Good-Bye Misr

"Egypt" is an anglo word given to this country. However, for centuries it has been & still is called Misr by its citizens. I have seen many "wonders" here - both literally & figuratively.
Today I discovered that the best place to get pics of all of Cheop's great pyramid (top pic) & his son's US $1 bill pyramid (bottom pic) was from the roof of my hotel - Mena House which has operated continually as a hotel for 120+ years (Google it for more info). It's an ex-palace & absolutely terrific albeit expensive!

It is difficult to comprehend that above pyramids were built over 6,500 years ago & they're still standing.

I return to the US tomorrow. I estimate that during this trip I have traveled more than 32,000 miles. I have visited 8 countries: Philippines, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Republic of Maldives, Qatar, Jordan & Misr. 7 of these countries I visited for the first time! Result being that I have now visited 74 countries during my lifetime. Most world atlas' identify about 200 countries. That means I have yet to visit 2/3 of the world. Stay tuned!

Step Pyramid

The Step Pyramid was the first pyramid in Egypt in 4700 BC. ALL pyramids were built/completed by pharohs during their lifetimes. Top pic is of men in the huge "courtyard" in front of the Step Pyramid. The pyramid & courtyard were surround by a 30 foot high sandstone wall!
Bottom pic is the Step Pyramid in foreground & "Bent Pyramid" in background.

Bent & Red Pyramids

Top pic is of the Bent Pyramid built in about 4600 BC by the son of the pharoh who built the Step Pyramid. It is "bent" because the architects realized after completing about 2/3s of the pyramid that the original angle was too steep and had to be changed. So the angle was changed & the Bent Pyramid was born.

The Bent Pyramid builder did not like the Bent Pyramid and demanded his architects to build another made of red granite which is now known as the Red Pyramid - bottom pic. This is the first true pyramid built in Misr (what Egyptians call their country) & the only one built of granite. In the end, this is the only Pharoh who had 2 pyramids built and, ironically they are not sure which if either he is entombed <-- no one has ever found his burial chamber! The pharaohs who built the Giza pyramids almost 200 years later copied the Red Pyramid's design.

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt 1

The Great Pyramid of Giza was built in 4500 BC - comprised of 2.3 million stones & taking an estimated 25-30 years to complete, it is the largest of the 9 pyramids in Giza - that's its base to the left of the top pic. It is difficult to get a picture of the entire great pyramid because it is so huge. The Great pyramid has 3 small pyramids on its south side where the pharoh's wife, mother & daughter are entombed.
The pyramid directly behind me in top pic is the 2nd largest in Giza built by the son of the pharaoh contained in the largest. It also has 3 smaller pyramids on one side for this pharaoh's immediate family.
Bottom pic is of the Sphinx carved from one stone by the pharoh who built the first & largest pyramid. Supposedly it was Napoleon who had its nose shot off. And the Sphinx' goatee is in an English museum who refuse to return it to Egypt!
Now I have seen 3 of the 7 wonders of the ancient world - the other 2 being Angkor Wat & Petra! I think the other 4 have been gone for centuries!!

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt 2

Of everything I saw today, I believe that I was most impressed with the Sphinx - don't know why. Above are 2 additional Sphinx pics - maybe they will somehow impress you!?

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt 3

I like the Sphinx - so I am including another of it from a different perspective.
Bottom pic is taken from only location where you can all 3 great pyramids. It's hazy because it was morning & haze cannot be avoided.

Made It to Cairo & Giza

Arrived safely at my hotel (Mena House) following almost 4 hours of airport/plane hassles, just 500 air miles, and a 2 hour drive from Cairo airport to Giza. But the hotel is gorgeous. "Q" has for weeks been interested in what my "room view" would be like? I just took above pic from the balcony of my hotel room. Not an unobstructed view but pretty amazing stuff!

Dead Sea

My last early evening and morning was spent at the Kempinski resort on the Dead Sea - the lowest elevation on earth - more than 1200 feet below sea level! Having done the Everest thing, I thought it was appropriate to add this to my list. I did the floating & mud bath things - messy but felt great afterwards,
Above pic is of Dead Sea at a spot where they say Lott's wife was standing when she "looked back" and God changed her into a pillar of salt for eternity. Bottom pic is where I'm staying. Background in both pics are Israel - Jericho being directly across sea from my resort.

Petra 1

I spent most of the day trekking about 5-6 miles through Petra - one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world built by the Nabateans beginning in 100 BC reeaching its apex in about 100 AD & featured in "Raiders of the lost Ark". Petra has been on my "bucket list" for decades. It was everything I expected & more!
Top pic is of me at the end of the .65 mile long "siq" (narrow & deep cleft in mountains) leading to city. That is the famous "Treasury" in the background.
Middle pic is of the Treasury - one of the largest "structures" in Petra. It is really a royal tomb noted for the urn at its top center which has been almost totally destroyed by people shooting at it thinking it was filled with gold!
Bottom pic is of me with a friend I met - that is the Treasury in background.

Petra 2

Most of the carved structures in Petra were tombs. The most magnificent ones are the royal tombs shown in the above pics.
There are large, impressive "banquet halls" but none have the beautiful exterior carvings seen on the royal tombs.
It is believed that both the royal & common citizens of Petra lived in wooden structures in the large open areas of Petra.

Petra 3

Top pic is of some of the common tombs found in Petra - exteriors are not nearly as ornate as the royal tombs.
Center pic is of the large amphitheater in Petra - built by the Romans that seats 875. Note rear-center where the Romans carved out some of the exterior common tombs to make room for more seating.
At the end of Petra "city" you can hike up 900+ steep steps carved into the rock to the top of a mountain and see a single structure called the "monastery". It is the largest structure in Petra - bottom pic. For scale - note the person at bottom center. It is huge & I think more impressive than the Treasury. Worth the difficult upward trek!

Little Petra

About 12 miles from Petra is an area called "Little Petra". Like Petra, it is accessed by a narrow siq. It has few "structures" & was passed through by most silk road caravans on their way to Petra where they would request permission to enter Petra & probably pay tribute to the Nabatean kings.
There are 2 major structures in Little Petra - the most impressive being the banquet hall shown in above pic. This is the only Nabatean structure with preserved Nabatean frescoes - really impressive. Other structure in Little Petra are primarily lesser banquet rooms & cisterns. There are no known tombs here.

Crusade Fortresses & Mt Nebo

Visited 2 "well preserved/restored" fortress built by crusaders in the mid-12th century. Top pic is Ashopak fortress & center pic is Al Karak fortress built in 1181 AD.
Also visited Mt Nebo (bottom pic) where Moses is believed to be buried. From vantage point on Mt Nebo you can see Jerusalem, Jericho, & Bethlehem!
I am now in Wadi Moses where Moses' brother Aaron is buried. I didn't know that Moses stuttered & his brother Aaron was his "interpreter"!

Jordan's Khans & "Pavilions"

Jordan was once part of the vast Moghul empire when it stretched from the middle east to southeast asia. "King's Highway" in Jordan is known for its ancient palace & fortress ruins. Most have been reduced to rubble. But, some are remarkably preserved. Today I visited 2 of the "best preserved".
Top pic is of me in front of the Khrina. Because "the photographer" omitted some of it, I am including the middle pic which shows it all! Scholars have debated the Khrina's origin & purpose for centuries. One inscription on an interior wall was dated 710 AD - but scholars believe it was 500 years old when that inscription was made - estimating that is was built about 215 AD. Although it appears there are arrow slits in the walls - many scholars believe they were only for light & air circulation. Most believe it was a "khan" or inn. The interior 2 floors support this belief because they are each comprised of small rooms with a large interior courtyard. All are incredibly intact.
The bottom pic is of the Quseir Amra built in 740 AD as a "hunting pavilion" for the Moghul king. It is known for its well preserved interior frescos and "baths".
Both of the above are near one another in a barren desert < 130 miles from Iraq. Also saw a huge military facility where US & Jordanian troops train Iraqi "security forces".

Goodbye Maldives

I made many short-term friends here (many playing 8-ball!) & as a consequence really enjoyed the experience. The diving - especially the mantas & my AOW certificate will always be reminders of a worthwhile journey to a place that will likely disappear in the not too distant future.
Forgot to mention that the resort atoll had many fruit bats aka "flying foxes" which the locals call "flying dogs". They are not nocturnal & feed during the day. I saw many & tried for 8 days to get a pic - but regretably no success. They are really neat critters & I enjoyed watching them fly, feed & hearing their incredibly loud "howling"!

Mantas & AOW 1

Although I estimate I have done about 1,800 dives, I haven't kept an up-to-date dive log for decades. As a result I have never gotten any "advanced dive certifications". Because of the Maldives dive sites' reputation & the fact that I intended to do 5+ dives anyway, I decided to pay the extra cost to get an "advanced open water" (or AOW) certification requiring 5 different dive types (deep water, wreck, etc) & multiple skill tests (underwater navigation, etc). I ended up doing 7 dives & successfully completed the "course" & officially now have my AOW certification.
Fortunately for most of my dives I was buddied with an avid underwater photographer (Michael Henry & his wife both from Ireland) who volunteered to take some pics for/of me. Top pic is of me on reef <- the 1st underwater pic of me on this blog even though I have done several dives since I started this blog.
The reef here has been badly damaged by the tsunami, reef bleaching, & global warming. In spite of these, the reef is regenerating itself. It is known for its many manta rays - next to whale sharks my favorite underwater critters. In all my diving experiences - I have never seen so many of them as I have here at their "cleaning stations" where they que for their turns for fish to clean their gills & mouths - middle pic is an example. Bottom pic is me just hanging. There was a lot of algae in the water which "clouds" pics.
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Mantas & AOW 2

Top pic is of me (with back towards you) with mantas in the background - that's a huge manta ray wing just above my head!. Mantas' wing span varies - those that we saw ranged from about 10' to almost 25+'! Bottom pic is another of these incredible beasts. Again, too bad there was so much algae in the water - it "fogs" pics. They like to cruise just above divers because exhaled bubbles helps "rinse" parasites from their tender skins - making such "close-up" experiences memorable and just plain awesome!

Dentist - Ugh

Last night I developed a tooth problem & had to go to a dentist today - 1 ferry from hotel to airport ($80 RT), 1 ferry from airport to Male ($2 RT) & cab fare from ferry to dentist office ($6 RT). Fortunately the dentist was only $25 & my tooth is fine now! Above pic is of Male - capital of the Maldives. Interestingly the city occupies/covers an entire atoll - not much to it & above pic is the entire city atoll!
Male was deserted & mosy shops closed because it's Ramadan. But I DID find a grocery store where I stocked-up on mango/banana juice <- bottled water is $5 at hotel! Btw - so-so dinner buffet is over $70!
With tooth "fixed" I can now do some diving!

Maldives

I arrived at my hotel in the Republic of Maldives late last night. For decades I have wanted to visit the Maldives which is: the smallest Asian country in both population & size (pop < 400K, total land mass = 115 sq miles comprised of 1200 islets of which < 200 are inhabited); ex-British colony (1965 independence); located in the Laccadive Sea; 99% Muslim: noted for its diving; and the lowest country on earth (average elevation is < 5 feet above sea level - highest elevation is 7' above sea level). The last fact is the main reason I wanted to come here - because of global warming & resulting rise in sea levels it has been predicted that this country won't exist in 20-50 years!
All resort hotels are located on their own private atolls. I am staying at the Sheraton Full Moon Bay - located on a an atoll about .5 mi x < .25 mi - see. HERE.. Everything is incredibly expensive here - buffet breakfast is $30, $10 for a milkshake & boat ferry to Male city (< 2 miles away) is $40 ea way! But the property is beautiful as pics in above link shows!. Above pic is of me on 1 of 3 small beaches on the Sheraton atoll - it has been cloudy all day so this is the best for today. White sand & turquoise waters are great!

Sri Lanka

I have visited many places during the my 7-day stay here but most provided few photo ops. Although its culture is in many ways similar to India's, it is at the same time very different - probably because 67% of its population are Buddist & almost 10% are Christian. Sri Lanka has a rich & varied history as a British, Portuguese & Dutch colony. Above pic is of a Dutch colonial home that was probably built in the late 17th century. Many Dutch tourist still visit here.
I leave early this evening for Male, the Republic of the Maldives.

Elephant Ride on Arabian Sea Beach

I've been lounging at swimming pool, treking beach, & enjoying the company of folks I've met here - including several 8-ball pool game "tournaments" with some other ladies I met from Dubai!
I have ridden horses on many beaches in US, Caribbean, south America, even Morocco! But today was a FIRST - riding an elephant on an Arabian Sea beach! Her name is Cheetah & she just celebrated her 35th birthday. We even went into the surf (water) which she seemed to enjoy & I got soaked! Because her skin is sensitive to salt water - she had to be completely hosed down after being in the salt water. It was an amazing experience!

Cochin -> Chennai (aka Madras) -> Colombo, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

Yesterday was a long, 12+-hour travel day! I was surprised to find out that I can now say I was in Madras! After arriving at Colombo airport, I was met by my driver (Bernard - very heavy & eloquent English accent) & it was a 3+ hours drive to my hotel the Taj Exotica on the southwest coast - see HERE. Sri Lanka literally means "resplendid island" - prior to 1972 it was known as Ceylon which still appears on many signs that I've seen since arriving here!
Top pic is view of Bentota Beach from "near" my room. That's the Indian Ocean - very warm water temp, great surfing waves, & a brown sand beach like those on DE/NJ beaches.
Bottom pic is of the property's large infinity pool with Indian Ocean in background. This area was hit hard by the tsunami - bust this hotel survived because it is situated on a high bluff. But everything here at sea level was destroyed during the tsunami.
Above pics were taken this AM. I just finished breakfast & am going to hit the beach now!

India Ends & Questions

In north india, I traveled more than 1800 miles with my driver Balkar. In south India, I have traveled more than. 1,650 miles with Mohan my terrific driver for the past 2 weeks - the pic is of us having our last masala chai together - the Cochi airport is in background.

Since arriving in India, I have traveled a total of 3,450 miles. I have seen one of the 7 world wonders & many other amazing things! These combined with experiencing a very ancient/historical/mixed culture, incredible wildlife, & amazingly friendly people has made this month-long trip memorable!

Many of you have asked many questions about India. Because tomorrow I depart for an all-day journey to Sri Lanka, I thought now would be a good time to answer some of the most asked questions;

Weather? Now is the monsoon, "off season" for both north and south India. However, I encountered no rain in north India & very little in south India. North India was very hot - south India's temperature has been very mild - even cool! Many Indians travel during this time of year because all costs are lower.

Food? Indians are primarily Hindu & they are vegetarians. Yes - curries are prominent. I am NOT a vegetarian & really didn't & still don't like Indian foods. But - I've survived.

Smoking? Non-smokers would/do love India. Smoking is forbidden in ALL public places (including on many public streets - especially in Kerala) & this law is enforced by police, rangers & soldiers! I've been told that < 15% of the Indian population smokes. Btw - all animal sanctuaries/national forests are considered "public areas" & smoking is prohibited! Cigs are expensive @ $2/pack. But packaged, hand-rolled cigs called Beedi (poor man's cigs) are only about 1 cent each - very strong & disgusting taste!

Poverty? The doctors that invited to join them in discussions/debates explained to me that 30% of the Indian population is "well off", 30% are middle class & the remaining 40% are poor - very poor. They further explained that the primary economic problem in India is that the percentage of these very poor Indians remains constant. & is unlikely to change for decades if not centuries. I have seen many of these poor Indians. Fortunately they are not starving but they are prone to many medical problems. At the same time they have a high birth rate <- a Hindu custom.

Munnar Hill Station Teas 1

Munnar is a hill station famous for 2 things; 1) many terminally-ill cancer & HIV patients come here as a last hope for herbal & mercury/gold medical treatments, and: 2) tea plantations.
Tea grows best at altitudes above 2000 meters (6600 feet). Top pic is of tea. plantation bisected by a beautiful waterfall - of which there are many in the area. Those are tea trees (bushes) in foreground.
Bottom pic is of part of the hotel where I am staying. The "green" in foreground are tea trees. Note rock formation in rear - it is the same rock formation in the top center of the top pic!

Munnar Hill Station Teas 2

Top pic is of another waterfall & tea plantation.
Center pic is of tea being harvested. Slopes are very steep & "roads" to get to them are few & far between!
Bottom pic is of another tea plantation.
I've included many more "tea pics" than I intended - but the vivid green colors of the tea plants blanketing the mountains in the morning sun are/were just awesome.
Btw - these plantations aren't far from the equator but the high temperature today was just 60F!

Kerala Kathakali (story, play)

For 600+ years Kerala state has a unique (to this state) heritage of staging Hindu Kathakali <- which literally means a story or play. All actors are male because they stage Hindu stories in temples on a continuous basis throughout the year & women are not allowed in temples during their menstrual periods. Male actors portray both male and female Hindu gods/characters spending long periods of time applying their make-up - top pic.
Kathakali performers dedicate a minimum of 20 years to studying at the Kathakali academy near Cochin. During this time they never marry.
Kathakali performers never speak while performing. Instead they use a unique sign/body language, gestures & facial expressions, which most temple audiences can understand because they have seen the temple performances for many years,
Center pic is of performer acting as a Hindu god - their elaborate costumes can weigh up to 40 pounds. Bottom pic is of god being seduced by a demon maiden.