EGYPT.... Izzayek??

My plane left from Beirut 30 minutes later than scheduled, but I think the pilot made up for it with his flying skills. Speaking of pilots, these guys fly their planes just like they drive their cars. He landed the plane immediately after completing a sharp turn. Then after we touched down, he hardly had time to brake and quickly made another turn off the runway. (It sounds worse than it was... don't worry). They plane was brand-new looking and very, very clean (Middle East Airlines).

Anyway I got off the plane ala Burbank airport style with the stairs. A bus waits for you on the runway and takes you to the terminal. At the terminal we had to fill out an entry card. I filled everything out except "address in Egypt". I told the security my friend is picking me up so i don't know where I'm going. A lady, seeing that i was getting a little frustrated/confused came over to help me. She was Egyptian who also lived in Washington or something. Anyway, she was sooo nice, spoke perfect English, and just told me to put her address. She also walked with me through customs, telling everyone i was with her and her family.

I am in a large building on the 7th floor. The first half of the building is one hostel... and the second half is in another hostel. It's pretty funny. My hostel is called Arabesque Hotel on Ramsees Street. I have two roommates. 1 is a pharmacy student from Hungary and the 2nd is a medical student from Poland. They are good guys.




Everything is so cheap here... i love it!! Dad was right, the difference between Lebanon and Egypt is like night and day.

Alcohol is very scarce, but you can find it if you look. So Mom and Grandma, don't worry... I'm not "drinking too much" =) Last night we went to this area where there is a huge bazaar where you can buy souvenirs and smoke argileh (they call it "shisha" here). That was fun. I forget the full name of the area but it ends in "Khalili" and the shisha place we went to was called El Fishawy and it is very famous because it is one of the oldest ones.





For the most part my program is not really organized. Typical Egyptian style I guess. I'm actually training right now in the Children's Cancer Hospital in Cairo. It's very modern and supposedly the best one in the Middle East. Who would have thought... Mr. community pharmacy working as a clinician in an inpatient setting....





We are going to Alexandria this weekend then next week we start a huge 10 or 11 day tour of the country. Should be amazing.

Rest, Relaxation, and Really old Ruins

At half way through our trip, we needed some time to relax, rejuvenate and recharge. We took the advice of some friends and visited the beach resort called Edde-Sands. It’s made up of a complex array of pools, ponds, and of course, the Mediterranean Sea. For lunch we had ice cold Almaza beer and some pizza. In the evening we had some chicken Shawerma sandwiches from a local joint. I went to bed while dad stayed up and did some work on the computer.





Our trip to Baalbeck the next day started slow. We first had breakfast at Wooden Bakery and enjoyed fresh squeezed OJ and a Manaiysh sandwich right out of the oven. To reach the Bekaa Valley, we planned on crossing the mountain ranges through Ale, Bhamdoon, and Dhour al Shweir. However, after 1 hour of sitting in traffic and frustration from not being able to figure out the freeway exits that get us there, we turned around. We then took the familiar route through Bikfaya, Bologna and Zahle. From there we turned north towards Baalbeck.

Baalbeck is named after the Phonecian God, Baad. The Ruins are some of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins in the world. Some of the buildings are dated as far back as the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. It is an incredible tourist site no visitor to Lebanon should miss.











On the way back to Beirut we stopped in Zahle and had dinner at the Arabi restaurant in Wadi, Zahle. The menu included tabouleh, garbanzo beans, frog legs, and Asafir. Asafir are tiny birds, unlike the quails we have back at home. As always, dinner was complemented by an argileh and we topped it all off with some ice cream and an assortment of fruit. The plums, in season, were so sweet and juicy; you could not eat them without making a mess.