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  • Nicaragua

    Nicaragua FlagThe Sandinista revolution is perhaps what most people think about when they think of Nicaragua. But as with so many other Central American countries, Nicaragua is a place rich with culture, sites, and opportunity for tourists.

    With the help of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the country has been trying to recover from the ravages of war, but this recovery has been made harder by inflation and high unemployment. Still, Nicaragua has been dealing with the problems of the past and as success arrives, more and more people are making there way to this country–but there is still a lot of work to do. Some areas of Nicaragua remain unstable, run by armed criminal groups. This is particularly true along the northern border near Honduras; but if you are traveling to Nicaragua, it’s wise to be cautious no matter where you are.

    The capital, Managua, is set on the southern shore of Lago de Managua. Over the years this city has been devastated by natural disasters, and since the earthquake of 1972, Managua has had virtually no city center. However, construction is underway, and the city continues to improve its facilities and restore attractions. But the line between those who have and those who have not remains distinct–poverty is a very real problem in Managua.

    Granada is oldest Spanish city in Nicaragua. Founded in 1524 by conquistadores, it rests on shores of Lake Nicaragua in the shadow of Volcán Mombacho. The town is a literary center and has a quiet, historic feel. It’s an ideal city to tour on foot, and when you’re ready to take a break from seeing Granada’s colonial sites, the lake is just a short walk from downtown.

    Down the Río Escondido from Managua, Bluefields is an ethnically diverse area on the Caribbean coast and an interesting and fun place to visit from the tourists’ point of view. The people of Bluefields know how to have a good time: there are several reggae clubs and dancing on the weekends.

    Traveling in Nicaragua
    Nicaragua MapWhile several overland and over-river border crossings exist between Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica, the major airlines fly regularly into Managua from Europe, North America, and other Central American countries. For the U.K., U.S., E.U. member countries, several other Latin American countries, Scandinavian countries, and more, visas are not required to enter Nicaragua. Tourist cards good for a 90-day visit will cost a small fee at arrival, and an exit tax is charged upon leaving the country. Travelers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries that do not have a reciprocal relationship with Nicaragua will need a 30-day visa to enter the country.

    Budget travel in Nicaragua can be done for US$10-$20 a day, but for US$30-$40, you can enjoy an occasional rental car and meals at more upscale restaurants. US$40 and more will allow for very comfortable travel. Tipping is not a common practice in inexpensive restaurants, but 10% is the norm for more expensive eateries. There is a nationwide value tax added to each bill, and occasionally a gratuity will also be included, so be sure to check for the latter before leaving an extra tip. Haggling in open marketplaces is a common practice.

    Domestic airlines fly to the major hubs such as Managua, Bluefields, Puerto Cabezas, and the Corn Islands, but if you are heading to places more remote, the bus is your best option. Buses run on a regular schedule, but be be wary of pickpockets and thiefs, who often turn to the buses to find unsuspecting victims. Make sure to keep an eye on your luggage and don’t keep anything of value in your pockets.

    Boats are sometimes the only way to get to places on the two coasts, especially on the Caribbean side, but this can also be the most expensive way to travel.

    Weather in Nicaragua
    On the Pacific coast and toward the center of the country the best time to visit is early in the dry season–December to January. Temperatures are cooler and these areas are very lush during this time of year (the Caribbean coast is predominantly rainforest, that is, green and lush year round). However, Nicaragua is a nice place to visit almost anytime of year, with the possible exception of the end of the dry season–April and May–when the climate is much more arid.

    Nicaragua Information
    Population: 5.2 million
    Government: Republic
    Square Miles: 50,180 sq mi (129,494 sq km)
    Capitol: Managua (pop 1 million)
    Official Languages: Spanish, English Creole, Miskito
    People: 69% mestizo, 17% European descent, 9% African descent, 5% indigenous peoples
    Religion: Roman Catholic 73%, Protestant 16%
    Major products/industries: Coffee, seafood, sugar, meat, bananas, food processing, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear

  • Tende: French, But Not Really

    Tende: French, But Not Really

    Notre Dame de Lassomption
    Notre Dame de Lassomption

    Perhaps it was the wild boar on the menu that gave it away. Or the way the chef emerged excitedly from the kitchen, white uniform tight and stained, to chat with us after he heard foreigners in the house. The restaurant, and in fact the whole town of Tende, was devoid of pretension and decidedly un-French. Somehow, the unrefined game animal, which may have been tromping through the forest that cloaked the valley below just the day before, found its way onto the menu next to the fromage and paté.

    We were two travelers passing through, just looking around for somewhere interesting during the late autumn lull so common to mountain towns before the snow falls. Seated in what may be France’s only existing non-smoking area, we were studying the menu when the chef brought a wood plaque with an old 1992 Boston Globe article mounted on it. It was a review of his restaurant, and quite clearly the showpiece of the place. He clasped his hands together underneath his protruding belly and beamed as we read.

    Such a welcome from the French was unusual. We had just driven up along the French-Italian border from Nice and the Riviera, where waiters corrected our grammar and shopkeepers could not be bothered to utter a merci. Conversely, Tende seemed eerily pleased with our presence. For a moment we thought we had unknowingly exited France, and slipped over the border into the care of French-speaking Italians. Somehow this anomaly town called Tende, like the wild boar, had wound up on our plate.

    Nestled between the high Alps and the balmy Mediterranean shores, Tende sits like a fickle queen at the head of the Roya Valley, not committing to either climate or culture. The icy Tende river swirls through the town and meets the warm Mediterranean Sea only 40 kilometers away. In autumn, the town is ringed by 2000-meter peaks dusted with snow while stands of larch trees and pine decorate its flanks. The smell of toasty household fires belies the sight of perky reds and purples in flower boxes outside.

    Tende’s cultural duality unfurled as we strolled through town. The cemetery´s headstones read both Bertrand and Cacciardo. The living still greet one another with ciaos and bonjours. The postman delivers all of the 2,000 residents’ mail on foot, and squeezes copies of Le Figaro magazine in tiny mail slots of homes hundreds of years old. These dwellings, many of which are approached only by meter-wide passageways, encircle the pink Gothic church of Tende. Inside the church, signs in French and Italian ask you to be quiet. Not that there would be much yukking it up at this time of the year—the autumn silence of Tende is broken only by the hourly bong of the clock tower.

    Sundials on the sides of buildings were quieter reminders of time, but of time that passed slowly and deliciously. I imagined one hundred years from now you could still peer in dusty windows of medieval edifices and dip your bucket in the community water fountain. You could get lost in the labyrinth of cobblestone backstreet’s, but then get pointed gently in the right direction. I sensed the old women would forever shuffle along unhurriedly, waving at virtually every car that drove past, and stopping occasionally to chat with its occupants and double kiss their cheeks. Shopping in Tende continued in the traditional fashion; it meant separate visits to the boulangerie, charcuterie, and patisserie, for bread, meat and pastries. The store hours ensured a lengthy lunch and a healthy afternoon nap.

    Town from the cemetry.jpgNot surprisingly, this little French town does indeed have its roots in Italy. When the House of Savoie absorbed Tende in 1581, the town became a crucial stop on the Salt Route between Nice and Turin. When the communes of Savoie were rejoined to France in 1860, the residents of Tende were still French speaking and wanted to be included in the reunion. Deaf to their pleas, Napoleon III snubbed the town and left it to Italy. Tende, along with the Roya Valley, was the preferred hunting ground of Italian royalty and presumably their source for tasty wild boar. It wasn’t until 1947 that the peace treaty between the two countries allowed Tende back into France.

    Perhaps after Napolean’s rejection, Tende vowed never to become wholly French. Not once were we expected to wear flashy clothes, given wrong directions, or seated next to a middle-aged woman cooing to her dog at the dinner table. No one ridiculed our butchered French. Instead, our hotel owner was concerned if we were comfy, store clerks asked if they could help, and restaurant staff treated us like prized patrons with discriminating tastes. Tende was France as we wanted it to be.

    That’s not to say it is undiscovered. In the summer, tourists flock to Tende to access the adjacent Mercantour National Park to picnic, hike and gawk at over 36,000 petroglyph’s from the Bronze Age. Tucked away in the park’s Vallee des Merveilles, or Valley of Marvels, the petroglyph’s attest to the movement of people through the area thousands of years ago as well. Although most of the stone etchings are the garden-variety spirals and cows, one petroglyph in particular commands attention and still lingers in mystery. Dubbed The Sorcerer, it was found on a rock slab at the base of Mt. Bego, and it depicts a human figure whose arms appear to be lightning bolts.

    Archaeologists are baffled by the meaning of this mysterious figure that in no way relates to the others. Is it a shaman, a god, a sign of the supernatural? Our hotel owner, Francoise, had a giant print of The Sorcerer hanging in her dining room. She had her own interpretation of its meaning. For centuries, Mt. Bego has attracted violent storms, she said. Ancient people saw this and they were afraid of the mountain’s powers and declared the mountain a sacred site. Then they carved a warning in stone. Now preserved in Tende’s surprisingly sophisticated Merveilles museum, visitors are left to wonder what story The Sorcerer is telling in stone.

    These days locals tell their stories at the bar. We stepped into one which also fronted as a café. Old men were clustered around a counter, slurping strong coffee and smoking, slapping one another on the back, and waving their arms in feigned arguments. Their tanned gnarled hands spoke of Mediterranean sunshine and hard mountain work.

    Spire ChurchOutside, a single crumbling spire that looms over the town tells the best story of Tende’s political tug of war. It is all that remains of a grand 14th-century French château which was ordered by the Italian king to be destroyed in 1692. Tende’s residents, then under the rule of Italy but still allegiant to France, refused to demolish it. Consequently, the town’s neighbors took it upon themselves to bring the château to the ground.

    As we finished our wild boar, the pleasant wife of our chef wiped the counter slowly and chatted with us, lamenting that Tende is still being pushed around. The town is still relatively ignored, she said, and lives in the shadows of its resort-town sisters like Nice and Chamonix. She sighed and rested her chin in her hand, saying it is the lack of employment in Tende and attraction of the urban areas that draws the young people away.

    We had to agree. Tende could be a youth’s nightmare: a home town locked in time, devoid of the dynamism so prevalent in neighboring cities. Yet for us, it was a lucky find. This town took us in like it was welcoming its children back home.

  • Burma (a.k.a. Myanmar)

    Burma Myanmar FlagFor more than 50 years Burma (Myanmar) has been ruled mainly by dictators, rebel groups, and by people connected to the drug trade. Because of this, democracy has had a tough time finding a foothold in its society; those who try to introduce it are often faced with brutality and harsh punishment from the government. Slave labor and other inhumane practices have been used in an effort to help Myanmar’s economy, but the country remains very poor.

    In 2002 Aung San Suu Kyi–a Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of Burma’s largest democratic political party, under house arrest through much of the ’80s and ’90s–was allowed to re-enter public life, and democracy is once again on the minds of the Burmese. The economic sanctions placed on the government by countries like the United States has caused the Burmese government to reconsider its politics, and although democracy is still a long way off in Myanmar, hopes of a society without oppression are growing.

    As far as traveling in Myanmar, it is not for those who are looking for comfortable, easy (read: “first world”) travel. But the sites are incredible, and the people are generally friendly and nice. Myanmar has had little Western influence, which can make the country seem a bit forgotten compared to other southeast Asian countries, but if the government continues to loosen its reins on popular thought, don’t be surprised to see Myanmar start to catch on quickly.

    Traveling in Myanmar
    Burma Myanmar Map You need a visa to travel in Myanmar. Visas are valid for one month from the day you enter the country. Once you receive a visa you have to enter the country within three months.

    Myanmar is still a military regime and any travel there should be done with caution. The democratic movement there favors a boycott of tourism in Myanmar, saying that the money spent by tourists only ends up supporting the military regime and human rights abuses.

    Avoiding government-sponsored tourism is one way to help the populace while not supporting the government. Also, the cultural and political exchange you have with the local populace could do more to help the country than hurt it.

    Easy ways to do this include staying at locally owned hotels; avoiding goverment-sponsored tours and transportation; not shopping at the government Myawadi shops; and trying to buy gifts, souvenirs, etc., directly from the local craftsman.

    Rebel armies and refugees line the border between Thailand and Mynamar. It is best to avoid the borders areas, as there are occasional skirmishes. The northeastern part of the country near Mandalay is a particularly bad area where the drug trade has given local drug lords the power to build large private armies.

    Some areas of travel do require a permit, although more and more are being opened by the government. But travel throughout the Myanmar can sometimes be hindered by the “local authorities” who might make certain sites off limits for no discernible reason, depending on their mood.

    Weather in Myanmar
    Myanmar only has three distinct seasons, winter, summer and monsoon season.

    Winter falls between November to February, and is usually cool and dry. March until May is summer, which is quite hot, with temperatures routinely at or above 90 degrees. From May until October is the monsoon season, where the region can get upward of 25 inches of rain per month.

    The optimal time to visit Myanmar is during the winter, when the days are a little cooler and the skies are clear.

    Burma a.k.a. Myanmar Information
    Population: 44,277,014 (est.1994)
    Government: Military council
    Square Miles: 261,789 sq mi (678,033 sq km)
    Capitol: Yangon (Rangoon, pop 4 million)
    Official Language: Burmese, but most ethnic minorities have languages of there own
    People: 65% Burmese, 10% Shan, 7% Karen, 4% Rakhine and Chin, Kachin, Mon, Chinese, Indian, and Assamese minorities
    Religion:87% Theravada Buddhist, 5% Christian, 4% Muslim, 3% animist
    Major products/industries: teak, rice, jute, and illegal opium poppies

  • Travel Tips – Airports

    One of the easiest ways to start your trip off right is to make sure you get to your destination smoothly. Since most people fly it is important to know a few things that will keep you safer and make your experince much more pleasant.

    Know Your Airport

    I was recounting travel tales, recently, with friends who had flown internationally through San Juan, Puerto Rico’s international airport. The customs area there is inconveniently far away from many of the more-frequented gates, and my friends missed their connecting flight because they hadn’t known to factor in enough layover time to get through customs and still make the long trek to their next gate.

    This is a problem in many airports, and there’s a great moral to my friends’ story: know your airport. Particularly if you’re connecting internationally, and thus have to go through customs, always find out in advance the layout of the airport through which you’ll be connecting. This information may be gotten from the airline, your travel agent, or on the Internet (most medium to large airports now have Web sites that offer either a description or a map of their layout), and it could potentially save you the trouble of missing your connecting flight.

    Getting through airport security faster

    These days, getting through airport security seems like a chore. It behooves all of us (including those in line behind you) to be prepared. Make sure the only things you keep in your pockets are identification and your airline ticket–anything else could set off the metal detector or raise suspicion. This also goes for shoes, belts, or other pieces of clothing that may have metal attachments. Try to wear clothes with plastic buttons, shoes with plastic eyelets, and belts with metals that may not set off the the metal detectors. If this is impossible, be sure to remove your shoes and belt to be scanned along with your carry-on luggage.

    Pack a carry-on that’s easy to open and inspect if security needs to check your bag; this way they won’t have to remove everything just to see what’s on the bottom. Make sure to put the contents of your pockets in your carry-on or your jacket. Double check to make sure you don’t have any items like nail files, small scissors, knitting needles, or other things that might set off mental alarms (remember, even the most unthreatening household goods can now seem like a potential weapon in the eyes of airport security, no matter who you are). Be ready when you get to the front of the line: remove your jacket and have your ticket and ID in hand. It’s also a good idea to wear shoes that are easy to remove in case security asks to check them.

    With all recent the hold-ups and frustrations at airports, being prepared can make your life exponentially easier and will make the difference in a pleasant flight or a not so pleasant one.

    Packing list

    It is a good idea to carry a list of expensive items you have packed in your checked luggage. That way, if the airline loses your bag, you have some record of what has been lost.

    Likewise, you should never pack any irreplaceable items, such as, medicine or jewelry in your checked luggage; make sure you put it in your carry-on bag, or leave it at home for safe keeping.

    Air travel

    The air you breathe while on a plane is not pressurized to sea level. Many people don’t realize that this contributes to jet lag: flying long distances can cause mild cases of altitude sickness. Combine this with the fact that the recycled air on planes is very dry, which leads to dehydration, and that people are often traveling across multiple time zones, and it’s easy to understand why we might not feel like ourselves at the end of a long flight.

    We cannot eliminate jet lag entirely, but we can limit it. Bring a large bottle of water to drink throughout the trip to stay hydrated, eat well, and try to prepare yourself for the transition into a new time zone (take a nap–adjust your internal clock). If you do these things, you’re sure to be better off when you exit the plane than if you’d done nothing at all.

    Flying with infants

    Many people know the frustration of taking a long flight with a crying baby nearby. Parents who travel with infants may know this feeling all too well, but surprisingly, very few know what’s causing their child’s discomfort and how to stop it. At the liftoff and descent stages of a flight, cabin pressure in commercial airplanes changes dramatically. This is necessary so that passengers and crew can continue to breathe while in flight. However, the change in pressure has an effect on our inner ear (something like diving too deep in the ocean).

    Adults who know this feeling can generally self-adjust the pressure inside their heads to be balanced with the pressure outside: yawning helps, or chewing gum, and some people can simply “flex” their inner ear mechanism to equalize the pressure.

    Babies, on the other hand, may not be able automatically equalize the pressure in their ears. This can become extremely uncomfortable for a child, and is the main reason they cry when a plane is taking off or landing. If you’re a parent who thinks this may be occurring with your child, the easiest way to resolve the situation is to give your baby something to suck on–a bottle, or even your finger. The motion caused by this sucking will usually cause your child’s inner ear pressure to equalize with the outside pressure, thus relieving him of the pain inside his head… And relieving all the other passengers of the pain outside theirs.

    Airport circuit check-in

    To make waiting in lines at airport security posts a quicker easier ordeal, be sure to empty your pockets and put the contents in your carry-on bag, this might include watches and jewelry, a money clip, loose change, and more. It means less beeping at the metal detector, and you won’t have to put your wallet and valuables in the plastic bucket where things could be stolen as you’re getting scanned manually by airport security personal.

    Address on luggage tags

    Traveling abroad means putting you address on your luggage, which in turn means everyone can see where you live and know that you will be gone. More than one robbery has been perpetrated by shady characters lingering around local airports, scoping out the home addresses of people they see taking outgoing flights. The best way to protect against this is to put your business address on a piece of luggage. This will insure that no one who spots your address will be getting the correct one, and that your bags–if lost–will find their way back to a place you can retrieve them. Another idea is to put your local police station’s address label on the label, but this could lead to complications if your bags are lost. And we’d like to hope that your bags are more likely to be lost in transit, than your house being robbed.

  • Split and Trogir, Croatia

    Split and Trogir, Croatia

  • Blue Grotto – Bisevo, Croatia

    Blue Grotto – Bisevo, Croatia

    The Island Biševo is made up of limestone and has numerous sea caves along the coast of the island, which may be visited by boat. This cave picture here is Modra Špilja, the Blue Grotto. It is called Skuja na Zanje in the local dialect. The natural entrance below the sea level and you used to have to enter the cave by diving. But more than a century ago an artificial entrance was built to allow visitors to enter the cave by boat. Visiting in the late morning is ideal for a visit. This is the time when the light inside the cave is best. The earlier or later during the day, the less light in the cave. Before and after the sun hits the sea in front of the cave, a visit is absolutely pointless.

  • Travel Tips – Money / Currency

    Keep your money safe from thiefs or just figuring out exchange rates and other currency issues are important. Here are some ideas on how to make it easier for you. If you have any ideas to contribute please email us.

    Currency and exchange issues

    Never discount the usefulness of traveler’s checks–as old fashioned as they may seem, they can be a reliable means of exchanging currency and making purchases, particularly where credit card and ATM service is not available. Also, if you plan on traveling to only one country, change your currency before you go; many developing countries will only readily change more sought-after currency, so if you’re carrying Rands, Lira, or other, you may find it difficult to exchange these for the local currency.

    If you plan of visiting more than one country and don’t want to juggle envelopes full of different denominations, try to find out what is the most easily changed–the U.S. dollar is widely exchanged throughout the world, so if your country’s currency is not as easy to change, it may be worth carrying U.S. dollars (or another common currency, such as the pound stirling) while you travel. This, naturally, applies to traveler’s checks as well as to cash.

    Foreign ATM machines

    No matter how globalized we think the world is, there are always going to be places where it’s just plain impossible to get cash in an emergency. Most first-world countries will have a well-developed network of ATM machines that accept cards issued by major banking services. But as you get into the developing world, you’ll inevitably run into a number of roadblocks. In many developing countries, ATMs can only be found in major urban areas such as the country’s capitol. And often these machines will only accept cards that were issued by that specific bank, leaving the rest of us tourists out of luck. And of course, the majority of the developing world still doesn’t have access to or an infrastructure for such luxuries as the automatic teller.

    Before going on a trip, particularly to a developing country, be sure to do your research: find out what major credit cards are readily accepted, whether or not ATM machines are common, and if your card will be compatible with them.

    Credit card problems

    It’s not uncommon to find yourself in the middle of an extended trip with a credit card that no longer works, not because you failed to pay your bill, but because the card issuer froze your account for security reasons. This is not meant to be a malicious, or even inconvenient, act. In fact, it’s the credit card company’s way of doing its job: protecting you and itself from credit card fraud. Most card issuers monitor spending patterns, including average monthly bills and the general region of purchases made. When a traveler depends on his/her credit card away from home, this often raises a caution flag to the card issuer that someone may have stolen the card and is going on a “cross country” spending spree. They will thus freeze that account and wait for the card holder to call and confirm the theft or not.

    To play it safe, always keep a record of your card issuer’s customer service number (and check for a separate number if you’re traveling overseas) so you can make that call when necessary, and alert your credit card company before going on a trip, so they don’t mistakenly freeze your account. It’s also a good idea to pay your bill in full before leaving on a long trip, so as not to have your credit card canceled because of delinquent payments.

    Protecting your travelers checks

    Traveler’s checks are often thought of as the safest and most reliable way traveling cash free. While this may be true, it doesn’t mean they can’t be lost or stolen and used by someone else. You cannot always prevent this from happening, but you can take measures to make it easier to report and replace lost or stolen checks. First, it helps to make copies of your travelers checks, or at least keep a record of their serial numbers. Second, make sure you know the denomination of your checks; it may be easier to get all of them in just one denomination, but keep in mind that you may have trouble cashing large denominations in certain places. Third, know the date and location you purchased your traveler’s checks and always get a phone number to report them lost or stolen. Doing these things won’t guarantee your security, but it will make your life easier in the event of such an emergency. Money conversion cheat sheet

    A really handy, wallet-sized currency cheat sheet can be obtained online and printed with the touch of a few buttons. Log on to OandA.com (http://www.oanda.com) and select “Traveler.” Choose “Print Travelers Currency Cheat Sheet” and select the appropriate home and destination countries, then click on “Get My Cheat Sheet.” It’s that simple.

    The Web site allows you to customize your cheat sheet according to various exchange rates (cash, credit, interbank, etc.), languages, and specific dates. And because it’s continuously updated, it’s also a convenient reference for keeping track of worldwide currencies.

    Don’t attract criminals

    The best way to keep from attracting a thief’s attention is to avoid wearing expensive looking jewelry and having cameras and other pricey items out for all to see. Keep your jewelry covered up or under lock and key at your hotel (most higher-end hotels will have a safe either in the room or at the reception desk). Cameras should be kept out of site as well–either tucked into bag or backpack when not in use, or better yet, strapped around your neck and under your jacket. Smaller point-and-shoot cameras will often fit into a pocket on the inside of your coat. Carrying large amounts of money

    When carrying large amounts of money, especially in major cities where pickpockets are prevalent, it is a good idea to have a money belt that you wear underneath your clothing. Only keep small amounts in your pockets, keep everything else zipped up in the belt, including your passport and credit cards if possible. If you know you will be needing a credit card, you can take it out beforehand; this way, if you are robbed, most likely the thieves will only get away with a small amount of cash.

    Money conversion

    It’s a great idea, when dealing with money conversion, to carry a small pocket calculator. All you need to know is the exchange rate, and with one quick calculation you’ll know exactly what you owe. If you’re to embarrassed to pull out a calculator when browsing for gifts to bring home, you can write a out quick cheat sheet of the exchange for $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and so on. This should make it easier to figure out the appropriate price of things without having to draw too much attention to yourself.

  • Travel Tips – Miscellaneous

    Knowing certain things before you head out can help you avoid the headaches and inconveniences that can ruin a great trip. We’re compiling tips for everything from keeping your money safe to information on what you’ll need to do before hitting the road. If you have any ideas to contribute please email us.

    Know Your Knots

    For anyone traveling in the wilderness, boating, or just trying to tie something to the roof of your car, knowing your knots is essential. The “bowline” is a sailor’s classic, providing a slip-free knot with a loop on one end; the “sheet bend” is perfect if you want to temporarily connect two lengths of rope to make a single, longer piece; if you plan on hauling lumber, the “timber hitch” is the knot for you; and you can use a “trucker’s hitch” to keep that canoe on top of your station wagon while you’re speeding down the highway.

    Whatever your uses, a good resource is http://www.troop9.org/?s=knots/index. Here you can find animated images and instruction on tying these knots and more.

    Traveling with Film and Digital Photo Media

    If you plan on taking pictures while traveling, whether you use a traditional film camera or a digital camera, it’s a good idea to keep your undeveloped pictures in a carry-on bag as opposed to you checked luggage. The powerful airport baggage screening machines used for checked luggage have a much stronger signal than do the smaller versions used for carry-on bags. It’s possible for these more powerful machines to damage undeveloped film or digital data cards, meaning you could potentially lose all your pictures. Avoid home break-ins while on the road

    Don’t let crooks kill two birds with one stone. If you’re on the wrong end of a mugging and keep both your house keys and identification in your bag, a robber will know where you live and how to get in there. Whether traveling far or near, it’s a good idea to protect yourself: keep your keys separate and keep the robbers out of your home.

    Mobile computing

    As laptops get smaller, PDAs have enhanced capabilities, and cell phones become more technologically advanced, mobile computing is fast becoming the norm for travelers. If you plan on sending emails from the road, updating online travel logs, sending digital pictures, or more, and don’t want to be slave to cyber-cafes, look into some of the options above. Many of the smaller and more advanced devices on the market are still quite pricey, but there are some good deals to be found, and as more people turn to portability and independence for their on-the-road computing needs, prices will surely drop. These days a wireless laptop is a most for travelers who want to stay connected and in most big cities wireless networks can be easily found, just make sure your computer is protected against virus and others problems that can come from using unsecured wireless networks.

    Internet access numbers on the road

    For those intrepid souls taking your laptops on the road, don’t forget to bring a list of internet access numbers for your ISP. Wireless access is not yet ubiquitous, and many places won’t offer the comfort of a high-speed ethernet connection, so you may find that dial-up is the best (or only) way to go. Most ISPs will list state-by-state access numbers on their Web site, and may have toll-free numbers within the company’s home country. The larger services may even provide international numbers for connecting abroad. And for all you ramblers who may just hit the road and then decide where you’re going, check out your ISP’s home page before you head out and jot down a bunch of these numbers, so no matter where you are, you’ll find yourself connected.

    Traveler’s first-aid kit

    Accidents happen, both big and small… It’s always a good idea to play it safe when traveling and pack a first-aid kit. This should include (at least) the following items: Band-Aids; Bacitracin or other antibiotic ointment; iodine pads for larger cuts, and gauze with adhesive tape; moleskin; tweezers; thermometer in a hard case; nonaspirin pain reliever; medication for colds and diarrhea; motion sickness medication, such as Dramamine (if applicable); and any prescribed medications in original labeled containers.

    Traveling with disabilities

    The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits travel-related businesses from discriminating against people on the basis of a disability, and mandates that the businesses make it possible for everyone to take advantage of their goods and services as fully as people without disabilities. However, while this is true in the United States (and for U.S.-based carriers), in much of the world there are still many questions about what qualifies as general accessibility for disabled people.

    If you’re traveling abroad, be sure to do your research. Talk with travel agents who specialize in planning trips for the disabled, make sure airlines and other carriers accommodate the needs of disabled passengers, and check for things like wheelchair accessibility at hotels, rules pertaining to guide dogs, and more.

    Emergency wheelchair repairs

    Traveling with a wheelchair doesn’t have to be difficult. One thing to keep in mind is, bicycle shops can often make emergency repairs on manual wheelchairs (and in some cases, on electric-powered chairs too). Bicycle tubes and tires are almost always interchangeable with wheelchair tires, and bike tubes are much less expensive. Also, bicycle shops generally have longer hours than hospital wheelchair departments or medical-supply houses, and are usually open on weekends.

    Identity theft — Mail

    Never leave for a trip and let your mail pile up in your mailbox. If a thief steals your mail, he may be able to get enough information from it to steal your identity.

    Also, never leave your outgoing bills your mailbox where a thief can find them and get information such as credit card and bank account numbers. This is all the information a thief needs to steal someone’s identity.

    Packing list

    It is a good idea to carry a list of expensive items you have packed in your checked luggage. That way, if the airline loses your bag, you have some record of what has been lost.

    Likewise, you should never pack any irreplaceable items, such as, medicine or jewelry in your checked luggage; make sure you put it in your carry-on bag, or leave it at home for safe keeping.

    Lost? Find your way back…

    When visiting a country where you have little language skills, make sure to have a card with your hotel name and address on it in case you get lost or are trying to give a taxi directions. It’s also wise to make a point of learning a few key phrases, such as, your local address and inquiries as to how to find a cab, telephone, police, etc., which may prove useful in bind. E-mailing important documents

    Before traveling it’s a good idea to photocopy all of your important documents (passport, tickets, etc.); keep a copy with your gear, separate from the originals. For instance, if you lose the bag with your passport, you’ll have a copy of it to bring to the consulate in a separate bag. Give another copy to a friend or family member back home, for safekeeping, in case both the original and your copy get lost. You can also scan them and send them to your e-mail address so if you ever lose your paper copies you can just print more out.

    Don’t attract criminals

    The best way to keep from attracting a thief’s attention is to avoid wearing expensive looking jewelry and having cameras and other pricey items out for all to see. Keep your jewelry covered up or under lock and key at your hotel (most higher-end hotels will have a safe either in the room or at the reception desk). Cameras should be kept out of site as well–either tucked into bag or backpack when not in use, or better yet, strapped around your neck and under your jacket. Smaller point-and-shoot cameras will often fit into a pocket on the inside of your coat.

    Protecting your camera

    Cameras are one of the most common items stolen on a vacation. Most are stolen while in high-crime areas such as city centers or shopping bazaars. Most people on vacation don’t want to be without their cameras, but if you are going to be traveling in high-crime area, or even an area you worry might be high crime, then you may want to bring along a disposable camera instead of an expensive SLR or digital camera. Cheap point-and-shoot cameras are good for this as well, and neither take up much space in a suitcase. Otherwise, be sure to keep your camera out of sight, attached to a strap around your neck, and/or zipped under your jacket, if possible.

    Address on luggage tags

    Traveling abroad means putting you address on your luggage, which in turn means everyone can see where you live and know that you will be gone. More than one robbery has been perpetrated by shady characters lingering around local airports, scoping out the home addresses of people they see taking outgoing flights. The best way to protect against this is to put your business address on a piece of luggage. This will insure that no one who spots your address will be getting the correct one, and that your bags–if lost–will find their way back to a place you can retrieve them. Another idea is to put your local police station’s address label on the label, but this could lead to complications if your bags are lost. And we’d like to hope that your bags are more likely to be lost in transit, than your house being robbed.

  • Gold and Ghosts on Ghana’s Cape Coast

    In the shadow of a 353-year-old fortress, a former trading post for gold, ivory and slaves, a pack of young boys play a game of pick-up soccer. The ball thuds against the tall, whitewashed stone wall that surrounds what was, for the very unfortunate, their last stop on African soil before passage to the harsh reality of the New World.

    Beyond that wall, through the gate and past the thick wooden door, a cracked cobblestone courtyard opens to the sea. Fifteen original canons still guard against pirate attacks, the unused cannonballs having fused together over the centuries.

    Cape Coast CastleCape Coast Castle squats on a rocky cliff that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean on the seacoast of Ghana, West Africa. To the east, the castle looks over the town center, a tangled mix of time-weathered colonial buildings, cinder block homes, and shacks capped by corrugated tin. To the west, large dugout canoes wait on sandy shores for muscular young men to finish repairing the pale green fishing nets.

    The castle was originally founded by the Swedes in 1653, taken by the Danes and then passed to the Dutch, finally becoming a possession of the English in 1662. It served as a base for colonial activity in the country the British called the Gold Coast. A French bombardment leveled the fort in 1757, but it was re-built in grander scale by the Brits, and this is what stands today as a UNESCO World Heritage site.The airy rooms of the top floor were home to the well-heeled residents of the castle. Sunlight still creeps through the shuttered windows of the Governor’s residence, the patterned shadows falling on warped mahogany floors. But the light stops there.

    Below ground level are the clammy, dirt-floor dungeons where slaves were imprisoned. Small slits high in the walls allow a trickle of air into the cells. It’s suffocating for one person, yet hundreds were crammed into these quarters. And there were many such rooms.

    The west coast of Ghana, from the sprawling, bustling capital of Accra to the Cote d’Ivoire border, is home to the densest concentration of European forts and castles on the African continent. Twenty-nine of the original 37 castles are still around, stretched out along the shore like hooks on a fishing line. Some are crumbling, some are well preserved, but all resonate with a difficult and complex history. In between the castles are Fante fishing villages framed by palm trees and turquoise seas.

    The journey from Accra to Cape Coast town, population 300,000 including outlying villages, is about 200 kilometers. Depending on the state of the roads, it can feel longer. The route runs within drumbeat distance of the shore, but unfortunately there are only glimpses of the sea from the windows of the well-traveled, state-owned buses. Transport comes in ordinary and luxury, with the former making up in character what it lacks in comfort.

    Whenever the bus stops, an eclectic grocery store arrives at your window. Hawkers, mostly women with laden baskets balanced on their heads, rush over to sell water, oranges, plantain chips, pineapples, yams, crackers, handkerchiefs and toilet paper. An occasional young man holds up a dead grasscutter, a large, tasty bush rodent that looks like a beaver on a diet. Hands reach up and reach down, and the women run alongside the bus as it picks up speed.

    I arrive in the evening, as the African sun casts a warm hue over this faded colonial centre, the British capital of the Gold Coast until 1876. If you are drawn to the grand narratives of early modern history, Cape Coast is a good read. The stories are written in the castle and the churches, in the old European buildings and the Ghanaian homes, in the food stalls and family shops, and in Ghana’s first university and some of the country’s biggest boarding schools.

    A bit frayed at the edges and looking its age, Cape Coast is nonetheless an energetic town with a solid enough infrastructure. There is a range of hotels and guest houses available, from well-appointed suites costing around $80, to the sparse $8 room I stay in, with its wobbly ceiling fan and a splash not a shower. (The nicest accommodations are just outside of the city core, but a taxi or a tro-tro – a crowded minivan bus, often with a religious slogan on the windshield – can shuttle you to the castle in minutes.)

    I find one of the two restaurants with front-row ocean seats. The full moon is reflected on the crest of the waves as they break for shore, rows of gleaming teeth biting into the sand. I have a Star beer – from Ghana’s first brewery – and a large bowl of groundnut stew, a thick puree of peanuts, spices, and meat of choice, eaten with rice balls, mashed yam, or fermented maize.

    After another Star, I walk back to my guest house, past a lumpy soccer pitch at Victoria Park. An orphaned statue of the old queen stands alone on the sidelines, watching the kids play football in the dark.

    Ghana Soccer KidsThe smell of street food mixes with the scent of kerosene in the humid night air. Music fills the air, street lamps flicker, and shadows emerge from alleys. Young lovers loiter, the women standing seductively, one hip cocked to the side and the glimpse of an arched back contrasting against the colorful African prints. Vendors, cars, bicycles, goats, chickens, frogs creaking from sewer trenches, preachers with growling voices – life spills in all directions.

    After a surprisingly good sleep, I’m at the castle at the opening time of 8:00 am, before other visitors, to better hear the ghosts of the place. From the courtyard, I step down into the dank underground chambers where the slaves were stored – housed being too generous of a word. In one of the rooms, a lone light bulb hangs from a wire, helping to illuminate the past.

    I’m startled by the voice of Kingsley Kofi Yeboah, the long-serving historian and curator of the fort. He gives me a tour of the castle’s museum, which has evocative exhibits on Ghana’s history, slavery, and the lives of Blacks after the diaspora.

    He then takes me to see the tiny ‘condemned cell’, into which captives who revolted were locked, up to 50 at a time. They died of suffocation and starvation, a deterrent to the other prisoners. The walls have scratch marks. “It may not be pleasant history,” says Yeboah, “but it’s the history of all of us, of you and me, and it’s what brought us here today.”

    During the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, somewhere around 20 million people were kidnapped and transplanted to the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe between the 15th and 19th centuries. The labor of these enslaved Africans became the backbone of lucrative economies in sugar cane, tobacco, cotton, cocoa, rice and coffee.European merchants generally did not travel inland to buy the slaves, but acquired them (three men to each woman) from African middlemen who in turn had bought them from various African slave hunters. The shackled captives were marched hundreds of miles from the countryside to the coast, the mothers carrying babies on their backs.

    At the castles, the prisoners were sorted according to age and sex – families were usually broken up – and bartered for finished European goods including guns and cooking pots. A healthy male in his prime could fetch three rifles.

    The slaves were kept in the dungeons at night, sleeping on straw. During the day, they were allowed in the courtyards, where they fetched water from cisterns and cooked traditional foods such as cassava and yam. They might have stayed at a castle for up to six weeks, waiting for the ships to come in.

    Kingsley shows me the thick, ocean-facing ‘door of no return’ the slaves were forced through at Cape Coast Castle. Once past that threshold, they were crammed below decks of leaking, stagnant ships, still shackled and packed literally like sardines. Almost one in six died on this ‘middle passage’.

    Ending the Atlantic Slave Trade was a long, labored process of changing economic fortunes and rising humanitarian concerns. Britain abolished its slave trade in 1807, France in 1815 and Spain in 1820. However, the trade continued with declining numbers throughout most of the 19th century in places like Cuba and Brazil, until slavery was finally outlawed everywhere in the Americas.

    “I don’t want people to come here and just get angry or just feel guilty,” says Yeboah. “We must learn from history, but I think these castles can now show us a way forward, how different people can get beyond the past and figure out how to exist together.”

    As I leave the castle, a group of young boys kicking a soccer ball against the stone wall invite the obroni – the white man – to join in. I try to keep up, but I’m no match for their youthful energy and endurance. Showing typical Ghanaian generosity, they cheer me on anyway, as we chase each other in the shadow of history.

  • Egypt in 10 days or Less

    Egypt in 10 days or Less

    I dreamed of visiting Egypt since I was an elementary school child learning about pharaohs and pyramids for the first time. I finally got my wish in March 2007 as I stepped out of the terminal at the Cairo International Airport to begin a whirlwind tour of the country in less then 10 days.

    Arriving in Cairo

    Arriving at Cairo’s international airport can be a challenge if you arrive unprepared as I did. As you pass through the terminal to immigration there are no signs or instructions of what to do. If you are in need of a visa it would greatly ease your arrival to know that you need to purchase one from the bank kiosks that line the arrival terminal before you get to the immigration lines. The terminal will be filled with people waiting for immigration and the chaos of travel group expeditor’s attempting to find their charges and speed them through the visa process. Patience is definitely a virtue in this situation.

    Upon leaving the terminal I was confronted with a teeming throng of humanity outside. Hundreds of “taxi” drivers wait to persuade the weary traveller to accept their offer for a ride to the hotel and there is no official taxi stand in sight. Likely best to have the hotel arrange transfer from the airport or be prepared to bargain.

    Giza and the Horse She Rode In On

    Horses Having BreakfastFriends who had traveled to Egypt previously had warned me not to spend too much time in Cairo. This was the best advice I received in advance of my trip. Although the city is huge and sprawling – it is possible to see everything you want to see in a day and a half. We spent 2 nights and 2 days there.

    The highlight of the visit to Cairo is the short journey from the downtown hotels to the pyramids at Giza. It is amazing to note how these hulking monuments of ancient history stand against the modern Cairo skyline like some sort of surreal spaceships on the landscape.

    My trip to Giza brought with it lesson number two for any traveler’s trip to Egypt – beware of the traveler tout. While waiting for me to arrive the previous evening my traveling companion had arranged for a driver to take me around the city and out to Giza the following day. This gesture was well appreciated as we were short on time and I had a lot I wanted to see. Unfortunately I made one big mistake – I did not have a firm idea of what I wanted to do or in what order.

    Overall the day went well – my driver was friendly and relatively safe in the crazy Cairo traffic. His English was passable and we managed to speak throughout the day on a variety of topics. However, the day began badly in Giza. Eager to see the great pyramids – I asked to go there first. As we approached the area of the pyramids the driver asked me if I wanted a camel, a horse, or a horse and carriage. Knowing the camel trick from friends who had been taken on short rides for exorbitant prices, I immediately said no to that quite firmly and asked if we could walk to the site and explore. The driver indicated it was hot in the desert and this might not be the best idea – which should have been my first tip off as it was not warm at all that morning. Suddenly we were on back streets near the pyramids with horse stables run out of shop fronts all around us.

    Although I indicated I was not interested in the horses I was not firm enough. Try Try Try… was the call of the shopkeeper of the stable that we stopped at. Before I knew it I was on a horse and caught. Needless to say I found myself paying an exorbitant price for an hour on a dirty horse in the desert and my pyramid experience was ruined. I could see the tour groups circling the great monuments from my horse in the desert. I still had the experience of seeing them – but could not get close enough to really have the experience I was looking for. That said – I learned my lesson about the tourist tout in Egypt. Know what you want, Be firm, ask the price first, agree on the price, again be firm, say NO when things begin moving outside the area of agreement. Final bit of advice to wary travelers – arrange a tour of Cairo and Giza through your hotel or with a guide recommended by your guidebook. Save the hassle and your pocketbook.

    Dust to dust… mummies and more

    I had been told time and time again that the Egyptian museum is a must-see in Egypt. This is agreed for serious history buffs and those who want to see the mummy collection featured by the museum. However, for those simply curious the museum is a maze of dusty relics which have little to no illustrative information available about them. We chose to guide ourselves through using our guidebook rather than to pay one of the eager Egyptologists outside jockeying to give us a tour. It was the right decision. We saw everything we wanted to see in the museum – including the gruesome mummy collection – in a morning. We were greatly aided by the fact that the crowds were unusually light during the day we chose to visit – but still we felt satisfied by our self-guided tour.

    Man made wonders of Egypt

    Luxor Small PyramidsAfter a short flight to Aswan on the afternoon of the second full day in Egypt, we entered our planes, trains, and automobiles phase of the trip. Aswan features one of the wonders of the modern world – the Aswan High Dam – which is credited with controlling the mighty Nile River and also the site of major cold war tension when the Russians stepped in to fund and provide technical expertise for the dam after Nasser’s independent politics alienated him from the west.

    While the unimpressive dam gets all the credit in Aswan – the town is actually quite lovely and the site of one of the best ancient sites in Egypt – the Temple of Philae. Philae can be reached only by boat – making it a bit of a hassle… but well worth the effort as the views of the ancient temple against the colorful Nile landscape is amazing.

    We traveled to Aswan for the purpose of making the 3 hour journey south to the famed temples at Abu Simbol. After a number of issues hiring a minibus to take us on the 6 hour round-trip journey and a sleepless night in a hotel full of Egyptian schoolchildren likely on their first trip away from home – we found our chariot awaiting us at 4am for the long journey south.

    Some might say that the trip to Abu Simbol is not worth the 6 hours in a car and a sleepless night – but they would be wrong. A nap on the bus is worth it to wake up in this magnificent place on the shores of Lake Nasser. The temple was “saved” from the rising waters of the lake formed by the high dam by UNESCO. Cut from the cliff it previously occupied – King Ramses’s foreboding welcome to those traveling south on the Nile is impressive even in its current resting place – a fake mountainside just up the cliff from its original location – is a bit strange.

    Luxor Means Luxury

    After our marathon trip to Aswan and Abu Simbol the team was ready for some serious R and R. As we boarded a dirty train for the 4 hour trip north to Luxor – we had high hopes that the familiar surroundings of the Sheraton Hotel there would be just the ticket. We were not disappointed. The hotel – surrounded by lush gardens and set directly on the banks of the Nile – was just what the doctor ordered. We sank into a world of Sheraton burgers and guided tours.

    our arrangements in Luxor are divided into east and west bank excursions. The Temple at Karnak is the feature of the east bank tour. Karnak is an amazing, sprawling ancient temple complex that will inspire anyone interested in seeing, touching and wandering through history. The temple at Luxor is fascinating as well – if for no other reason that the mosque built on one side of it gives you an idea of how deep in the sands the ancient monuments were before they were dug out and restored.

    Although for both west bank sites we had an excellent guide – we felt that we could have done the east bank trip to both Karnak and Luxor temples on our own with a guidebook and a taxi. We would have also likely put some time to wander around the souk and other areas of the Luxor city center – which has a lovely walk along the river as well as shopping and restaurants that were recommended but we did not explore.

    The west bank was something different though. In this case we felt as though our time and money was well spent with our excellent guide – Gad. Although Gad had a bit of an Egyptian mafia-cool attitude going – he knew his stuff and loved his history. Talking about centuries gone kings and their tombs in the Valley of the Kings the listener could not help but get caught in his pride and excitement.

    The Valleys of the Kings and Queens, as well as the Hatsheput Temple in Thebes on the west bank of the Nile are the jewels of Egypt’s tourism crown. Each tomb is below ground – but not as far as one might imagine. We were surprised by this and asked Gad why the tombs lay “undiscovered” for so long. We were immediately informed that the tombs were not “discovered”. Western archeologists may have been making “discoveries” for themselves – but the local people always knew the general location of the ancient sites.

    In general, the magnificent and bright colors of the Goddess Nut stretched over the massive limestone tomb of King Ramses IV and the other sites of the Valley of the Kings is well worth the trip. Unfortunately the closure of Queen Nefertari’s tomb makes the Valley of the Queens a bit disappointing. The stop at the overpriced Alabaster factory also was not a highlight – but interesting and without too many sales hassles.


    The Homestretch

    Continuing our theme of interesting travel options in Egypt we decided to take an afternoon bus from Luxor to Hurghada on the Red Sea Coast. Luckily at this point we had learned the lesson of being firm and sticking to your plan, because despite our research of bus options we were repeatedly lied to and discouraged in our plan by our Luxor tour agent, the hotel staff, and the taxi we hired to go to the bus station. Everyone advised and nearly forced us to take a hired car as part of the official convoy trip between the two cities. Our guidebook indicated this was unnecessary and it was.

    The convoy system was developed by the Egyptian government following a series of terrorist attacks on tourists in the mid-1990s. Like everything connected to tourism in Egypt the system has become a method for tour operators and everyone else connected to them to siphon money off the unsuspecting tourist and worse yet it plays on a fear for one’s security – which is not helpful to increasing the reach of the tourist dollar in the country. Although there are some areas where security is a concern – guidebooks are clear on where these areas are. The savvy visitor does not need the Egyptian tourism police and their lazy ways to nanny you through your visit to this fascinating country if you are interested in traveling on your own.

    Thus – after a 5 hour bus ride along the fertile Nile and the deserts leading to the coast – we arrived in Hurghada and then were whisked to our luxury Sheraton Miramar resort in El Gouna via private car arranged by the hotel. We arrived in the Disney-like resort designed by American Architect Michael Graves and enveloped ourselves in three lazy days by the pool and swimming in the Red Sea.

    Although we did not see much of the coast in and around Hurghada on our arrival – but we made a subsequent trip into town later during our stay. Hurghada is a development disaster. Although the sea coast here is lovely – development of it has proceeded unchecked and one can barely reach the beach through the maze of half-finished concrete buildings. The town caters to eastern European and Russian holiday makers looking for a bargain – as well as students backpacking through Egypt. Thus it is full of cheap eats, t-shirt shops, and cafes with beer for a decent price. Needless to say we were happy that we ended up in our Arabian Disney resort in El Gouna – although the Sheraton Miramar was certainly more Orlando than Cairo.

    Concluding thoughts

    When I first considered a trip to Egypt as part of my holiday break plans from my work in Kabul, Afghanistan, I was inspired by my own interests in the country – both historical and architectural. However, I was surprised how negative the reaction of friends and colleagues was to my plans.

    Some people were concerned about my security traveling in the country and others were concerned about how relaxing the experience would be based on their own experiences addressing the hassles of tourist touts and constant sales techniques directed at visitors to Egypt. On the first point – I found Egypt surprisingly safe, clean, and friendly. Witness the hordes of fellow travelers I encountered everywhere I went and clearly I am not alone. However, I did find the enormous police presence everywhere in the country which rather than making me feel safe contributed to a feeling of oppression. I was particularly annoyed in Cairo to find that the tourist police at every site in the city would not let my driver into most of the sites or demanded he pay a bribe to accompany me inside. Based on the comments many of the Egyptians I met made about their government – the prominence of the police and the cult of Mubarek’s personality is not doing much to improve the state of life in this colorful and wonderfully unique country.

    Overall I found my travels in Egypt to be better than anything I could have expected. Although I found myself learning to not make eye contact or respond to constant cries of “what country?” from every taxi driver, store keeper, and street urchin for fear of being trapped in a hard sell – I enjoyed my travels immensely. I found it surprisingly easy to get around. Trains and buses were cheap and on time – although a bit dirty and slow. Egypt Air was relatively cheap and would be an easy way to get around to various destinations. Best of all tickets can be booked online – although prices go up steeply within a week of travel and planes are notoriously delayed. I did have a few bad experiences – particularly the horse trick in Giza – and got tired of constantly haggling with people over prices – but nothing outshone the positive nature of the experience. I would highly recommend traveling to Egypt to anyone and the country is a place I hope to return to.