Day 181- Happy New Year, Flight to Luxor
Monday, December 31st, 2019
We woke up and the electricity hadn’t come back from last night which meant no heat. The two bathrooms were dark so I hate to confess that we skipped the shower. We had breakfast and got ready to go. We were so ready to get out of that noisy place. I was honestly happy to get out of Cairo. I have not liked it or enjoyed at all. It has been really hard for me and honestly what’s keeping me going is the fact that I will get to see my mom.
Our host had given us the chance to check out at 1:00pm. At first, we wanted to leave at 3:00pm, the same time my mom and niece were taking their shuttle to the airport, but due to the circumstances, we were ready to leave the house at noon. We waited for Gimmy, our host, who came running and asked me why didn’t I text him about the electricity. I told him that we didn’t want to bother him especially knowing that there was nothing he could have done the night before. The electricity was out for the whole area!
We thanked him, called Uber, and got ready to leave to the airport around 1:30pm. We were all happy and confident that we would be able to use the airport lounge. I didn’t even make sandwiches thinking that we were going to eat for free. Well, surprise, the lounge is only for international flights (there's another for domestic business class passengers). No big deal, I figured, we can still get WiFi and grab something to eat! Well, surprise again, the only cafe we found had 4 salads, coffee, and pastry!
This was the first time I traveled without food. I know Carol, I should have packed something! Well, at least I had Sunshine’s dinner from last night and drinks, we bought the expensive salads and had a small meal. My mom and Ali arrived later and of course, they bought junk food to share!
The waiting wasn’t as fun but it wasn’t painful. Our plane left on time at 5:45pm and it took less than one hour to get to Luxor.
After we got our luggage and went outside, it was very nice to see a driver with a sign with my name waiting for us. It was our ride. For the first time in our trip, we didn’t have to worry about getting Uber, a taxi, or haggling prices. Good thing because I was very tired and my throat was hurting.
They drove us in two cars because this is high season and all the minivans were booked! I was a little nervous because my mom, Ali, and Sunshine were in one car and I was in another with Gregory and Daniel. I wanted at least 1 male in each car. I was also worried about the apartment that we rented because we have learned that with Airbnb, you never know. The pictures might look good but there is no way to know about the neighborhood, as our previous places in Cairo had shown.
Fortunately, the place was very nice and spacious. The owner was very nice, polite and made my mom feel special and showed her the master bedroom with ensuite bathroom. They also had flowers at the entrance which was a very nice touch. They even had some food for us because we arrived late.
After we settled, Gregory, Ali, Sunshine and I went downstairs for the traditional welcoming tea. My mom and Daniel were tired and hungry, so they settled for toast with cream cheese. The rest of us had tea with the host's brother, Ahmed, while he offered us many tours and things to do. We kind of got excited about hot air balloon rides, especially for the “special” price he could give us. $65 is cheap compared to the US prices but will see…
After tea, he walked us to a local restaurant where we ordered two complete menus for 91 LE (about $6) which included an appetizer, the main dish, some side salads, and dessert. Ali and Sunshine ordered vegetable soup but they sure helped us with all our dishes. We also had alive music from the restaurant across. Everything was fine except that it was very cold because we were eating outside. The owner brought a small heater and put it on the table!
We finished dinner around 11:00pm and then we walked home which was just across the road. We sat in the living room watching the new year countdown shows and at midnight, we kissed and hugged each other. It was a very special new year because my mom came to visit us! I’m forever grateful that she came in a moment when I truly needed the support and cheering up to continue. It has been hard for me since Istanbul but it hit me harder when crossing the border to Jordan. I only had one resolution: I need to remind myself is to be happy, to smile and to appreciate this trip!
We woke up and the electricity hadn’t come back from last night which meant no heat. The two bathrooms were dark so I hate to confess that we skipped the shower. We had breakfast and got ready to go. We were so ready to get out of that noisy place. I was honestly happy to get out of Cairo. I have not liked it or enjoyed at all. It has been really hard for me and honestly what’s keeping me going is the fact that I will get to see my mom.
Our host had given us the chance to check out at 1:00pm. At first, we wanted to leave at 3:00pm, the same time my mom and niece were taking their shuttle to the airport, but due to the circumstances, we were ready to leave the house at noon. We waited for Gimmy, our host, who came running and asked me why didn’t I text him about the electricity. I told him that we didn’t want to bother him especially knowing that there was nothing he could have done the night before. The electricity was out for the whole area!
We thanked him, called Uber, and got ready to leave to the airport around 1:30pm. We were all happy and confident that we would be able to use the airport lounge. I didn’t even make sandwiches thinking that we were going to eat for free. Well, surprise, the lounge is only for international flights (there's another for domestic business class passengers). No big deal, I figured, we can still get WiFi and grab something to eat! Well, surprise again, the only cafe we found had 4 salads, coffee, and pastry!
This was the first time I traveled without food. I know Carol, I should have packed something! Well, at least I had Sunshine’s dinner from last night and drinks, we bought the expensive salads and had a small meal. My mom and Ali arrived later and of course, they bought junk food to share!
The waiting wasn’t as fun but it wasn’t painful. Our plane left on time at 5:45pm and it took less than one hour to get to Luxor.
After we got our luggage and went outside, it was very nice to see a driver with a sign with my name waiting for us. It was our ride. For the first time in our trip, we didn’t have to worry about getting Uber, a taxi, or haggling prices. Good thing because I was very tired and my throat was hurting.
They drove us in two cars because this is high season and all the minivans were booked! I was a little nervous because my mom, Ali, and Sunshine were in one car and I was in another with Gregory and Daniel. I wanted at least 1 male in each car. I was also worried about the apartment that we rented because we have learned that with Airbnb, you never know. The pictures might look good but there is no way to know about the neighborhood, as our previous places in Cairo had shown.
Fortunately, the place was very nice and spacious. The owner was very nice, polite and made my mom feel special and showed her the master bedroom with ensuite bathroom. They also had flowers at the entrance which was a very nice touch. They even had some food for us because we arrived late.
After we settled, Gregory, Ali, Sunshine and I went downstairs for the traditional welcoming tea. My mom and Daniel were tired and hungry, so they settled for toast with cream cheese. The rest of us had tea with the host's brother, Ahmed, while he offered us many tours and things to do. We kind of got excited about hot air balloon rides, especially for the “special” price he could give us. $65 is cheap compared to the US prices but will see…
After tea, he walked us to a local restaurant where we ordered two complete menus for 91 LE (about $6) which included an appetizer, the main dish, some side salads, and dessert. Ali and Sunshine ordered vegetable soup but they sure helped us with all our dishes. We also had alive music from the restaurant across. Everything was fine except that it was very cold because we were eating outside. The owner brought a small heater and put it on the table!
We finished dinner around 11:00pm and then we walked home which was just across the road. We sat in the living room watching the new year countdown shows and at midnight, we kissed and hugged each other. It was a very special new year because my mom came to visit us! I’m forever grateful that she came in a moment when I truly needed the support and cheering up to continue. It has been hard for me since Istanbul but it hit me harder when crossing the border to Jordan. I only had one resolution: I need to remind myself is to be happy, to smile and to appreciate this trip!
Comments
Post a Comment