Archive for April 2009
A surprise trip
Posted on Dienstag, April 21, 2009 at 5:28 PM by Reka
I realized I haven't written anything about one of the most exciting things to happen to me in quite a while.
One of my best friends called me up about three months ago and said she had to talk to me. "Uh-oh" was my immediate response. She assured me it was nothing bad, and we made a date to meet at the wine bar the next day. When we got settled down with a glass of prosecco, she told me the couple they go to Egypt with every year was unable to make it this year and would I like to go with them? That floored me. Egypt! It had never been one of the places on my short must-see list, but who could turn down the offer of nine days with a private tour of Egypt?
Soooo, on Monday I am leaving for Egypt! We fly to Luxor by way of Cairo and spend a day there in the Valley of the Kings and Karnak. Then we leave for 5 days in the oases of Kharga, Dakhla, Fayoum, Farafra and Bahariya, passing through the Black and White Deserts and spending two nights in tents in the middle of the Sahara. We have our own Jeep, driver and tour guide! The last two days will be spent in Cairo and Gizeh.
Oh yes, and I will have my own private bodyguard! Apparently there are stricter security regulations concerning Americans in Egypt. My friend and I joked about me getting a bodyguard. Until our guide informed us that a policeman will have to accompany us through the desert! All that is missing is a huge sign on the Jeep advising any watching terrorists: "American on board!"
This will be my first trip to a Moslem country (the reason my friend didn't even bother to ask my husband if he wanted to go) and the first real trip for me to a country where I don?t speak the language. (I don't count our three day trip to Slovenia with Eduard's soccer team, which was not exactly one of culture and hobnobbing with the natives, if you get my drift!) Up to now, my five languages have gotten me around with no problem, but Arabic, in this case, is not one of the five! I am also a bit apprehensive about sleeping in a sleeping bag on cold hard ground (grumble, grumble). I do appreciate my comfy, though firm mattress. :-) But I am looking forward very much to a new culture. And new cuisine, for those of you who know how much I love to cook, and, unfortunately, eat! One of the things I am most looking forward to is the spice market in Cairo.
So here's to new experiences and to my return in May!
Posted in Friends (RSS), Travels (RSS)
Pulled a fast one...
Posted on Montag, April 06, 2009 at 4:51 PM by Reka
About two months ago, I called my brother-in-law. My sister was immediately suspicious, supposing we were scheming. No, we answered innocently, but we thought, devilishly, YES!
Matthäus is in his fourth year at an agritechnical high school here in South Tyrol. They are required to do an internship for two weeks this year. He asked us if he could do his in the States. We contacted his uncle (my BIL) who got him hooked up with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. I found him a team to practice soccer with, got him a ticket, and...didn't say a word to my mom or sister. So I drove him to the airport on Friday morning and he left for three weeks (Easter vacation plus two weeks of internship) with my family. On Friday afternoon Oregon time, he and my BIL walked into my sister's office to say hi. One of the girls told Carol there was someone to see her. She walked out, expecting a man bringing papers for her husband. Boy, was she surprised! And her DIL was there to film it all, so I get to see the look on her face!
In the meantime I had called my mom and told her that UPS contacted me to say the package I had ordered would arrive that afternoon. As it was kind of an important package, would she be home to take it in? She said she would be. At 1:47 am my time, she called me to tell me there was no package. She had gone down the street to the mailboxes, and saw UPS driving farther down beyond her house on her way back. (Wasn't that nice of Mr. UPS to match his schedule to mine? And I didn't even let him in on the plan!) Seeing no package on the doorstep, she was a bit confused. Just then, my BIL drove in and Matthäus walked around the corner. She said she was really and truly struck speechless. What fun!