Modes of Transport / Sedate / South America
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 30, 2018 · Last modified January 28, 2018
Travel by bus is quite common throughout South America. While I’m sure some have visions in mind of a “chicken bus”, the reality is the polar opposite. There are dozens of bus lines and most of them are quite luxurious. Far more so than in the US. I took a...
Active / Activities / Bucket List / History / South America
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 22, 2018 · Last modified January 20, 2018
I’ve read that dance is a conversation between body and soul. Sometimes that conversation comes in whispers, other times in shouts. Tango is like those passionate cries that make the neighbors blush. Tango is very much a conversation… and a sexy one, at that. The entire conversation takes place strictly with body...
Africa / Laid-back / Middle East / Off-the-beaten-path
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 20, 2018 · Last modified January 15, 2018
As part of my off-the-beaten-path sightseeing tour, Islam and I (and José, an American we met along the way) all went wandering through a gigantic open-air market bazaar in downtown Cairo. Many parts of this place were just like in the movies. Especially after dark, when it took on a...
Dining / Europe / Laid-back / Modes of Transport / Wandering
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 14, 2018 · Last modified January 15, 2018
On my way to Cairo, Egypt I enjoyed a nine hour layover in Zürich, Switzerland. The duration was deliberate. I had never been to Switzerland and wanted to get out of the airport and go see the place. Zürich is lovely! Oh how I wish the climate suited me better....
Activities / Africa / Bucket List / Facts & Trivia / History / Laid-back / Middle East
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 12, 2018 · Last modified January 5, 2018
The statues that were carved in ancient Egypt ranged from tiny (small enough to stand three of them on a coin) to enormous. All of them were incredibly detailed. Far more detailed than I was expecting. They are also far more well-preserved than I expected. Of course some are broken...
Africa / Facts & Trivia / History / Laid-back / Middle East
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 10, 2018 · Last modified January 9, 2018
Probably 90% of the people who go to the Egyptian Museum go there to see the mummies and the most famous mummy of all: King Tut. I got to see both. Photos of everything in the King Tut room is strictly forbidden, however I did get one cool photo that...
Activities / Africa / Bucket List / Facts & Trivia / History / Laid-back / Middle East
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 8, 2018 · Last modified January 5, 2018
After an earlier aborted attempt, I finally got to visit the Egyptian National Museum. First of all, their website is woefully out of date. The admission price had increased from EGP£150 (~US$8.47) to EGP£240 (~US$13.55). That’s only a few cents to Americans but, for some people coming from poorer countries,...
Africa / High Adrenaline / Middle East / Modes of Transport
by Jeffrey Kontur · Published January 2, 2018
It’s the video everyone has been asking about! While I’ve attempted to capture what traffic is like on a daily basis in Cairo, I don’t think there’s any way that a mere video can really do it justice. Compared to Egyptians, New York City cabbies are like grannies driving in...
It’s strange how the mind works. My observations on living overseas for the first time. Despite having visited 17 countries before coming to Egypt (and in fact, Egypt being one of those 17 countries), I’m finding that living in a place is very different from visiting as a tourist. I...