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Egypt: Cruising the Nile 2008-04-08 09:21:45 Here we are cruising on the Nile River. Actually, we're at a complete stand still while we wait our turn to ascend the river lock system. We are travelling south to north but here that's referred to as upper to lower Egypt
due to the direction that the river flows. I can't believe I'm in Egypt.I have a ton of photos and lots of stories but I haven't had internet access for a few days...and it's unreliable at best along the Nile.So, I just wanted to let everyone know that my teeth are intact, I haven't broken any bones and we're all having the time of our lives.
Read more:Cruising
Egypt: Update 2008-04-12 01:49:34 We arrived in Sharm El Sheik last night to spend three days on the Red Sea. We're planning to rest from our ambitious tourist itinerary. We plan to lay in the sun, swim in the pool and eat good food.Today's itinerary:9AM: Breakfast10AM: Meet travel agency rep11AM: Boredom11:30AM Roll over12PM: More boredom1PM: Lunch poolside2PM: Boredom3PM: Boredom with fruitty drinks4PM: Nap poolside5PM: Blog about my boring day (maybe)6PM: Bath7PM: Dinner8PM: Find chocolate9PM: To bed early to rest from my exhuating day10PM: Be nagged by JB and Connor to go to bar to see the Belly Dancer*All times/activities are approximate and subject to change without notice.Here's one of the first photos from Cairo taken at Sakkara. This is not a pyramid in the background but a tomb. It's one of the only photos taken Read more:Egypt
, Update
Egypt: Snorkeling in the Red Sea 2008-04-14 07:22:09 Today is our last day in Sharm El Sheik. It's a low-key day of resting and packing. I haven't had consistent internet access throughout this trip, but I have been reading your comments via email on my phone.Yesterday, we chartered a boat to take us snorkeling on the Red Sea. We were toured out and wanted to be away from the crowds. The weather was perfect and the whole day was gorgeous. There is something quite magical about the Red Sea. I'm not sure if it's the history, the color of the water or the bounty of sea life, but it has bewitched me.I really didn't expect to see dolphins, either. A family of five followed along side of us for a while and then joined us at the bow of the boat.
We had three locations on our itinerary with an Egypt
ian lunch served to us on the boat. I only did t Read more:Snorkeling
Egypt: Luxor: Ass Flag 2008-04-17 12:01:13 You know I just love to tell a story I really shouldn't tell...so here I go...After our Luxor tours in the morning, we were able to check in at the boat and have lunch before setting off again. We had been up early and were tired. Also, my leg muscles were really sore from walking in a squatting position at the pyramids the day before. So we opted out of the afternoon tour, and it was not the last tour of which we decided to opt out.Side note: Sometimes, when we're kidding around, I'll jokingly tell Connor that his freak flag is flying high or to lower his freak flag when he starts goofing around at an especially inappropriate time or place. I'll come back to this point later.We changed our clothes and set off to wander around the boat and check out our surroundings. We went up to the Read more:Egypt
Egypt: Cairo: The Pyramids 2008-04-17 03:49:28 Our arrival into Cairo
was not without snags. I was very worried that the beginning of our trip was going to be a sign of things to come. As it turns out, I was right. Egypt
is fantastic. Our travel agent--not so much.After many phone calls back and forth in an attempt to obtain the correct information--everyone had a different story--we finally got things sorted. Eventually, our guide showed up and our time in Cairo was looking up. The rest of the day was completely surreal.I've always dreamed of seeing the pyramids. I was so glad that our guide made the whole trip so worth while.Connor standing in front of our hotel,see the pyramid behind himWe met our guide, Eman, at 9am and set off with two other couples. It was a small and friendly group. We became fast friends through our s
Egypt: Luxor: Valley of the Kings and Temple of Hatshepsut 2008-04-18 06:29:18 We woke up very early to catch a bus from our hotel in Cairo to the airport where we flew to Luxor. We were to board our boat in Luxor for the Nile River cruise. Due to the lack of communication from our travel agent and our representative, we wore travel clothes with the understanding that we would be boarding the ship, having lunch and would have time to change before we set off to the Valley
of the Kings. Not so. Our bus pulled up to the boat, nobody was permitted to get off or check in. And off to the Valley of the Kings (be sure to click that link, it contains fantastic images) we went. Thankfully, when the bus stopped we were permitted to get socks and shoes out of our suitcases, but we were still not feeling prepared.We had a lovely day at the Valley of the Kings. We really l Read more:Egypt
, Temple
Egypt Desktop Wallpapers 2008-04-20 04:21:37 Here are few photos that I've been rotating as my desktop wallpapers since we got back from Egypt
, so I thought I'd share them with you as well. Feel free to click and save, and use them as you like (or not at all). The black and white ones are going into my framed collection with a few others not posted here. Enjoy!Pyramid Sun (JB's Photo)The Great SphinxWall of Giza PyramidPhilae TempleCartouche CarvingEdfu Temple Carvings
Read more:Desktop
, Wallpapers
McDonald's in Chennai 2008-04-19 22:36:21 Ohhhhhm. Damn, those fries are good.The first McDonald
's has opened in Chennai
. Where's the beef? Well, there is none. Instead of a Big Mac, there is the Chicken Maharaja Mac. You can also find the McAloo Tikka, the Veg Pizza McPuff (these pop out of the apple pie machine), the Paneer Salsa Wrap (used like tofu but is actually cheese), and the McVeggie (something burger-like).Connor had a friend sleep over on Thursday night since there was no school on Friday. We took them to McDonald's for dinner. I'm loving those fries and the chicken sandwich is obviously something to write home about too. The food was served hot, which we appreciated.I got in trouble for taking a photo. You can see the guy in the photo waving at me and telling me to stop taking pictures of the menu. I wasn't
Egypt: The Shopping 2008-04-21 05:54:49 OK, let's talk about the shopping in Egypt
. There are a few products that Egypt is very well known for and we were brought to the shops for demonstrations. There were markets and vendors at every stop of our trip. The vendors could be quite aggressive at times but we learned very quickly not to show any interest unless we intended to buy, have tea and miss our bus. No, we didn't miss our bus (I know...that would at the top of the list of dumbass things I would do), but I'm just saying.1) Carpets... We stopped by a carpet school where young kids learn how to make silk, wool and cotton rugs. Their small fingers can tie the intricate knots. They are also being educated. Connor and I tried our hands at tying knots then we took a spin around the showroom. I found the carpets to be p Read more:Shopping
Surgical Tourism Canada? 2008-04-22 04:34:26 What? SurgicalTourismCanada
!? I'd love to know what goes through a person's mind while sitting in a fully developed country and thinking this is, in any way, a good idea.Surgical Tourism Canada offers "affordable cosmetic surgery packages in Mexico" and "affordable corrective and cosmetic dentistry in the Phillipines." And apparently, they offer spinal fusion surgeries in India.I'm Canadian. I live in India. If there is a remote chance of me getting out of bed, it would be to stand in line at the airport to buy a ticket to a fully developed country for surgery. A spinal fusion in Chennai? No. Never.Treatment in Chennai: Thank you thank you thank you I have just returned from 3 weeks in Chennai with my brother who, through Surgical Tourism Canada, had a spinal
I Swear I Wasn't Stalking Robin Pascoe 2008-04-24 00:27:27 Back in December, when I found out the Expat Expert was coming to India, I had but one question. Why not Chennai?Over the past year, I've read three of Robin
Pascoe's books: Raising Global Nomads, Moveable Marriage and Homeward Bound. Three books that should be in every expat's resource library. I'm not going to write a review of Robin's books. I'm just going to tell you to read them...because I said so.And here's my free tip to you--don't wait until you repatriate to read Homeward Bound or other books about repatriation. Go ahead and save yourself the Prozac, the brutal negative self-talk and thoughts that you're going crazy. Read it now. If you're the family member of an expat (ahem, yes, that means my family too), I'm suggesting this reading material for you as well. It may expl Read more:Swear
, Stalking
What's on my Shelf? 2008-04-25 04:00:45 I was tagged with the question "What's on Your Shelf
?" by fellow expat blogger, Gail in Germany. Actually, I was tagged while I was still in Egypt so my apologies to Gail for being a little late in the game on this one.It may come as a surprise to some people out there that I can and do read. In fact, I have a TON of books, AND I've read 'em. I love books. No, I LOOOOOOOOOVE books. Which is why, when we move all around the world, the books come too. I like to look at my books, I like them nearby where I can see and touch them. Other than my family, it's the biggest part of "home" that goes on the road with me. I always tell expats, "Pack whatever you need to make your assignment location feel like home." For me, it's my books.While I do have some remotely intelligent books, much o
Spring Break Photos 2008-04-26 23:30:26 I've been so busy since we got back from Egypt. Believe it or not, I haven't had much time on my computer. I've finally uploaded some of our photos from Egypt--100 of them--to share with you.You can see them here.And I forgot to tell you! While we were in Sharm El-Sheik, I ate pigeon...and it was good.So there you have it. Egypt. Wrapped up.
Read more:Spring
, Break
A Miscarry of Culture 2008-04-28 21:46:23 I'm a big softie and I cry easily. Not the gentle tears strolling down one's face--no, I skip that part and go right to the ugly cry.There has been much happiness among my friends recently. It seems like they're having babies in every direction. I've been on a baby high. So it was a long drop to the sadness I feel for my friend who has miscarried.I answered the ringing intercom to hear The King (our head day guard) on the line saying that McGyver (my driver) had something to discuss with me. That was quite odd because usually McGyver would normally just call or SMS me directly. I told The King to send McGyver up to my office."Madam?" He said, standing outside my door."Yes? Come in."Silence. He hadn't entered my office. I got up and walked around the corner to find McGyver pacing a
Tiffin Club 2008-04-29 21:11:16 You know how I'm not really one for women en masse? Well, this is where I make my exception because food trumps a crowd of women. Luckily for me, this is a small group of women containing some very nice ladies. And let's face it, dessert helps.The Tiffin Club gets together once a month (tiffin). The organizer does a fantastic job of lining up chefs around Chennai to cook for us and share their recipes. I really enjoyed April because our cooking demonstration was held at a restaurant I frequent...frequently.I'm looking forward to the next Tiffin Club. We're visiting the flight kitchen that prepares all the food on outbound flights from Chennai. It should be interesting! Hopefully it won't be a case of I-wish-I-didn't-know-what-I-know-now.Here's the menu from the April Tiffin Club:Ro
A Total "India" Day. 2008-04-30 20:48:51 I'm having an "India
" day. An "India" day is when the circumstances of living in India pile up until it drives me crazy.We're having friends over dinner--that's almost always a prerequisite for an "India" day--so I decided to bake a cake--another clincher for the "India" day. I was out of vegetable oil, so off I went to the grocery store. And you can just get the image out of your head of me...white dress flowing and butterflies fluttering as I sashay my way through Schnucks, Sobey's or Harris Teeter. It ain't like that here. As I was talking on the phone to JB and gathering up what I need to make a carrot cake, he says, "Oh, our guest has already baked a carrot cake." Cross the carrot cake list off my list of to-dos.Off I went to the bakery for the bread and the gourmet deli (where Read more:Total
Again, I Say, Absolutely Not. 2008-05-01 19:16:42 Four babies have died in Thiruvallur (the town where JB works) within 15 minutes of receiving contaminated measles vaccinations. They died of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). See the news article here.Spinal fusion surgery in Chennai? Again
, I say, absolutely not.
Read more:Absolutely
My Brain is Rattling in my Head! 2008-05-02 21:04:50 JB and I have gone off the deep end. When we were in the US at Christmas, we looked at drum sets for Connor but there was no way to get them home (AKA India). That was supposed to be his Christmas gift from us and we weren't able to make it happen.Fast forward to April. We asked McGyver if he knew of a place to buy music instruments. He took us to a fantastic music shop which is 160 years old. I was surprised at the amount of inventory and the variety of instruments they had in stock. We left with a drum set crammed into the back of our SUV.Connor stayed home to complete his homework while we went out to run a few errands. We hadn't planned to look at drum sets but thought it might be easier to do if Connor wasn't with us.He was very surprised when 10 minutes after we got home, th Read more:Brain
My New Favorite Item for Travel 2008-05-03 21:20:59 Here's my system...Usually, I carry a very large bag with me for flights because I don't like to carry a purse, plus a carry-on. I carry everything I need in my bag, along with a small purse to use when I get to my destination.I used our trip to Dubai and Egypt as a test-run for our summer round-the-world trip. I tried out which bag I would carry and put my clothes to the test. My goal for this trip is to pack as little as possible. One small suitcase. One backpack. That's it.I don't normally use backpacks when I travel but this summer is a different kind of trip. We're going to be total tourists, without anything fancy going on, so I'll need to be prepared. I'd also like to bring my larger camera. A backpack, it is.On our last stop in Dubai, I found a new bag which is perfect for this kin Read more:Favorite
, Travel
, New Favorite
I Don't Know! 2008-05-05 21:23:34 For the number of times I say "I don't know" in the run of a day, people must think I'm a big fat idiot. Usually, when I don't have the answer, I look it up on the internet. Example..."Mom, what do aardvarks eat?""I don't know but I'll have the answer for you in the morning." After a quick tap on Ask Jeeves, I learned that an aardvark is the same thing as an anteater. It's how moms become heroes to 5 year olds...the internet.Unfortunately, there are answers that can't be found on the internet. Such as these questions from the Satellite Guy..."Why did you let your satellite card expire?" I don't know."When do you plan to recharge your satellite card?" I don't know."When you do recharge it, will it be by phone, in person or email?" I don't know.And the Phone Guy..."What's your telep
Happy Mother's Day to me 2008-05-04 20:03:52 Since JB is going to be out of town for Mother's Day, we celebrated yesterday.Unfortunately, none of us were feeling overly sporty after having lunch at the plant the previous day, so I enjoyed a jammie day, mostly in bed. JB made me breakfast in bed in the morning and a yummy steak dinner in the evening. He is such a good cook, especially when the grill is part of the equation.I finally started to read The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. So it was a lovely quiet day. Quiet between the intermittent drumming, that is.
Read more:Happy
, Happy Mother
Page 44 - I'm an Angry Little Elf. 2008-05-06 19:39:40 Ooooo, I'm an angry little elf.I've just received a shipment of books. And page 44 in every one of them is an absolute mess. I've double checked my file that was sent to the printer and it is perfect. I've contacted them to find out what has happened but I know it will take a few days to sort out.In the meantime, I'm very angry. I'm embarrassed. Did I mentioned how angry I am? Did anyone else end up with a dud page 44?
Cheese Web 2008-05-08 08:44:11 I'm not here today but you can find me at Cheese
Web!Alison, a Canadian expat in Belgium (and fellow New Brunswicker I might add), will be posting her review of The Expat Arc on her blog today. Please stop by with your comments and questions, and while you're at it check out Alison's fantastic photographs!I'll be dropping by Cheese Web throughout the day to chat! See you there!
The Other Whore Girl 2008-05-09 02:17:01 Here's my synopsis (not a review) of a best-selling book that I've just read set in the Tudor era:"Mary, you whore!""Anne, you're a bigger whore!""You slept with the king!""You stole the king!""You're the biggest whore of all!""Don't call me a whore!""Big, stupid whore!"...strip away the excessive use of the word whore, the other name-calling, making faces at one another, the lies, the false accusations, the royal flipping of the middle fingers, the back-stabbing, the cheating, the betrayals, the hair-pulling, and the bitch-slapping--nothing much has changed in the last 475 years--and you have a heart-warming story of sisterly love.Anybody else read this book? Thoughts? Comments?
Read more:Whore
Happy Mother's Day 2008-05-11 11:32:05 Whether you're it's your first mother's day or your 40th, whether you're a mother to the two-legged or four-legged variety, happy mother's day to you.Today was a little bit of a downer for me. It was lonely with JB away and I had some disappointing news yesterday that had cast a shadow over the day. This morning, though, Connor made me muffins and peach ice tea for breakfast, which was very nice. We had a Mythbusters marathon and ate junk food all day.Tonight, I called my mother at my grandparent's house and got to speak to everyone who was there--except my grandmother since her hearing aid battery had gone flat. Can you hear me now, Nanny? Happy
Mother's Day! I love you!
Read more:Happy Mother
Tours, Tickets and Transfers 2008-05-12 23:56:22 Sometimes I like to roam on my own and sometimes I like an organized tour--or a guide--to tell me where I am and what I'm seeing.I'm almost done planning and booking everything for our summer round-the-world trip. We'll be going to Istanbul, Rome, London, NYC, Chicago, Calgary, San Francisco, Tokyo and Beijing. I've tried to arrange for at least one tour in each spot, some time to roam on our ow Read more:Tours
, Tickets
, Transfers
The Expat Arc Goes Down Under 2008-05-11 21:16:39 Today, I'll be in Australia, but lucky for you, you won't need a passport to join me.Suzer, an American expat in Australia, is reviewing The Expat
Arc at Suzer's Expat Adventures. Drop in with your comments or questions.G'day mate! I bet she loves getting to say that.
The Expat Arc - From Tel Aviv to Chennai 2008-05-13 19:25:36 I'm so excited that Jill at The Perlman Update is reviewing The Expat
Arc today. Jill and I met online recently when she started her research for her upcoming move from Tel Aviv to Chennai
. She's read my book and now she knows what's in store for her in India.Don't worry, Jill, I know a good Snake Guy...and all the best places for dessert.
Washing the Dishwasher 2008-05-15 19:30:01 I came into the kitchen Monday morning to find our housekeeper on her knees, scrubbing out the inside of the dishwasher. It took me a while to piece it all together but here's what I think happened...Throughout Saturday and Sunday, we had loaded the dishwasher with dirty dishes. It wasn't full yet so we didn't run it. I looked at the stack of clean dishes drying on the counter. That's when I r
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