacts were very impressive as was the clock room. There were many shiny pieces of jewelery and old weapons that were in varying degrees of degradation. Unfortunately we both developed intense headaches and after grabbing a hot dog from the cart (which turned out to be more like a sausage in a bun) we decided to head back to the hotel to try to relieve our brain pain.

After reviewing our wardrobe for our upcoming trans-Atlantic cruise we realized that our warm weather clothing was severely lacking. This was never a problem during our time in Asia and Egypt but the winds off the Atlantic during September can get awfully chilly. So after getting some advice on where to shop in London on a Saturday without getting run over by crowds we headed to High Street Kensington.

Our shopping went really well so after having lunch we took a double decker bus to Trafalgar Square which is the 4th most visited tourist site in the world. It was a busy place on the weekend with many tourists and visitors to the National Gallery. We did not intend on going to the gallery while in London but since we were there (and again the admission was free) we decided to head in and check it out. I am so glad that we did! I have a much greater appreciation of fine art after seeing the amazing paintings that were housed there. I have never seen anything like it and we were both awestruck. Monet, Picasso, da Vinci, Van Gogh and Ryan's new favorite Rembrandt were all there and we spend more time than I would have thought wandering around in a mind blown stupor.

After a long day of walking we decided to take it easy the following day. We headed to Hyde park in the afternoon which is very close to our hotel. Proms in the Park was going on which is a classical concert held by the BBC so there was many people in the park on their way to the concert. We stopped and listened at speakers corner to the brave people who stand on their soap boxes and spout on about almost any topic, with the main themes being religion and politics. The lady with the largest crowd was annoying and egging the crowd on with a racist theme which encouraged many audible and passionate retorts. It was quite the sight to see and although we did not agree with most of what any of the speakers were going on about, it was excellent to see everyone being able to speak their mind and spark a discussion.

Trots and Farts

A couple days after our trip to the museum we decided to head off the see the pyramids that had been teasing us from our hotel room. We were really excited about this adventure and the day did not disappoint us. We got up early so that we could avoid the heat and the crowds. After a mediocre breakfast at the hotel (the food here has not sat well with our tummies) it was time to negotiate a price for the days taxi ride.

The hotel we are staying at is fancier that what we are used to, so the taxi prices are also equally as fancy. Unfortunately there are no cabs that come to this area and most taxi drivers don't know where the hotel is, so we were stuck taking the hotel car. On the upside our driver is excellent and we have a lot of fun with him while he is chauffeuring us around.

Our original plan was to go walk around the pyramids but we were convinced that the trip might be better on the back of a camel and we are very glad that we let ourselves be convinced. We arrived at the camel stable and negotiated the price of our tour around the pyramids and the sphinx. Once we came to a reasonable (cough, cough) agreement we met our camels and swung ourselves on. They instruct you too lean back really far as the camel stands up so that you don't biff it over the front. Camels are much taller than I was expecting so falling off was not something I planned on. I felt huge on the back of mine as we sauntered and bumped towards the pyramid entrance.

The entrance was not the main gate as I had expected. Instead we were ushered with our guide through a side gate and since we never received an official ticket I have a feeling a little baksheesh cleared our way through the gate.

The ride was bumpy, I had expected a smooth swaying action but instead it was a jolting up and down motion that had my butt and back aching. Our first stop was an excellent photo opportunity where we climbed off our camels and the guide took some of the best photos that we have gotten on this entire trip. You could tell that he had done this before as he set us up in front of the pyramids in great poses. After admiring the view for a little while we climbed back aboard our camels and headed to the next photo opp.

Our camels deserve a description as they had so much personality. Ryan's camel was leading the way and had quite a flatulence problem. My camel was so bouncy that I was afraid if I let go for just a moment I would be bounced right off his back. He also peed on his own foot while we were getting our photos taken at our first stop. I asked our guide what their names were and he told me 'Micheal Douglas' and 'MacGyver' which was hilarious and not what I was expecting at all. We decided to rename them for the course of our short journey and 'Farts' and 'Trots' seemed appropriate.

Onward to the next stop where we got a stunning photo of the Pyramid of Khafre as well as some more well placed photos courtesy of our excellent and funny guide. After this stop, our guide asked Ryan if he wanted to drive his own camel. Up till this point Ryan and the guide were on the same camel in front with me on my own camel tied behind to follow. After some quick instruction Ryan was on his own, cruising with a camel and a huge grin on his face.

As we continued touring the pyramids our guide was cracking jokes, pointing out items of interest and giving us really good information about what we were seeing. He told a story about why the sphinx is made up of a lion, an eagle and a women's head as well as talking about the destruction of the nose of the Sphinx which he attributed to Napoleon as most people do but there is also some evidence that Turkish soldiers shot it off.

The Sphinx was smaller than I expected (at 65 feet high and 250 feet long) but almost anything is small in comparison to the overwhelming size of the pyramids (at 450 feet high) which were the tallest man-made structures in the world for over 3800 years. We were also surprised to learn that it only took 20 years to construct the pyramid. Unfortunately all the slaves who worked on the pyramids were killed after their completion which will leave us all wondering how they were able to construct such an amazing and awe-inspiring wonder of the world.

For more photos of Cairo and our trip to the pyramids click here...

ATM where are you?

Our transition from Thailand to Egypt came as a shock to both of us. Our flight came to a rough and bumpy stop in Doha, Qatar for a three hour layover before continuing on to Alexandria. The landscape was so unbelievably different that we could have been on another planet. Sand as far as the eye could see and the sky was a blue that faded into a dusty brown as it got closer to the horizon. As we stepped out of the terminal to board our next flight we were heat by an intense wall of heat.

The flight to Alexandria was uneventful but the airport that awaited us as we left the plane was not what we were expecting. A large UN helicopter was sitting on the runway accompanied by a few fighter planes of various ages. The terminal was tiny and looked like it hadn't been repainted or cleaned up for decades. The scene inside was one of chaos since lining up in an orderly fashion is just not what Egyptians do. We waited patiently and made it to the official who took our passports and then directed us to a small kiosk across the airport to purchase our tourist visas. We brought the visa stickers back to the official who put them in our passport and then we headed to the one rickety luggage turn-style to see if Ryan's bag had arrived. Luckily it had and the only stop we had left before exiting the airport was to talk to customs. The customs area consisted of two tables, one with a group of Egyptian men arguing very loudly over a large piece of metal that one of them was trying to leave with. We were asked what we had in the bag to which we replied 'clothes' and then we headed out.

The air was hot and dry and we could hear the melodic and exotic call to prayer in the background. There was a row of Egyptians waiting outside the airport for friends and loved ones to arrive so we, being the only obvious foreigners on the plane, caused quite a few funny looks and blatent stares. After sitting down for a moment and trying to regroup we set out to try to get a taxi.

At this point we had spent most of our cash. Before we left Bangkok we didn't take any more out. We thought that the airport in Doha would have an ATM, unfortunately both the ATM's at the airport were out of service. Not knowing the state of the Alexandria airport we mistakenly thought that there would be an ATM there, but there was not. So as we tried to get a taxi to our hotel we had $10 US and $5 Canadian and a little bit of Thai baht. This was not looking good. We found a taxi and luckily for us he wanted $15 US to take us to our hotel. After talking to him for a bit we convinced him to take five of the amount in Canadian dollars. So much for that five that I had been saving to buy a timmies when we got back, but at least it came in handy.

The drive to our hotel was like something out of a movie. It was dusk and it is Ramadan which means that everyone can finally start to eat, drink and smoke after fasting all day. There were people all over the sides of the road but hardly any cars. Young men and boys were standing on the curbs passing juice in disposable cups to people in cars passing by and at one point our taxi driver stopped and grabbed one. We sped through the streets in a old car that was missing windows and door handles, quickly passing apartment blocks that were beyond run down, some with gapping holes in them. There were bonfires on the side of the road and we had brief moments where we wondered if we were actually going to make it to the hotel.

Finally the Mediterranean Sea came into view and we knew that we were on the right track. I have never been so happy to smell that salty air as we turned into the hotel parking lot. The bellboy came and got our bags and in true Egyptian fashion, ran them through the metal detector. Our turn through the metal detector came next. Once we checked in we headed up to our room and crashed for the night.

Alexandria didn't get much better as the days went by. The view of the sea from our balcony was amazing and the staff at the hotel were very friendly but we just didn't feel comfortable there. Our train ride to Cairo couldn't come soon enough for us. The concierge at the hotel helped us to book two first class tickets on the twelve o'clock train and also arranged a taxi to the station. Getting to the train station was easy, making sure that we got on the right train was the tricky part. The numbers on the train and the announcements are all in Arabic but thankfully a nice man made sure that we got on the correct train, although in true Egyptian style he asked for some baksheesh (a tip) in return.

Cairo has been amazing so far. We were picked up from the train station by a driver that worked for the hotel. He was very proud of his city and boasted that Barack Obama had been here to see the pyramids. The hotel is a five star with an amazing pool (I already have a sun-burned forehead), an excellent breakfast buffet, and a bedouin tent area where you can smoke flavoured sheesha (the apple flavour is very tasty). You can see the tip of one of the pyramids from our hotel room!

Yesterday we went to the amazing and overwhelming Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. Unfortunately but understandably we were not allowed to take pictures inside and I don't think I will be able to adequately describe the treasures that they hold in that building but they will forever be etched in my memory. The section on King Tut was our favorite. They had his death mask which was 11kg of solid gold inlaid with lapis lazuli, cornelian, gems and colored glass. The 71" long solid gold sarcophagus was equally as impressive, the detail was astounding. Seeing the mummy room was also an intense experience. They have the recently identified Queen Hatsheput on display and because I have read to much about her I was really moved by being able to come face to face with one of, if not the, most successful female Pharaoh ever.

For more photos of Alexandria and Cairo click here...

Skytrain to Paragon

We have had alot of fun in Bangkok while waiting for Ryan's kidney stone to pass (and I am happy to report that the stone has passed as confirmed by the follow up doctor's appointment today). We love hoping on the skytrain and heading to Siam Paragon because there is so much to do there and we've had some interesting experiences.

Siam Paragon is only two stops away on the skytrain so it doesn't take to long to get there but the train is usually very crowded to the point where we are barely getting all our appendages into the car before the doors close and we're whisked away.

The mall is attached to a few other malls which makes it seem like you could walk through area after area for days, eating and shopping to your hearts content without ever going outside. We've gotten lost more than once during our wandering. Most of the stores located there are definitly out of a meer mortal's price range and include Chanel, Gucci, Hermes, Jimmy Choo... The jewellery store section is amazing and we also really enjoyed window shopping at the Lotus and Maserati dealerships.

In the basement is the largest aquarium center in southeast Asia, and I've heard that it's also the largest in the southern hemisphere. It was a little expensive to get in but included in the admission price was a glass bottom boat ride, a ticket to the 4D show and the cutest mini photo of us with a sea scape green screened in behind us. There were animals there that we've never seen before anywhere including water rats (really cute) and a whole section on unclassified fish from the deep ocean that were incased in creepy red colored globes.

Last night we headed back to go see what a Thai movie experience would be like. We were hoping to go see Transformers in IMAX but due to a scheduling error we ended up seeing Inglourious Basterds instead. Neither the theatre nor the movie dissapointed. The seats were huge, comfy and reclined nicely. There was assigned seating and you have to pay more depending on where in the theatre you want to sit.

A couple very interesting events happened on the same night as our movie outing. We were outside of the mall just after eating dinner, but before the movie, when we were escorted down the sidewalk away from the road by an official security military type. Then we noticed that the traffic was all blocked and no one was being allowed to go anywhere near the road. Soon after we saw the largest military motorcade we've ever seen. A line of very nice BMW's with flashing lights came down the road and stopped at one of the entrances to the mall. From the way the Thai's in the area were behaving (removing their hats and not minding the delay) we figured out that this must be the royal Thai family. We got a small peak in the back of one of the cars but it was fairly tinted. Our suspicions were confirmed when we went back into the mall to find an area closed off from onlookers with a sign saying there was a royal function in progress. We tried to get a better view but loitering was not being looked kindly upon so we headed up to our movie.

After the movie we had another run in with celebrities. The movie let out so late that the mall was closed. We tried to head to the escalators to leave but were bombarded with a large group of teenage Thai fangirls coming straight at us. They had surrounded the South Korean boy band, Xing and were following them around in quite the pack. During the rush to the elevators that ensued I was almost stampeded and crushed into a sign trying to get out of their way! Ryan bumped into one of the boy band members and I don't think he will ever wash that shoulder again (kidding!).

For more photos of Thailand click here...