First Days in Cairo Egypt

Posted on July 29, 2018 by David Cross

(reformatted from a previous blog – this occurred in 2009)

We travelled from Tel Aviv to Cairo by plane when we lived in Israel.  The taxi ride from the house to the airport actually took longer than the flight from Tel Aviv to Cairo!

Upon landing, the security was incredible! Being an El Al plane, we were parked further out on the Tarmac that the rest of the planes, and there were Egyptian military personnel with AK-47s at all four corners of the plane, plus an armored vehicle with a spotlight on top. Having the visas beforehand turned out to be a major time-saver; we waltzed right through immigration. Insight Tours picked us up at the airport and took us to our hotel, the Conrad Cairo; which turned out to be very nice, with high quality rooms and impeccable service. There was always someone somewhere cleaning or polishing, and everyone wanted to know if they could do anything to assist you. The air conditioning in our room was not quite cold enough, and they send someone up in 5 minutes to clean the filter and check the thermostat. Also, at turndown service the first night you are presented with a menu of 8 pillow choices for your ultimate comfort!

Because El Al only has two flights a week to Egypt, we had to arrive two days early for our tour. We booked a local tour guide to give us some local flavor while we were waiting (and because it’s difficult to leave the hotel in Cairo on foot to explore.) Our guide, Emad, picked us up the next morning after an excellent late buffet breakfast at the Conrad. In addition to being a licensed tour guide (requiring a huge amount of schooling in Egypt!) he doubled as our bodyguard (which is what he did while he was going to school.) He took us to see the City of the Dead, and to see how papyrus and the local essential fragrance oils are made. Of course, we couldn’t resist buying a little something each place even though he assured us we were under no obligation 

Upon returning to the hotel, we changed into nicer duds and headed to dinner at the buffet (excellent, again) and then to the casino in the basement for a few hours of fun.

The following day Emad picked up to go to the local market to try our bargaining skills. It is right next to the mosque of the grandson of the prophet Muhammad. Before the market we visited another famous mosque that is a school for the teaching of Islam. Emad said that many of the world’s famous imams and clerics have passed through there.

Afterwards we went for a drive into the countryside to visit a government-funded school where they teach young children to make carpets for a daily wage (after regular school is done for the day.) It was a bit sad to see children working instead of outside playing; but Egypt has no welfare-type programs, so the kids that aren’t in the carpet schools are usually out in the streets selling trinkets to supplement the family income. One carpet can take as long as 6 months to make!

Our next stop (and the true destination of the day – Emad was very good at breaking up the drive with interesting breaks to stretch our legs and wallet) was Dashur, to see the first pyramids of the trip. It’s not a big tourist destination like the sites we were slated to see on our main tour, so it’s really amazing to see the pyramids rise up out of the desert with no tour buses or buildings around.

We went inside the Red Pyramid, which was neat, but really difficult. The shaft is only 1.5 meters high (so that you are required to “bow” before the king), 65 meters long, and descends at a really steep angle:

The Tourism Police ride camels on the job – they really are the most efficient form of desert transportation!

After all that exercise, it was time for a late lunch. Emad took us to a charming restaurant/circus/oasis/farm nearby. The meat was cooked on a little grill on the table:

End of day 1,  Stay tuned for more!  See Part 2.

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Touring Romania

Posted on July 28, 2018 by David Cross

(an older posting updated to the new blog)

The first day, we booked a tour guide for a walking tour of Bucharest. There are a few areas that were saved from the huge communist apartments blocks; they are charming, with a somewhat Parisian feel.

Today these areas are being treated as the national treasure they are. Older unsafe buildings are hollowed out and the shell is reinforced internally preserve it before a modern building is build inside. This building had no backside and was only about 6-9” thick!

Next we saw the remains of the ancient castle of Vlad Tepes, the man behind the Dracula legend. While most of the legend was a product of Bram Stoker’s imagination and Hollywood magic; he was a much-feared ruler who effectively kept the peace through his legendary methods of execution (warning: not for those of weak stomach!) His bust is in the center of the courtyard below. He also pioneered the use of subterranean construction for living and storage spaces.

We also visited quite a few Romanian Orthodox Churches, which have beautiful frescoes inside that were originally used to teach the stories of the bible to worshippers since many in the lower classes could not read. The walls and ceilings are covered in beautiful illustrations, with gold leaf highlighting the woodwork.

 

We also visited two synagogues, the Coral Temple, which was under renovation at the time, and the United Holy Temple, which now houses a Jewish history and Holocaust museum.

The tour wrapped up with lunch at a restaurant called Caru’ cu Bere, meaning “wagon with beer”, apropos since it is the site of an old brewery (they still brew, just offsite.) We had mititei, much like the ground meat kebabs we get here in Israel, with mustard and tiny pan-fried whole potatoes; paired with a frosty mug of the house draft beer – the perfect apres tour meal!

Our friends took us out for a local dinner at Terasa Doamnei. We drank a local wine that our tour guide had recommended earlier in the day, a Feteasca Neagra from Dealu Marae (also known as Big Hill, the English translation of the winery’s name.) There was a show during dinner; at different times the performers wore costumes representing each of the different cultures and regions of Romania. The clip below is from the gypsy portion of the show:

The next morning Mihai and Monica picked us up bright and early to head north to Transylvania. We toured Bran Castle and did a bit of souvenir shopping. The funny thing was that while the local merchants have capitalized on the Dracula legend, the castle itself has stayed refreshingly true to history, displaying artifacts from Queen Marie’s time.

After a snack of donuts and a jam-filled crepe (yummy!) we headed south to Peles Castle in Sinaia. Monica had arranged a private tour with an old friend working at the castle. I was able to get a photography pass to wear around my neck, allowing me to shoot the amazing interior without flash. It is kept fairly dimly lit inside, but thankfully the Sony Alpha takes amazing low light pictures!

The castle was originally built for receiving guests, and it shows in the welcoming design and grand interior spaces. It was fully electrically wired when it was built between 1875 and 1914; the stained glass skylight below is actually a sunroof that opens on a metal track to refresh the air in the great hall below. There is also a built-in vacuum system that is still functional to this day; which pains me greatly since the one in my rental house here, built in 1992, is completely worthless!

The grand dining hall. What a spectacular table setting! Our guide said everything in the castle gets dusted once a week, from the china to the woodwork.

This whole room was done with an Asian theme – of course I was ready to move right in!

The Queen’s private study. Above the doorway I stood in to take the picture was a balcony library. I think I could blog much better in these surroundings!

After the castle we had a late lunch at a ski-chalet themed restaurant and headed south through the Prahova Valley back to Bucharest. Along the way we stopped to check out several locals selling honey, but couldn’t find any that was labeled.

The next day we got up quite late and caught a taxi to the Village Museum – it was really neat to see all the old machinery and buildings that have been moved from around the country to save them from new construction. Below is a wine press:

For lunch we headed to our home away from home, the Hard Rock Cafe.  They had one of Tina Turner’s fur coats on display, as well as some early Michael Jackson stuff (remember the jacket with the silver mesh shoulders?) We walked partway back to the hotel, part the Arcul de Triumf, which looked strangely familiar 🙂

The chauffeured Mercedes that the hotel sent as our ride back to the airport was a nice ending to a wonderful trip!

 

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The Cuban Revolution

Posted on June 27, 2018 by David Cross

As I explored the country, there was definitely a theme in many of the museums and national monuments.

I did stop by the national museum where you can find most of Fidel Castro’s vehicles, boats, and other historical items in downtown Havana.

I was tempted to take a selfie with Fidel’s tank he rode/drove in the revolution, but I decided I should not promote such events.  It was cool to see his actual tank, boat, jeeps, etc. that have shown in all the historical pictures.

Next, lets talk about the rebels which Fidel united. Going back to yesterday’s blog posting about the cave hiking…the location is not famous for the large caves, it is also famous that is where the rebels hid out in the mountains during the revolution.

For only 1 peso, you can get a 15 minute history of how all the rebels united together and hid out and planned there revolution in these actual caves.  Quite a hike for them to go back and forth into them for their headquarters I would admit…

Now going back to Havana…Che is quite the hero in Cuba (outside of Fidel) and he appears everywhere.  This is the Cuban FBI building.  No, I was not arrested…

But you can see his first house that sits on top of the fort that overlooks the bay and city.  I will try to get the picture uploaded later.  For some reason the Internet is slow in Cuba 😉

You can see some of his original gear, photos, backpacks and personal machine guns.

The fort has some great views of the sunset in the evenings.

And there is a ceremony every night commemorating the Independence from Spain.

It is called the cannon firing and at 9 PM every night, the local soldiers fire the cannon to celebrate the independence.  It happens every day at 9 PM, 365 days a year.  Quite popular with tourists and locals.  You can watch the video here thanks to your world reporter!

(if you scroll to the last 15 seconds, you can see and hear the big boom)

 

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Hiking in Cuba

Posted on June 26, 2018 by David Cross

There are not many places you can actually hike or climb in Cuba, but one area you can explore is the Vinales Valley.

This is a nice panoramic view looking over the valley and the national park area.

I found the San Tomas caves which are the second largest in both North and South America.  They are about a 150M climb up the steep rocks to the entrance near the top if you look close.

The caves are not easy to navigate and you have to be very patient and careful as the rocks are slippery with all the moisture and with 90 degrees of heat and 100 percent humidity…you need to be prepared for slips, hydration and cutting yourself on the sharp stalagmites.

However, this are awesome caves to hike, explore and take a fair amount of time examining.  Since it is 3+ hours away from Havana, you don’t run into many tourists here 🙂

There are so many things to see here, I cannot post all the pictures…spiders,. frogs, bats and birds.  If you ever want an active hike, check out these caves!

 

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Exploring Havana Cuba

Posted on June 26, 2018 by David Cross

Now that the running is complete, time to explore the city.

There is a lot of history here.  I was surprised to learn that there are miles of underground tunnels here that used to carry the water under the city.  Big time Dungeons and Dragons clubs here that venture down into the underground lairs…

The city is old, without a doubt.  But the rent is cheap.  These apartments rent for $80 a month.  Check out how some of the balconies are held up.  Yes, those are boards holding up peoples balconies and people are standing on them!

Now, this is not in old Havana, but it is a very unique part of Havana called Fuster.  It was a Cuban Picasso designer/architect/artist.  Worth checking out if you have 30 minutes to take a drive before visiting the Russian embassy for your appointment. (see below for directions)

I did go and check out the US Embassy which has claimed it has been under various sonic wave attacks.  No issues for me when I went by it a few times.  It really stands out by itself by the water, but not far from the National Hotel…look below to hear more about this place….

Overall, if someone was sending waves to the building, it would have to be very close and very obvious as not much is even line of site to the windows.

Now the Russian Embassy which was built in the 1950s really stands out. It is supposed to resemble a rocket…to demonstrate its leadership over the US during the cold war.  What a sight!

Not too farm the US Embassy is the famous National Hotel which is gorgeous and like a Four Seasons that has a garden right on the waterfront.

Interestingly, just like some of the famous hotels in Virginia in the US, this hotel has a bunker underneath it that was built during the Cuban Missile crisis.  Unfortunately, I did not have time to get a tour of the underground facilities.

Speaking of the Cuban Missile Crisis…on the other side of the bay, you can visit the military museum that has some of the former Soviet armaments and missiles.  This is one of the ICBMs from the USSR that was pointed at the US 70 years ago…?

And here is the remains of one of the US spy planes that was shot down over Cuba after photographing some of the missile sites.

OK – one last item to end with today’s leave.  We must go and celebrate the revolution!  The tallest structure in Havana and Cuban.  The Ministry of Defense and Cuban are nearby and I got some selfies with those buildings too!

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Havana Running Club

Posted on June 25, 2018 by David Cross

I wanted to try something different, so…

An early morning arrival in Havana Cuba!

Here is a view of the city from along the waterfront.  It is quite run down at a first glance, but I see there is a running club!

So, of course, I needed to join in!  The only limitation is all the debris and…lack of infrastructure that limits the distance you can run without just running clubs.

Running around the world is always fun.  Some of my other favorite spots:

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Key West Florida

Posted on June 24, 2018 by David Cross

Escaped Miami before a massive thunderstorm hit.  You can see it in the distance.

Key West is a small place and far away from most things.

Lots of little islands and full of expensive homes.

Yes, this is the lowest point of the continental United States.

It is the end of the rode…or mile 0 as they like to say.

So, I took a self guided tour and run.

I visited the Naval Air Station, which has the only beach area…but they would not let me in even though I was a veteran.  I didn’t have my veteran ID card with me.

Of course, I could not miss visiting Ernest Hemingway’s House and Museum.  For $14 you can learn a lot of history here!  Worth a visit.  This was his original study.

and his house is full of 6 toed cats that are descendants of his original cat snowflake. This is the king sized bed he built from a gate from a monastery to form his headboard when king sized beds did not exist in the late 1930.

And down the street was his favorite place he liked to tank up and drink. and I guess he liked to fight too, but not sure if he was just betting on fights.

I ended up a place a little more famous to get a cold drink after this hot humid day.  The tourists pack this place for some reason.  Good live music I must admit!

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Running in Miami Beach

Posted on June 23, 2018 by David Cross

April 2019 Update.  My annual spring vacation trek.

This time I got a suite room upgrade with wraparound windows for being Lifetime Titanium status in Marriott program 🙂

Because the view was so great, I had to take a run to Miami Beach of course!

Today, the morning weather was fantastic.  A pleasant 60 degrees and warm morning sun.

Now, the fun part of running is you always get to see new things and interesting sites that you might miss otherwise.  Now, if you look closely at the above picture, there is a very clever Egret bird that realizes this is a fishing boat, and they have fresh fish bait for the sharks…and they left a small opening to their bait locker.  He/she is is clever enough to smell and see the opening and will grab some fish out!

June 2018 Posting.  Arrived in Miami at a great hotel along the water – the Marriott Biscayne Bay.

Great location and great service, but the restaurant…meh.

But I cannot complain as it is right next to the best running route in Miami.  There is a biking and running trail all the way to Miami Beach, but with the humidity, you will look like you went swimming in the ocean after a 10K.

Early in the morning, there is no traffic except the occasional Rolls Royce heading to Starbucks and you do not have to worry about traffic lights stopping your run.  But…if you do not time your sprints right, you will get caught by the bridges that open up every 30 minutes!

So, what can you do in Miami?  You can get on a cruise ship of course!  The checkin lines were brutal – 1 hour to just see you have the papers filled out and have a passport. Uggghhh! …and they say no bottles of water, alcohol or soft drinks.  I loaded up on Gatorade for when I go running so I don’t have to pay the ship $10 a bottle.

The room is actually kind of comfy.  It is an older ship with few balconies, but I got a really good deal on a single room and looking forward to the ports.  Should I try the bunk beds instead?

All unpacked and blending in with the crowd.  Will be fun.  Now can anyone guess where the ship is headed?  Stay tuned…

June 2018 return from cruise:

I came back from Cuba and decided to spend a night on the beach and check out the local scene.  It feels everything is about the beachfront and everything else one block away from the beach is a little run down.

So, I had some local PoBoy sandwiches and decided to take an afternoon jog in the cool 91 degree ocean breeze.  Brutal!

I wanted to try and do the whole beach and pace myself, but some parts of the beach are closed 🙂  and in April 2019, the beach is still blocked off!

But if you get bored, you can always work out with some of the Navy Seals in the outdoor gym.  No thanks!

The other major difference in April 2019 was the availability of beach polo games!

Running around the world is always fun.  Some of my other favorite spots:

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Red Rock Canyon – Near Las Vegas

Posted on June 16, 2018 by David Cross

It is only a half hour’s drive away from Las Vegas, but you can get totally isolated in the desert and see almost nobody for a long time if you would like to hike the mountains.

You do need to pay a lot of sunshade and water though!

Our route which was the visitor center to Calico Hills I, II and then the Sandstone Quarry.  About a 1,000 foot elevation climb and a 6 mile hike overall.

You can find all kinds of hidden routes and trails if you like.  Long pants recommended as some of the brush is quite prickly and also hiking boots recommended due to some of the sharp rocks.

For almost 3 hours, we saw almost no people, but if you look closely, we did find a few people scaling the rocks as a couple!  No sure how much rope they were using, very risky if you ask me!

Took a little video to try and capture some of the hidden views and adventurous spots you can find in this canyon.

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Visiting Syria from Israel?

Posted on May 31, 2018 by David Cross

I wanted to try something a little different and a little adventurous when I had a short break while travelling in Israel for the Google Cloud Summit.

So I planned and headed up North to the Golan Heights to learn a little more and get some insights on what was going on in Syria. Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon are all a few miles from each other in the Golan Heights area.

Grapes, cherries, apples, kiwis all grow everywhere. It is a lush fruit and vegetable forest. No, I did not go wine tasting, that is what tourists do!

I got to connect with Eliezer “Cheetah” Cohen who was a famous Major in the 1973 war to explain how that part of the Golan was captured by Israel in the Yom Kippur War.

The first break and stop I took was the Tel Saqi bunker which faces the Syrian border and is only about 1000 meters from the newly erected fence that never existed before.

Unfortunately, the reality is there is a lot of conflict along that border now and ISIS exists and is active in the villages right along that fence. So I took a selfie since it was a rare opportunity to get one with ISIS in the background with some relative safety…you will have to zoom a little. The grey fence is about 1000 meters away in the distance and ISIS is right there along the fence.

You can go right up to the border in some places! Take a nice little jog on the dusty trails…

or if you are well connected, you can visit former Syrian Intelligence headquarters that were built in the 1940s by the former Soviet Union. You need to get Army (IDF) permission to visit this area and when I was on top of this bombed out structure, you could hear some of the gunfire, fighting and some small explosions in the distance.

There are a TON of great sights and places to visit in the Golan Heights, but the reality is that land mines still exist almost everywhere, so you have to be very attentive and cautious on where you hike.

You can also reach the Syrian border or even cross it if you also do not pay attention to the signs and road guidance.

Fortunately, the UN , vehicles and personnel are everywhere since their headquarters is a huge one and right in the middle of the DMZ area.

At one of the outposts, I talked with the UN soldiers for a few minutes. These ones were from the Netherlands. They observe, but are not permitted to carry weapons. They can play Clash of Clans on their smartphones though!

The last stop was the famous Valley of Tears memorial and historical battle site.

This was one of the Syrian T-55 battle tanks that was kept in place from the battle 40 years ago.

Oh yes, there are tons of bunkers you can enter and check out at all these famous battle sites. Make sure you bring a flashlight or light on your phone!

You can also check out my other entries from Israel from previous trips and visits:

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