Well what do you know? Those 2 weeks passed in a blink of an eye, and here I am again getting ready to go to bed to wake up and go to work tomorrow, and get tied again to the usual mill like some ox. But it was a good vacation, a much needed one actually. I reached a point where I almost lost my mind at work... telephones, problems, complaints, bookings, etc. etc.
Allot has happened, and I have allot of thoughts about many things... but to keep my mind organized, and not let my blog get too long and boring for my faithful readers, I will divide it into several blogs and several paragraphs. Being organized may turn into an obsession sometimes, but it works.
The Hotels
I hate staying at a house when I travel, my idea of a vacation is a room where I know I can throw my clothes everywhere (errrm... yeah I noticed I was just talkin about being organized up there) and know that I will come back from lunch or dinner and find house keeping took care of everything! My clothes are folded on the bed, clean warm towels in the bathroom, the fridge refilled, and everything in place. That's why I prefered that we book a hotel rather than stay at my mother in-law's apartment. Its also a good chance to let my wife relax and kick back, rather than worrying about preparing breakfast and cleaning up after my chaos.
For the first 8 days, we stayed at the simple but perfect Pyramisa Hotel. The hotel is one of the oldest in Cairo, but its cleanliness combined with friendly service make up for the too-simple rooms and staff who most of them seem they were there since World War II. I guess they dont have to worry about turn over over there, sounds promising. Also a good plus for this hotel, is that it offers a beautiful breakfast buffet, something other 5 star hotels in Cairo dont offer. So for 75$ you get a good clean room, 5 star service, an excellent location, and a good starting meal for your day.
The remaining 5 days of our stay, we decided its time to dip in deep into our wallets and move to a more luxurious escape! And what's the best hotel to go to than the one which was voted as the best hotel in Cairo for 3 years in a row and best hotel in AFRICA 2006? Yup, its the one and only Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel!
The view from the rooms is just breath-taking, I have to say its the best view of the Nile I have ever seen in any hotel, and I have seen many! The room itself is the largest in the city according to the Tourism Board of Egypt, the bathroom makes you wana have a shower every hour. And the relaxing bed that you just sink into, makes you hate and loath the bed you have back home no matter how comfortable it is. I must know their secret some day!
Some people may think 250$ per night on room only basis (no meals) is just too much, but I have to disagree. You dont only pay for a room, but you are actually paying for amazing service (the staff are actually friendlier than some family members, lool), Countless extras in your room (my fave is the DVD player and 5 page long movie library), fully equipped gym, and the amazing relaxing facilities! I was just swept away with the relaxation lounge, a bed placed in a quiet room in front of a glass wall facing the Nile, with relaxing music playing in the background. I feel I can write dozens of poems by just sitting in this place, and if I get thirsty, I can treat myself to the complimentary green tea, ginger, or cold water with iced cucumbers.
I think I may go on about the Four Seasons Nile Plaza forever, so I will just stop here. But I warn you that it WILL pop up in many paragraphs later on, lool... SO next time you are in Cairo, dont miss out on this excellent property!
My Transport
I plan my vacations carefully, especially when it comes to the money business. So I booked a Toyota Corolla for my car rental for only 40$ a day. The car was OK, but a bit uncomfortable because of my "big&tall" posture. Also for a guy who drives a 4x4 back home, its a bit difficult to feel this close to the ground, lool... Soooooo, I said to hell with money saving and I opted for a BMW X3 instead! It was the first time I drive it, and I have to say I miss my new mistress terribly... The bad thing, is that (like most expensive cars in Cairo) the license plate was "Customs", meaning that this car was bought outside of Egypt and brought into the country without paying the usual customs. This procedure is used by tourists to bring in their cars for their personal use and then taking it out of the country once they are done with their vacation. You must be wondering "OK... where is the problem????" The problem is that this license plate means $$$ for beggars! I guess thats why the plate is golden yellow, to symbolize some kind of bling-bling, loool....
I actually had a kid run after the car and try to hang on for a distance of 50m! This kid will grow up to become some athlete one day! We were attacked by every type of beggars, from women to men to crippled to even a guy who used to be a thief and became clean and he made his life story on a DVD and is selling it to people in traffic lights! This will bring me to talkin more thoroughly about beggars in Egypt, but that will be another blog... See ya...
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