Oct 26, 2025 We spent 3 nights and 2 days in Cairo with our OAT/Overseas Adventure Tour group. Day one because the museum was still closed, we visited mosques. Day two we drove to Giza in our private and comfortable busy to see the pyramids.  Street scenes are my first memories as I reflect on day one touring Cairo Egypt  Shot from the bus, this cyclist is transporting bread.  Taxi driver persuades us that he will drive us safely to the Cairo Marriott  I have no idea what this man was doing It's crazy what we see--this was from our restaurant on the Nile, thus the reflection.  and of course there are cats Cats in the mosque, yes, everyone walked off the carpet for the cat!  Mosque geometry Day 2 Cairo Giza Pyramids  The  Great Pyramid was  the world's tallest human-made structure for more than 3,800 years .  A wonderful, breathtaking photography spot.    The roads to and from the Pyrramids are 6 and 9 lanes wide! It was ...

 November 6-8, 2025 Welcome to  the Old Cataract Hotel, built in 1902, it's been featured in many movies and Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile here.  A most elegant and sumptuous destination that it's hard to participate in our OAT tours.  Entry from gate hotel entry that's our room in the middle floor of the turret  Can you imagine that our spacious room has a chandelier this size? bath tub! shower and toilet too of course Welcome to the room treats  moon set Sunset  For those of who have visited our tiny 954sq ft condo, this is an unbelievable 24 steps from one end to the other.  Our living area is 7 and you can add perhaps 4-5 for the entry.  I need to wear my Fitbit inside! 

 It's about 3.5 hours drive between Aswan and Abu Simbel Egypt and  there is a bus stop with  very clean toilets, drinks and snacks.  Pay this man 10 Egyptian pound/5 cents US to enter, remember to take tissues/TP from him Be aware while there is a few toilet parallel to the sinks, there are many more if you walk back and turn left/opposite the sinks.  entry places to sit if you have the time There are many buses there at the same time, yet there aren't lines for the ladies! 

  visited November 2, 2025 Besaw Island in the Nile has 350 villagers. We met Abu a farmer and fisherman.  Every family has 2 acres and we visited where he grows bananas, mango and doum palm fruit. Our OAT tour group of 16  explored the village, farmland and later his home where we chatted for about an hour before they hosted a phenomenal lunch.  Walking in the villages photos  ` In the family orchard, we learned how bananas are pollinated. I didn't know the flower was the male part of the plant and under the petals are flowers. The fruit bats do the pollinating.  Bananas grow year round. Mango season is June and July. looking up the banana flower and fruits The doum (pronounced dom) palm tree. It is known for its forked trunk, large leaves, and edible, gingerbread-flavored fruit. The doum palm is a native species in the Nile region, and its wood and fruit have been used for centuries for construction, food and drink.   We then returned to the famil...

  October 31-November 5, 2025 Google AI explains:  Dahabiya  (correct spelling, also spelled dahabeeyah, dahabiah, etc.) is a traditional, two-masted wooden sailing boat used for luxury cruises on the Nile River. These elegant, shallow-bottomed vessels offer an intimate, tranquil, and authentic way to experience the Nile, distinct from the larger, more crowded modern cruise ships.   There are 14 staff for the 16 passengers.  They are attentive, caring, accommodating and cannot imagine a better experience.  The food is varied and delicious with plenty of fruits and vegetables as well and tasting main courses to choose from.  Rooms are spacious, enough room for my yoga mat!  There are two yoga mats on the upper deck in good condition.   We eat outside for breakfast and inside for lunch and dinner because it's very hot. It's been over 100 most days which is 10-15 degrees above average according to my app