Final Comments on Dubai

Even though I've left Dubai and I'm now cruising around Egypt, Jorden, and Syria, I have a few last comments on Dubai.
1. It is the most tourist friendly city I have ever visited and now is absolutely the best time to visit. The weather is great, everything is at half price, and the city is incredibly welcoming.
2. I promised contact information for Shahir, the terrific guide I had in Dubai. Here it is - UAE Cell +971 (50) 4572366, - in Dubai call 050-4572366 - other phone is +071 (50) 5049005 and email is shahir009@gmail.com .
3. I looked up the Atlantis Hotel on Expedia.com. It usually starts at $800 a night but Expedia had a deal for $360 a night. (It probably isn't one of the rooms with one wall an aquarium with swimming sharks).

The Oasis Hotel, Cairo

Tonight is my last night here. I have to get up at 3 am to catch a plane to Amman, Jordan where I will be staying for a week. I hope to see Petra, the massive red temple carved from the face of a rock mountain (which you may have seen in an Indiana Jones movie). I'm also hoping for a day trip into Damascus, the biblical city in Syria. Time to pack and to sign off for now. Happy Trails.

The Oasis Hotel - my Home this Week

This is such an unusual hotel that I had to include it in my blog. It really is an Oasis for the folks of Cairo. Each of the rooms overlooks a green park-like area and it is like going through a maze to find your way to the main building. The place is huge and takes a good 10-15 minute walk just to get back to the main building. I keep finding stranded tourists on my way to breakfast each morning.
An interesting situation with the hotel - one especially chilly morning I decided to order breakfast from their 24 hour menu. When I called, I was told repeatedly that there was no breakfast - that I would have to go to the main restaurant for breakfast. 3 calls later I found that since my room came with free Breakfast, they could not imagine anyone paying the extra $4 to have a breakfast delivered. I finally convinced them that yes, I would pay the difference.

The Egyptian Museum

I spent almost 6 hours here and barely scraped the surface. If you saw the King Tut exhibit that toured the US, everything from that exhibit and much more is in this museum. There is an entire room with nothing but mummies (20 or more?). It's eerie because their heads have been unwrapped and they are very life-like, even after 4000 years.
There is so much here, but it is the proverbial dusty museum with some exhibits identified with nothing more than a number hand written in ink. A new museum is in the planning stages, but even with all the dust, it is still one of my favorite museums.
It also has given me a new cause - Bring Back the Rosetta Stone!!. The only reason that we can now read hieroglyphics is that the Rosetta stone was discovered in the town of Rosetta, Eqypt. It had the same text written in hieroglyphics and 2 Greek languages. Translating has allowed us to unlock many secrets of the ancient Egyptians. The Rosetta stone is in a British Museum, but I support taking it back to Egypt, its original home.

Nile Boats

The Nile in Cairo

The Nile River

The Nile River is the longest River on earth. It runs almost 7,000 km long, 20% of which is in Egypt. It is also one of 2 rivers in the world that actually run south to north. The second one is the St. Charles River in Jacksonville, Fl. (Thanks Adrian!)

Construction Egyptian Style

Gardens in Cairo

Cairo Egypt

Inside the city of Cairo

When you are driving into the city, you get a real sense of how poor it is. This is very typical of inner city housing. Family is very important and everyone in a family will work many jobs so that the kids get an education, but it's a tough life.
None of the buildings look finished, bacause they aren't, and they probably will never be finished. Once a building is complete you have to pay taxes on it, so most buildings will stay unfinished.

Cairo Whimsy

This whimsical castle stands close to 8 stories high and is about 5 minutes from my hotel. I've heard that it is the home of a local successful car dealer. Gaudi would be proud.

Camel Indifference

The 2 camels are completely ignoring the tourist taking pictures next to them. When they are running free and I've approached them, they will turn until their backs are facing me. You can't take it personally.

It's Old

Things here in Egypt are definitely old - the pyramids are from 4000 to 5000 years old, as opposed to Dubai where anything over 5 years old is considered old.

The Saqqara Pyramid

This is known as the first attempt in Egypt to build a pyramid, so it isn't as polished looking as the pyramids of Giza, about 20 minutes away. You can see that archeologists are still actively working here. Surprising fact for me - the oldest pyramid is actually an Aztec pyramid in Mexico.

Pyramid Close-Up

There was no cement used to "glue" the stones of the pyramids together.

Napoleon's Contribution to the Pyramids

This trip, I learned that the reason the outside 0f these pyramids is so rough, is that Naploeon had all of the smooth exterior taken off while he was looking for the way into the pyramids, to loot them.

My Hissy Fit at the Pyramids

I had temporarily forgotten that everything in Egypt is a scam. A guy approached and said that he would show me around the Giza pyramids for no money and I could give him whatever I thought it was worth. The scam is that no matter how much money you give him, it is never enough, and he will be like velcro until you get in the car and drive off. Even then he will be running after the car for you to give him more money . Between his demand for more money and my getting in the car, I lost it and was yelling at him. I felt better but it did nothing to slow him down.

The Amazing Sphinx

Camel Power

A new addition to the pyramids of Giza is that now you can tour the grounds by camelback, horseback, or donkeyback. When I was here 4 years ago you could have your picture taken on a camel, but touring was mainly foot power.

And Another One!!!

Fortunately, on this trip, the pyramids are almost within walking distance from my hotel.

It's a Pyramid!!!

It always amazes me that the pyramids aren't way out in the desert. They are actually a part of the city and as you are driving along, you look up, and there they are!

Welcome to Cairo Airport!

Fast Trip To Oman

The country of Oman lies to the east of Dubai, a mere 3 hour drive. I couldn't resist, so Shahir drove me there my last night in Dubai. Unfortunately this is what the scenery looked like on the entire drive. Can you say "boring"?

Shahir's Son, Shifon

Final Flight to Dubai

In the mists you can see the outline of the World's Tallest Building, the Burj Kalifa. The name was changed to Burj Kalifa a few minutes into the opening ceremony and not long after Sheikh Kalifa of Dubai loaned Dubai $10 billion to help with their debts.