Dubai's Scary Laws

Here's a scary story about a US citizen working in Dubai who is facing criminal charges for simply e-mailing from his work e-mail account. Click here for the story.

Egypt

I like Egypt.

The three most impactful things I take from my short visit in Egypt are: (1) the genuine Egyptian smiles, friendliness, and sense of community (even in Cairo); (2) infectious optimism; and (3) the triumph of ancient Egyptians’ mind over matter in building Karnak and the Great Pyramids. Oh yes, before I forget, tipping 1 Egyptian pounds when using the bathroom is customary. In fact, tipping between 1 to 5 Egyptian pounds is apparently customary for anyone that does you a favor. Our tour guide was constantly handing out tips to museum guards, the ice cream man, and those clearing traffic to allow our mini-bus through.

Cairo. Being stuck in 1.5 hours of traffic on a 250 feet bridge is frustrating, but navigating through probably the most congested streets in the world yields a special treat: experiencing an Egyptian sense of community where everyone becomes a traffic police in directing the flow of cars. Our car was stuck in a narrow street in Islamic Cairo in a 10 car pileup going every which direction when a plump and unfortunate looking woman dressed in blazing orange cloth came to give her hand in untying the traffic knot. Within 1 minute of her effort, she was trapped in a perfect triangle formed by the sides of three cars including ours. She threw her hands in the air and certainly shouted Arabic profanities as the other drivers looked on and laughed! This was a charming and unforgettable experience! The Cairo Museum is literally overflowing with ancient treasures and is a definite must-see.

Islamic Cairo provides a fascinating glimpse into Egypt’s Muslim community. The streets are cozy and rich with Islamic history. The Al Azhar mosque, founded in 970, is touted as the second oldest educational institution in the world. The mosque also serves as Egypt’s religious authority. Enter the mosque and explore the large prayer rooms and beautiful inner white marble courtyard. The Khan al-Khalili bazaar is just a quick walk over. Smaller mosques lined with beautiful Egyptian carpets and brass lamps hanging from above make this walk more than just an outdoor mall. While exploring the smaller alleys, I befriended a few people and bargained over delicately crafted wooden boxes with Islamic art inlays. Although the alleys are dusty, unpaved, and littered with trash, I felt safe at all times because residents were constantly waving, smiling, and showing what I think is the best side of Egypt!

Gingerly nestled within Old Cairo, Coptic Cairo boasts of the Roman Towers, a Mosque, the Ben Ezra Synagogue (where the pharoh’s daughter found Moses in the reeds and where Mary drew water to bathe baby Jesus), and seven Churches (including the Hanging Church and St. Sergius or Abu Serga built over a cave where Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus sought shelter after fleeing to Egpyt from King Herod of Judea’s wrath).

Luxor. With nearly 3000 years of history and over 1500 years of constant additions, the Temples of Karnak are an awesome sight. The Great Hypostyle Hall had a roof which could contain both Rome’s St. Peter’s and London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral propped up with over 134 sky bound papyrus stone pillars. Ancient Egyptians believed the papyrus surrounded a mound of earth in which life was first created. Apparently the Nile waters used to flood this hall with several feet of water with the coming of the summer floods. I suggest skipping the 9 hour overnight train for the hour flight between Cairo and Luxor. The double passenger sleeper train we took spanned the length of my leg. Early 90’s overnight sleeper trains in China and Indian trains exude luxurious qualities in contrast to the Egyptian train.

Valley of the Kings is home to King Tut’s tomb. No visit is complete without walking into the long tomb corridors lined with hieroglyphics, burial chambers, and other rooms in which post-life offerings were kept.

Valley of the Queens is home to Nefertari and at least 74 other tombs.

A sunset stroll within Luxor Temple is also an unforgettable experience as you take in the beautiful carvings, colonnades, and other ancient Egyptian art.

Alexandria. A 3 hour one-way drive to Alexandria from Cairo is somewhat worth the views of the Mediterranean, Catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa, Roman amphitheater (Kom Al-Dikka). This is the only place on earth where Greco-Roman-Egyptian cultures are intertwined as one and evident throughout the city's ancient sites.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)

Dubai shows you that you can buy just about everything if you have the money. Money, however, cannot buy a replacement for this city's history, culture, and heritage. The ruler should spend even more money on developing these truly unique and irreplaceable treasures.

In itself, Dubai as a city does not impress me. Who can be impressed with mega malls marbled from top to bottom, uncontrolled urban sprawl, out of control real estate development, and artificial everything!? The entire city seems to be teetering upon unsustainable resources from imported water to workers. What happens when Dubai can no longer afford to continue hiring from abroad and engage in outrageous spending on yet another building?

The bigger picture, however, reveals a resourceful government converting sand and nothing into incredible wealth and garnering world attention. Even license plates are for sale! Apparently the lower the license plate number, the more expensive the license plate number becomes. Thus, a license plate with the numbers 5678 could fetch nearly $80,000 USD! If Dubai can sell license plate numbers and sand in the desert, then they can sell anything! I also had no real interaction with any local Dubai residents except for the very unfriendly customs officials. Every other person in Dubai is probably an exploited workers imported abroad from every possible country in the world. Driving in a fortified 4 wheel drive SUV on a desert safari was the most memorable experience here! I loved it! We were able to drive up the walls for tall sand dunes. I also enjoyed walking in the red sand barefoot, watching the desert sunset, camel ride, belly dancing, and Arabian desert bbq. I am sure these are 110% tourist activities, but so unique so as not to miss them!

7-star scam. The Burb Al-Arab is a 7-star scam. First, no hotel in the world is 7 stars except for this self-proclaimed wonder of the modern world. We were lucky enough to visit our friend’s $2500 a night room and experience the overall lack of service. We spent $150 per person at a dinner buffet much to our chagrin. Service was flat and the food sucked. Emirates is also a 5-star airline scam. Rated as 1 out of 5 of the world’s five star airline, the only good thing about Emirates is its star constellation lighting system and comfortable cabin temperature. The service is hot and cold with none of the flight attendants truly anticipating the customer’s unconscious expectations. Thai, Singapore, and even China Airlines still rule in this department. The food service seems disorganized and rushed with the flight attendants shouting at each other and running up and down the aisles. The food falls flat, beverage selection limited, seats uncomfortable, and the 4 flights I took were all delayed by at least 1 to 2 hours. The Emirates terminal at Dubai International Airport, moreover, is a crowded mess. Every single men’s bathroom I visited had a line out the door. I ended up checking out the upper floor restaurants, health club, and hotel to use their empty bathrooms.

Visit the Dubai Museum, take a boat ride on a water taxi in Dubai Creek, visit old Dubai in Bustakiya, Burj Al Arab if not just to form your own opinion on this 7-star scam, and the Dubai souqs. Also check out the Bellagio copy-cat water fountain show at the base of the tallest building in the world, the Emirates and Dubai Malls, the largest indoor ski slope, and the mega mall aquarium.

In Abu Dhabi, drive by the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi Heritage Village, and the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque.

In Sharjah, visit the Sharjah cultural museum.

Gdansk (Gdynia), Poland

Twice as many Poles died in the Holocaust than Jews. Traces of WWII trauma and Polish suffering is evident everywhere--from brick ruins to worry lines on the faces of elders. Gdynia was the port town we sailed into, but we took a 30 minute train ride into Gdansk which is Poland's fourth largest city.

We visited and recommend visiting: Gdansk main town (take a walking tour of the Old Town); St. Mary's Church (the world's largest brick church...we climbed to the top of the tower); enjoy lunch at one of the many waterfront cafes and restaurants.

The entire town was celebrating either the Dragon Boat race or a soccer match:

Oslo, Norway

Nestled within forests and at the end of an island-studded fjord, Oslo lays peacefully as it claims Scandinavia's oldest capital city. Oslo is clean, modern, progressive, vibrant, and terribly expensive! I confirmed the rumor that Burger King's value meal costs a whopping $20 USD (but it includes fries, burger, and a drink)! A one-way bus fare cost about $7 USD. Forget it! It reminded me of the $12 USD 6-inch subs I had in Reykjavik, Iceland. Notwithstanding the heavy price tag on just about everything, Oslo has an amazing atmosphere.

We visited and recommend visiting: Vigeland Sculpture Park (features Gustav Vigeland's work); Viking Ship Museum (houses 3 Viking long ships dating back to 800-900 A.D.); City Hall (an ugly, but important building where the Nobel Peace prizes are given out); National Gallery (closed on Mondays so we didn't get to see Edvard Munch's Scream); Akershus Fortress and Castle.

A medieval Norwegian King, pointing at this spot, declared it the site of Oslo:

Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn, Estonia is a surprise treat! Although held hostage by Moscow for decades, Estonia maintained its Western traditions in the form of its Latin alphabet and its Protestant and Catholic faiths. Locals are stylishly dressed and the town impeccably clean! Medieval Tallinn is best explored on a walking tour.

We visited and recommend visiting: Town Hall Square (home to cafes, boutiques, and restaurants); Toompea Hill (Upper Town); Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Palace Square featuring onion domes, colorful icons, and golden crosses); St. Olaf's tower.

St. Petersburg, Russia (& Moscow)

We are definitely coming back to St. Petersburg. Two days of non-stop sightseeing was not enough to take in all this city has to offer. Peter the Great, the architect of this fantasy city, was truly a visionary. He accomplished the goal of westernizing Russia by building this very European inspired city.

This city is starkly different from Moscow which is more institutional and rigid in design. In the 90s, my family and I stayed in Moscow for nearly 2 weeks for my Uncle's ballet. His ballet debuted in a small theater next to the ornate Bolshoi Theater. We stayed at the Hotel Metropol next to the Kremlin in Red Square. The subways, parks, and buildings were all very impressive!

In St. Petersburg, we visited and recommend visiting: The Hermitage (unbelievable!); Yusupov Palace (site of Rasputin's assassination); St. Isaac's Cathedral (the largest Church in St. Petersburg); Peterhof Palace (built to rival Versailles with an outstanding gravity powered fountain system); Peter & Paul Fortress (Peter the Great reclaimed this land and built St. Petersburg's first building here on May 27, 1703); Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (site of Tsar Alexander II's assassination); take a canal cruise along the Fontanka, Moika, and Neva Rivers and the Kryukov Canal.

Tip: since traffic is so bad in this city, you should utilize the Metro and public ferries. You can zip between Peterhof and downtown on a 25 minute ferry and save nearly 3.5 hours of traffic time otherwise!

Russian entertainment:

Helsinki, Finland

Pursed against Russia, Helsinki is stylishly Soviet. Russians once conquered Finland between 1809 and 1917. Although lauded as an architectural jem rivaling Stockholm, there was little evidence to support this claim. The streets were dusty and the entire city felt drabby, as if Helsinki just stepped out of WWII.

We visited and recommend visiting: Senate Square; Lutheran St. Nicholas Cathedral; Market Square (rather dull); and absolutely visit Suomenlinna Island Fortress which was built to protect Helsinki from Russian attack in the 18th century. Six islands of a self-contained city are adjoined by bridges. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Get there by a public ferry which departs from Market Square.

Stockholm, Sweden

Compact, clean, and historic. These words describe my overall impression with Stockholm, a lovely city with Venice-like bridges and canals. We visited and recommend visiting: the Vasa Museum (which houses the 17th century warship Vasa, the oldest fully preserved ship in the world. It was built as the pride of the Swedish navy, but capsized a few minutes in on her maiden voyage); Royal Palace and the Royal Armory (your pass lasts for 30 days and you can even witness the changing of the guards show); Gamla Stan (Stockholm's historic old town with narrow cobbled streets and buildings dating from the 15th to the 19th centuries); take a public ferry boat ride between Vasa and Gama Stan.

Here's a video of the Royal Changing of the Guards:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen is a beautiful, quaint, and extremely clean city. I am impressed with its well organized infrastructures and the friendliness of local Danes. In search of the perfect local meal, a local Dane saw our confused faces and offered to give a helping hand. I asked her if she had any favorite local restaurants. She said because eating out is too expensive, most Danes eat at home. She, therefore, was unable to suggest any restaurants. She did suggest trying the smörgåsbord, a Scandinavian open faced sandwich with capers, red onions, and pickled herring. By walking around purposefully aimlessly, we finally found a cute and rather inexpensive Danish restaurant. I had the open face herring sandwich and it was delightful!

Our local friend was right, everything was expensive in the city because of the 25% value added tax. Living costs are high and income taxes, as I learned from another local friend, varied between 40-60% of your income (this particular friend failed to accurately calculate her tax and was therefore charged the maximum 60%). The benefit, of course, was that everyone receives universal health care and an excellent education!

We stayed at the stylish Adina Hotel Apartments which was within 15 minute walking distance to the city center. It is about a 5 minute walk from the train stop (which links directly to the airport). Alternatively, bus #26 passed right by the hotel which can take you just about anywhere within the city for about $4 USD. We saved literally $100 in public transportation costs by purchasing a 1 day unlimited travel pass for about $30.

We visited and recommend visiting: The Little Mermaid; Kastellet Fortress (adjacent to Copenhagen harbor, near the Little Mermaid); Tivoli Gardens (pleasure gardens which was actually too expensive to go in); National Museum of Denmark (The only thing that is free and worth it in Denmark!); city center (with wide pedestrian only streets...its fun to people watch and window shop); City Town Hall (where public weddings take place and where you can climb up the clock towers--tours given once a day at noon); Rosenborg Castle (beautiful crown jewels); Kronborg Castle (site of Shakespeare's Elsinore Castle in Hamlet); Helsingor (the cute town just north of Copenhagen in which Kronborg is situated).

Emerald Princess

In the late 90s, my family and I enjoyed a huge family reunion cruise on board a Princess liner. We sailed through Alaska and the coast off of British Columbia. We floated pass glaciers, swimming pods of dolphins and whales, and enjoyed the fjords. After making landfall in Vancouver, a chartered tour bus zipped us from Vancouver to Calgary and back. We drove through the amazing Canadian Rocky Mountains and visited Banff. Memories from this trip were very pleasant, until I got violently ill after splashing my face with the crystal clear waters in a mountainous lake up in Banff!

I had fond memories of the Princess: a well groomed professional staff, pleasant fellow passengers, excellent food, creative fruit carvings, and minimal peddling. These were the memories which influenced our decision to try another Princess cruise for a mini-family reunion trip through the Baltic.

We sailed the Emerald Princess on the Baltic Sea between May 16 and May 26, 2009. We embarked from Copenhagen and made stops at Stockholm (Sweden), Helsinki (Finland), St. Petersburg (Russia), Tallinn (Estonia), Gdynia (Poland), and Oslo (Norway).

There was a noticeable difference between the quality and service on this most recent Princess experience. First, the food was awful (i.e., tasteless meats, over salted soups, minimal buffet selections). The entire ship was crowded with loud, arrogant, and angry Americans. Except for the brief moments ashore, I felt we were trapped on a floating American colony. Some days we had to take food back to our cabin and eat it on our beds because the dining rooms were filled to the brim with people.

Staff members were ok, not exceptional. Our cabin toilet smelled really bad and overall air quality on board was debilitating. Then came all the excessive peddling from staff to purchase exorbitantly priced "treasures" (i.e., by the end of the trip, you probably had over 100 "professional" photos taken of you). We were held hostage on 2 sea days where staff increased the peddling of photos, gifts, and bingo games. We were attacked from all directions. Even when the on board professor lectured, he would find moments to solicit sales of various sorts. There was hardly enough time to truly enjoy each city.

There were two advantages. First, we were able to cut down on travel costs. Second, we were able to cut down the annoyances of the pack-and-go traveler (when you cannot fully unpack because you're moving from hotel to hotel). At the end, the quick tour of each port city allowed us an opportunity to sample what cities we'd likely return to. The experience is analogous to enjoying a sampler appetizer plate.

Personally, I will not be traveling on board Princess anytime soon...or any cruise ship for that matter. I'm more of a land animal. I like to be on shore looking out far at a distant cruise ship imagining all the things I'm not missing.

Uniquely Odd American Tourist Attractions

Roadsideamerica.com is a great website showcasing unique and odd American tourist attractions. Create and plan your own road trips under "My Sights." http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

Free London!

Free London activities.

`Iolani Palace (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Any visit to Honolulu must include a mandatory stop at `Iolani Palace, the only royal residence in the United States.

The palace once symbolized Hawaiian sovereignty, power, and progress. Today, the palace reminds us of the grandeur of the Kingdom of Hawaii while juxtaposing the violent relationship between American businessmen and the vulnerable monarchy.

Interestingly, King Kalakaua installed electricity in the palace even before electricity was introduced into the White House. Additionally, he installed other high tech gadgetry such as flushing toilets, bath tubs, and 200 gallon hot water tanks. At the time, Honolulu also had the most telephones per capita than any other city in the world! Queen Liliuokalani (last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii) was also imprisoned within these palace walls--her own home--during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

As a kama`aina, you'll get in FREE usually on the first Sunday of each month. We spent about 3.5 hours here first enjoying a 45 minute docent guided tour of the palace, then marveling at a wonderful collection of artwork, jewelery, and other royal paraphernalia in the basement gallery.

Coronation Pavilion (used in 1893 for the coronation of King Kalakaua and Queen Kapiolani)

`Iolani Barracks (top/bottom)

Obama's Hawaii

Obama's Hawaii highlights some of Obama's favorite places to visit and eat while in Honolulu.

A new interisland airline is in town: Mokulele Airlines

Check out Mokulele Airlines and their new interisland service with Brazilian made Embraer jets...my new favorite type of aircrafts because of its improved fuel efficiency, large windows, greater leg room, no middle seats, and aesthetically pleasing lines and interior cabin space.

Deltalina on Ellen

A Ellen's response to the new Delta safety video. The new safety video marketing is BRILLIANT!

Delta's New In-flight Safety Video

AWESOME video. Unique visuals.

Hilarious Safety Demo!

Flying should be this FUN!

Chicago ROCKS!

We spent this past weekend in Nick's hometown of Chicago for his b-day! This is my third visit to Chicago . . . reconfirming just how this city ROCKS!

Here's me, Nick, Lizzie (Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee Official), and Jamie (Nick's sis and, officially, my best friend).

We took an awesome architectural boat tour, walked along the lake shore, visited mummies in the Field museum, and hung out at purple loving Northwestern. I LOVED IT ALL!

Mr. and Mrs. Chi enjoying a breath of fresh air in the Windy City.

There's one more in the gang...but he's reclusive.

Sears Tower! Notice the 4 stars on the Chicago flag. A fifth star will be added if Chicago wins its Olympic bid. Also notice the baby . . . there's always a baby around Nick.