Today is a dreary Sunday in Dallas and the sound of the rain falling on the patio reminded me of this post languishing away in my drafts folder, almost completely forgotten… When I wrote it months ago, the 10 day weather forecast for San Francisco looked pretty gloomy. They were predicting days and days of rain, which was especially disappointing since my sister was visiting me that weekend, unaccompanied by any of her (then) three kids (now four!).

She hadn’t spent much time in San Francisco, and I wanted to show her a truly San Francisco weekend. I wanted her to fall in love with the city like I did.

Here’s the problem: so many of the fun things to do in the city are outside… Walking along the Embarcadero, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and through the streets and alleys of Chinatown. Seeing the murals in the Mission. Visiting a farmer’s market. Taking a bay tour by boat. Visiting Alcatraz. Climbing to the top of a scenic overlook like Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill.

Which of these pictures looks more fun to you, cloudy Nob Hill or sunny Jackson Square? Now you see the problem. I was a little worried, and since I’m no expert at things to see and do in San Francisco, I did my homework, and here’s what I came up with:

What should you do if you visit San Francisco on a rainy weekend?

1. Take in some art at the SFMOMA (with Blue Bottle Coffee and a great rooftop bar, many on yelp suggest going up there first and then, once fully caffeinated, touring the collection), Legion of Honor, or the de Young Museum.
2. Drink up on an Anchor Brewery tour. The home of Anchor Steam beer located on Portero Hill. This brewery can trace its roots in San Francisco back to mid-1800s. They schedule brewery tours up to six months in advance and seem to be in pretty high demand. The biggest challenge is that tours are offered on weekdays at 10 am and 1 pm. So if you don’t have a Friday or a Monday in the mix, then you’re probably out of luck.
3. Lunch at the historic Palace Hotel under the stained glass dome (Signature Palace Crab Salad with Green Goddess Dressing) – they even have a historic tour with lunch option (more info here); between 2nd and 3rd, right off Market on New Montgomery Street (map).
4. Ride the glass elevator at the Westin St. Francis on Union Square to take in a view of the city (albeit a cloudy and rainy view). According to the reviews on Yelp, elevators A-E (right past the concierge desk) will take you straight up to the top. They also say it’s a bit scary on the way down because the elevator moves pretty fast. Cheap, scratch that, free thrills! Probably best saved for a moment when the clouds have parted. Listed by National Geographic as one of their Top 10 Elevator Rides.
5. Head to Alioto’s the oldest restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf for clam chowder or cioppino. Via 7×7 The Cynic’s Guide to Fisherman’s Wharf. Or instead, we could eat at The Slanted Door in the Ferry Building, which is still on my ‘To Do’ list for SF.
6. Visit Japan Center, the mall in Japantown connected to another mall by a tunnel, which means you can stay dry while window shopping and taking in all the options. I hear it’s best if you haven’t been to Japan, but that it’s interesting nonetheless. Via SF Gate’s Unlikely S.F. Places to Escape the Rain with Kids.
7. Or, just buy some rain boots and an umbrella and plan to get a little wet.

My sister sandwiched among shoppers on Stockton in Chinatown.

Seeking out clam chowder at Alioto’s in Fisherman’s Wharf.

All’s Well That Ends Well…

We ended up lucking out with a windy, but sunny Saturday. We wandered from SOMA along the Embarcadero to the Ferry Building, then through the streets of Chinatown, North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Marina. Eating plenty of goodies and shopping along the way.

So we didn’t do many of the things on this list that weekend, but next time I have a visitor (or take a trip) to San Francisco on a rainy weekend, I’m already prepared.

Yesterday while driving around at lunch time, I caught the tail end of the midday radio show Think, by Krys Boyd on Dallas’ public radio station, it was about novelty and our propensit as individuals to either seek novelty (neophiles or neophiliacs, on the extreme end!) or to shun it (neophobes).

“Novelty-seeking is one of the traits that keeps you healthy and happy and fosters personality growth as you age,” says C. Robert Cloninger, the psychiatrist who developed personality tests for measuring this trait. … “It can lead to antisocial behavior,” he says, “but if you combine this adventurousness and curiosity with persistence and a sense that it’s not all about you, then you get the kind of creativity that benefits society as a whole.”
What’s New? Exuberance for Novelty Has Benefits, New York Times, by John Tierney

The show particularly caught my attention because the interviewee one of my favorite non-fiction authors, Winifred Gallagher about her new book, New: Understanding Our Need for Novelty and Change. I’ve written about her book The Power of Place: How Our Surroundings Shape Our Thoughts, Emotions, and Actions before – here and here.

I had an opportunity to meet Krys Boyd yesterday evening and to chat with her about the interview. She said she enjoyed the book and the interview a lot and told me that there was quiz online to gauge where one falls on the spectrum of neophobe to neophiliac. Of course, the first thing I did when I got home was to find the quiz!

Take the quiz here – The Well Quiz: How Adventurous Are You?

I scored a 47.  According to the quiz, I’m a bona fide neophile. While I do weigh the risks against the rewards, I also “tilt toward thrill-seeking” since I’m at the high end of the middle range (35-49 points). I like that. I’d definitely have to be coaxed (or pushed!) to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, but I’m game to go to Colombia alone. I guess I’m not literally curious to a fault, but close. :)

What about you? How adventurous are you? Anyone up for sharing your score?

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Think Podcast on iTunes: Understanding Our Need for Novelty and Change

Below are a few books I’ve read recently* over the last few months. They’re not new releases, but they’re definitely worth checking out. If you’re traveling soon and need some inflight reading, look no further.

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, by Rolf Potts (@rolfpotts)

This is one of the best books about travel I’ve ever read. It’s seriously smart and very well researched, but without becoming inaccessible. The format includes Rolf’s own stories, tips for the road, and quotes from both current and historical travelers.

While I don’t regularly embark on long-term travel, the type of travel that Potts promotes (“a privately meaningful manner of travel that emphasizes creativity, adventure, awareness, simplicity, discovery, independence, realism, self-reliance, and the growth of the spirit”) is exactly the type of travel I emjoy.

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, by Molly Wizenberg (@mollyorangette)

Molly writes with a great combination of honesty and heartfeltness. The book chronicles her life to date, including how she met her husband (hint: it was a result of her writing at Orangette). Her chocolate cake, the last recipe in the book, is a real treat, and plenty of the other recipes have peaked my interest too. I like that they’re uncomplicated.

When traveling in Paris and Edinburgh she wrote about the feeling of traveling, the actual movement of it. She calls it Bonus Time, and I couldn’t agree more.:

“You’re in the plane or the train, and you can see the world outside the window, and you’re hurtling through it, but it’s very far away, impossible to reach. Inside, your movements are limited, but time feels oddly expansive, as though you’re getting an extra minute for every three. You’ve escaped from normal time, and your reward is a chance to just sit and relax, or read, or listen to music, or sleep. Or maybe you’ll have to do some work, but it moves along with less friction than usual, because you’re in Bonus Time, and it’s roomy in there.” Excerpted from October 22.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott (@annelamott)

This was my first book by Lamott, and I enjoyed her causal, funny writing style. I love her instruction on “Shitty First Drafts,” you have to start somewhere. Starting is always the hardest part, and I often find that I have to beg, cajole, or bribe myself into just starting something. Setting the bar low for the first draft should help some.

This advice from her father on writing rang true to me: “‘Do it every day for a while … Do it as you would do scales on the piano. Do it by prearrangement with yourself. Do it as a debt of honor. And make a commitment to finishing things.’

Watership Down: A Novel, by Richard Adams

One of my friends mentioned that this was his favorite book. A few weeks later when I was wandering through a Borders clearance sale, I stumbled across a deeply discounted copy, and I’m really glad I did. I always had the impression that it was much like George Orwell’s Animal Farm, a thinly veiled allegory, but it’s not, and it’s much more. Adams stated in the introduction to the book, that “It is simply a story about rabbits made up and told in the car.”

Despite the book’s amazing success, Adams also recounts that it was rejected time and time again because, “[o]lder children wouldn’t like it because it is about rabbits, which they consider babyish; and younger children wouldn’t like it because it is written in an adult style.” Thankfully, he refused to change the book at all, and it found it’s success in publishing history. It’s truly an epic journey story about life – and rabbits. I loved it.

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*Note: I wrote this post a while ago, but saved it as a draft and promptly forgot about it. While the books weren’t read recently, I  enjoyed them and still recommend them. Recently I completed Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine, by Eric Weiner (@eric_weiner), and currently have The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future, by Chris Guillebeau (@chrisguillebeau) on my bedside table.

Interesting: I follow Molly Wizenburg and Rolf Potts on Twitter and via their own websites and came to their books after following their work online. When writing above, I instinctually called them by their first names. I came to know Anne Lamott and Richard Adams only from their published, hard copy books (now I follow Lamott on Twitter), but I called them by their last names. I think it says something meaningful about how people feel about the authors who are accessible online, or even who start as bloggers (in Molly’s case), or maybe it’s just me!

Today I’m waxing nostalgic, and the subject is Shel Silverstein. In preparation for my nephew’s 6th birthday, I made a stop at the bookstore to revisit the classic, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and to weigh whether it was the right time to introduce him to the unique world of Shel Silverstein…

After finding myself nestled on the floor among the aisles of the kids section totally engrossed in his books, I came home with two copies – one for my nephew, and one for me!

I have great memories of bedtimes spent reading Silverstein with my Dad. My favorites as a kid were the more silly rhymes – “Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too” and their flying shoe, the “Peanut-Butter Sandwich” about the creepy looking king whose mouth gets stuck shut from too much peanut butter, and the boy being eaten by a “Boa Constrictor.”

MAGIC
By Shel Silverstein, from Where the Sidewalk Ends

Sandra’s seen a leprechaun,
Eddie touched a troll,
Laurie danced with witches once,
Charlie found some goblins’ gold.
Donald heard a mermaid sing,
Susy spied an elf,
But all the magic I have known
I’ve had to make myself.

The catalyst for my rediscovery came after I stumbled across Silverstein’s biography at a used bookstore – A Boy Named Shel: The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein, by Lisa Rogak. It’s a story of an amazing life lived according to only his own rules. Now reading his work as an adult, I found other poems to love. Poems that were chock full of insight into human nature. Magic (above), My Rules, and The Voice below were two of my favorites.

MY RULES
By Shel Silverstein, from Where the Sidewalk Ends

If you want to marry me, here’s what you’ll have to do:
You must learn how to make a perfect chicken-dumpling stew.
And you must sew my holey socks,
And soothe my troubled mind,
And develop the knack for scratching my back,
And keep my shoes spotlessly shined.
And while I rest you must rake up the leaves,
And when it is hailing and snowing
You must shovel the walk … and be still when I talk,
And – hey – where are you going?

THE VOICE
By Shel Silverstein, from Falling Up

There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long,
“I feel that this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong.”
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What’s right for you – just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.

I had no idea his books were ever controversial or that his life was so unconventional, even a little scandalous. I also had no idea that he was a songwriter (including country music) and a playwright, that he wrote travelogues for Playboy, the magazine that gave him his start, or that he was a nomad who shuttled between multiple tiny homes across the country. He was also known as quite a ladies man, despite his odd looks and complete lack of desire to settle down with one woman.

Quotes from Silverstein in A Boy Named Shel: The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein:

“When people are sitting around and some oddball walks in who’s dressed atrociously, they’ll say, ‘Wow, look at that!’ But they’re delighted to have it because someone has brought something new and fresh into their buttoned-down world,” … “Don’t you think you owe that to other people, to bring them a little bit of excitement, something goofy and strange?”

“Comfortable shoes and the freedom to leave are the two most important things in life.”

Knowing more about his life adds a completely different layer to his work, emphasizing the subversive, and making me love it even more as an adult. Talk about marching to the beat of your own drum! It’s an influence I’m happy to sow in my own life and those of my loved ones.

There should always be a place in our lives for questioning the status quo and realizing that it’s up to you to make your own magic, according to your own rules.

—
More info: check out Shel Silverstein’s Unlikely rise to Kid Lit Superstardom, by mental_floss
Photo: from Wikipedia, Where the Sidewalk Ends

While in San Francisco, a quick trip to Whole Foods and dinner with an old friend each brought me face to face with something new, something that provided a window into a new part of the world. I love that feeling, and it tends to throw my research skills into high gear. In this particular case, they were also both edible…

Thing #1: Kouign Amman

Kouign Amman is a round crusty cake that was nestled in with the breakfast pastries, right next to the croissants. To my untrained ear it sounded vaguely Middle Eastern and peaked my curiosity. When I got home I discovered that it was actually a Breton cake made up of layers upon layers of dough, butter, and sugar and then cooked to caramelized perfection.  A little heavier than a criossant, but similar. I  associated Breton with northern France (Brittany specifically), but other than that I basically drew a blank…

Here’s what I found out. Apparently Bretons are an ethnic minority living in modern day Brittany, and Breton appears to be another word for Brittany. Sadly the Breton speaking population now is only approximately 250,000 people most of whom are in their seventies. Their population dwindles with every year that passes, which understandably leads to real concern about the extinction of the language over the next few decades. More information and a video from CNN: Bretons Fight to Save Language from Extinction. In addition, Locronan, a small town in the westernmost portion of Brittany (population: about 800 people), is the alleged birthplace of Kouign Amman.

Thing #2: Jook

Social media made it easy for Annelies and I to be back in touch and sitting at the window bar at BStar on a recent night in San Francisco despite the fact that we fell out of touch many years ago after college. BStar serves Burmese fusion and is owned by the same people who own the well-known Burma Superstar, where I’m told the wait is considerably longer. Both are on Clement Street in Inner Richmond, a neighborhood hailed as the go to spot for great Asian food and Annelies’s neighborhood. Based on her recommendations, we split the tea leaf salad, and I ordered the jook.

Descriptions pulled from the menu:

• Jook – rice porridge with chicken or pork, peanuts, scallions, ginger, chilies, and a  thousand year egg
• Tea Leaf Salad – romaine, ginger, garlic, peanuts, sunflower and sesame seeds, tomato and tea leaf

 

Both the food and the company were great. Intrigued, I promptly googled jook to find out more when I got home – i.e. how it was made, what is typically added as garnish, etc. It’s also called commonly congee or any of almost a dozen other names when served in various parts of India, Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, and even Japan. It’s eaten for breakfast or when you’re not feeling well, and is considered comfort food much like chicken noodle soup. Variations on the boiled rice porridge are huge making it particularly fitting for an Asian fusion restaurant!

The other interesting thing was the thousand year egg, a.k.a. century egg, that was served with the jook. It’s round, greenish, and right in the middle of the bowl in the picture above. Looking much more like a pickle than an egg, if you ask me. This was the first I’d ever heard of preserving eggs. Thankfully the one on my plate looked a lot more appetizing than the one pictured on Wikipedia and I hadn’t read stories and misconceptions of how this preservation process was originally discovered either! The consistency was similar to a boiled egg, and it worked well with all the other flavors. I probably wouldn’t eat it on it’s own, but I’d happily have another in my next bowl of jook.

What I Love about San Francisco & Some Recipes

I love that all kinds of new things are on offer in the Bay area. The pervasive question seems to be “Why not?” Wherever you turn someone is doing something interesting. Very often it also involves food. Relatively inexpensive food too.  And, right below the surface, a simple Google search away, you’ll often find that someone more passionate and knowledgeable has done the tougher investigative work for you… Of course an obscure Breton pastry is available! It’s San Francisco!

Where to find more Kouign Amman and jook in San Francisco:

• Finding a Kouign Amann in San Francisco: Your Weekend Assignment from SFWeekley.com
• Congee Compendium in San Francisco on Yelp, and more about Congee in the Bay area.

Of all the food bloggers I expected to have a recipe for jook, David Leibovitz didn’t cross my mind! Kouign Amman makes much more sense simply based on geographical proximity. He’s mostly known for living in Paris, and desserts, especially chocolate and ice cream. Jook came up as a a hearty hangover cure… Good to know! Both of the recipes below are from David.

Source: davidlebovitz.com via Angela on Pinterest

Source: davidlebovitz.com via Angela on Pinterest

Also, in case you’re curious, click to hear how to pronounce Kouign Amman. I know I was!

If you ask me, the key benefit of making yourself freer and more flexible is being able to take advantage of great opportunities when they come up. Less baggage, more options. So I was excited when I discovered (through the serendipity of Facebook) that a friend of mine was about to embark on some extended travel in Southeast Asia leaving her San Francisco apartment vacant.

After a few emails and calls back and forth, and a quick conversation with my boss, it was settled. I would be taking care of things at her place – living and working from her apartment for a little less than a month while she was away!

Let me take a quick step back. About that conversation with my boss…. I was pretty nervous about pitching this idea to him. You never really know how a conversation like this can go, but I’m firmly of the mindset that it can’t hurt to ask. You get out of life what you settle for, but I also knew that I had a pretty friendly audience. He’s been very happy with my work, and we’d recently had an unrelated conversation about how I can do my job from anywhere since I already work from a branch office and not our corporate headquarters. All I really need is a laptop and a cell phone. In the end, the conversation was a non-event. He said yes, and I promptly bought my flight to SFO.

I’ve been contemplating making a move to San Francisco and was itching for a little change of scenery so this has been the perfect opportunity to get an extended stay in the city for far less than a hotel would cost and without having to commit to anything just yet.

I’ve been in San Francisco for almost three weeks now, and I’ve had a blast exploring neighborhoods all over the city – SoMa, The Mission, Hayes Valley, The Marina, Inner Richmond, Outer Richmond, Outer Sunset, North Beach, Russian Hill, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown…

I’ll share more details and plenty of pictures very soon.

Today we’re going to take a little trip… I’ve selected stories from 7 different spots across the globe and put together a ’round the world jaunt just for you. So sit back, fasten your seat belt, and get ready to depart!

# 1 – First, we’ll snake our way down through Central America to the northernmost portion of South America, specifically the mountains of Colombia. Stumptown’s Colombia Source Trip (via Cool Hunting)

After taking my first trip to Colombia at the end of last year, I perk up now whenever I hear something about Colombia, and I’ve been itching to share this video since I stumbled on it… If you’ve heard of Portland’s Stumptown Coffee, you know that they take their coffee pretty seriously. I had no idea how seriously. This is a great video about their trip to Colombia to source their coffee. It reminds me so much of driving in the mountains around Medellin and makes me wish I’d taken time to visit a coffee finca (farm) while I was there.

#2 – We will continue MUCH further south past Ecuador and Peru, down the long coast of Chile, past the southernmost city in the world, (Ushuaia, Argentina), and across the turbulent Drake Passage to Antarctica. Dr. Edward Atkinson in his Antarctic Lab (via the Art of Manliness Trunk)

Check out this amazing photo of the Royal naval surgeon and Antarctic explorer from the National Geographic archives and follow the Wikipedia links to read about the Terra Nova Expedition from 1910 to 1913.

#3 – Next, we head back to warmer climates and across the Atlantic Ocean to the southeastern edge of Europe, in the Balkans. we’ll stop in the country that’s bordered by Montenegro, Kosovo, and Macedonia. Stumped? It’s Albania, of course. Riding a mini bus in Albania, by Lauren Quinn (via Matador Network)

Here’s a short excerpt:

“On a map, Gjirokaster is only 230km from Tirana. In any other European country, you’d walk to the train station at the center of town, sip an espresso while you waited for your train, hand a grumpy conductor your ticket, and gently rock your way back to the capital in a couple of hours … But this is Albania. And it’s not just the abandoned bunkers and minaret towers that make the country so utterly unlike the rest of Eastern or Western Europe. It’s the only European country without a functional rail system. And the buses don’t do a rousing job of making up for it. Fifty years of dictatorship and a civil war left infrastructure woefully dilapidated. Roads have begun to be repaired, but the things that ride on them have yet to improve.”

Good to know. When heading to Albania, try to rent a car … somewhere? Anywhere.

#4 – Heading east from Albania across the Mediterranean Sea, past divided Cyprus, across Syria and the Kurdish regions of Iraq, we’ll stop in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Traveling to Iran as Americans: All You Need to Know (by Uncornered Market)

I’ve been following Dan and Audrey’s adventures recently as they traveled through Iran. I was hugely curious about their trip and what Iran is really like outside of all the stereotypes and mass media reports. This post answers a lot of practical questions about traveling to Iran as an American. Is it legal? Can you travel on your own in Iran? How do you get a visa since there’s no Iranian embassy in the US? Can you use an ATM or your credit card in Iran?

“Iranian banks are also subject to international sanctions. So although Iran is full of banks and ATM machines, you won’t be able to get money out at any of them with your ATM card. So cash is the name of the game.”

Bonus links: Find out more about why they went to Iran and see some photos of Western Iran to satisfy your curiosity about what Iran really looks like!

#5 – Our next stop is over the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan on the subcontinent of India, in the eighth largest metropolis in the world, Dehli. Indian Maharaja’s daring act of anti-colonial dissent (by BBC News Asia)

Dehli is preparing to celebrate 100 years as the capital of India, and apparently the recent discovery of a “lost written diary by an Anglo-Irish aristocrat” named Lilah Wingfield has reminded the world of a forgotten act of defiance at the Dehli Durbar of 1911.

“Each Indian ruler or “native prince” was expected to perform proper obeisance to the King-Emperor by bowing three times before him, then backing away without turning. The maharajah not only ignored royal etiquette by turning his back on the king and queen after formally introducing himself but compounded his perceived insolence by reportedly “laughing disrespectfully” as he departed from their presence.”

#6 – From India, we’ll wander only slightly further east… We’re staying in south Asia and heading to the highly visited, travel blogger favorite of Thailand. The Hilarious and Strange Thai-Cambodian Border (by Christine Gilbert on AlmostFearless.com)

I’ve been a pretty regular reader of Christine’s blog for a while now. I enjoy seeing how she and her husband travel the world with their two year old son Cole, but what really keeps me coming back is her sarcastic sense of humor and honesty about long term travel and the places they visit. Check out the full story to avoid a long standing scam on your next border crossing from Thailand to Cambodia.

Here’s a short excerpt:

“It’s like some kind of compartmentalization that you achieve, especially in Southeast Asia, where you learn to not take these kinds of things personally, and maybe you think, “well that’s a scam for tourists who don’t know better, not for me”.  You still have to do business with the people who initially try to rip you off.  So you get used to it.  It’s like their opening bid.  Can I rip you off?  No?  Okay, what else can I do for you?”

#7 – And our last stop brings us much closer to home. Northern California, in fact. Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park (found on Pinterest via Evan Sharp)

I had to show the picture below because it’s so beautiful, and here’s the description Evan gave this pin: Horsetail Fall is a small, ephemeral waterfall that flows over the eastern edge of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. For two weeks in February, the setting sun striking the waterfall creates a deep orange glow that resembles Yosemite’s historic “Firefall.”

The post above from todayandtomorrow.net also includes as short video as well.

Clearly, we left large swaths of the world untouched on this trip, but I hope you agree that these seven spots provided some pretty interesting stories, and I hope you enjoyed the trip!

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Photo: from Curious Expeditions on Flickr

I’ve been struggling with how to tell you about my recent trip to Cairo, which is funny since my friends and family can attest that I’ve hardly stopped talking about Egypt since returning, especially with the return to Tahrir and elections. Even in talking about it though, I’m not sure I’ve done it justice.

The thrill of experiencing an entirely new culture firsthand would have made the trip memorable enough, but pair that with getting the opportunity to meet and talk with some very accomplished and passionate people who are in the thick of defining real political change in their country and seeing the iconic pyramids, and it quickly became one of the best trips I’ve taken to date.

It was humbling and eye-opening, and I wanted this post to convey all of that. Rather than delay it any longer, I’ll just let the trip speak for itself and then you can see everything that made my five days in Cairo so special.

DAY ONE

Zamalek

We stayed at the Marriott Hotel in Zamalek, which is an affluent neighborhood that sits on an island in the middle of the Nile, separating Cairo and Giza, both of which make up the metropolitan city of Cairo. As you might remember, I came to Cairo to participate in Afar Experiences’ inaugural event. Since it didn’t begin until midday on my first day in Cairo, I ventured out to explore a little of the surrounding area on my own.

I set off in search of the Diwan Bookstore. It’s well known for carrying titles in English that are hard to find in the US, and it didn’t disappoint. I ended up carrying home two books – one titled Road to Tahrir containing photos taken by young Egyptian photographers of the January revolution that ousted Mubarak and the other titled What the Arabs Think of Americans.

Then I climbed the Cairo Tower to take in the 360 degree view of this massive city with its population of approximately 18 million people.

Overlooking downtown Cairo.

The southern tip of Zamalek.

You can actually see a faint outline of the pyramids from the top of the tower when overlooking the Giza side, but sadly because of the haze you can barely see them in the picture above. There will be more pictures of pyramids soon enough!

Manshiet Nasser

After spending my morning in affluent Zamalek, I met up with the Afar group for our first activity and ventured much further afield. I selected a tour of Manshiet Nasser, one of the largest slums in Cairo. Our tour guide was Jawad Nabulsi, a young entrepreneur and Tahrir revolutionary whose Nebny Foundation is working with local contractors to help revitalize the neighborhood, which has been largely neglected by the government, before and after the revolution. It sits in stark contrast to the leafy Zamalek. We walked through only the small part of Manshiet Nasser that was involved in the revitalization efforts, and one of the nicest blocks in the area.

People gathered and welcomed us as we made our way with Jawad through the streets of their neighborhood. As we were getting ready to leave, an older woman motioned to us from one of the windows you see above and invited a few of us to come up into her home. We were able to talk with her and her family about the work the foundation was doing and about the fall of Mubarak. It was an unexpected glimpse into their daily lives.

DAY TWO

The Egyptian Museum

We woke early to visit the Egyptian Museum before it opened. We broke up into groups of four. Each of which was paired with an egyptologist who deftly led us through the never ending halls of the museum and all the ancient treasures to show us just the highlights.

Walking through the museum felt like traveling back in time, not just because of the age of the artifacts, but also because the display cases and the building evoke the British colonial period of Egypt’s history at the turn of the century when the building in Tahrir Square was built. The mummy room near containing the mummies of about 9 ancient pharaohs was definitely a highlight of the tour, albeit a slightly creepy one. It’s hard to believe you’re really looking at ancient kings and one queen.

A Remnant of the Revolution

Another highlight of the visit to the Egyptian Museum was the opportunity to see up close the burned out headquarters of the National Democratic Party – the ruling party under Mubarak.

It was burned during the revolution and still stands empty now.  The building backs right up to the museum, and you can see how devastating the fire could have been if it had gotten out of control.

Tahrir Square

From the museum, we walked to Tahrir Square. As you can see below, in late October it was a bustling mess of traffic, and back to business as usual after the January revolution. Having seen this spot made the news come alive in a way I haven’t experienced when only about three weeks later people gathered again in Tahrir to protest the military’s efforts to maintain political control and protections under the post-revolution government and when reports and photographs showed people being injured, tear gassed, or killed during those protests.

The day also included speakers at Cafe Riche, lunch at Arabesque, a reception at the Marriott with opening remarks from the Minister of Tourism, and dinner at Abou El Sid.

DAY THREE

We began the day with a walking tour through the Coptic Christian cemetery to the church of St. Barbara.

We met with Father Sarabamone, a Coptic priest who told us about his church and answered most of our questions. On the heels of Coptic Christians being killed during protests in Cairo, he effectively sidestepped political questions about discrimination or persecution, but admitted that times are tough. Copts represent only 10% of the population in Egypt.

Next we found our way through Cairo’s traffic to the Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrasa to meet with a young, modern imam named Moez Masoud. I’ve written a little more about him and his unique perspective on Islam here on Afar.com.

Outside Sultan Hassan

Inside Sultan Hassan

After returning from the mosque, our afternoon speakers included filmmaker Mohamed Diab and economist Seif Fahmy. Both were outstanding. Mohamed Diab is a longtime screenwriter who recently produced and directed his first film, Cairo 6, 7, 8 about sexual harassment in Egypt. Seif Fahmy spent years in business and in politics at one time within Mubarak’s National Democractic Party before resigning en masse with other ministers when it became apparent that they couldn’t accomplish within the NDP what they’d hoped to accomplish. His perspective was interesting and invaluable.

Home Dinners

We concluded the evening with dinners in various Egyptian’s homes to get another opportunity to speak informally and to get to know Egyptians around their kitchen tables and outside of the tour bus. My dinner was at the home of Sherif Maklouf a young entrepreneur in the technology space. We’ve taken to calling it the young revolutionaries dinner…. He and many of his friends who joined us were in Tahrir, involved in the protests, and are actively helping to change the political future of Egypt. It was like political theory 101. Maybe it was more like an advanced political theory course actually, because the issues they’re grappling with are complex with no easy or simple answers for bringing Egypt through this transition. I left that evening being genuinely impressed with the passion, commitment and intelligence of those individuals helping and hoping to direct Egypt’s future.

DAY FOUR

The day started with a brief overview of Egyptian architecture – all four thousand years of it! We gathered at La Bodega to hear architect Tarik Labib introduce the highlights and show us pictures of his buildings as well. Then we headed to the El Sawy Culturewheel for a few activities over the course of the afternoon. We heard traditional Egyptian musicians perform, listened to Riham Bahi a women’s rights activist and professor of political science about the issues facing women in Egypt, and met Bassem Youssef a comedian, surgeon, and talk show host, who is also called the Egyptian Jon Stewart.

Me and Riham Bahi

Bassem Youssef

Since I didn’t taken any pictures of Bassem Youssef in Cairo, I decided to include the one above. When author and journal Robin Wright spoke recently in Dallas, she showed a picture of him during her slideshow as an example of the changes the Arab world is facing in the area of humor. He’s a YouTube sensation who now has his own television show doing political comedy.

Farewell Party at the Pyramids

After a quick shopping trip around Zamalek to secure a few souvenirs (bath salts from the Red Sea), it was time to board the bus to the farewell party overlooking the Pyramids.We arrived right before sunset to see our beautiful tent for the evening full of colorful rugs, a traditional Bedouin band, and amazing food.

There were also quite a few camels and their handlers waiting to give the tourists a quick ride around the tent.

It was an amazing end to a thrilling event, and I’m looking forward to hearing in January where the next Afar Experience will be.

DAY FIVE

On my final day in Cairo, I joined a few of the others from the group and returned to Giza to see the pyramids during the day – to climb down inside the smaller pyramid, see the famous Sphinx, and visit the boat built with no nails.

Contraband photo from inside the Pyramid. Climbing back out.

Having already seen the pyramids the night before, I’d questioned whether it would be worth the return trip to Giza, but in the light of day, they did not disappoint.

After taking in the sights, we visited the historic Mena House hotel (owned by the Indian Oberoi group). The hotel has hosted many celebrities, but it also served as a meeting place for Winston Churchill and General Montgomery as they made plans during World War II and was the site of the talks between Egypt and Israel in the 70s. We reveled in the opulent surroundings and views of the pyramids and ate an amazing Indian lunch in The Moghul Room.

The last thing we all wanted to be sure to see before leaving Cairo was the Khan al-Khalili souk so we went straight from Giza through all the evening traffic to the souk. We arrived just before sundown and finished a full day with a walk through the winding alleys. You can see pictures and more about the souk in my last post.

While it’s hard to believe that I only spent five days in Cairo, they were five very full days that gave me a greater understanding of Egypt and laid the ground work for a better understanding of the region in general.

Having heard that Khan el-Khalili, a major souk in Islamic Cairo, was particularly pretty to see in the evening, we decided to make the trek across town to see it as we were leaving Giza after a long day of touring the pyramids. I was very glad to be with companions for the visit to the souk, including the men who accompanied us, instead of being on my own.

Nothing I’ve experienced in the US really compares to the feeling of being a foreigner without agenda or direction in the midst of Khan el-Khalili. It was packed. People seemed to be everywhere – cutting through the alleys on their way home, picking up spices or other necessary item, or pushing a packed trolley through an impossibly small space already full of people.The closest thing I can imagine is trying to navigate your way (for the first time) through the NYC subway system via Grand Central at the height of rush hour with a suitcase!

At one point as we wandered away from the more touristy portion of the souk, we were practically sandwiched between people seemingly commuting through the souk while we were at the same time still fielding requests to shop from the salesmen lining the souk. They continually assured us that “They had exactly what we needed.” Whatever that might be.

There were a few moments of relative calm during our walk through the souk, and the pictures below are mostly from those moments.

Sugar cane.

 Fresh dates for sale.

Alabaster jars and sheesha water pipes (a.k.a. hookah).

Loofahs and fabric.

Clothing piled and hung high.

Milling about outside the souk.

As you can see, the area was packed. This was Friday night traffic in downtown Cairo. It’s clearly the time to be out and about in the city. Since Cairenes don’t work on Fridays, it’s much like a Saturday night out in the States.

More thoughts on Egypt to come.

In a little more than 24 hours, I’ll be headed to Egypt! Cairo specifically, via London.

There will be plenty of big firsts on this trip – my first Muslim country, my first spot in Africa and the Middle East, and my first group tour ever. The event (sounds better than tour!) is hosted by Afar Media, publisher of Afar travel magazine.

Our itinerary includes convening in Cairo for a few days of dinner in Egyptian homes, conversations with revolutionaries about the future of Egypt,  sunset at the Pyramids, early morning access to the Egyptian Museum, and a visit to Tahrir Square…

And if that’s not enough, I’m also excited to spend a couple of days in London revisiting a few of my favorite touristy spots (Covent Garden, Regent’s Park, the British Museum) and exploring plenty of new spots too (Borough Market and the East End)…

I can’t wrap my head around the fact that it’s been over a decade since I spent a summer in London during college, but I’m definitely looking forward to making up for lost time!

I’d better get back to work now, since there’s still tons to do before I board the plane! But I’ll be posting plenty of stories and pictures (with my first manual camera!) over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned!