What a relief! After some excessively hot days last week, we're back to a more normal (for April) 22-25C during the daytime. This is ideal as far as I'm concerned. Last night it even rained... for all of two minutes. It sounded quite heavy, too, but - alas - didn't last any longer.
It's a week since Daniel departed although in some ways it feels like much longer. He just posted a new blog entry about his first week in Carlisle, if you're interested. Evidently he's keeping busy, and also learning how to be somewhat domesticated, not to mention becoming even more familiar with British trains.
It is said that for 'third culture kids' (ie those who grow up in a country that's not their birth country, or that of their parents) aeroplanes are more familiar than either trains or buses, and that's certainly true for Dan and Tim. There are no trains in Cyprus, and the only buses are the rather infrequent ones that run between the cities - no local ones at all. Not that one needs a local bus in Larnaka, since it's possible to walk just about everywhere.
It's still the Easter break here for schools and other activities. All shops were closed yesterday, and the mother-and-toddler group where I help on Tuesdays was also closed today. We're expecting some overnight visitors in our guest flat tonight, but they didn't arrive this morning - they went straight to another appointment, and won't be here till this evening.
We had some other overnight visitors last week. Next Sunday we're expecting some visitors for a week, and then a day after they leave our first set of overnight visitors return for almost another week. So, like last year, April and May are popular months for our guest flat. After that we don't have anyone booked in definitely, although two families have mentioned that they might come out in the Autumn.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Easter weekend, and relaxation of water restrictions
For most readers of these pages, Easter happened almost five weeks ago. But for the Eastern church, today is Good Friday, one of the holiest days of the year, with Easter in two days' time.
This is a Greek Orthodox country, celebrating Eastern Easter, so all shops in Cyprus will be closed on Sunday and Monday. Most shops are closed on Sundays anyway, but even the bakeries and convenience stores (periptero) will mostly close on Sunday, and all the main shops and supermarkets on Monday. No big deal, but we were amazed at the number of people in Metro supermarket this morning, some of them pushing two trolleys, as if they needed to stock up for a month. Perhaps they're having huge family gatherings on Sunday.
I was surprised when the mains water was on today. Since the start of the month, we've had restricted mains water. It's been fairly regular - on from about 8am to 8pm on Tuesday, Thursday and saturday, and part of Sunday morning. Off for the rest of the time. Since our cold water tank is a reasonable size, we have water for showers, toilets, and even the dishwasher once per day. I've been running the washing machine twice on the mains water days, rather than once every day, and watering the plants only on mains water days. We keep drinking water (directly from the mains) in plastic bottles, which I fill up again when the mains is on.
So it's all much easier than it was when we first came to cyprus, ten-and-a-half years ago, and had mains water only twice a week, without it being entirely predictable. The mains comes on often enough to fill up the tanks, and we're reasonably careful with water anyway.
Thus it was quite a surprise to flick the mains water switch this afternoon, without really thinking about it, and find it on, at full pressure. A nice surprise, of course. Was this, I wondered, a special treat for Easter?
Yes, this appears to be the case. The Cyprus Mail reports that we're having full water until Monday, and the Cyprus Weekly also mentions it, in an encouraging article about 8 million tons of water being imported from Greece this year. That will cover about half the deficit.
Of course, we still see people out with hosepipes, washing down their patios and steps. But I hope that at least some people are being more careful with water.
This is a Greek Orthodox country, celebrating Eastern Easter, so all shops in Cyprus will be closed on Sunday and Monday. Most shops are closed on Sundays anyway, but even the bakeries and convenience stores (periptero) will mostly close on Sunday, and all the main shops and supermarkets on Monday. No big deal, but we were amazed at the number of people in Metro supermarket this morning, some of them pushing two trolleys, as if they needed to stock up for a month. Perhaps they're having huge family gatherings on Sunday.
I was surprised when the mains water was on today. Since the start of the month, we've had restricted mains water. It's been fairly regular - on from about 8am to 8pm on Tuesday, Thursday and saturday, and part of Sunday morning. Off for the rest of the time. Since our cold water tank is a reasonable size, we have water for showers, toilets, and even the dishwasher once per day. I've been running the washing machine twice on the mains water days, rather than once every day, and watering the plants only on mains water days. We keep drinking water (directly from the mains) in plastic bottles, which I fill up again when the mains is on.
So it's all much easier than it was when we first came to cyprus, ten-and-a-half years ago, and had mains water only twice a week, without it being entirely predictable. The mains comes on often enough to fill up the tanks, and we're reasonably careful with water anyway.
Thus it was quite a surprise to flick the mains water switch this afternoon, without really thinking about it, and find it on, at full pressure. A nice surprise, of course. Was this, I wondered, a special treat for Easter?
Yes, this appears to be the case. The Cyprus Mail reports that we're having full water until Monday, and the Cyprus Weekly also mentions it, in an encouraging article about 8 million tons of water being imported from Greece this year. That will cover about half the deficit.
Of course, we still see people out with hosepipes, washing down their patios and steps. But I hope that at least some people are being more careful with water.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Saying farewell to Daniel again
Last night was Daniel's last evening in Larnaka for (probably) at least two years. Tim said he would cook, and Dan suggested they make some Korean style food, which he's enjoyed eating on his travels on the MV Doulos. So Dan directed operations and made a chili-tomato sauce and washed salads, while Tim made an 'omelettish thing', and some chicken coated in soya sauce, and fried halloumi, and boiled some rice, and also made some of our favourite Mediterranean style roast veggies.
Dan was worried it might not be enough, but I think we could easily have fed at least two more people by the time it was all ready:
Daniel explained how to take a piece of lettuce, and then add some rice (using chopsticks) and other pieces of food, dipped in a sauce:
Then you're supposed to wrap it in a parcel and eat with fingers. Tim and I both gave up and started using forks after a while, but it was all very tasty. When we'd eaten what we could, we froze some of the leftovers for another day.
Then we played a couple of rounds of mah-jong, one of the family favourite games which needs four players. We hadn't played it since Daniel got back three months ago.
This morning, Daniel's flight out of Cyprus was at ten past ten, a very sociable time. So he had to be at the airport shortly after 8am. It was a pleasant day, quite sunny but not too hot as we arrived. He doesn't have as much luggage as he did when he first left, two years ago:
I also realised that I've got much more used to digital photography since then. Instead of taking two or three careful photos, thinking about prints, I take dozens and then select a few. Here's Dan heading towards Larnaka airport, pretty confident about travelling these days:
And here he is just inside. It wasn't too crowded at all, and although there was a huge queue for Cyprus Air flights, they were managing them very efficiently, and we only had to wait about five minutes before he was checked in.
So we went and sat in the outdoor part of the restaurant outside for a while. None of us wanted anything to eat or drink, so we hung out for a while... we watched a woman hosing down the floor, which was a bit shocking considering how very low the water supplies are in Cyprus. She didn't wash the part where we were sitting, but left the hosepipe running, so the water started running around our feet.
So, around 9.15 we headed back inside, and said our goodbyes. I thought it would be a lot easier this time - we've done it before, and Dan's flying to England for a couple of months to start with (to Carlisle where he's doing some audio-visual/media training and work). I haven't felt so tearful in the past week - not more than the odd moment - but I still found myself crying as we hugged him once more, and said goodbye. I wonder if it will ever get any easier.
I don't know if we'll be able to go and visit him again; two years seems such a long time. I'm very thankful for email and instant messaging and mobile phones, which at least mean we can stay in touch. I have no idea how parents coped in previous decades, when leaving for another country meant no communication for months at a time.
Dan was worried it might not be enough, but I think we could easily have fed at least two more people by the time it was all ready:
Daniel explained how to take a piece of lettuce, and then add some rice (using chopsticks) and other pieces of food, dipped in a sauce:
Then you're supposed to wrap it in a parcel and eat with fingers. Tim and I both gave up and started using forks after a while, but it was all very tasty. When we'd eaten what we could, we froze some of the leftovers for another day.Then we played a couple of rounds of mah-jong, one of the family favourite games which needs four players. We hadn't played it since Daniel got back three months ago.
This morning, Daniel's flight out of Cyprus was at ten past ten, a very sociable time. So he had to be at the airport shortly after 8am. It was a pleasant day, quite sunny but not too hot as we arrived. He doesn't have as much luggage as he did when he first left, two years ago:
I also realised that I've got much more used to digital photography since then. Instead of taking two or three careful photos, thinking about prints, I take dozens and then select a few. Here's Dan heading towards Larnaka airport, pretty confident about travelling these days:
And here he is just inside. It wasn't too crowded at all, and although there was a huge queue for Cyprus Air flights, they were managing them very efficiently, and we only had to wait about five minutes before he was checked in.
So we went and sat in the outdoor part of the restaurant outside for a while. None of us wanted anything to eat or drink, so we hung out for a while... we watched a woman hosing down the floor, which was a bit shocking considering how very low the water supplies are in Cyprus. She didn't wash the part where we were sitting, but left the hosepipe running, so the water started running around our feet.
So, around 9.15 we headed back inside, and said our goodbyes. I thought it would be a lot easier this time - we've done it before, and Dan's flying to England for a couple of months to start with (to Carlisle where he's doing some audio-visual/media training and work). I haven't felt so tearful in the past week - not more than the odd moment - but I still found myself crying as we hugged him once more, and said goodbye. I wonder if it will ever get any easier.
I don't know if we'll be able to go and visit him again; two years seems such a long time. I'm very thankful for email and instant messaging and mobile phones, which at least mean we can stay in touch. I have no idea how parents coped in previous decades, when leaving for another country meant no communication for months at a time.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Day in Troodos Mountains
Yesterday - Sunday - was my birthday. It was also Daniel's last Sunday in Cyprus, as his furlough ends tomorrow. So we decided we would spend most of they day in the Troodos mountains, one of Dan's favourite places in Cyprus. He had wanted to go when he first got here, but time rushed by...
The boys and I went to church, since Dan needed to say goodbye to various people, and we left Larnaka around 11.30am. The roads were pretty clear, and the way through Limassol is very easy now the flyover system is working. A few years ago it could take half an hour or more to travel a few kilometres between the roundabouts, but now it's just five minutes or so.
We decided to have lunch on the road from Limassol to Troodos. I was sure I had seen several tavernas there, and sure enough we passed some. Unfortunately, most of them looked closed. I suppose they're mainly open during the summer - or perhaps it was too early, since it was only about 12.45 and Cypriots tend to eat lunch around 2pm. Or perhaps, as Tim said, because it's Palm Sunday in the Orthodox Church, people were starting to fast more seriously.
Still, we saw several signs for 'The Waterfall Restaurant' - not very well made, but there were so many of them we decided we might as well find it. And sure enough, we eventually got there. It looked pleasant enough, so we stopped for lunch.
The menu was fairly basic - sandwiches, omelettes, pies and chips - but we didn't want a big meal, so we opted for pies and chips. I thought they would come with salad, but they didn't... and the pastry was a little soggy, but they were pleasant enough, and certainly filled a gap. They were rather expensive for what they were, but then this place is probably meant for tourists.
We didn't go to see the advertised waterfalls next to the café since we'd have had to pay another five euros each, which seemed a little high - about as much as we spent seeing the pyramids last week! - and with the extreme water shortage, we didn't suppose they would be very exciting anyway.
As we drove on, up the winding road, we were a bit shocked to see that vast regions of the forest looked totally burnt:
Eventually we remembered hearing about serious fires in the Troodos district last summer. We had not realised there would be so much damage - there were miles of the roadside that looked like that, although we didn't see any damaged buildings. It was a relief to get to the more normal views, albeit not as green as usual:
When we finally reached Troodos village, we found it was only a degree or two cooler than Larnaka. But the air felt very pleasantly fresh, and there was a lovely breeze. We parked the car, and went to sit on a park bench.
I had not had time to open my cards and presents before leaving, so we took them with us. I started with Daniel's; he always takes more trouble than anyone I know over his wrapping paper, often creating it himself. This time he made rather geeky wrapping, using white paper and masking tape, with a few labels (click the image to see a bigger version if you can't read the print) :
Here's a bigger view of one of the side labels:
Inside was the newest book by Bill Bryson, which I hadn't even heard of: his biography - The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
- in which Dan had written, 'Dear Mum, I couldn't remember if you liked Bill Bryson.'
I do indeed, and look forward to reading it!
There were a few other parcels that had arrived:
So I opened them, and found some books and a DVD from my wishlist, all of which I shall enjoy.
Richard gave me some earrings he bought in Lebanon, and Tim gave me some different coloured candles which he bought in a local craft shop, run by a friend.
Then I wondered aloud if the swings were suitable for adults... and saw some other adults on some of them. I love swings, so I decided as it was my birthday, I'd have a go:
They were very good swings indeed!
After that, we decided to take some family photos - something else we had been thinking of for Dan's entire furlough. I was pleased with this photo I took of the boys:
And we set up a tripod, with Daniel's camera on timer - and managed to get several good photos of the whole family, one of which I plan to order prints of:
After we'd done that - and Richard took some photos for some other tourists - we found a little café selling ice creams, again at rather high prices, but they were very good. Then Dan and Richard had some coffee, and we read for a while, then went to wander around the tourist shops, which sell a mixture of fairly nice things and tat. At least, three of us did. Tim, who had been out all day Saturday at an island-wide youth sports day, and didn't get back until after 11pm, was exhausted and went to sleep in the car.
Dan bought a few boxes of 'Cyprus delight' to take back to the Doulos, and eventually around 5pm we decided to get back.
In the evening we went out to Aztekas, which is probably our favourite restaurant in Larnaka - it's Mexican, with a good choice of authentic dishes, all offering either meat, chicken or beef filling.
All in all, a very nice day.
Slightly geeky postscript: I am now 48, which seems rather a tidy sort of number. Lots of divisors, and since the month and year are 04-08 it seems particularly appropriate. Oh, and it means I'm now 30 in hexadecimal.
The boys and I went to church, since Dan needed to say goodbye to various people, and we left Larnaka around 11.30am. The roads were pretty clear, and the way through Limassol is very easy now the flyover system is working. A few years ago it could take half an hour or more to travel a few kilometres between the roundabouts, but now it's just five minutes or so.
We decided to have lunch on the road from Limassol to Troodos. I was sure I had seen several tavernas there, and sure enough we passed some. Unfortunately, most of them looked closed. I suppose they're mainly open during the summer - or perhaps it was too early, since it was only about 12.45 and Cypriots tend to eat lunch around 2pm. Or perhaps, as Tim said, because it's Palm Sunday in the Orthodox Church, people were starting to fast more seriously.
Still, we saw several signs for 'The Waterfall Restaurant' - not very well made, but there were so many of them we decided we might as well find it. And sure enough, we eventually got there. It looked pleasant enough, so we stopped for lunch.
The menu was fairly basic - sandwiches, omelettes, pies and chips - but we didn't want a big meal, so we opted for pies and chips. I thought they would come with salad, but they didn't... and the pastry was a little soggy, but they were pleasant enough, and certainly filled a gap. They were rather expensive for what they were, but then this place is probably meant for tourists.
We didn't go to see the advertised waterfalls next to the café since we'd have had to pay another five euros each, which seemed a little high - about as much as we spent seeing the pyramids last week! - and with the extreme water shortage, we didn't suppose they would be very exciting anyway.
As we drove on, up the winding road, we were a bit shocked to see that vast regions of the forest looked totally burnt:
Eventually we remembered hearing about serious fires in the Troodos district last summer. We had not realised there would be so much damage - there were miles of the roadside that looked like that, although we didn't see any damaged buildings. It was a relief to get to the more normal views, albeit not as green as usual:
When we finally reached Troodos village, we found it was only a degree or two cooler than Larnaka. But the air felt very pleasantly fresh, and there was a lovely breeze. We parked the car, and went to sit on a park bench.
I had not had time to open my cards and presents before leaving, so we took them with us. I started with Daniel's; he always takes more trouble than anyone I know over his wrapping paper, often creating it himself. This time he made rather geeky wrapping, using white paper and masking tape, with a few labels (click the image to see a bigger version if you can't read the print) :
Here's a bigger view of one of the side labels:
Inside was the newest book by Bill Bryson, which I hadn't even heard of: his biography - The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid - in which Dan had written, 'Dear Mum, I couldn't remember if you liked Bill Bryson.'I do indeed, and look forward to reading it!
There were a few other parcels that had arrived:
So I opened them, and found some books and a DVD from my wishlist, all of which I shall enjoy.
Richard gave me some earrings he bought in Lebanon, and Tim gave me some different coloured candles which he bought in a local craft shop, run by a friend.
Then I wondered aloud if the swings were suitable for adults... and saw some other adults on some of them. I love swings, so I decided as it was my birthday, I'd have a go:
They were very good swings indeed!
After that, we decided to take some family photos - something else we had been thinking of for Dan's entire furlough. I was pleased with this photo I took of the boys:
And we set up a tripod, with Daniel's camera on timer - and managed to get several good photos of the whole family, one of which I plan to order prints of:
After we'd done that - and Richard took some photos for some other tourists - we found a little café selling ice creams, again at rather high prices, but they were very good. Then Dan and Richard had some coffee, and we read for a while, then went to wander around the tourist shops, which sell a mixture of fairly nice things and tat. At least, three of us did. Tim, who had been out all day Saturday at an island-wide youth sports day, and didn't get back until after 11pm, was exhausted and went to sleep in the car.
Dan bought a few boxes of 'Cyprus delight' to take back to the Doulos, and eventually around 5pm we decided to get back.
In the evening we went out to Aztekas, which is probably our favourite restaurant in Larnaka - it's Mexican, with a good choice of authentic dishes, all offering either meat, chicken or beef filling.
All in all, a very nice day.
Slightly geeky postscript: I am now 48, which seems rather a tidy sort of number. Lots of divisors, and since the month and year are 04-08 it seems particularly appropriate. Oh, and it means I'm now 30 in hexadecimal.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Temporarily out of Cyprus: last half-day in Egypt
The four days we spent in Egypt felt much longer, as we had seen (and eaten!) so much. Daniel, Tim and I were due to return to Cyprus on Monday afternoon, with a flight at 4.15pm, meaning we had to get to the airport by about 2.15.
Another friend wanted to see us for coffee in the morning, and then another couple invited us to their home for an early lunch, saying they would drive us to the airport.
All of which would have been fine, except that Daniel awoke about 4am with diarrhoea, which kept him awake for a couple of hours, when he started throwing up. Evidently he had caught the so-called 'Cairo Curse' - which seems to afflict random people visiting Eygpt. We have no idea what caused it, since we were very careful only to drink bottled water, and only to eat at good, clean restaurants. I don't think it can have been anything we ate on Sunday, since we were taken out to two very nice places, but some people get the Cairo Curse just from using tap water to brush their teeth - which, of course, we had done. I would have thought the hotel would have acceptable water, but we had one friend - years ago - who got sick every time he came to Egypt.
It was surprising that it struck Daniel, who hasn't had any kind of stomach upset in the two years of travelling around the world on the MV Doulos, but as he said, it was all part of the Egyptian experience.
So Dan stayed in bed for the morning, while Richard, Tim and I were taken to a coffee house called 'Cilantro' on the sea front. Tim and I had rather nice spiced hot apple juice (confusingly called apple cider). Our friend said his driver would take us to our other friends for lunch, which was very nice of him.
I was very glad we weren't doing any sight-seeing as it was extremely hot (over 37C apparently) on Monday. Not quite that hot sitting in the shade mid-morning with a breeze, but hot enough.
So we returned to the hotel and packed. Daniel really wasn't well enough to do anything, but we'd found some medication supposed to help this condition. Unfortunately it didn't. He felt considerably worse by the time we reached our friends' apartment, not helped by the bumpy and very crowded roads on the way.
But the great thing was - one of our friends is a pharmacist, and his wife is a doctor! So they were able to advise us on medication, and she gave Daniel an injection supposed to keep him comfortable for up to six hours.
They had ordered some delicious Egyptian pizza for our lunch, which Daniel would have liked very much if he'd been feeling better. The rest of us enjoyed them very much. It was only a short visit, since we had to get to the airport, and thankfully once we were there Dan coped - mostly sleeping or dozing, but no worse.
The flight was on time and pretty smooth, and we were all very pleased to be home again. I was a bit surprised to find it rather hotter than I expected - when we left Cyprus the previous Thursday, it was distinctly chilly. Our cat-sitter even used the electric heater a couple of times.
But Summer in Cyprus seems to have started in our absence; on Tuesday it was 32C here, which is more than I like at any time, let alone April.
Another friend wanted to see us for coffee in the morning, and then another couple invited us to their home for an early lunch, saying they would drive us to the airport.
All of which would have been fine, except that Daniel awoke about 4am with diarrhoea, which kept him awake for a couple of hours, when he started throwing up. Evidently he had caught the so-called 'Cairo Curse' - which seems to afflict random people visiting Eygpt. We have no idea what caused it, since we were very careful only to drink bottled water, and only to eat at good, clean restaurants. I don't think it can have been anything we ate on Sunday, since we were taken out to two very nice places, but some people get the Cairo Curse just from using tap water to brush their teeth - which, of course, we had done. I would have thought the hotel would have acceptable water, but we had one friend - years ago - who got sick every time he came to Egypt.
It was surprising that it struck Daniel, who hasn't had any kind of stomach upset in the two years of travelling around the world on the MV Doulos, but as he said, it was all part of the Egyptian experience.
So Dan stayed in bed for the morning, while Richard, Tim and I were taken to a coffee house called 'Cilantro' on the sea front. Tim and I had rather nice spiced hot apple juice (confusingly called apple cider). Our friend said his driver would take us to our other friends for lunch, which was very nice of him.
I was very glad we weren't doing any sight-seeing as it was extremely hot (over 37C apparently) on Monday. Not quite that hot sitting in the shade mid-morning with a breeze, but hot enough.
So we returned to the hotel and packed. Daniel really wasn't well enough to do anything, but we'd found some medication supposed to help this condition. Unfortunately it didn't. He felt considerably worse by the time we reached our friends' apartment, not helped by the bumpy and very crowded roads on the way.
But the great thing was - one of our friends is a pharmacist, and his wife is a doctor! So they were able to advise us on medication, and she gave Daniel an injection supposed to keep him comfortable for up to six hours.
They had ordered some delicious Egyptian pizza for our lunch, which Daniel would have liked very much if he'd been feeling better. The rest of us enjoyed them very much. It was only a short visit, since we had to get to the airport, and thankfully once we were there Dan coped - mostly sleeping or dozing, but no worse.
The flight was on time and pretty smooth, and we were all very pleased to be home again. I was a bit surprised to find it rather hotter than I expected - when we left Cyprus the previous Thursday, it was distinctly chilly. Our cat-sitter even used the electric heater a couple of times.
But Summer in Cyprus seems to have started in our absence; on Tuesday it was 32C here, which is more than I like at any time, let alone April.
Temporarily out of Cyprus: Egypt day four. Lots of food!
Having done our major 'tourist' visits, to the Cairo International Museum on Friday, and then Saqquar and Giza to see the pyramids on Saturday, we were pretty tired by Sunday. Some of Richard's Egyptian colleagues - who he counts as friends - wanted to take us out for meals and get to know the family, so he arranged for two of these on Saturday. One lunchtime, one evening. In retrospect, that was perhaps a mistake...
Tim and I didn't want to go anywhere on Sunday morning, but Richard and Daniel thought they might go to a good value computer shop and buy some technical stuff, so they went on the metro... rather a fruitless trip, since apparently shops don't open until about 11am (and Sunday isn't a day off - Thursday and Friday are the weekend in Egypt), and the one they were aiming for didn't open even after eleven.
So they got back around noon, and we then had to get a taxi to the place where we had agreed to meet the first family who were treating us. They took us to the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which has an amazing view of the Nile, and the most incredible buffet food at lunchtime. Unfortunately my camera was in Richard's backpack, which he locked in the boot of our friends' car, so I couldn't take any photos.
We started eating around 1.30pm, I suppose. I mostly ate salads, realising how easy it would be to overeat, and remembering we had another invitation in the evening. But with a buffet, one keeps going back for more... or at least, our friends did, on our behalf. It was excellent food, but by the time I'd had two large plates of salads and vegetables, and a bowl of fruit (with a tiny slice of chocolate mousse which I couldn't resist) I was so full I could barely move.
The only problem with the room was that the non-smoking zone was simply half the room... so when people started smoking at the next table, we all moved to another place at the suggestion of the waiters.
Richard thought we might finish by around 3pm at the latest... however it was nearer 4.30 by the time our friends accepted that we couldn't eat another thing. It was good to get to know them, and we very much appreciated being in such grand surroundings with such excellent food, even if we did feel a little out of place!
Our friends then suggested taking us on a covered boat along part of the Nile. So we set out in two cars. However the traffic was unbelievably bad on the roads. It took us an hour to travel what should have taken about ten minutes. Our friends' seventeen-year-old daughter had to be at an English class at 6pm, so her mother took her there, and her father took us back to their apartment for half an hour, so we could sit down and use the bathroom, and relax for a moment.
Being in the car had left me feeling migrainey yet again; I think it must be the pollution everywhere causing them, since I was fine all morning.
While we were at their home - which was beautifully furnished and huge - Tim tried out a rather nice accordion. Unfortunately it was rather too heavy for him and he couldn't quite figure out how to use it in ten minutes:
We also asked our friend if he would take a photo of the four of us. This is something we had been planning to do ever since Daniel got home for his furlough. So we sat on a long sofa, and he took three photos... unfortunately he had managed to switch the flash off (although it would probably have made a nasty glare from the pictures behind us) so the focus is rather soft, and the other two had strange expressions on our faces.. but this one wasn't too bad, although sitting in a row looks rather odd. And for two of us, our stomachs look rather bulgy from the amount of lunch we ate!
We'll have to try a better place for a family photo somewhere in Cyprus, before Daniel leaves again on Tuesday. But here's the least bad, anyway:
Around 6.30 our friend drove us to the restaurant where we were meeting our other friends - an engaged couple. It's a rather unusual restaurant called 'Plant Africa'. Very nice menu, excellent food again (though, alas, I could not do it justice) - and a rainforest setting, with surprisingly realistic lifesize animals in random places. There were bird noises all the time, and occasional claps of thunder.
We had some mixed appetisers, and a couple of salads to share; refused soup (to our friends' disappointment), and then I asked for the smallest meal I could find - some pasta and sauce. Richard had some kind of steak, Daniel had veggie fajitas, Tim had chicken fajitas. Then Richard and Dan shared a pavlova that would have been too much for one person even if we hadn't felt rather full before we even started.
Egyptians are very generous, and the food at both places was superb. But if I learned nothing else during our time in Cairo, I certainly learned that it's not a good idea to accept more than one invitation to a meal per day!
This elephant was right by our table. It raised its trunk and trumpeted a few times every fifteen minutes or so:
On the way in I was startled by this gorilla - here he is with Daniel and Tim on our way out:
and I'm glad I hadn't noticed this rather unpleasant looking crocodile under a bridge on the way in:
It was after 10pm by the time we finished, and my head was pounding. We still had to get a taxi back to the hotel, too.
Tim and I didn't want to go anywhere on Sunday morning, but Richard and Daniel thought they might go to a good value computer shop and buy some technical stuff, so they went on the metro... rather a fruitless trip, since apparently shops don't open until about 11am (and Sunday isn't a day off - Thursday and Friday are the weekend in Egypt), and the one they were aiming for didn't open even after eleven.
So they got back around noon, and we then had to get a taxi to the place where we had agreed to meet the first family who were treating us. They took us to the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which has an amazing view of the Nile, and the most incredible buffet food at lunchtime. Unfortunately my camera was in Richard's backpack, which he locked in the boot of our friends' car, so I couldn't take any photos.
We started eating around 1.30pm, I suppose. I mostly ate salads, realising how easy it would be to overeat, and remembering we had another invitation in the evening. But with a buffet, one keeps going back for more... or at least, our friends did, on our behalf. It was excellent food, but by the time I'd had two large plates of salads and vegetables, and a bowl of fruit (with a tiny slice of chocolate mousse which I couldn't resist) I was so full I could barely move.
The only problem with the room was that the non-smoking zone was simply half the room... so when people started smoking at the next table, we all moved to another place at the suggestion of the waiters.
Richard thought we might finish by around 3pm at the latest... however it was nearer 4.30 by the time our friends accepted that we couldn't eat another thing. It was good to get to know them, and we very much appreciated being in such grand surroundings with such excellent food, even if we did feel a little out of place!
Our friends then suggested taking us on a covered boat along part of the Nile. So we set out in two cars. However the traffic was unbelievably bad on the roads. It took us an hour to travel what should have taken about ten minutes. Our friends' seventeen-year-old daughter had to be at an English class at 6pm, so her mother took her there, and her father took us back to their apartment for half an hour, so we could sit down and use the bathroom, and relax for a moment.
Being in the car had left me feeling migrainey yet again; I think it must be the pollution everywhere causing them, since I was fine all morning.
While we were at their home - which was beautifully furnished and huge - Tim tried out a rather nice accordion. Unfortunately it was rather too heavy for him and he couldn't quite figure out how to use it in ten minutes:
We also asked our friend if he would take a photo of the four of us. This is something we had been planning to do ever since Daniel got home for his furlough. So we sat on a long sofa, and he took three photos... unfortunately he had managed to switch the flash off (although it would probably have made a nasty glare from the pictures behind us) so the focus is rather soft, and the other two had strange expressions on our faces.. but this one wasn't too bad, although sitting in a row looks rather odd. And for two of us, our stomachs look rather bulgy from the amount of lunch we ate!
We'll have to try a better place for a family photo somewhere in Cyprus, before Daniel leaves again on Tuesday. But here's the least bad, anyway:
Around 6.30 our friend drove us to the restaurant where we were meeting our other friends - an engaged couple. It's a rather unusual restaurant called 'Plant Africa'. Very nice menu, excellent food again (though, alas, I could not do it justice) - and a rainforest setting, with surprisingly realistic lifesize animals in random places. There were bird noises all the time, and occasional claps of thunder.
We had some mixed appetisers, and a couple of salads to share; refused soup (to our friends' disappointment), and then I asked for the smallest meal I could find - some pasta and sauce. Richard had some kind of steak, Daniel had veggie fajitas, Tim had chicken fajitas. Then Richard and Dan shared a pavlova that would have been too much for one person even if we hadn't felt rather full before we even started.
Egyptians are very generous, and the food at both places was superb. But if I learned nothing else during our time in Cairo, I certainly learned that it's not a good idea to accept more than one invitation to a meal per day!
This elephant was right by our table. It raised its trunk and trumpeted a few times every fifteen minutes or so:
On the way in I was startled by this gorilla - here he is with Daniel and Tim on our way out:
and I'm glad I hadn't noticed this rather unpleasant looking crocodile under a bridge on the way in:
It was after 10pm by the time we finished, and my head was pounding. We still had to get a taxi back to the hotel, too.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Temporarily out of Cyprus: Egypt, day three. Saqqara and Giza (pyramids)
We had decided that Saturday would be our big day out to visit the pyramids at Giza. This was partly determined by the weather forecast: it was supposed to be 29C on Saturday, 32C on Sunday, and over 35C on Monday!
Richard spoke to one of the hotel taxi-drivers, who said he would be prepared to drive us there, wait for us, and then drive us home again in the evening, all for 150 LE (about 16 euros) which seemed like very good value. He said he would also take us to Memphis, if we wished, for another 90 LE. But when Richard spoke to one of his friends, who's something of an expert in the pyramids, he suggested we go instead to Saqqara first, an older site where there's a small museum and a ziggurat, and then on to Giza afterwards. He said it would be more interesting that way, and that we would more likely find somewhere to eat around the pyramid site!
So we set off around 8.30 and arrived at the Saqqara museum about forty minutes later:
It was much smaller than the Cairo international museum, which we visited the day before, but very nicely laid out with plenty of labels and explanations. The exhibits were in glass cases, and we were able to take photos so long as we didn't use any flash. There was plenty of light, so we took quite a few. As with the Cairo museum, the jugs and bowls were in the most amazingly good condition, given their age (about 5,000 years old in some cases) :
The statues were pretty stunning too:
There was even a mummy in one of the cases:
Some jewellery, still intact:
One of many tablets with hieroglyphs carved in:
A piece of stone with some carvings of people:
A stone statue of a high priest and his wife:
.. plus much more. I suppose we spent about 45 minutes in the museum - it cost as much as the huge international one - and then went to the outside Saqqara site, which was included in the ticket price, to see the ziggurat:
It was fairly impressive, though not as huge as I had imagined, and looked as if it were crumbling somewhat - but I suppose that's hardly surprising in the sunshine and wind of thousands of years.
Even by 11am it was getting too hot and sunny for me, so I sat in the shade to read for a bit while Richard and the boys went for a bit of a walk. They saw lots of camels:
And Richard took a photo of Daniel and Tim right up against the ziggurat, so as to show its size - which is actually rather bigger than it seemed:
When we'd seen all there was to see, we got back in the car and were driven to Giza, about another twenty minutes away. We asked the driver where would be a good place to buy a sandwich, and he suggested KFC... since Daniel is vegetarian, we went upstairs to Pizza Hut instead. Yes, these American fast-food places get everywhere, but since some of the restaurants in Cairo are rather dodgy, we were thankful for a place with clean surroundings, good loos, and food we could trust to be properly cleaned and cooked.
So we had a light lunch, then over the road to the pyramid site. Our driver said we should really book a guide, as it wasn't very safe... but we had the feeling he was trying to give a job to one of his friends, so Richard texted his pyramid expert friend and asked if we really did need a guide. No, he assured us, it was totally safe in the pyramid complex.
The first thing that struck us as we went in was the enormity of the Sphinx:
I had my camera out, and thought it would be nice to take a photo of a rather well-ornamented camel. Bad idea, muttered Daniel. They would probably charge us for it. So I was about to put my camera away, when a man came up to us, waved his hand, and said, 'No charge for photo!'
'No charge?' I said, and he agreed. So I snapped this photo.
As I did so, the younger man at the edge of the photo rushed up, and said I should take a photo of him with the camel. Then they came up to us, and asked where we were from, and seemed very friendly. Then they said that Daniel looked Egyptian. They put a scarf around his neck, and said I should take a photo of him with the young man, next to the camel.
As I was about to take it, the young man lifted Dan off his feet and tried to put him ON the camel. Daniel - who is bigger and stronger - struggled and got down, insisting that he did not want to ride the camel. We had heard stories of people offered free rides on camels... and then charged large amounts to get off again! So they tried to wrap a headscarf around Richard, but by then we were rather keen to get away. Then they followed us insisting we should pay something... Richard did put a very small note into the owner's hand, but he still followed until Richard said we would call the police.
All part of the experience, I suppose. We already knew never to let our cameras out of our hands (or we would be charged to have them back again...) but I hadn't thought that just taking a photo of a camel would be such a problem.
After that we headed to the pyramids themselves - not far away, and there was a good breeze, but it was still fairly hot without much shade. I was struck at the strange mixture of ancient and modern, seeing the bus/coach park at the foot of one of the pyramids:
We spent nearly three hours in the complex. We decided not to go inside any of the pyramids - we had heard that it was cramped and claustrophobic, and heard one man saying he had to queue for two hours to get a ticket! - but it was interesting to walk around slowly, with frequent stops for drinks of water.
We had decided to go to the famous 'sound and light' show in the evening, but thought it best to eat beforehand... so, in the absence of anywhere else that looked even vaguely reasonable, we went back to Pizza Hut. Richard and Dan had some ice cream desserts, then we bought various mixed appetisers and some more water, and spread out our time there quite well - an hour and a half - until it was time to go to the evening show.
Daniel commented to one of the waiters that of all Pizza Huts, theirs must have the most stunning view in the world, as it looked out right over the pyramid complex:
It was pretty amazing watching the sun beginning to set behind them, too:
The sound and light show started at 6.30, so we went to buy our tickets half an hour earlier (75 LE each - again it would have been less for Tim if he had brought his student ID card - ah well) and went to sit in the audience, some of the first to arrive.
We had a huge surprise about five minutes after arriving, when we heard the sound of bagpipes! Then a small band marched on, dressed in ancient Egyptian clothes, playing what sounded like Irish music...
They stood at the front and entertained us for about twenty minutes, which was very pleasant even if it did feel incongruous. They were very good.
We did try to take some photos of the sound and light display itself, but alas - they didn't come out. It was very well done, by someone with a British colonial type accent, and lights that showed different parts of the pyramids (including some lasers to demonstrate the dimensions), and also some pictures on a vertical stone screen at the front of the seats. It lasted nearly an hour, telling us about the different pyramids, why they were built, how they were discovered relatively recently, what they contained, and their best guess as to how such enormous monuments could have been built before the days of mechanical equipment.
We were more than ready to get back to the hotel and collapse by the time it had finished, but it was a fascinating day. What struck me most was how incredibly advanced the Egyptian civilization was - I knew it academically, but had never seen so many finely made artefacts, or understood quite how well-organised they must have been. So strange that it was all lost for thousands of years...
Richard spoke to one of the hotel taxi-drivers, who said he would be prepared to drive us there, wait for us, and then drive us home again in the evening, all for 150 LE (about 16 euros) which seemed like very good value. He said he would also take us to Memphis, if we wished, for another 90 LE. But when Richard spoke to one of his friends, who's something of an expert in the pyramids, he suggested we go instead to Saqqara first, an older site where there's a small museum and a ziggurat, and then on to Giza afterwards. He said it would be more interesting that way, and that we would more likely find somewhere to eat around the pyramid site!
So we set off around 8.30 and arrived at the Saqqara museum about forty minutes later:
It was much smaller than the Cairo international museum, which we visited the day before, but very nicely laid out with plenty of labels and explanations. The exhibits were in glass cases, and we were able to take photos so long as we didn't use any flash. There was plenty of light, so we took quite a few. As with the Cairo museum, the jugs and bowls were in the most amazingly good condition, given their age (about 5,000 years old in some cases) :
The statues were pretty stunning too:
There was even a mummy in one of the cases:
Some jewellery, still intact:
One of many tablets with hieroglyphs carved in:
A piece of stone with some carvings of people:
A stone statue of a high priest and his wife:
.. plus much more. I suppose we spent about 45 minutes in the museum - it cost as much as the huge international one - and then went to the outside Saqqara site, which was included in the ticket price, to see the ziggurat:
It was fairly impressive, though not as huge as I had imagined, and looked as if it were crumbling somewhat - but I suppose that's hardly surprising in the sunshine and wind of thousands of years.
Even by 11am it was getting too hot and sunny for me, so I sat in the shade to read for a bit while Richard and the boys went for a bit of a walk. They saw lots of camels:
And Richard took a photo of Daniel and Tim right up against the ziggurat, so as to show its size - which is actually rather bigger than it seemed:
When we'd seen all there was to see, we got back in the car and were driven to Giza, about another twenty minutes away. We asked the driver where would be a good place to buy a sandwich, and he suggested KFC... since Daniel is vegetarian, we went upstairs to Pizza Hut instead. Yes, these American fast-food places get everywhere, but since some of the restaurants in Cairo are rather dodgy, we were thankful for a place with clean surroundings, good loos, and food we could trust to be properly cleaned and cooked.
So we had a light lunch, then over the road to the pyramid site. Our driver said we should really book a guide, as it wasn't very safe... but we had the feeling he was trying to give a job to one of his friends, so Richard texted his pyramid expert friend and asked if we really did need a guide. No, he assured us, it was totally safe in the pyramid complex.
The first thing that struck us as we went in was the enormity of the Sphinx:
I had my camera out, and thought it would be nice to take a photo of a rather well-ornamented camel. Bad idea, muttered Daniel. They would probably charge us for it. So I was about to put my camera away, when a man came up to us, waved his hand, and said, 'No charge for photo!'
'No charge?' I said, and he agreed. So I snapped this photo.
As I did so, the younger man at the edge of the photo rushed up, and said I should take a photo of him with the camel. Then they came up to us, and asked where we were from, and seemed very friendly. Then they said that Daniel looked Egyptian. They put a scarf around his neck, and said I should take a photo of him with the young man, next to the camel. As I was about to take it, the young man lifted Dan off his feet and tried to put him ON the camel. Daniel - who is bigger and stronger - struggled and got down, insisting that he did not want to ride the camel. We had heard stories of people offered free rides on camels... and then charged large amounts to get off again! So they tried to wrap a headscarf around Richard, but by then we were rather keen to get away. Then they followed us insisting we should pay something... Richard did put a very small note into the owner's hand, but he still followed until Richard said we would call the police.
All part of the experience, I suppose. We already knew never to let our cameras out of our hands (or we would be charged to have them back again...) but I hadn't thought that just taking a photo of a camel would be such a problem.
After that we headed to the pyramids themselves - not far away, and there was a good breeze, but it was still fairly hot without much shade. I was struck at the strange mixture of ancient and modern, seeing the bus/coach park at the foot of one of the pyramids:
We spent nearly three hours in the complex. We decided not to go inside any of the pyramids - we had heard that it was cramped and claustrophobic, and heard one man saying he had to queue for two hours to get a ticket! - but it was interesting to walk around slowly, with frequent stops for drinks of water.
We had decided to go to the famous 'sound and light' show in the evening, but thought it best to eat beforehand... so, in the absence of anywhere else that looked even vaguely reasonable, we went back to Pizza Hut. Richard and Dan had some ice cream desserts, then we bought various mixed appetisers and some more water, and spread out our time there quite well - an hour and a half - until it was time to go to the evening show.
Daniel commented to one of the waiters that of all Pizza Huts, theirs must have the most stunning view in the world, as it looked out right over the pyramid complex:
It was pretty amazing watching the sun beginning to set behind them, too:
The sound and light show started at 6.30, so we went to buy our tickets half an hour earlier (75 LE each - again it would have been less for Tim if he had brought his student ID card - ah well) and went to sit in the audience, some of the first to arrive. We had a huge surprise about five minutes after arriving, when we heard the sound of bagpipes! Then a small band marched on, dressed in ancient Egyptian clothes, playing what sounded like Irish music...
They stood at the front and entertained us for about twenty minutes, which was very pleasant even if it did feel incongruous. They were very good.
We did try to take some photos of the sound and light display itself, but alas - they didn't come out. It was very well done, by someone with a British colonial type accent, and lights that showed different parts of the pyramids (including some lasers to demonstrate the dimensions), and also some pictures on a vertical stone screen at the front of the seats. It lasted nearly an hour, telling us about the different pyramids, why they were built, how they were discovered relatively recently, what they contained, and their best guess as to how such enormous monuments could have been built before the days of mechanical equipment.
We were more than ready to get back to the hotel and collapse by the time it had finished, but it was a fascinating day. What struck me most was how incredibly advanced the Egyptian civilization was - I knew it academically, but had never seen so many finely made artefacts, or understood quite how well-organised they must have been. So strange that it was all lost for thousands of years...
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Temporarily out of Cyprus: Egypt, day two. Cairo museum.
I'd gone to bed with a headache after our tiring trip and travel through CairoE; I woke about five thirty on Friday morning to find it had developed into a migraine. I swallowed some paracetamol and slept for another couple of hours, but still felt shattered.
We had thought of going to Madi Community Church, to meet some of our ex-pat friends from Cyprus. Friday is the main day off work and school in Egypt, from the Muslim influence, so many churches meet on Fridays rather than Sundays. The service started at 9.30am and Richard reckoned it took about an hour to get there via the Metro train, so we were up and ready for breakfast by 8am. The President Hotel had a buffet breakfast - no fruit, unfortunately, but a wide variety of breads - croissants, french bread, pastries etc - and a bit of salad and various cheeses, as well as sweetened juice, and of course tea and coffee. Not what I'd have chosen, but nice for a few days.
Since I was still feeling shattered and headachey, and Daniel felt like a morning to read, we stayed behind. I dozed a bit, and read somewhat, and took some Solpadeine at 9.30. Dan sat on the floor, and read solidly:
Meanwhile, Richard and Tim went off to church - and said the service was excellent. They got back about noon, and we decided to have a light lunch at the hotel. They did various sandwiches at a good price, so that was easy - and we didn't have to travel anywhere! I felt considerably better by that time, thankfully.
In the afternoon we decided to visit the Cairo museum, which meant we had to find a taxi to take us there. Taxis are everywhere, and pretty good value - it cost us 15 Egyptian pounds (LE) to get to the museum, which was about twenty minutes away. 15LE is slightly less than 2 euros (around $3 US) so it was really very reasonable. More bumpy roads and honking traffic, of course, not to mention lots of pollution from exhaust fumes.
The museum was huge, even from the outside:
And there were a few statues outside, too, as well as thousands of people milling around:
It cost us 50LE each to get in - it would have been half-price for Tim if he had remembered his student card, but he left it in Cyprus. Still, 50LE is a bit more than 5 euros, and we felt it was well worth it. The inside - where I wasn't allowed to take any photos - was enormous.
None of us are huge fans of museums, but this one was absolutely amazing. So many fabulously well-preserved artefacts, for one thing - far more so than the Greek and Roman ones we've been used to seeing. There were little tables and stools, papyrus scrolls with ink that looked as clear as if it had been written the day before, jewellery, and remarkably modern looking tools. There were also, of course, thousands of images of Ancient Egyptian deities - again, remarkably well preserved, and with the most incredible fine detail carved or painted on them.
Upstairs were some treasures from King Tutankhamen's tomb, as well as yet more artefacts. It seemed to be arranged by historical period, but there was very little labelling. Perhaps we should have bought a guidebook, although it was fascinating anyway. There were guides taking some groups around, but they seemed to talk very loudly, and rushed them from place to place, so we preferred to choose our own schedule.
I was pleased to find a few benches, since it was pretty tiring walking around for nearly three hours, but even in that time we didn't get to see everything.
In the evening, Richard had thought we might go to an unusual restaurant called 'Planet Africa'. So after we left the Cairo museum, we got another taxi. Richard's friend had told us the cost should be around 20LE again; in Egypt, you have to agree the fare with the driver before starting any journey, as they don't generally use meters. However when we mentioned 'Triumph Square' the drivers first looked blank, and then insisted it would be 50LE. Richard tried to haggle, but they insisted it would cost that much - and then one of them said he would switch on his meter, and Richard said that would be fine.
So he switched on the meter... and tried driving us the wrong way. Fortunately Richard had realised he might try to cheat us, and he's been to Cairo enough times that he recognised roughly where we were going. So when the driver took a turning that would have taken us many miles out of the route, he told him - and the driver turned around. When we arrived the meter showed 21LE, so the friend was correct.
Unfortunately, we had not taken into account that Friday is the day when families eat out, and that Planet Africa is a popular family eating place. There were crowds of people, including several children, in the foyer. When we went to ask if we could book a table, we were told it would be at least an hour... and by then it was already after 7pm. Early for Egyptians to eat, but not for us.
So Richard texted another friend who lived fairly near, and asked where we could find a reasonable meal, including vegetarian options for Daniel, not too far away. He replied that we should try 'Peking' which was just over the road. Peking turned out to be a Chinese restaurant; we're not huge fans of Chinese food, but Tim was pleased to find a highly spiced chicken and ginger dish, and there were various veggie main courses, so we had a good meal.
Unfortunately, restaurants in Egypt don't have non-smoking areas, and by the time we left we were all feeling the negative effects of smokers at nearby tables. It was about 10.30pm by the time we finally got back to the hotel... and my headache had begun again, although not too much to prevent me from sleeping.
We had thought of going to Madi Community Church, to meet some of our ex-pat friends from Cyprus. Friday is the main day off work and school in Egypt, from the Muslim influence, so many churches meet on Fridays rather than Sundays. The service started at 9.30am and Richard reckoned it took about an hour to get there via the Metro train, so we were up and ready for breakfast by 8am. The President Hotel had a buffet breakfast - no fruit, unfortunately, but a wide variety of breads - croissants, french bread, pastries etc - and a bit of salad and various cheeses, as well as sweetened juice, and of course tea and coffee. Not what I'd have chosen, but nice for a few days.
Since I was still feeling shattered and headachey, and Daniel felt like a morning to read, we stayed behind. I dozed a bit, and read somewhat, and took some Solpadeine at 9.30. Dan sat on the floor, and read solidly:
Meanwhile, Richard and Tim went off to church - and said the service was excellent. They got back about noon, and we decided to have a light lunch at the hotel. They did various sandwiches at a good price, so that was easy - and we didn't have to travel anywhere! I felt considerably better by that time, thankfully.
In the afternoon we decided to visit the Cairo museum, which meant we had to find a taxi to take us there. Taxis are everywhere, and pretty good value - it cost us 15 Egyptian pounds (LE) to get to the museum, which was about twenty minutes away. 15LE is slightly less than 2 euros (around $3 US) so it was really very reasonable. More bumpy roads and honking traffic, of course, not to mention lots of pollution from exhaust fumes.
The museum was huge, even from the outside:
And there were a few statues outside, too, as well as thousands of people milling around:
It cost us 50LE each to get in - it would have been half-price for Tim if he had remembered his student card, but he left it in Cyprus. Still, 50LE is a bit more than 5 euros, and we felt it was well worth it. The inside - where I wasn't allowed to take any photos - was enormous.
None of us are huge fans of museums, but this one was absolutely amazing. So many fabulously well-preserved artefacts, for one thing - far more so than the Greek and Roman ones we've been used to seeing. There were little tables and stools, papyrus scrolls with ink that looked as clear as if it had been written the day before, jewellery, and remarkably modern looking tools. There were also, of course, thousands of images of Ancient Egyptian deities - again, remarkably well preserved, and with the most incredible fine detail carved or painted on them.
Upstairs were some treasures from King Tutankhamen's tomb, as well as yet more artefacts. It seemed to be arranged by historical period, but there was very little labelling. Perhaps we should have bought a guidebook, although it was fascinating anyway. There were guides taking some groups around, but they seemed to talk very loudly, and rushed them from place to place, so we preferred to choose our own schedule.
I was pleased to find a few benches, since it was pretty tiring walking around for nearly three hours, but even in that time we didn't get to see everything.
In the evening, Richard had thought we might go to an unusual restaurant called 'Planet Africa'. So after we left the Cairo museum, we got another taxi. Richard's friend had told us the cost should be around 20LE again; in Egypt, you have to agree the fare with the driver before starting any journey, as they don't generally use meters. However when we mentioned 'Triumph Square' the drivers first looked blank, and then insisted it would be 50LE. Richard tried to haggle, but they insisted it would cost that much - and then one of them said he would switch on his meter, and Richard said that would be fine.
So he switched on the meter... and tried driving us the wrong way. Fortunately Richard had realised he might try to cheat us, and he's been to Cairo enough times that he recognised roughly where we were going. So when the driver took a turning that would have taken us many miles out of the route, he told him - and the driver turned around. When we arrived the meter showed 21LE, so the friend was correct.
Unfortunately, we had not taken into account that Friday is the day when families eat out, and that Planet Africa is a popular family eating place. There were crowds of people, including several children, in the foyer. When we went to ask if we could book a table, we were told it would be at least an hour... and by then it was already after 7pm. Early for Egyptians to eat, but not for us.
So Richard texted another friend who lived fairly near, and asked where we could find a reasonable meal, including vegetarian options for Daniel, not too far away. He replied that we should try 'Peking' which was just over the road. Peking turned out to be a Chinese restaurant; we're not huge fans of Chinese food, but Tim was pleased to find a highly spiced chicken and ginger dish, and there were various veggie main courses, so we had a good meal.
Unfortunately, restaurants in Egypt don't have non-smoking areas, and by the time we left we were all feeling the negative effects of smokers at nearby tables. It was about 10.30pm by the time we finally got back to the hotel... and my headache had begun again, although not too much to prevent me from sleeping.
Temporarily out of Cyprus: Egypt, day one
We're back in Cyprus now. And I just downloaded 125 photos from my camera - more than I thought I had taken, and yet not as many as I'd have liked.
We landed at Cairo aiport at 7.15pm Egypt time (they haven't yet moved to summer time, so are an hour behind Cyprus currently). The flight was actually half an hour early. One of Richard's friends had arranged for his driver to meet us, for which we were very thankful. We got through passport control easily, having filled in our entry visa forms on the plane, and found our luggage quickly.
My first view of the airport was of a large, modern and busy place, buzzing with activity, and looking much more 'western' than those we have visited in the Gulf. Egypt is very much a mixed culture, with Christianity and Islam co-existing reasonably amicably, alongside rampant materialism. There is extreme poverty amongst an increasing number, as the cost of living goes up, and a lot of people who are very well off. As one friend commented, there isn't much left of the middle-income families.
Richard texted his friend, and the driver arrived within five minutes, in an old but roomy eight-seater van with plenty of room for our luggage. Richard had booked a hotel for us online, at a very good price, in a reasonably nice district. I was staggered at the amount of traffic on the roads, the way it all weaved in and out of other cars, with no road signs or traffic signals at all. It was astounding that there weren't any accidents, but we didn't see any.
Around the airport Egypt looked more like Bahrain than I had expected - high rise buildings, to be sure, but fairly well spread out, with plenty of trees and statues around. The roads were wide, too, and well-paved.
However it all became more crowded as we got further into Cairo, with the traffic increasing, horns blaring, bright lights flashing everywhere. I was very tired - having woken up around 5am that morning - and wanted nothing more than to sleep. But it was a bit difficult to doze off in a bumping van surrounded by so much noise, even though the journey took well over an hour.
The hotel was friendly and clean; the rooms a bit shabby but a reasonable size, and the beds were comfortable. However we had only been given a snack on the plane, and Richard had arranged for his friend's driver to take us to and from a vegetarian restaurant called L'Aubergine... so we dumped our cases and went out again, finally eating about 9pm, which is far too late for me. The food was very good, and the service was quick, so we were back at the hotel by 10pm and I was asleep by about 10.05!
I somehow managed to avoid taking any pictures of the front of the hotel (called 'President's Hotel') but here's a view from our window which I actually took the following morning:
We landed at Cairo aiport at 7.15pm Egypt time (they haven't yet moved to summer time, so are an hour behind Cyprus currently). The flight was actually half an hour early. One of Richard's friends had arranged for his driver to meet us, for which we were very thankful. We got through passport control easily, having filled in our entry visa forms on the plane, and found our luggage quickly.
My first view of the airport was of a large, modern and busy place, buzzing with activity, and looking much more 'western' than those we have visited in the Gulf. Egypt is very much a mixed culture, with Christianity and Islam co-existing reasonably amicably, alongside rampant materialism. There is extreme poverty amongst an increasing number, as the cost of living goes up, and a lot of people who are very well off. As one friend commented, there isn't much left of the middle-income families.
Richard texted his friend, and the driver arrived within five minutes, in an old but roomy eight-seater van with plenty of room for our luggage. Richard had booked a hotel for us online, at a very good price, in a reasonably nice district. I was staggered at the amount of traffic on the roads, the way it all weaved in and out of other cars, with no road signs or traffic signals at all. It was astounding that there weren't any accidents, but we didn't see any.
Around the airport Egypt looked more like Bahrain than I had expected - high rise buildings, to be sure, but fairly well spread out, with plenty of trees and statues around. The roads were wide, too, and well-paved.
However it all became more crowded as we got further into Cairo, with the traffic increasing, horns blaring, bright lights flashing everywhere. I was very tired - having woken up around 5am that morning - and wanted nothing more than to sleep. But it was a bit difficult to doze off in a bumping van surrounded by so much noise, even though the journey took well over an hour.
The hotel was friendly and clean; the rooms a bit shabby but a reasonable size, and the beds were comfortable. However we had only been given a snack on the plane, and Richard had arranged for his friend's driver to take us to and from a vegetarian restaurant called L'Aubergine... so we dumped our cases and went out again, finally eating about 9pm, which is far too late for me. The food was very good, and the service was quick, so we were back at the hotel by 10pm and I was asleep by about 10.05!
I somehow managed to avoid taking any pictures of the front of the hotel (called 'President's Hotel') but here's a view from our window which I actually took the following morning:
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Weather in April, and a trip out of Cyprus
It's been very grey the last few days, with a few spots of rain, although nothing significant. Much cooler too - only about 20C. So we're back in sweatshirts and fleeces.
We're about to depart the island for four days, and visit Egypt. Eleven years ago, before we moved here, one of Richard's selling points was that we were very close to Egypt, so the boys could go and see the pyramids.
Since then, Richard has been several times for meetings (although he has never been to see the pyramids) but the rest of us have not. Since Daniel is still here on furlough, and we're unlikely to be all together again for some years, we decided to take a mini-holiday - and use up some of Richard's air miles - and visit Cairo, doing all the tourist stuff.
So we're going this afternoon, returning Monday. Our usual friend will come and cat-sit, and look after the house.
Yesterday I looked up the Cairo weather, assuming it would be much like that of Cyprus, perhaps a degree or two hotter. I was slightly horrified to see that on Sunday it's predicted to be 35C and on Monday 37C!! We don't usually get that kind of heat even in July and August in Cyprus.
I suppose I should think about packing.
Normal service should be resumed next Tuesday...
We're about to depart the island for four days, and visit Egypt. Eleven years ago, before we moved here, one of Richard's selling points was that we were very close to Egypt, so the boys could go and see the pyramids.
Since then, Richard has been several times for meetings (although he has never been to see the pyramids) but the rest of us have not. Since Daniel is still here on furlough, and we're unlikely to be all together again for some years, we decided to take a mini-holiday - and use up some of Richard's air miles - and visit Cairo, doing all the tourist stuff.
So we're going this afternoon, returning Monday. Our usual friend will come and cat-sit, and look after the house.
Yesterday I looked up the Cairo weather, assuming it would be much like that of Cyprus, perhaps a degree or two hotter. I was slightly horrified to see that on Sunday it's predicted to be 35C and on Monday 37C!! We don't usually get that kind of heat even in July and August in Cyprus.
I suppose I should think about packing.
Normal service should be resumed next Tuesday...
Book reviews
I have finally finished something I have been trying to complete for at least two years.
Shortly after I started this blog about life in Cyprus, I also started a blog of my book reviews. I read about 8-10 books per month, usually, and like to review them. I've posted reviews on the Ciao and Dooyoo sites, and more recently TheBookbag, but my book blog is a personal record of everything I've read, however obscure.
However, I have been keeping a pen-and-paper notebook of book reviews ever since April 1999. So I decided I'd work backwards on the book blog, and type in reviews of ALL the books I've read since then. Again, this is really just for my own interest. I also have my books and very brief reviews listed at Bibliophil, and the last year or so of books and DVDs at AllConsuming, and recently I also joined Goodreads - all places where I can list the books I've read. I'm not sure quite why I have this compulsion to write about books in so many places, except that I love them - and find it useful, sometimes, to see what I thought of something a few years ago.
However, while I really enjoy writing new reviews of books I read, typing up hundreds of old book reviews wasn't very inspiring, and when I decided also to add Amazon affiliate links, it took rather longer. So I set myself targets - five a day, or whatever - and ever so often would spend a week or two getting some more done.
But FINALLY, last week, I realised I had only thirty reviews left to type up. I decided to do ten per day, and actually completed them yesterday. Amazing. Apparently I've read about 840 books in the last nine years, including the ones I've re-read.
That might sound like a reasonable amount, but since the UK alone publishes over 200,000 books per year, it's really just a molecule in the ocean of available literature.
Also surprising is that I get about 40-50 visitors at the book blog, mostly via search engines, looking for - surprise, surprise, reviews of books!
Shortly after I started this blog about life in Cyprus, I also started a blog of my book reviews. I read about 8-10 books per month, usually, and like to review them. I've posted reviews on the Ciao and Dooyoo sites, and more recently TheBookbag, but my book blog is a personal record of everything I've read, however obscure.
However, I have been keeping a pen-and-paper notebook of book reviews ever since April 1999. So I decided I'd work backwards on the book blog, and type in reviews of ALL the books I've read since then. Again, this is really just for my own interest. I also have my books and very brief reviews listed at Bibliophil, and the last year or so of books and DVDs at AllConsuming, and recently I also joined Goodreads - all places where I can list the books I've read. I'm not sure quite why I have this compulsion to write about books in so many places, except that I love them - and find it useful, sometimes, to see what I thought of something a few years ago.
However, while I really enjoy writing new reviews of books I read, typing up hundreds of old book reviews wasn't very inspiring, and when I decided also to add Amazon affiliate links, it took rather longer. So I set myself targets - five a day, or whatever - and ever so often would spend a week or two getting some more done.
But FINALLY, last week, I realised I had only thirty reviews left to type up. I decided to do ten per day, and actually completed them yesterday. Amazing. Apparently I've read about 840 books in the last nine years, including the ones I've re-read.
That might sound like a reasonable amount, but since the UK alone publishes over 200,000 books per year, it's really just a molecule in the ocean of available literature.
Also surprising is that I get about 40-50 visitors at the book blog, mostly via search engines, looking for - surprise, surprise, reviews of books!
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Some random current bits and pieces about our life in Cyprus
1. We've had our first week of water restrictions in Cyprus. Apparently, water to each of the municipalities has been reduced by 30%. We're getting mains water about 30% of the time. In our part of Larnaka, that has meant that we had water on from about 6am to 8pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Then it was (I think) on all last night, and this morning, going off about 2pm.
If this is the regular pattern, it's not really a problem. We bought some extra drinking water bottles to fill up when the mains is on, and I'm running the washing machine twice when it is, since it all dries fairly quickly.
But I don't see how that's actually going to save any water. I suppose the restrictions will prompt people to be a bit more careful, but there's no way we're using 30% less than we were.
2. Daniel spoke at a meeting in Famagusta last Monday, did the talk at youth group on Friday night, and spoke at a men's breakfast yesterday. He has just over two weeks left of his furlough, before he flies to the UK for a couple of months, and then back to the Doulos.
Among other things, he has bought a new drawing package for his computer, and has produced some wonderful drawings of the Doulos and Richard's Wayfarer (link to his blog).
3. Tim has accepted a place at Newman University College in Bartley Green, Birmingham (in the UK) to study theology in education, starting September this year.
Actually he accepted the offer over a week ago now, but we're still getting used to the idea, and what it's going to mean. We'll probably take him to the UK - to stay with my mother - early in July, so he has a chance to set up a bank account, and get used to the buses.
What's more, Tim has actually updated his blog after a lengthy gap, to give his news and views on his future.
He officially resigned his post as church organist at St Helena's Church, with his last services being last Sunday. He wants to visit several other churches around the island before he leaves, but today he took a Sunday off church for the first time in ages.
4. This morning, on my way home from church, I noticed something fluffy and very still on the doormat of our guest flat. There has been a neighbouring dog there eating bits of bone some evenings, but whatever this was, it didn't look alive. The shape was like a curled up kitten, but a bit longer. I only glanced at it; I don't like seeing dead animals. And anyway, it might have been asleep. I averted my eyes as I actually walked past the house. After lunch, I told Richard and the boys...
This afternoon, Richard and Daniel went to mend something minor on the Wayfarer at the sailing club. On the way out, they glanced at the guest flat doormat. They agreed it was something fluffy, and too still to be alive, but weren't sure what it was. Richard thought it might be a large kitten. Daniel thought it might be a squirrel, although we've never seen squirrels here. Had it been run over, we wondered? Got into a fight with a dog? Could one of our cats have got into a serious fight...??
Finally Richard took down a bag of rubbish, and went up to the doormat so he could get rid of whatever it was.
He said that, as far as he could tell, it was a piece of fur wrapped around a potato...
Very strange. Perhaps it was a dog's toy?
He threw it away, anyway.
5. Richard was away, most of this week, having meetings in Lebanon. He used up some air miles to get there and back so it didn't even cost anything.
6. For about eleven years, we have talked about making a family visit to Egypt. When we left the UK in 1997, both the boys had done some studying of Ancient Egypt in their school, and were excited at the thought of actually seeing the country, and particularly the pyramids.
Somehow, it never happened. Richard has been there many times, having meetings and discussions and doing a great deal of work, but none of the rest of us has visited. And although Richard has driven past the pyramids frequently, he has never actually been to see them, or done any of the 'tourist' stuff.
So we decided that we would actually have a short holiday there during Daniel's furlough, as we're unlikely to be all together again for at least a couple of years. That's booked for later this week.. and also helps to use up some air miles.
7. Although Cyprus was unseasonably warm about three weeks ago, the weather has got rather cooler than it was. The last two days it's been quite cloudy, and we even had a few spots of rain today. I'm back in a sweater and a fleece, and very glad that the heatwave didn't remain.
8. I spent most of March upgrading my home education website, making the navigation easier and the code a bit cleaner. It should be a lot easier to update in the future, too.
9. We've been enjoying the first batches of strawberries to reach the shops. The very earliest ones were a bit tasteless, but they're getting better. Apples and strawberries together in the juice extractor make one of the more delicious drinks we know.
If this is the regular pattern, it's not really a problem. We bought some extra drinking water bottles to fill up when the mains is on, and I'm running the washing machine twice when it is, since it all dries fairly quickly.
But I don't see how that's actually going to save any water. I suppose the restrictions will prompt people to be a bit more careful, but there's no way we're using 30% less than we were.
2. Daniel spoke at a meeting in Famagusta last Monday, did the talk at youth group on Friday night, and spoke at a men's breakfast yesterday. He has just over two weeks left of his furlough, before he flies to the UK for a couple of months, and then back to the Doulos.
Among other things, he has bought a new drawing package for his computer, and has produced some wonderful drawings of the Doulos and Richard's Wayfarer (link to his blog).
3. Tim has accepted a place at Newman University College in Bartley Green, Birmingham (in the UK) to study theology in education, starting September this year.
Actually he accepted the offer over a week ago now, but we're still getting used to the idea, and what it's going to mean. We'll probably take him to the UK - to stay with my mother - early in July, so he has a chance to set up a bank account, and get used to the buses.
What's more, Tim has actually updated his blog after a lengthy gap, to give his news and views on his future.
He officially resigned his post as church organist at St Helena's Church, with his last services being last Sunday. He wants to visit several other churches around the island before he leaves, but today he took a Sunday off church for the first time in ages.
4. This morning, on my way home from church, I noticed something fluffy and very still on the doormat of our guest flat. There has been a neighbouring dog there eating bits of bone some evenings, but whatever this was, it didn't look alive. The shape was like a curled up kitten, but a bit longer. I only glanced at it; I don't like seeing dead animals. And anyway, it might have been asleep. I averted my eyes as I actually walked past the house. After lunch, I told Richard and the boys...
This afternoon, Richard and Daniel went to mend something minor on the Wayfarer at the sailing club. On the way out, they glanced at the guest flat doormat. They agreed it was something fluffy, and too still to be alive, but weren't sure what it was. Richard thought it might be a large kitten. Daniel thought it might be a squirrel, although we've never seen squirrels here. Had it been run over, we wondered? Got into a fight with a dog? Could one of our cats have got into a serious fight...??
Finally Richard took down a bag of rubbish, and went up to the doormat so he could get rid of whatever it was.
He said that, as far as he could tell, it was a piece of fur wrapped around a potato...
Very strange. Perhaps it was a dog's toy?
He threw it away, anyway.
5. Richard was away, most of this week, having meetings in Lebanon. He used up some air miles to get there and back so it didn't even cost anything.
6. For about eleven years, we have talked about making a family visit to Egypt. When we left the UK in 1997, both the boys had done some studying of Ancient Egypt in their school, and were excited at the thought of actually seeing the country, and particularly the pyramids.
Somehow, it never happened. Richard has been there many times, having meetings and discussions and doing a great deal of work, but none of the rest of us has visited. And although Richard has driven past the pyramids frequently, he has never actually been to see them, or done any of the 'tourist' stuff.
So we decided that we would actually have a short holiday there during Daniel's furlough, as we're unlikely to be all together again for at least a couple of years. That's booked for later this week.. and also helps to use up some air miles.
7. Although Cyprus was unseasonably warm about three weeks ago, the weather has got rather cooler than it was. The last two days it's been quite cloudy, and we even had a few spots of rain today. I'm back in a sweater and a fleece, and very glad that the heatwave didn't remain.
8. I spent most of March upgrading my home education website, making the navigation easier and the code a bit cleaner. It should be a lot easier to update in the future, too.
9. We've been enjoying the first batches of strawberries to reach the shops. The very earliest ones were a bit tasteless, but they're getting better. Apples and strawberries together in the juice extractor make one of the more delicious drinks we know.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Just who is reading this book?
Daniel has been doing a lot of reading during his furlough. He only has a little over two weeks left in Cyprus, and decided he would re-read some of Adrian Plass's brilliant books.
He was chuckling aloud (as you do) while reading 'The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass Aged 37 3/4
' when Tessie decided to sit on him.
Unlike the other cats, she doesn't usually want lots of attention. She doesn't want to be stroked all the time. She doesn't even try and sit on books to stop people reading.
In fact, it looked very much as if she was reading along and enjoying it as much as Dan was:
He was chuckling aloud (as you do) while reading 'The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass Aged 37 3/4
' when Tessie decided to sit on him. Unlike the other cats, she doesn't usually want lots of attention. She doesn't want to be stroked all the time. She doesn't even try and sit on books to stop people reading.
In fact, it looked very much as if she was reading along and enjoying it as much as Dan was:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)