Random Thoughts on South America

Srini came back from Rio yesterday and sent me his pix today. Wonderful colors, lively streets, beautiful copper skinned samba dancers, abs toned like wash board, blue ocean, girls' light cotton dresses flying up in the breeze... I miss the ocean.

Earlier I was planning to go to Rio and Buenos Aires in Jan. and Mike also agreed. Right about when I was going to book my first guided tour through Friendlyplanet.com, a Brazilian airline crashed over the Amazon. I came across on CNN about the bankruptcy of Varig in the same news. Varig would have been my airline if I had booked the non-refundable trip. I then checked on Varig's financial stats online and learned that they were not operating to fly to the States in near future. Anyways, it was a mess. Glad I did not book the trip. Then I was going to plan everything myself using an American carrier until Julee called me. Africa for some mysterious reason had my heart after Morocco so I have without hesitation turned to my current pending trip to Egypt and Jordan.

However one day I will go to South America. I want to eat the steak in Argentina, see their tango, sun bathe at Ipanema, maybe learn to dance samba... Life is so short and there are too many things to do.

Still Up in the Air...

The day after Thanksgiving, I received an email from Kathy from GAP telling me my trip had been cancelled because Julee and I were the only people who signed up. I crawled into bed and put my face in the pillows and was in shock... I felt deeply disturbed. What disappointment!

My options are to sign up for the next trip starting 2/1, to cancel and get my refund, or to go on a different trip only covering Egypt. My problem is once I have my heart set on something, I can never stop until I have it. It’s unthinkable that I will cancel the trip or skip Jordan. Never!

I had to wait till the weekend passed to call Kathy to ask the chance of us getting guaranteed trip for 2/1. She says there is nobody signing up for this date. There is only one person signing up for March 1 tour but if nobody else signs up for March, they would not leave for just three people either. Besides, I really cannot wait till March. I also read that March is prone to sand storms in Egypt. I must have sounded really perplexed on the phone, trying to make this happen. She suddenly says: “Maybe you can go with our supplier.” I have to admit I am a little surprised to know that they used to do business with Intrepid, a supplier for some of their tours and only recently decided to separate from Intrepid and run the tours themselves. Intrepid runs the same tour the same time but according to her, if I book the 1/25 or 2/1 tour, it’s guaranteed to go because enough people already signed up for it. I get off the phone and call Julee right away. Julee gives me three options: 1) we can go alone; 2) we can go with Intrepid; 3) we don’t go. I tell her the third one is not an option for me.

So now here is the deal still not confirmed though: we are booking via GAP with the Intrepid tour that starts on 2/1 and ends on 2/18 since all the waiting for confirmation made us miss the perfect Air France flight schedule for 1/23. This new tour covers everything in the GAP tour and is one day longer because we will stay by the Red Sea for an additional night. It’s slightly more expensive but still reasonable. The two companies basically operate in the same pattern. I figure GAP used to buy Intrepid tours and offers them as their own, so I am not too concerned about the quality. But again I am still waiting for final booking confirmation, travel insurance change and etc. This is no less work than planning the entire trip myself.

Typhoid and Tetanus Prevention?

Typhoid and tetanus shots? Recommended, says the GAP trip dossier. Hepatitis A and B are suggested on the Center for Disease Control website for traveling to North Africa. I've had the last two in 2004 when I went to China so I am still good. I called my mom to check on my immunization record since I could not find it here. She could not remember what I had and what not. She said even if I had typhoid and tetanus shots when I was little, the effect should have long gone by now.

This afternoon I drove to the county health center where I had my hepatitis vaccinations. To my dismay, they no longer offer travel immunization. Tetanus shots are still available but I will need to wait in line for probably over an hour. I looked around the room full of people and thought an hour and half was not going to be enough and I really had better things to do today. I walked out.

Now I don't know if I want to take these two shots. I did not even think about taking any vaccination before I went to Morocco. I watched what I ate - no raw food (well maybe just a little, such as the salad from Jemma el Fna night food stalls) and what I drank -no juice from the fruit stall since I was warned that water was usually mixed in. I only drank bottled water. I was OK. I think I will give my doctor a call. If he provides the shots I will take them otherwise just forget about...

Antibes on the Côte d'Azur

Antibes is my favorite amongst all the French Riviera cities and towns. It is 30 minutes drive from Nice and is one of Europe's biggest yacht harbors. The old city wall surrounds the old town where farmers market opens during the weekends offering fresh produce, meats, wine, lavender sachets and ceremics in patterns typical of the Provence.

Hundreds of yachts stay afloat at the marina by the ancient city wall surrounding the old town. Through the gate, we walk uphill to the Picasso museum, passing dozens of outside cafes and the busy Sunday market. The sky is as blue and clear as the Mediterranean sea. The blue water is dotted with sailboats and sparkles under the sun.

We stop by a shop infused with the smell of lavender. I pick one up and take a deep breath, my brain becomes intoxicated with the scent. I picture a vast green field full of purple flowers and how each of them was hand-picked, dried and became part of the pouch in front of me. The ceramics in Antibes has its own special motif - the cicada, and the colors - bright green and yellow. I pick a pair of salt and pepper shakers that represent these characteristics and four sachets.

In the shop next door, I fall in love with a blue and white table cloth with intricate design again with the cicada theme. How well does it match my green and yellow salt and pepper shakers! The shop owner is a soft spoken Asian woman in her 40s. While helping me to open each table cloth on display, she asks me if I am Chinese. She is so delighted to find out that I am from China, I feel that she is going to give me a hug any second. I know this all too familiar sentiment where you meet a fellow countryman far away from home. We naturally start to chat in mandarin. She is from Taiwan and is married to a French. She says it is rare to see a Chinese in Antibes because most Asian tourists only care to go to more famous cities like Paris. She says business is not easy since there are quite a few stores selling table linens. Competition is fierce.

It's hard to make a decision... I want them all! At last, I have decided on the table clothes with sunflowers in red background, the sunflowers in white background, the cicadas in blue and white, and four sets of napkins to match. Before I leave, the owner stops me. She picks out a cicada pin in the typical Antibes green and yellow design and gently pins it onto my shirt. "For good luck!" She says and bids me farewell.

Second Visit at R.E.I.

On the way to REI, I am so surprised to hear Christmas music on the radio. Come on, it's not even Thanksgiving yet! At least we should wait till after Turkey Day before playing Christmas songs. The parking lot is full at the back of REI. As soon as I step into the store, I see red signs all over the place with snow flakes on - Winter Sales! Wow, thanks to the Christmas spirit, maybe I can get some deals too.

I am looking for the Sahara hiking pants Julee recommended. She says she will bring four pairs of pants including two Saharas, a normal khaki pant for roaming the cities... I was going to just bring two Sahara pants to conserve space until she says "well, I want to look at least half-way decent. So I wear my city khaki pant when I go sight seeing." After that I cannot help but paint this horrible picture of these Sahara pants. They must be seriously lacking in style. Here they are, very practical with big cargo pockets on the thighs, a hidden inside pocket under one of the side pockets, and two back pockets. You can remove the lower portion of the pant and convert it into shorts. Also it's light and supposed to dry in 20 minutes. I pick out the only two colors, charcoal and beige and try it on. I stare at myself in the fitting room mirror. From the side, it seems ok but as I turn around, my lower body is bloated like a hot hair balloon. I look like a turnip! I guess for flexibility, the pant is wide at the hips and thighs but narrow at the ankles so insects cannot get in easily? Ha, now I understand what Julee was talking about. I will need to bring some extra city pants too. :-)

One and half hours later, I've picked up two Sahara pants, a pair of long socks and a sun hat. I could not find the cover duffel for my Kelty. They ran out of the larger size. I will have to pay another visit later.

la vie en rose

Edith Piaf's "la vie en rose" is one of my all time favorites. Ever since I was a little girl, every time I heard the song, it reminded me of Paris. Paris became the epiphany of romance to me and I have always wanted to see it, breathe it and live it. In fact, my dream in life, if I am free of responsibilities and all worldly worries, would be going to school in Paris learning to master multiple languages of romance such as French, Italian and Portuguese.

When I finally arrive, it's an early October morning after a fresh rain. The grey skyline instantly sends me into a nostalgic mood. Everything is new yet seems so familiar as if I have seen it in the past or maybe in my dreams. Our hotel is one block from the Seine. As soon as we check in, we take a stroll to the river. Notre Dame de Paris stands couple hundred meters away in the light fog. We pass the gorgeous rose window, cross one of the many bridges over the Seine and head up the cathedral to take in a grand view of the city. Covered in mist, Paris looks white washed. I can hardly make out the Eiffel Tower far away, half hidden in the fog and cloud. Usually I would have wished for a drier, sunnier day but strangely I feel calm and content in my environment. I have little desire to ask for more.

After viewing the city from each angle on the top of Notre Dame, I am so mesmerized that I decide I would pay another visit the second day. Indeed my favorite memories of Paris are studying the expression of every single gargoyle adorning the Notre Dame, napping in the canopied garden behind the cathedral, and sharing a tasty ham and cheese baguette with Mike and the pigeons in front of the cathedral.

Mike's favorite spot in Paris is this long pathway along the Seine below the street level. One entire season of the Highlander show was filmed here. Mike has all six seasons of this immortal collection and believe it or not, the reason he comes to Paris with me is because he wants to find this spot where Connor MacLeod parks his boat and battles the other immortals! We find his spot in no time since he has taken a cell phone picture of the DVD scene back home where the boat is parked right near a bridge of noticeable character and has the background structure that happens to be the Notre Dame. :) We have spent two lazy mid afternoons here, leaning against each other, reading or just looking at the river boats cruising by. It is very quiet and traffic free. Occasionally a few locals come jogging by and some street musicians from the nearby bridge above us play jazz.

Beyond our tranquil "secret" spot, the rest of Paris is bustling. Cafes, bakeries, flower shops abound. We sit down every so often to sip coffee, taste the crepe, and people watch. I know I can get used to this and I can certainly continue to dream about studying languages here.

The night before leaving, we hold our hands and roam around one last time crossing the many bridges over the Seine. Edith Piaf's voice is again drifting in my mind and soon infuses the air surrounding us.

Quand il me prend dans ses bras,
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose,
Il me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tous les jours,
Et ça me fait quelque chose
Il est entré dans mon cœur,
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause,
C'est lui pour moi,
Moi pour lui dans la vie
Il me l'a dit, l'a juré
Pour la vie.
Et dès que je l'aperçois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon cœur qui bat...

The Mummy Trilogy

It just happens that this week on USA network the Mummy Trilogy is on. This includes "The Mummy" (last night), "The Mummy Returns" (tonight) and "The Scorpion King" (tomorrow). I watched the first two again and took great interest this time in the details. With a few days reading on my Eyewitness Guidebook to Egypt, I am now aware of quite a few little facts that I did not know before. It is awesome to see Abu Simbel, the pyramids, the cartouche in hieroglyphics, and the statue of Anubis, the god of death. I am really getting excited about seeing the real Egypt.

Some Progress Made

Kathy, the GAP coordinator wrote me today informing that my travel insurance is booked. I looked at the confirmation, it said start date 1/25 and end date 2/10. I don't think that will work. We are leaving on 1/23 if we were to book the Air France flight leaving IAD at 10 PM and arriving in Cairo on 1/24 at 7 PM. All the potential baggage loss or other issues would have taken place prior to the insured start date. Since we are waiting for their trip confirmation till the 60 day cutoff line, we won't know if the flight back home will land on 2/10 either. I asked Kathy to modify my insurance to start on 1/23 and 2/11. Will see what happens.

It's a funny feeling this time since I am putting all the planning in someone else's hands. I have never gone on a trip in a tour group before. I always plan my own trip down to every little detail and serve as my own tour guide. I guess there will be some back and forth and also waiting for information in the coming weeks. Um, a test on my patience...

Ciao Bella

The Forbidden City, view from Jin Shan Park
Here are some photos from my 2004 October trip home. Fall is the best time to visit Beijing. Clicking through the photos to choose the ones I want to post brings back so much memory of my past life in this beautiful ancient city.

The Nine Dragon Mural, Forbidden City

City Wall & Gate, Forbidden City

In the Forbidden City, the number of layers of the roof and the legendary figures over the roof symbolize the importance of the building. The higher the number, the more significant it is.The Temple of Heaven where the emperor prayed to the heavenly god for good harvest every year.

Lioness, Yonghe Palace - Lions are frequently seen in ancient Chinese palaces and they also decorated the gates into a Chinese house. Lions are usually playing fireballs while the lioness, shown above is protecting her cub under her paw.

The Forbidden CityBa Da Lin, The Great Wall

Miss home

It's 1:30 AM and I am still online in the blogs. I found this beijingdailyphoto on Blogger. This girl posts one photo a day from Beijing. I suddenly miss home. Home to me, is always China.

I will find some of my old photos from the 2004 trip and will post soon... I miss home

Ikran

An hour before boarding the train from Fez to Casablanca, I've taken Dramamine, hoping I can fall asleep and not be affected by my motion sickness. Srini and I have a separate compartment. A family of three comes in right before the train departs. Mom, dad and a little girl. Mom greets us in French and I say "bonjour" back.

The movement of the train soon sends me into drowsy lalaland. Between my almost closed eye lids, I sense that someone is staring at me. Indeed, Ikran (later I've learned to be the little girl's name and she is two years old) is leaning comfortably against Srini's leather jacket (bought in the souks of Marrakech) and observing me intensely. She is sucking on her index finger and checking me out without any disguise. The sun comes through the half closed drapes and gives a warm glow to her curls and the white flowery bow mom tied on her before the trip looks almost transparent. She has this curiosity and naiveté written all over her little face.

In the West, the best you can do in this situation is to smile at the kid. I am never too enthusiastic about babies or little children. I find them too feeble to handle and usually keep my distance. I am much more magnetized by cats than kids. But for some odd reason, Ikran's expression totally intrigues me. I snap a photo of this moment and quickly reach for my pocket to find the Starbursts that I always travel with and put my palm in front of her, "Bonbon?" Her eyes light up with such interest in the fact that I am talking to her. She takes her finger out of her mouth and grabs the strawberry flavored candy from my hand. Mom immediately breaks out a wide smile, thanks me in French and then says a bunch of words in Arabic to Ikran, apparently asking the baby to thank me. That is the icebreaker.

During the rest of the trip, this shy little person gets into an entirely different mode. She only speaks Arabic so we communicate via gestures, facial expressions, or Arabic-French-English mix. Regardless of the fact that the Dramamine is making my upper and lower eye lids literally fighting each other, I cannot doze off for a second because Ikran insists on keeping me engaged in all sorts of activities, including drawing her pictures of a zoo full of animals, letting her listen to my Game Boy Tetris music and do her little dance, smooching me on the cheeks and yelling repeatedly "aunt Lei choochoo" while waving her arms, taking pictures of her and her family, letting her take pictures from my camera of her mom and dad, swinging her 35 pound body on my leg pretending it is a horse, finding all my food in the backpack to feed her, and singing to her... I swear I have never been so engaged with any child before in my life. She even refuses to be held by her parents for a nap. When I look at her sleeping in my arms, I cannot believe this! How incredible it is that we so easily give and let them take and not have one complaint!!?? But look at her! … wearing my sunglasses and bursting into an adorable smiling little flower.

Srini and I are both amazed how different it is between other parts of the world and the US. It's unthinkable for a stranger to offer candies to a kid in the US, let alone hugging them and playing with them. American parents teach their children not to tell any stranger their names, not to talk to strangers or accept any food from them (oh god no!) The trust people have offered us here in Morocco is refreshing especially when it has been a roller coaster ride in terms of the level of trust we have reciprocated and how we could warm up to give in return.

When the family leaves at a city one stop before Casablanca, mom gives me a hearty hug. Ikran clings to me, covers me with kisses and yells one last time “aunt Lei choochoo!” I feel a little sad when she disappears into the crowd hurrying off the train. A few minutes later, we hear a knock on the window. There on the platform, dad is holding Ikran up, mom smiles and waves at us. Ikran raises both her hands and waves us good bye with her heart-melting innocent smile. We stand up and wave back. The train slowly starts again. I fall asleep in the next minute...

Where is the toilet?

On Day 5, from Aswan, we are supposed to board our felucca to spend the rest of the day on the Nile and a night under the stars before we get to Luxor on Day 6. The first thing that pops up in my mind is “where is the toilet?” The felucca is a sailboat that was once the only way of transportation in ancient Egypt on the Nile. Nowadays, it is still used for transporting, sometimes as a “floatel” for tourists seeking non-conventional travel. From looking at pictures on GAP website and the travel guide, it does not seem to have the capacity for a toilet onboard. Well, maybe we will take a hike to the bushes along the Nile? I drop down a mental note that I shall not drink too much fluid on Day 5.

Amazon vs. Girly Gal

The Amazon is a female gladiator. I would like to picture her as a six-foot tall, beautiful, powerful and agile woman warrior. Impressive but not someone I could be. Most people, when knowing that I trek through the Sahara and sleep overnight in the desert would not believe it especially since I dress kinda preppy at work and may look quite prissy. According to the Oriental standards, I am definitely not a girly girl but I am not an amazon either. I can’t lift too much weight. I am a clean freak. I am incredibly bad with directions. At times, I contradict myself for the things I do. I like beach resorts, spas and sunbathing; I like sitting at the cafes people watching and doing nothing; I also like hustling through the souks passing chopped off goat heads... I have no preference in the ways I travel, at least for now. For me, if it’s fresh new to my eyes and ears, I will stop by and take a look and listen. It is probably curiosity in my nature that makes me resilient. I bear the uncertainty and uncomfortable circumstances because the reward is too much of a thrill to pass.

I am starting a new routine at the gym. I normally do yoga and a little bit of weight training on my arms. I have just decided to do some weight training on my back to make it stronger for my 25 pound Kelty. I am convinced that I should never be someone else’s liability. Let’s see what happens if I consistently do 90 pound reps or even increasing it to 100 pounds later on three times a week. I have ten weeks before the trip. It looks like a really promising idea.

Booking and Idiosyncrasies

Met Julee over lunch time to talk about booking via GAP but I went ahead and put a tentative hold on the package online. It took me less than a minute. All the while, I saw an airplane flying in the sky in my mind's eye, which to me is the ultimate symbol of going somewhere at will. Julee showed me her past communications with GAP. Seems like this is a group of really friendly and energetic people, highly flexible and helpful. Julee said she was changing her plans till one week ahead of traveling to Peru and GAP was very accommodating. That's really good.

Same as what I did with Srini prior to our trip to Morocco, I ask Julee whether she has any allergies or idiosyncrasies. I am allergic to penicillin and deadly, I mean deadly afraid of worms, caterpillars, or simply crawlies, wigglies that look like a worm. My first reaction is for sure a scream for life. I think this derives from traumatic childhood experience that I had to walk home from school everyday along a 100-foot wall where caterpillars hung at the back of the leaves, chewing over my head what I can still identify today as the "Caterpillar Leaves". I never go near those plants if I see the same shape of leaves. Well, I assure her I am not afraid of rats, snakes, cockroaches, snails or predators. Indeed I have tried to get over this phobia but nada. If I scream in the middle of the road, at least she will know. Julee is not allergic to anything. She does not eat raisins. Being Chinese herself, this is unthinkable but hey, I am afraid of worms (most people think the caterpillars are cute. ) Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine. Brr... Julee also very "kindly" shares that she was once in a cave in New Zealand looking at the famous "glowing worms" that was glowing in the dark and dropped over her while they passed in a boat. She googles it and shows me the pictures. I cannot bear it. My neck feels stiff. Enough of the worm talk.

In the evening, Kathy from GAP has responded to my hotmail. I reply with my passport info, ask to confirm my booking and quote for extra night in Cairo (1/24) when we arrive and also all-inclusive insurance that GAP offers. My MasterCard company does cover up to $100,000 for travel insurance, but the Bank says it's for travel accidents. I ask the girl "so if I am sick and have to be flown out of the country, I am not covered?" She does not know. Just to be sure, I decide to buy it directly from GAP. Julee had hers for $98 in the Peru trip. Travel insurance via websites like the ones I previously got costs half of that amount but my past trips are usually not this long. The only time I did not purchase insurance was when I left for Morocco. Big mistake as Srini and I both lost our luggage. Found after a day but it could be worse.

My Packing List

I am not a big packer. Even Mike says so. Dave's wife Annie packs two and half (2 big and one small) suitcases for one week on the cruise. Well, they lost their luggage on their honeymoon two months ago to Hawaii. When I heard, I was thinking that girl would not have survived. For me, for the four-day wedding trip to Vegas, including packing Mike's suits and my bridesmaid's gown, together we had one small suitcase and each had a backpack for carry-on. I was feeling pretty good about myself till I see my list and limit for this trip.

I have my preliminary packing list based on past trips, GAP's recommended/mandatory list, and Julee's list. I just don't think it's gonna work. I am supposed to pack no more than 15 KG which is 30 lbs. I know my back won't make it with 30 lbs. When I was fitting the backpack at REI, the guy put in 25 pounds for test run and asked me to walk around the shop floor. I was out of breath like a dog in summer heat after a minute. Plus the first REI bag was pressing so hard on my back and shoulder, I was hurting. At that point, I knew I needed to pack below 25 pounds. My Kelty backpack is about 5 pounds, my camera/converter is 5 pounds... I am now really worried about which items to put in or leave out.

Basics:

• Shirts/t-shirts (# TBD)
• Sun hat (*To be purchased)
• Swimsuit
• Pants/shorts (*To be purchased from REI, # TBD)
• Cover for backpacks (*To be purchased from REI)
• Rain poncho
• Fleece top/jacket (for the felucca and desert night, haven’t decided if I should bring the really thick one I took to Morocco)
• Walking shoes
• Flip flops
• Underwear, socks, long socks
• PJs
• Extra pant for the cold nights
• Vest for the night
• Sleeping bag (got it from Julee today, already packed into my Kelty, perfect fit!)
• Sun block and sun glasses
• Watch and alarm clock (can share with Julee)
• Flashlight (extra batteries and bulbs) (*To be purchased)
• Small travel towel - for use on felucca, at Mt Sinai and for swimming
• Travel pillow
• Toiletries (conditioner, shampoo, lotions, contact lenses and extra lenses, contact cleaning solution, case, etc.)
• Makeup kit (Yes, to still look decently good in the sands…) and perfume (I am still a girly gal)
• Hair band, pins, and comb
• First-aid kit (chapstick, Aspirin, band aids, Imodium, insect repellent, extra prescription drugs) (Share the load with Julee)
• Water purification tablets and rehydration salts (May share the load with Julee)
• Dramamine (day/night), sea bands, anti motion sickness watch and gel (Being intolerant of rides, I can't even think about all the communtes by motor vehicle or boats... now after this thought, yes I've forgotten the next item...)
• Plastic bags in case I throw up. Ugh!
• Zip lock bag to bring on liquid to the plane /extra ones
• Bag for laundry just in case
• Water bottle
• Swiss Army knife
• Locks (*To be purchased)
• Scarf (to cover my head in the mosques), indigo headpiece bought in Merzuga TBD, or do I need a thick wool scarf mom bought me?
• Biodegradable laundry detergent
• Glasses
• Journal and Pen
• TP, tissue paper, handiwipes
• Gameboy (important in case we miss the flight again)
• Camera, charger, converter, extra fuses for the converter
• Binoculars (if Julee brings it, I won’t)
• Two hangers for drying clothes

Documents and Must-haves:

• Passport/ID, visa info
• Photocopy of passport, visas, travel insurance, credit card info
• Travel Guides
• Credit Cards/ATM cards
• Airline tickets (with photocopies)
• USD cash and local cash
• G.A.P vouchers, pre-departure information and dossier

Misc

• Power bars for the trip /chocolates/candies for the plane

Travel Guides

After reading reviews at Amazon.com, I decide to go to Barnes & Noble to see which travel guide is “readable” to me. My top choices are Rough Guides, Eyewitness Travel Guides and Lonely Planet. Julee’s already bought the Rough Guides for both Egypt and Jordan, I feel that I should buy something different so we cover everything we need between the both of us.

photo above: Rough Guide to Jordan book cover

What a nice November afternoon! It is sunny with clear blue sky. I figure the temperature is exactly like what I will experience in Cairo, 55ish during the day. I find a vacant chair and carry it over to the foreign travel aisles beside the big window. I sit down for two hours basking in the sun in front of a pile of books.

My criteria include content (does the book cover the places I am visiting?), weight (since it’s a back-pack trip, it’s got to be as light as possible), pictures (I am a very visual person. I learn things the quickest way if there are pictures on the side. What drudgery if I were to read a travel book only described in words!), humor (this is very important especially for pre-trip reading.)

The Rough Guide to Egypt is almost 900 pages. It has some pictures. Each page is thin so the book is just about a pound (Amazon info). I read the entire section on Women Traveler - two pages as compared to the two paragraphs in the Eyewitness Travel Guides’ section on women traveling. My mind is more at ease after I read the info. They both say the level of harassment on female travelers is not more than that in Morocco. In Morocco, I have never felt threatened or insulted. No one has groped me or hissed at me. People are friendly, a little pushy at times but never rude. A lot of times they greet me with “Konichiwa” thinking I am Japanese. I correct them if I am in a good mood and say “Nihao” back. But my friend Rella WAS groped in the temple in Egypt even though she was with her husband. So I guess it is sheer luck.

The Eyewitness Travel Guides has 350 pages and over 1000 pictures. It’s my kind of travel book. A good visual preview into the museums and sceneries just gives me a lot more to look forward to. This is a turtleback so it feels much heavier than the 800 page Rough Guide (0.5 pound more according to Amazon).

The Lonely Planet book is packed with information and almost no pictures. I am not sure if it’s because of the font or the lack of pictures, I am scared to even read into it.

The only guides I dig out from the shelf on Jordan are the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet. This is a no brainer for me. The Rough Guide is not as thick as the Egypt one and I already chuckle several times just reading a few sections.

So now I own the Eyewitness Travel Guides for Egypt and the Rough Guide to Jordan. I can’t wait to start reading.

Cat Country

My heart breaks when I see him. He tip toes gingerly around our table at the Jemma el Fna outdoor cafe, stops to look if we may shush him away. His fur is messy. The black part looks faded, the white part looks dirty. His eyes are cautious and unfriendly. There is a little scratch on his nose. I am not sure if it's from a fight with other cats or from a sharp object hitting him. I talk to him gently and gives him the chicken wing from my plate.

There are so many homeless cats or maybe just outdoor cats in Morocco, I am tempted to call this a Country of Cats. Unlike the sleek looking well-fed lazy cats in America, these cats are slim, jumpy and all look like survivors.

I have a born instinct to stop on the street if I encounter a cat. In Morocco, Srini stops so many times in the souks, on the sidewalk, outside our Riad to wait for my futile attempt to pet the cats. Every time I get disappointed because they are way too scared to come close to me, let alone let me pet them. I've seen cats, mom and kittens, attacking a pile of garbage to find the chicken bones covered below. I feel terrible.

photo left: note the little one at the corner of the snack store in the Jemma el Fna souks


The thinking cat at Jardin Majorelle is one of the lucky ones. She has beautiful smooth fur and seems to have a full stomach. Otherwise she would be looking for food instead of enjoying the scenery. Jardin Majorelle is a private garden. I guess she must be the owner's cat and lucky her, the huge vibrant garden is her own playground.
photo right: reflecting pool, Jardin Majorelle, Marrakech

Finally in the Merzuga Village, I get my first and last chance to pet a kitten. He's so skinny, I feel his little bones. He meows a couple times in an indiscernible voice when I stroke his forehead and then he starts purring. I feel the vibration under my palm and the warmth from his tiny body. He looks so content, it instantly warms my heart.

The Arabian Nights - Passage to Egypt and Jordan

Posts related to my trip to Egypt and Jordan are placed under this link in chronological order.

Planning

• Surprise Surprise
• Tic Toc
• He Says Yes
• Planning Begins
• Travel Guides
• My Packing List
• Booking and Idiosyncrasies
• Amazon vs. Girly Gal
• Where is the toilet?
• Some Progress Made
• The Mummy Trilogy
• Second Visit at R.E.I.
• Typhoid and tetanus Prevention?
• Still Up in the Air...
• Never Say Never
• I got my Egyptian visa!
• Unfinished Business
• Foreign Money
• Getting Close
• My Alternative Plan after 7 Mortifying Weeks
• Presenting Kelty
• I AM GOING TO JORDAN!!!!!!!!!!!

The Trip Itself

• Huff and Puff
• Still Day 1 I Got Grabbed in the Butt Twice
• Day 2 Giza Plateau
• Day 3 Aswan
• Day 4 I am Sick in Abu Simbel
• Day 5 Disaster on the Felucca
• Day 6 Luxor, Karnak Temple
• Day 7 Hey lady, felucca? Camel ride? Egyptian Husband?
• Day 8 Back to Crazy Cairo
• Put Under vs. Put Down
• Over Dreams Terrain Changed
• Day 10-11 Nuweiba by Red Sea
• Day 12 Jordan Impression
• Day 13 Laurence of Arabia
• A Good Job
• Day 14 Happy Valentine's Day in Petra
• Day 15 Exploring the Rose Red City
• Day 16 Floating in the Dead Sea
• What else on Day 16?...Dana & Karak
• More of Day 16 - Mount Nebo
• Day 17 - Madaba
• Day 17 Every Party has an End

Later...

• 1st day back to work & picture updates
• Focus on Egyptian and Jordanian Food
• Story of My Kelty
• Chasing Sunset
• The Lovely People
• Email from Kirsten
  

Planning Begins

- I call Julee this morning and tell her I need to get my annual leave approval first. She cheers at the other end of the line. JR is a cool boss. As long as I get my job done, she is flexible. I tell her I would not be taking any vacation from now till end of Jan but I need to leave for two and half weeks. (I am only taking two days of national holiday for Thanksgiving and one day for Christmas. Since my folks are not here, there isn't much family obligation other than showing up at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.) She says "Great! No problem." "Just so that you know where I will be during those two weeks... I will be in Egypt and Jordan with Julee." She drops her jaw, "Why does it have to be so nerve racking for me? Why do you have to go ride a camel somewhere again? Why can't you just go to a nice safe place, like Hawaii??!!" "Don't worry I will be back."

- I plan to get guide books next.

He Says Yes

Mike says yes. The caveat is I cannot babble about travel for a while in front of him... and this is the last time that I go on a trip solo, with a tour group, or with someone he does not know... at least for a while. Beggars cannot choose. I listen. The guilt inside me is equal force against greed. For a moment, greed takes over and I feel happy and relieved. I will take care of guilt later.

So where am I going next? Egypt and Jordan!!!

Tic Toc

I am simply anxious. Told Mike days ago that he should tell me his decision on Nov. 1 because Julee is going on vacation to CA in a few days. I want to let her know (well, myself too). Don't really know how I would react if the answer is negative. I know I won't give up. Knowing a month ahead of time (before final ticket purchase and etc. ) will buy me some time to continue to work him till he's completely stressed out and let me go. Forgot which book it was (Frances Maye's A Year in the World: Journeys of A Passionate Traveller? or maybe Rita Gelman's Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World). One sentence struck me particularly as true. It is more or less saying travel is a selfish ordeal since where you go, you leave everything behind. Even if you go with a company, personal experiences are so distinctly different, you are just enjoying it yourself. Travel is essentially not sharable. I will go back and try to dig out the exact wording later. How did I ever get like this?

On the way to work, called him to say hi and refrained to ask. He just woke up. Then called him again out of the garage and asked. He was obviously annoyed. "Can you give me a break?" He said he would tell me today. It is killing me, the suspense. Anticipation is bitter sweet. If all things are known, then there is no exhilaration after long awaited agony. I've been known for possessing little patience. Last night, I went to gapadventures again and this time opened the slide show online for Egypt. Pictures always make things more real. I feel that I haven't wanted anything this bad for a while. It's such torment for me.

I wait.