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Farewell Egypt... 2 days ago

Thanks to all who have been keeping up with us throughout our Egyptian adventures! As a final update, today we ate dinner on the Nile, and yesterday we finally got to see mummies, as shown here:

We will be home late Tuesday night/ early Wednesday morning. While I'm looking forward to good old Simi Valley and a carrot shake from Natural Cafe, I am dreading the flight tomorrow... But I can't wait to see all of my friends, family, the kids, and last but not least, Midori...

Day 18ish... Back in Cairo 4 days ago

We are back in Cairo for the rest of our stay. Since Alexandria, we have been spending time in the North Coast of Egypt. Our days included swimming in the deep blue (it's really blue), and our nights were filled with elite cafes and "sheesha" (that means hookah, but Egyptians think that Americans call it "hubbly bubbly.") I am practically black from the sun, and Wes looks like a golden life guard. There are many photos to see:

Here's Amira, Wes, and my cousins Eman and Ahmed in Agamy.




And Wes getting his game on.


Here are some pictures from Alexandria:


My sister and I in Montaza.




A palace in Montaza.




Us with my dad at the Citadel of Quait Bay.










My dad at the Roman Amphitheater.




Wesley's birthday, but I am the only one looking at the camera, obviously.

And here is the famous North Coast:








My sister and my cousin Dina boating in the Mediterranean.




My cousin and my baby brother Adham aka "Bobos."










Working towards a tan like Ahmed's...

Day 11 2 weeks ago

Hi everyone! We are in an internet cafe in Alexandria. I'll keep this brief because our time is limited. So after leaving Cairo having not seen any mummies (due to one person or another's illness) we headed to this beach town, I don't know how to spell the name, where we stayed for a few days at my dad's friend's house. I was pretty sick, mostly due to ulcerative colitis problems. The food here is quite aggravating and most of the time there seems to be no wise options. We were ecstatic to eat McDonald's once, and at Chili's last night. Anyways, we swam for a couple of days at the beach and Wes got stung by a jelly. Then we came to Alexandria to stay with my dad. Yesterday we went to see this palace and the Citadel of Quait Bay, which was awesome. Today we explored the ruins of a Roman Amphitheater and then went to the famous library in Alexandria. I wish we could show you all pictures but unfortunately I can't use my own computer due to a lack of Wi-Fi. Speaking of pictures, at the library I was wandering around alone when a group of young guys asked to take my picture. At first I thought they wanted me to take a picture for them, but really they wanted to take a picture with me. Then I got pissed and said no, and it happened 4 more times with different groups of guys. As I found out later, it was happening to Wes simultaneously. Turns out that Egyptians just go to that library to take pictures with tourists. Of course Wes was being a ham and enjoying it. Tomorrow we are leaving for the North Coast to stay with my aunt, which is supposed to be really nice. It is also Wesley's birthday tomorrow so send him some birthday love! We miss you all and can't wait to see you again.

Days 4-6... 2 weeks ago

Hi everyone. It's been a rough past couple of days. On Saturday we had plans to go to this famous Citadel in Cairo, but Wes was not feeling well so I stayed home with him. Then on Sunday, Amira and I felt the wrath of the vomiting/ diarrhea plague too and thus we had to skip our visit to the Egyptian Museum. Today we were originally supposed to leave for Alexandria, but instead we are going to stay here in Cairo one more day and try to go to the museum. It is here that we will see MUMMIES! Oh boy.

Day 3 3 weeks ago

Last night we all went to a traditional Egyptian wedding. It was... very interesting, to say the least. We went to go get our hair done and all the hair stylists are men. To curl my hair, he used an actual iron! Continuously heating it over an open flame! For the most part, the wedding was enjoyable but there were some intimidating parts, such as the very exotic, or in Wesley terminology "sensuous" belly dancer. People stay up a lot later here, the streets are bustling until 3 am. Tonight I plan to buy milk from the milk vendor, they say he comes every night at 1 am. Don't worry, I am going to boil it before drinking. Speaking of food illnesses, unfortunately a couple of us managed to get sick here, even while keeping to bottled water. My baby brother really has it bad, and then Wes got food poisoning symptoms a couple hours ago. He took some medicine and is resting now, I think he is feeling a little better. For my brother, they had to call the pediatrician and get him shots to stop the vomiting and diarrhea. As for me and Amira, we are fine, but I came here with a case of the common cold and have managed to pass it onto her now. =[

Anyways, today we went to "Khan Khalili," which is a famous market where tourists buy a bunch of useless souvenirs from real Egyptians... The men ask all the young American looking women, "Are you a movie star?" One guy asked my sister "How many camels?" (for her hand in marriage, of course). It was fun. My only complaint so far about Cairo is all of the stray kittens. I keep trying to bring them home but nobody will let me. Here are some pictures from the wedding, and a couple from a coffee shop in Khan Khalili:

Out of Egypt, Into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt From My Sandals as I Run. 3 weeks ago

Salam! (Hello in Arabic). It's been less than two days since we arrived and we already have adventures to share! After our horrible 18 hour excursion we landed in Cairo to stay with my cousins Dina and Eman. We began with a short nap and then ventured onto the streets of Cairo and then a boat ride on the Nile. After a good night's sleep, we started today off with a trip to the pyramids in Giza! It was great, literally the second you walk into the pyramid you sweat like a madman. We were drenched and loving it... Wes got stuck in a booby trap but I saved him. And we rode camels, which are massive by the way. I'll just give you a quick glimpse for now...

We miss everyone!

habibi habibi habibi 3 weeks ago

WE MADE IT!! Now time for sleep on this hot Egyptian afternoon.

The clock is ticking... Jul 27

Yesterday's day included a work meeting in Camarillo followed by a rendezvous where Wes and I enjoyed coffee at a place called Element and then shopped at Henson's Music on Ventura Blvd. We then proceeded to a fun filled birthday party for one of our cases, and then fit in a short bike ride before our pool party with the gang. Here are some pictures of the newest additions to our family (Quinn the Schwinn and Ol' Bjornie Blue Bicycle.) Take note of Wesley's new cycling cap, a early birthday present from yours truly.

And some pictures from our evening swim, Thai food extravaganza and a horrible night at the movies:

2 more days until we leave for Egypt! Oh my goodness! While it's an exciting thought, it's also quite saddening because I won't be able to see Kaitlyn again until we go visit her in Chico... that's probably September. I got to try to keep things light hearted for the big goodbye... Anyways, be sure to check my blog for Egypt updates. We'll see you from the promise land.

Amina's Recipes for the Best Smoothies Jul 13

So, you want the inside scoop on how to make the best smoothies? Alright, I'll fill you in. (Serving size=3)

1.) STRAWBERRY BANANA PEANUT BUTTER
5-7 strawberries, 1 brown banana, 2 tbsp peanut butter, half a blender full of ice, 2 generous scoops of vanilla fro yo*, and some milk to blend.

2.) STRAWBERRY BANANA COCONUT
5-7 strawberries, 1 brown banana, 2 tbsp coconut oil, half a blender full of ice, 2 generous scoops of vanilla fro yo*, and some milk to blend.

3.) MANGO BANANA COCONUT
1 large mango, 1 brown banana, 2 tbsp coconut oil, half a blender full of ice, 2 generous scoops of vanilla fro yo*, and some milk to blend.

4.) BANANAS BANANAS BANANAS
2 brown bananas, 2 tbsp coconut oil, half a blender full of ice, 2 generous scoops of vanilla fro yo*, and some milk to blend.

****Today I found that Fresh and Easy brand "Roasted Banana Gelato" works well in place of vanilla fro yo, and gives an extra banana kick to my fellow banana lovers out there.

Enjoy!

Weekend Getaway. Jul 6

So, after a very long, uneventful, yet tiring day at UCLA on Thur (7:30 am to 9:00 pm with no chance of Cafe Balcony...) we decided to make our day longer by driving to Pismo Beach around 11:00 pm for a weekend getaway to Wesley's grandparents house. Our activities included eating at Splash, watching fireworks, buying fireworks, using fireworks, (they are legal there), and shopping in San Luis Obispo. (I got the best carrot shake at the first ever Natural Cafe). On our way home we stopped at a beach grill in Santa Barbara, much delectable. Enjoy:

Official July 4th Pictures:

Proud of his new shoes in Gum Alley.

We call that the face smush.

Pay attention to Wes's expression in this one.

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About

I am a college student, I work with children who have special needs, and take pictures when I can. The 35 mm prints are displayed in my "photos" section, while the random digital photos can be found throughout my blog. You should also know that I love Wesley, Iceland, and sloths.

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