Cairo, Egypt & Jerash and Amman, Jordan: Day Ten (11/29)

Goodbye Egypt and Hello Jordan.

Memphis Tours which helped us organize our Egypt leg of our trip was fantastic and we had nothing but high expectations for our Jordan and Israel legs but little did we know that they partnered with Dakkak Tours which was one of the worst travel agencies I have ever been on as you will see each day's guide and/or driver gets worse and worse. Don't bother complaining because they will just call you a liar. This company is a fraud and does not deliver on its promises.

Early in the AM, we left Cairo. On the way to the airport, our guide Mohamed took me to the grocery store to buy some more Cadbury Eclairs. Because we left at 5 AM in the morning there was no traffic and it took just 20 minutes to get to the airport. It was eerie to see Cairo at 5 AM without any cars or people. It was so peaceful and quiet and very un-Cairo.

After being escorted into the airport and a quick boxed breakfast, we took a quick 1 hour flight to Amman, Jordan. Upon arrival, we were greeted but our representative wasn't so helpful. He just yelled at us to get in line and pay. We were not sure how much to pay and that we needed Jordanian money to pay for the visa. We were also going to spend a day in Israel before leaving Jordan. He was as helpful as a blank piece of paper. When we were waiting for our luggage he did not help us get it off the carousel. It was only when we got outside and loading up the car did he even try to help us. And on top of that he expected a tip for doing nothing. When he stuck out his hand for his tip, we paid him a small tip because we didn't want trouble. This is the first of many bad impressions we had with the Dakkak staff in Jordan and it gets significantly worse.

We met our driver, Mohammed Jamous who was the nightmare who ruined our trip and left me in tears. I have never met someone who was so rude and disrespectful who took us on a 1 hour drive to our first stop Jerash. We were promised an English speaking guide, but Jamous could barely speak a phrase of coherent English let alone an entire sentence. He could barely understand any questions we had and constantly dismissed anything we said or asked.

Upon arriving at Jerash, he immediately proceeded to walk a 1/4 mile away from us and we kept asking him to slow down. He only kept saying, "I get guide. Walk." My Mom is old and shouldn't have to run to keep up with our guide. He should be waiting for us, yet he could care less.

We met our guide who gave us a nice 1 hour walking tour where we saw many examples of Greek influences in the architecture. We saw what used to be a thriving commercial city that had complex sewer systems, entertainment center and multi-level shops.

After our tour of Jerash, we were starving. We really wanted to eat something simple at our hotel but our guide kept insisting that hotel food was extremely expensive in Jordan and we would be better off eating at a local restaurant, Green Valley Restaurants, which was very very cheap. When we asked him what type of food Jordanian food was since I am allergic to seafood and did not want to go to a restaurant that served seafood without a proper translator. We decided to chance it and try some Jordanian food. We ended up ordering a mix kebab plate with gigantic bread for dipping with the various sauces. I had to look at other patrons plate and do a thumbs up in order to order. It was okay but ended up costing $42 USD when Jamous told us it would be no more than $12 USD a person. I asked to see the menu but Jamous kept taking it out of my hands saying, "In Arabic, no English." Then why I said I wanted to see the pictures, he said, "No, only Arabic." The food was okay, the meat was extremely greasy esp. the lamb. The chicken was so dry you had to dip it into something before you ate it. The bread was dirty as the waiters held it with their hands as they carried to your table so we threw out the top piece out. The worst part was when we were ready to leave he wasn't so we had to wait about 15 minutes for him. Really? Aren't we the paying customers?

We were really tired and just wanted to go to our hotel to rest esp. since we were going to Petra the next day. When we got to our hotel, Jamal did not even try to carry our bags. My Mom even asked him to help and he just ignored us and walked away. We were left to fend for ourselves while he went to check us in at the front desk. Prior to depart he told us pick up in the hotel lobby the following morning at 8 AM. When we asked him how long the drive was and what we needed to prepare for the following day, he looked at us with a blank face. The hotel staff had to translate for us as Jamous did not have very good command of the English language. I was just glad that we at least were in a Marriott so we finally would have access to the internet. Hooray for Facetime and emails!!!

Side note, I went around our hotel, Marriott Amman to check out the prices for a meal and they were no more than $13 USD a person for local cuisine or even a hamburger meal at the sports bar, Champions. Even the fine dining restaurant had a fish entree with sides for less than $13 USD a plate. Jamous was a liar and cheat. I'm sure he got kickback from the restaurant for taking and swindling us.

Alexandria, Egypt: Day Nine (11/28)

Another long day in the car. One thing about Egypt and the lack of tourists, flights are grounded and we are subjected to 3 hour car rides, EACH way. I personally hate car trips so I'm getting pretty sick of riding in a car without Wi-fi. I should have prepared better with more music and videos to watch. On the bright side, at least I had an external battery pack so I could snap away on my iPhone to post on Facebook that night when I got to the hotel and had Wifi. Small miracles that make me happy.

After another breakfast of scrambled eggs, foul (Egyptian beans) and hash browns, we set off for Alexandria. It is the northern most city in Egypt and in Africa. From the coastline you are supposed to be able to see Europe. I can't wait to enjoy some fresh ocean air.

Our first stop was the Kom Al Shokafa which are catacombs (tombs). Be prepared with a flashlight and bug repellent. After walking down a set of stairs for about 6 flights you reach the bottom. You walk on precarious wooden planks over very stagnant water that are full of hungry mosquitos. Be extremely careful walking esp. close to the actual tombs which are in much deeper water. Also if you see a group of people, wait until they leave as the boards are unable to support a lot of weight. Inside the catacombs, you will see a lot of Christian influenced art as well as a prayer area that is predominant in Muslim culture. There used to be an alternative exit, however due to safety reasons it has been closed so the only way up, is the way you came down. Needless to say, it's a good workout, think of it as Stairmaster BC. And oh yah, no cameras.

An interesting side note, when you drive through Alexandria, each section has a designed product that they are selling or fixing. For instance one street only sells used car parts. Another street only sells wooden planks. It's like a home depot but spread out in the city. If you can have your driver point it out and take you to some of the more interesting streets.

Second stop on the tour was Pomey's Pillar. This was the only remaining Greek column and showed how the Greek influenced Egyptian architecture and of course, it also had 2 small sphinx's at the base. It wasn't that exciting but it was nice to able to climb onto the sphinx for a picture if you so chose to.

Next stop and the highlight of the trip was Qaitbay Citadel. In houses Alexandria's ancient lighthouse and over looks the Mediterranean Sea. The weather and view was absolutely amazing. It had a light breeze and smelled clean unlike Cairo which was so smoggy and dusty. We saw locals fishing my the waters edge, artists painting on the rocks and young couples cozying up with each other. It was an absolute treat to sit and take in the view. 

By the time we finished our tour, we were starving. We were taken to a local seafood restaurant (I forgot to get the name) overlooking the water. I am deathly allergic to seafood so we had our guide convey to the restaurant to use a fresh pan to cook my food. We were given a variety of dips which were absolutely amazing and spicy. I was so happy to finally have something with a kick. Yum! I had a ton of dip with bread. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, I had a small reaction to the fish as I think it was grilled in a pan that had residual shellfish remnants. Bummer cause it tasted pretty good. During lunch, our guide Rahed was so kind and went out to find me a few of my beloved Cadbury Eclairs which are caramels with soft chocolate inside. I love these candies and they helped with my carsickness.

Last stop before the long drive home was to Alexandria Library which has been around since 300 BC. The library was packed so we only took a few pictures outside before heading back to Cairo. At our pit stop, I picked up a bag of Lay's potato chips. Something about buying chips in a foreign country makes it always taste better.

This was our final night in Egypt and I was very sad. The hospitality the Egyptian people showed towards me was very warm. Despite having reservations about coming to Egypt with the revolution, Egypt is a safe country and it needs more open minded and willing visitors to help support the economy. We took a picture in our hotel with Rahed in our hotel so we won't forget that women in Egypt are smart and just as good as the male guides if not better. Thank you Memphis Tours for arranging a trip of a lifetime.