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:

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

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.

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 :)

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