AndreaLiew.com

Location: Zuma Canyon, Malibu – Los Angeles, California

It’s a habit of mine to find horseback riding opportunities wherever I am – whether I’m in Cuba, Egypt, or Los Angeles. And if you’re traveling with me, I will try my best to convince you to join me. I always encourage people to try new things, especially things I love! :)

Malibu Riders provided us with some trusty steeds for our 3-mile ride through Zuma Canyon.

They have horses for all levels of riders from novice to advanced. I was assigned to a quick little bay mare named Honna (at least that’s how it was pronounced). My friend’s never been on a horse before so our guide gave him a really experienced gray mare, Nay-Nay.
Too bad she was the one horse who wanted to kick every other horse that tried to pass her that day (apparently she doesn’t usually do this). It’s a little scary trying to get your horse away from the one that kicks when you’re on a narrow mountain trail with a wall to your left and a cliff to your right. At least it made for an interesting ride.

Other than that, the ride went smoothly. Our guide made sure that the riders were doing okay during the entire ride and we got to do a little trot and canter at the end of it when everyone felt comfortable enough to try a faster pace. Oh, and the friend that’s never been on a horse before? He enjoyed it a lot! (I’d prefer he love it, but I won’t put words in his mouth)

• Don’t wear open-toed shoes.
• Don’t wear shorts. You can get saddle burn, and it ain’t pretty.
• Relax. Breathe. Try not to let fear or nerves get to you. Horses can feel if you’re tense through the saddle and may take advantage of this.
• Make sure your stirrups (the things you put your feet in) are even in length or you’ll feel lopsided and off-balance.
• Your horse WILL try to eat. Just pull your reins a bit and nudge your horse on by squeezing/kicking your legs.
• If your horse tries to kick another horse, nudge him on. When they’re moving, they can’t kick out as effectively.
• If another horse is going to kick yours, move your horse ASAP. You don’t want to be in the way of a kick because those suckers hurt!
• Don’t worry about steering too much. Trail horses are trained to follow each other – nose to tail – but never let go of your reins; you need them for control.
• You can always hold onto the pommel (front of the saddle) if you need something extra to grab.
• If you don’t want to go faster than a walk, make sure to let your guide know so s/he sets a comfortable pace for everyone.
• Relax, relax, and relax. Have fun!

Malibu Riders operates in Malibu (Zuma Canyon), and Agoura Hills (Paramount Ranch and Malibu Creek) in Los Angeles, CA. They also offer 2-person picnic rides and riding lessons.

Malibu Riders Promo Video:

Location: Teotihuacan Pyramids, Mexico (just a little outside of Mexico City)
Taken in July 2009

All my photos are taken with a regular digital camera. No fancy schmancy equipment was used (which is pretty obvious)

When I went to New York, my good friend took me to a chicken & rice cart. He told me that it was THE BEST chicken & rice cart in New York. I took it as an exaggeration – but I was wrong. It’s well-known. VERY well-known. You could even call it famous. If you Google “chicken & rice new york”, a map to the cart will show up on the results page.

The cart owner’s name is Islam Elsayed and his cart is located at 53rd St. and 6th Ave., New York. (In front of the Hilton)

Ok, the Google map below is a bit off with it’s red ‘A’ label, as you can see when you click the pic to enlarge, but I’ve circled the correct intersection.

Click here for the google map.

The Toronto Star posted an article on Friday, March 19, 2010 about the “‘Halal cart guy’ a New York original”. It’s a good read, so check it out if you wanna know more about the Halal Cart Guy/Chicken & Rice Guy.

I was told to avoid the late-night after-party lineups since they’re about 10x longer than daytime ones, so I went during a Saturday to get my chicken & rice fix. There was still a line-up, and in my opinion, it was long. Imagine how the night line-ups are! Notice my “I hate line-ups” face.

To be honest, the line-up was worth it. I’ve had a lot of chicken in my life. And a lot more rice (insert Asian stereotype phrase here). And this combo was delicious! It must have been the special white sauce (not the kind dirty-birds think of) that does it, and also the hot sauce which gives it a kick.

It’s so good that I’d be willing to line-up again (this time, with my “the line-up is worth it” face). It was even worth it to sit outside in the February cold to eat it.

(Hmm, I just noticed that my “I hate line-ups” face and my “hungry, dying-to-eat” face are very similar. I gotta work on diversifying my faces!)

So if you like chicken and rice, and you’re in the Big Apple, go get some! You won’t be disappointed.

This post is in response to Alkarim’s comments on Shukran (Thanks).

Q: Were the people friendly to foreigners?
A: Yes, in general they were really nice. Some people just wanted to talk/find out about you and where you were from – out of curiosity. Then there were people who wanted to chat you up so that they could try and sell you something (especially if you were near a bazaar or store-fronts).
I guess I should also mention that some guys could definitely get a bit aggressive if you were a female foreigner…it was actually sort of creepy!

Q: Did they speak English in small towns?
A: A little, but not much. We spent more time in big cities (Cairo, Luxor, Aswan), but when we were in small towns, our guide did most of the talking as English isn’t widely/fluently spoken. Our Bedouin guides and Nubian guides did speak some English – they pick it up from all the tours they are a part of.

Q: Were things expensive?
A: In my opinion, not really. [note: when I was in Egypt, $1 CDN = 5 LE (Egyptian pounds)]
Anything you bought from a market was pretty cheap if you could bargain – and if you were willing to walk away from anything and everything. I bought all my souvenirs for under $20 CDN.
Food-wise, it was pretty cheap if you ate local and avoided the tourist areas. Potential problem: not many locals speak English well…so you might end up being better off in the tourist areas in order to get what you really want. The cheapest meal I ate was 8 LE ($1.60) for shawarma from a take-out place in Cairo. In Khan al-Khalili market, one of the biggest tourist areas in Cairo, you can get the same thing plus some rice & veggies for 90 LE ($18). Okay, so $18 isn’t crazy-expensive for a meal, but when you compare it to what you could’ve had instead (at the cheaper price), it seems a tad pricey (read: rip-off).

Q: Was the night life similar to what we have here?
A: Unfortunately I didn’t get to experience the night life too much, so I can’t really give an accurate description. When we did go out, it was usually to a bar, and that scene is similar to what it’s like in Toronto.
The one time that I experienced a club-like atmosphere was in Dahab, and it was also pretty similar to what we have here – except they like their dance/euro more than I do!
I’ve heard amazing reviews of the Ministry of Sound clubs they have in Egypt. These are located in Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh – which I unfortunately did not have a chance to go to :(
Beach-side clubs…how could they not be great?

Q: Any thoughts on your next destination?
A: Peru (Machu Picchu, specifically). Here’s hoping my plans work out :)

I met a lot of great Egyptians living in Cairo on my trip – and I will never forget the hospitality that I received from them.
When my backpack was temporarily ‘lost’ (but found a day later) and I had no extra clothes to wear, Shahira and Maged came through for me with a bag of clothes and shoes.

Oh yeah, did I mention that I only met Shahira once in Toronto before I went to Cairo? And that I had never met Maged at all before Egypt? I was introduced to them by some friends here in Toronto.
Both of them and their friends took me out for some fantastic late nights in Cairo.

Horseback riding by the pyramids at night was exhilarating – and a little scary because you didn’t really control your horse’s speed…that was the guide’s job and the horses only listen to him!

Felucca’ing on the Nile was relaxing, while the party boat with neon lights and music was a fun and very entertaining experience. The only awkward moment was when they made me get up and attempt bellydancing (I did a really poor job, and a little girl on the same boat put us all to shame!).

What would an Egyptian experience be without coffee and shisha? Well I had a lot of that…I’m pretty sure shisha goes with everything though. i.e. Sushi + Shisha: my most memorable meal was sitting by the Nile at Sequoia and eating some really great sushi (along with some shisha). The sushi there was better than the all-you-can-eat ones here, that’s for sure!

I didn’t get too many days/nights in Cairo, but the ones I did have were definitely not wasted. I don’t think I got much sleep while in Cairo, but it was well worth it!

Thank you: Maged, Shahira, Tony, Andrew, Asem, & friends for showing me around Cairo, entertaining me, feeding me, and driving me around. You are awesome and I will never forget my trip to Egypt – and yes, you can go ahead and take credit for that! :)

And let’s not forget my tour-mates and tour guide, Shady: you guys also made my trip super fun and unforgettable – I will have entertaining stories to tell for a long time. Special thanks to Matilda! For putting up with late room-arrivals or non-arrivals at times, and for checkin’ on me when I was sick.

My trip in one word: Incredible

Locations: St. Catherine (Mt. Sinai) & Dahab

The last leg of my adventure was spent climbing Mount Sinai and relaxing by the Red Sea in Dahab. Gecko’s knew what they were doing when they ended a 3-week tour with a beach visit!

Our group got into St. Catherine in the late afternoon. There isn’t much to do there, and I’m guessing people don’t stick around for much more than the hike up Mount Sinai.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the history of Mt. Sinai (other than the fact that it’s also the name of a Toronto hospital), it’s where Moses received the 10 commandments from God. Unfortunately, the church located at the bottom of Mt. Sinai was closed to the public the day we went, so we didn’t get to see the Burning Bush.

We had to wake up at 2am to climb this mountain in time to reach the top before sunrise. It isn’t really climbing, in the sense that you didn’t need ropes and harnesses, but the foot-trek up was no easy task. If you do this hike, remember that head-torches/lamps are your friends. You want to see where you’re going and know where the edge is. The Bedouin guides and camels know, but you won’t in the darkness.

Here’s where you say “What? Camels on a mountain?”. Well, yes. They are for those who prefer to camel-trek most of the way up. I say most, because you still have to climb about 750 narrow, crowded, uneven steps to the top after the mini camel safari.

It’s about a 3 hour climb to the top (average) and there are rest-stops along the way so you can stock up on water and snacks if you need to. It’s pretty chilly at night, so I recommend layering. But if you’re still cold, you can rent a blanket and buy tea or hot chocolate when you get nearer to the top.

So how’s the view?A M A Z I N G. Cloudless sky. Bright rising sun. Mountain surroundings. A light breeze. Peacefulness. A climb well worth it!

The sun eventually warms you up before you have to make your way back down – which is a good thing because you need your muscles to warm up and work properly for the downward trek. We had two options – go back the way we came – which involved some steps and then ramps…or go down another way which consisted of 3750 steps (aka the Steps of Repentance…apparently the more dangerous way). Well, the 3 Canadians, me included, decided to take the steps…and we were rewarded with awesome mountain-side views and glimpses of little churches and man-made arches along the way.

After our very exhausting climb, our group went on to Dahab to soak up some sun and have some fun [yes, the rhyme was necessary! :)]

Dahab consisted of swimming, ATVing, snorkeling, and drinking the best Mojitos I have ever tasted. No joke! If you’re ever there, there’s a bar called Mojito…and yes, it does have the best mojitos! Oh and this is where Cherry-Mint shisha/sheesha was introduced to me at Tree Bar…delicious.

Snorkeling and scuba diving in the Red Sea is really popular, especially in the area we went to: the Blue Hole. It was my first time snorkeling, and it was def a good first-time experience. I only wish I had an underwater camera to show you how colourful the fishes were!

I guess I should mention that the beach portion wasn’t the greatest…Unfortunately, Dahab doesn’t have the white sandy beaches that everyone loves so much. They have pretty rocky beaches so I didn’t go near the ocean as I didn’t think my flip-flops would cut it!

After 3 nights in Dahab, we spent about 7 hours on a bus to get to Cairo and spent a final night together as a group.

We temporarily got off the felucca at Kom Ombo to visit a temple known as a “mirror” temple for its symmetrical architecture: one side of the building perfectly reflects the other. Facing the temple (1st pic below), you will notice that the left side looks similar to the right – it’s the same on the inside.

This temple is dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god, and to Horus as well. There used to be crocodiles in these parts so Ancient Egyptians prayed to Sobek to protect them from these predators. Kom Ombo was also a place of healing where everyone went to receive treatment from the priests & priestesses – it served as a hospital.
There are engraved images of what is thought to be the first representation of medical instruments for performing surgery including scalpels, forceps, scissors and medicine bottles.

After our Temple of Kom Ombo visit, we had our last nite on the felucca. In the morning we were driven to Luxor where we boarded an overnight train to Cairo.
Note: if you ever plan to take an overnight train in Egypt, bring a sleeping bag. It gets frigid!

Once back in Cairo, two girls and I decided to fill our day with a visit to the Egyptian Museum and a trip to the Khan el-Khalili market.

Egyptian Museum highlights included King Tutankhamun’s very large and magnificent jewelry collection and the other artifacts that were buried with him in his tomb. We also had the chance to see some real mummies – kind of creepy, but fascinating. On some of them, you could clearly see facial features. I’ll have to admit that the Egyptian museum lacked in the labeling department, so I had no idea what I was looking at some of the time. Hopefully the new Egyptian Museum (being built to house the artifacts that didn’t all fit in the 1st museum) will have everything labelled.

Khan el-Khalili is a major souk/market in the Islamic district of Cairo. The bazaar district is one of Cairo’s main attractions for tourists. Expect to see the typical souvenir stores, food stands, and coffee shops when you go.

My Khan el-Khalili adventure was interesting because we got lost and ended up on the side where local Egyptians shopped.
The side we were aiming to explore has your typical tourist souvenirs (papyrus, toy camels, scarves), more-expensive-than-usual prices at restaurants, and touts who never leave you alone. Where we were, there were undergarments, rugs, and things that you wouldn’t normally buy as a tourist.
After wandering through maze-like alleyways, a really nice mosque tour guide pointed us in the right direction and we, so to say, got “un-lost”. Without his help, I’d still probably be in that maze.

That night, some people from our tour group were leaving so we had a goodbye dinner on a Nile cruise boat where there was bellydancing entertainment and a whirling dervish.

What’s a whirling dervish, you ask?

This isn’t my video, but I figured it would do the job in showing you what a whirling dervish does….spin, spin, and spin…with objects too! I have no idea how they can spin for so long and how they keep their balance, so I’m going to have to attribute it to talent.