Seeing the Great Pyramids, one of the ancient wonders of the world, is a once in a lifetime trip for many people. Because of the travel distances involved for most tourists who go to Egypt, advance planning is definitely required. In many cases, a visa from an Egyptian consulate would be required in advance of a trip. There are many tour agencies located around the world with access to organized trips to Egypt that would make things much easier for many travelers. There are even Egyptian Tourist Authority offices located in Europe, North America and Japan to help with information on travel to Egypt.

Once in the capital city of Cairo, one should be prepared as it is a very large city of 83 square miles with 16 million inhabitants. It is not a picturesque city for tourists but instead it is noisy, polluted, crowded and very chaotic. However, this is the entry point for most travelers to Egypt and the base for some famous sights such as the Great Pyramids. Tourists can travel to other parts of Egypt which will be more pleasant and less busy for other ancient Egyptian ruins but a short stay in Cairo is still warranted in order to catch what’s located in the capital. One definitely does not want to drive in Cairo as the traffic is just crazy. Either take organized tours booked in advance or take taxis to leave the driving to the locals. Good hotels are available in Cairo including many of the worldwide chains. Like many other large crowded urban cities, one should be careful especially for pickpockets so take the necessary personal security precautions.

The Great Pyramids and the Sphinx of course are the main attractions here. They are located in the Giza plateau just outside the city. There are three pyramids with the largest being the Great Pyramid built by King Cheops in 2650 BC. The second pyramid was built by King Chephren, Cheops’ son and the third by King Mycerinus, son of Chephren. Of course the photo opportunities at the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx are just wonderful. Sometimes, it is possible to enter the insides of the pyramids for an extra admission charge but this is not a recommended option for those who are claustrophobic. The tunnels leading into the inner burial chambers of each pyramid are not comfortable at all. One pretty well must walk down in a crouching position all the way until the burial chambers are reached since the tunnels are quite long and not very high. The insides of the pyramids are also not air conditioned so temperatures are hot but at least the entire path is now electrically lit. When one makes this trip down to the burial chambers, it is fascinating to think about the conditions the original grave robbers must have went through as there were no lights and it’s a long way down. They certainly had their work cut out for them.

Outside on site, there are numerous hustlers offering camel rides. They are a real novelty since there are not many opportunities to ride a camel in the desert with the Great Pyramids in the background. But be warned that some of these hustlers will try and get as much out of the unsuspecting tourist as possible. Negotiate with a few of them before hand. One ride was bargained for the equivalent of $7 US which is quite reasonable. After the ride was paid for, the camel owner passed over the actual duties of working the ride to his teenage son. During the ride, his son kept hinting that he expected a tip. At the end, a $2 US tip was offered but the son was expecting a ridiculous amount of $30 US and got angry when he realized that amount wasn’t going to happen. The tour bus driver who was watching the entire incident had to come over to ‘rescue’ the tourist. The problem with many of these local hustlers is that they think that most tourists have mountains of cash. Polite customer service attitudes are just not priority with many of them.

There are other important Egyptian ruins within the Cairo area as well including Memphis which has the giant statue of Ramses II. Some of the important ancient Egyptian attractions are housed within the Egyptian Museum, another must-see attraction. The treasures of King Tutankhamun including the famous gold mask are at the Egyptian Museum. The treasures are extremely impressive as each object was made with such fine detail and remember that they were made thousands of years ago. It is interesting to note that although Tutankhamun’s treasures are impressive, the boy king was not one of the major pharaohs. So one can just imagine what the treasures of the other pharaohs would have been like. It’s too bad that the grave robbers got to them first. The other antiquities at the museum are also quite impressive so one can easily spend a good portion of the day here.

Egypt’s population is 94% Muslim and 6% Coptic Christian. As expected, there are some marvelous looking mosques in Cairo that are worth seeing and they would usually be in the agenda of most organized tours. The markets such as the Khan El-Khalili bazaar are interesting experiences too. At these markets, one can shop for spices, perfumes, jewelry, brass, copperware, ceramics, fabrics including Egyptian cotton and many more souvenir items including replicas of ancient Egyptian treasures. Be prepared to shop around and bargain though. Prices for the same items can vary greatly at different shops. Even though many shop owners will tend to be nice at first offering potential customers a soft drink or a cup of tea, the Egyptians are hard sellers and will put on the pressure to buy. Most prices can be brought down even if the sellers appear irritated. Some will even follow customers out the door still trying to get the sale. So be warned that the Egyptian markets are not relaxed places to shop.

To get change of pace, one can take a ride on the river Nile on local sailboats called feluccas. However, if one is going to travel to other parts of Egypt, a ride on a felucca will be even better further away from Cairo since the locations will be quieter and more peaceful. There are some restaurants located in Cairo with surprisingly pleasant outdoor terraces overlooking the city and the Great Pyramids in the distance. The tour guides will know where they are and will likely include one in the tour’s itinerary.

One thing that tourists will have to get use to while in Cairo and other parts of Egypt is the sight of many uniformed security personnel armed with machine guns. They are stationed at all the tourist sights including the ancient ruins, airports and the Egyptian Museum. At many locations, they will perform a search on all tourists including their bags before entry is allowed. Tourism is Egypt’s main industry and the government vowed to protect it, especially after 9/11. So a trip to Cairo and Egypt will be quite an adventure for any tourist but it is the Great Pyramids of ancient Egypt after all.

Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca , an online gallery specializing in Inuit Eskimo and Northwest Native American art including carvings, sculpture and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous information resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit and Native Indian art as well as free eCards.

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Fat Chance.

Of course, many poolside bars require your beverage be in a plastic cup – so if you insist on ordering a martini under these conditions, you get what you deserve.

But still, why does ordering a Martini in the tropics produce such bewilderment and disdain?

“Sheeze dude, you’re on vacation!”

“Yes I am, my good man, and I’d love a Martini – do you by chance have Tanquary gin on hand?” This inquiry generally followed by a long pause and a blank stare.

As if being on vacation requires consuming some sweet, syrupy, colorful concoction served on ice with speared fruit and a useless little paper umbrella sticking out the top – I’m on vacation, I haven’t lost my mind.

But alas, if the bartender has even heard of vermouth, let alone have it in stock, they don’t know how to use it.

We are talking about a mist of vermouth; atoms co-mingling with the gin, ever so lightly. Instead we get measurable quantities splashing through and cutting the gin into some bittersweet creation only vaguely resembling a Martini.

It makes one want to give up and order a nice, dry Chardonnay instead…

But that’s another story.

Tom lives in San Francisco and works as a sound engineer, freelance writer, and web publisher. He enjoys traveling, nature, reading, photography, and music. Read more stories by Tom at http://www.touristtravel.com/travel_stories.htm

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The Philippines is a country gifted with great beaches. The better known beaches are those found in Boracay and Palawan. Another beach or resorts worth mentioning are those found on the Mindoro’s northern part in the province of Oriental Mindoro. The place is called Puerto Galera. It is locate south of Manila (130 kilometers south) and 14 nautical miles from Batangas City.

You can go to Puerto Galera from Manila to Batangas using only land routes. When you arrive on Batangas, you would then need to ride a ferry to transport you. The ferry trip will be 1 to 2 hours long.

You have two options to go to Puerto Galera, the cheaper way or the more expensive way. The more expensive way is generally a faster way to get there. The more expensive one will make you ride the MV Super 85 Ferry and Sikat and Bus Services. Riding them is more expensive because they have no stop-overs, board the passengers directly to the ferries and are coasters or vans that are provided by the company.

The cheaper transportation is the way of the commuter buses of BLTB, JAM and TRITRAN which can be located at EDSA-Pasay, Taft Avenue near the corner of Gil Puyat Avenue, and Buendia, respectively. The bus fares will only range from P80 (non-air-conditioned) or P100 (air-conditioned). You will then ride a ferry to go to Puerto Galera and later on would need to hire an outrigger boat that ranges from P2, 000 per banca.

When you arrive at Puerto Galera, there are limitless activities to be done and places to go. You can go to the Hidden Valley, the Mangyan Village, the Muelle Bay and the Tammaraw waterfalls. The activities that can be done in Puerto Galera are kayaking and golfing to name a few.

For people who are fascinated by the marine life Puerto Galera also offers a variety of dive sites. The following dive sites in Puerto Galera are the Coral Garden, The Pink Wall, the Hill, the Hole in the Wall, the Manila Channel, La Laguna Point, the Sabang point and wreck, the dungeon wall, the monkey beach, Ernie’s cave, and many others.

A person who goes to Puerto Galera can also find some nice souvenirs to bring home to. They can be able to get the handicrafts that are made by the Mangyan to bring home to their friends.

There are other interesting places to go to in the Philippines. Don’t simply restrict yourself to the more popular ones. The less popular places can also provide you with a memorable experience.

John Grant has been living in the Philippines for 5 years and has travelled the country extensively. His online Philippines Travel Guide contains a wealth of information from Puerto Galera and other hot destinations in the Philippines.

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