Monday, September 7, 2009

The Pharonic Village

This morning Debbie and I toured the "Pharonic Village". Because it was the period of Ramadan, and we were there on a week day, the living history village was practically empty. We were pretty happy about that, since we were able to get through all the areas fairly quickly. It was as if we were given a private tour!

We toured the village of ancient Egypt on a pontoon-like boat, as we passed by people dressed in pharonic clothing that gave us an idea on what a typical day in a pharonic village would be like.

Along the way we saw a fisherman catching a school of fish with a large net.
Villagers going about their daily activities.

Perfume makers drawing scents and oils from exotic flowers such as lotus, thistle and poppy.
Papyrus craftsmen hammering out reed-like papyrus plants to make scroll-like paper.
Statue artists carving out figures out of limestone and other materials.
A woman pulling threads from locally grown flax plants to later be woven into linen.
Villagers taking care of their livestock such as sheep and cows.

An alabaster craftsman grinding soft alabaster rock for vases, statues, and other household items.

A mason measuring the next layer of brick.

An artillery craftsman making a sundry of ancient weapons.

A potter spinning clay on a pottery wheel for bowls, pitchers, and other crockery.
A villager fermenting grapes for Pharaoh's wine.

A handmaiden outside a wealthy nobleman's home.
A scribe standing outside the simulated model of the Karnak Temple.
Debbie and I got off the boat at this point to walk on the premises, and enter the pharonic museum.






Then, it was time to "walk like an Egyptian" out of the village and onto our next destination stop. LoL.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Laverne and Shirley at the Giza Pyramids


Deb and I got up early this morning and headed to Giza to see the pyramids; the only 7th Wonder of the Ancient World still standing.

Deb is such a ham! LoL. But it was very hot! We had to sneak away from our tour guide, so that we could quench our thirst without drinking in front of him since he was fasting for Ramadan. We were so happy to find cold refreshing drinks ---and more importantly, shade!
Deb continued to do hilarious photo ops throughout the tour.

She finally got to check off riding a camel at the pyramids off her bucket list.
Deb is channeling Scarlett O'Hara in this pose. LoL.
Here I am outside the pyramids, getting ready to enter the interior. We couldn't take pics inside. Man was it hot! They had removed all the goodies, and they have it displayed at the Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo. Deb and I will be heading there Wednesday to see the exhibits.
Then we went to the Sphinx Sun2 Restaurant for lunch. I loved its inner walkway leading upstairs.
The food was fabulous and Deb finally got to eat traditional Egyptian cuisine, since we ordered from the ex-pat menu last night at Restaurant 55.
The restaurant had a view of the pyramids.
It also had an inner patio that was decorated with a pharonic flair.

It was a kewl place to dine. I definitely would go back there again! Here's our hostess complementing the restaurant's fanus.

And then it was time for us to leave.... Day 2 at the pyramids was complete.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Déjà Vu at 55

Debbie landed safe and sound, and was met joyously at the airport by yours truly. Within a couple hours, we had our first Laverne and Shirley-esque encounter. LoL. For her first meal in Egypt, I decided to take her to Restaurant 55. I had enjoyed myself so much the weekend before, that I felt inclined for a repeat visit. On the way there, I suggested that we walk in single file from the car to the restaurant bc the street was very narrow. We were no more than 5 min from the restaurant, before I turned around to see if Deb was keeping up. Well, she was close behind me. So close that when I turned, she bumped into me and stepped on my flip flop and ripped the thong out of my Roxy's. We had to go back to the car with me on one good flip flop (or just a flop?), and head back home so I could change shoes. LoL. This was sooo typical of us!
We finally arrived , and Deb was blown away by the decor.
We chose to eat outdoors, so we could enjoy the ambiance.

Debbie wanted to smoke shisha, so after our meal we smoked
grinded peach.
Deb and I are such kindred spirits, bc she's not afraid to dive into
unchartered waters. LoL.
Debbie got the hang of it quickly, and by the end of the night was
teaching me how to blow peach smoke out of my nose. It tickled!

I really liked the peach. I've had apple and apricot before, and I
can honestly say that I liked all three equally well.
By the end of the evening Deb's jet lag started to kick in, hence
signaling our cue to leave. We had a good first day of the visit.
Tomorrow we head to Giza to see the pyramids. Stay Tune!