Anyone who likes to travel will enjoy this article from Christoph Niemann from the New York Times Abstract City Blog!

The article is by Christoph Niemann in the Abstract City Blog on August 3, 2010.

Check it out by clicking here or read below!

Title: Red Eye!

A visual diary documenting a flight from New York to Berlin (with a layover in London).

Getting Back Into the Groove

I've been back from my Middle East travels for a week and I'm shocked by how long its taken me to get back into the groove. I would almost say I'm having reverse culture shock by living in NYC again. Let me back up and explain what I mean by that.

When you travel, every day is a new experience. You go and explore the town/city that you're in; engaging your mind in visual things you haven't seen or ever dreamt about seeing before. In my case, it was seeing century old pyramids (Dashur/Giza/Memphis, Egypt), structures built from rocks in the mountains (Abu Simbel, Egypt; Petra, Jordan), and the Holy Land -- where many if not all religions started and where many religious battles erupted (Jerusalem, Israel; Bethany-Beyond-Jordan, Jordan). Though, one may feel intimidated or lost in such an adventure of visiting the aforementioned ageless monuments or eating street food or talking with the locals ... for me, it felt familiar; almost as I've lived there for a while. I didn't have much difficulty finding my bearings or finding a way to where I wanted to go, nor was it difficult communicating with the people living there (um, that is if you're willing to act silly and illustrate what you mean through a game of charades (ha ha; yes, I was that monkey on the street)) - so traveling for me, though thousands of miles away from home -- was quite familiar. And now being back in New York, it oddly feels unfamiliar and as if I'm lost in this gigantic city. Strange, isn't?

I've lived in New York for almost 10 years and for it to feel unfamiliar and or having a little piece of me feeling disorientated is odd for me... So, is this what you would call reverse culture shock (shocked to be back in my native country/home hearing everyone speak English, or feeling shocked by doing the most simplest thing -- such as walking into a grocery store? or grabbing a taxi?? and finding all of that is so cumbersome to do especially with the crowds? ugh...) or, I could quite possibly be labeling it incorrectly -- so, instead of culture shock, perhaps, after 40 days in the Middle East I grew accustomed to the way of living there and now find myself at odds on how to function in NYC ... can that be possible?

Hmm... Perhaps, I'm just in denial that my 40 day trip is over and getting back into the pulse of NYC life is tougher than I imagined it to be... Afterall, life here in NYC should be easier than the Middle East because I know what to expect in NYC -- the people in NYC are who they are; I no longer have to bargain for that bottle of water or play that game of charades to get my point across -- so, why am I having such difficulty adjusting back to normal NYC life? Who knows -- perhaps after 40 days of traveling, I just need the time to relax, rejuvenate, and recalibrate my surroundings so I can accept my surroundings for what they are. I do admit, I love not having to lug my luggage from place to place or running for that next train/bus -- and wow, I just realized how much I love my home surroundings -- the couch, the tv and my comfortable bed -- perhaps, I'll just hibernate in my apartment for the rest of the winter (btw, dang its cold here!) until I get acclimated back to NYC life. and of course, I can't wait to see all my friends again!!

So, welcome back to NYC, Susan (yes, I'm talking to myself) ... and cue that song -- Empire State of Mind...

... baby, I'm from new york ...

concrete jungle where dreams are made of
there's nothing you can't do
now you're in New York...

these streets will make you feel brand new
big lights will inspire you
hear it for New York, New York, New York...

An Adventure I Don't Want to Relive in Jordan...

As you can see from the photos above, you can easily guess that I was in a car accident. Wilson was driving down the Dead Sea Highway when a car on the opposite side of the road decided to make a U-TURN. Of course, they didn't see the oncoming traffic (i.e. US) so they proceeded. Wilson of course saw the car and attempted to stop but had to swerve into the ditch to avoid hitting the car head-on. Luckily for us, Wilson continued to swerve left and right to avoid the wall and we ended up upon a slight incline in the ditch.

I am soooo thankful that a) we didn't collide with the other car -- they were an elderly couple -- cause they would have been toast; b) we didn't hit the wall because I would have been toast and c) we walked away without any injuries and were happy that we had "walk-away" insurance that says we have $0 liability for the car (which, in my opinion is a DEFINITE must when renting a car abroad; btw, just to make sure its "true" walk-away insurance ... you should also pay in cash too so they can't come after your credit card).

I'm still surprised that the elderly couple stopped to see that we were okay and then proceeded to point the finger at us as if it was our fault... but, we had the right of way, which perhaps, in this country means nothing. But, wow... they just left us with our car in the ditch!

Oh, well... Wilson and I are thankful that we survived to tell the tale.

Man, if I think back... the last 24 hours was a bit crazy...

-- we started the day with a flat tire and had to get that repaired
-- the night before I had my my point-and-shoot camera stolen
-- the day before Wilson was pulled over for speeding (but thankfully they couldn't read his HK International License Number and let us go)
-- and that same day we saw a cow tipped over on its side, potentially foreshadowing our situation.

hope tomorrow is a better day!

En Route - EgyptAir experience ...

I flew EgyptAir to Cairo and before hopping onto the plane, I had a lot of preconceived ideas about how EgyptAir would be. Many of the reviews I read re: EgyptAir were bad, I mean really really bad! So bad, I was tempted to pay four times as much for a direct flight on another airline, but that would be wasteful. So instead, I flew with EgyptAir and it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would (at least not worth paying 4x as much for!).






Here are a few online reviews I found about EgyptAir.

• One star service rating


• From NYC to Cairo, bathrooms are unkept and dirty (I guess on a 11-12 hour flight – you would expect that, right? No wait a minute, even my 15 hour Cathay Pacific flights to Hong Kong are clean).
  
• Food was horrible


• Airline ticketing of your plane ticket in the US is a long process

My review of EgyptAir's Flight and Service

• Probably the most annoying thing about EgyptAir was purchasing the ticket. If you live in New York, I would highly recommend reserving your ticket online and then going straight to the airline ticketing office to make payment (45th street and 6th avenue, I believe). Or else, you'll have to face the wrath of the "bad telephone lines" at EgyptAir's booking/ticketing office. Just to give you a glimpse of the horror I went through -- In total, I spent more than two hours booking my ticket on the phone (probably 15 minutes including wait time) and then the rest trying to pay for the ticket via the ticketing hotline. Lets just say I was in for a rude awakening -- i called the ticketing agent four to five times and each call grew more frustrating as I was asked to be put on hold, then forgotten; or picked up and then hung up on; or the best one yet – put on hold, then picked up, and then connected with someone else that was waiting for a ticketing agent! Oh, and the fun doesn't stop there, but I won't bore you with the details. Just trust me when I say its worthwhile to go directly to the ticketing office to pay for your ticket. There was no wait, just four people sitting there on the phone answering people’s calls (btw, did I tell you those four people handle all of North America’s EgyptAir flights? Yes, that explains the long hold times!). The transaction to pay at the ticket office took less than 5 minutes! p.s. you can book your tickets via Orbitz or some other travel site ... but when I booked my ticket the prices were about $200 higher than purchasing directly through EgyptAir.
  
• Btw, while at the Egypt Air office, they mentioned that their phone lines were not working correctly (duh, i could have told them that!) – but apparently the phone system automatically hangs up on people after a certain amount of holding time. The ticket agents are fully aware of it and have informed management, but to their surprise, management has not fixed it over the last year!

Ok, back to the flight and how it compared to the review.

• Toilets. Toilets were not as bad as I read about and was like any other long-distance flight.
  
• Food. Tolerable and as expected. High caloric intake with not much flavor. Do not order the beef - it was disgusting. My neighbor had the fish and said it was good. Also, do not expect to get any snacks during flight. Just bring your own.
  
• Seats were old, but due to wear, it was broken in - so slightly more comfortable. Not that cramped in the seats, but I’m 5’3 and medium build.
  
• Service was nothing to rave home about – they came when you called them, they delivered food at the right hours. Do not expect service with a smile.
  
• Poor Flight Communication. Our flight was re-rerouted to Sharm El Sheikh due to a sandstorm in Cairo .... but our pilots decided not to inform its passengers until after we landed in the new airport, which was a hour later. You can imagine the guests were not too happy about this. Picture on the left is of everyone standing around the plane, waiting for the pilot to announce that we're heading back to Cairo.
  

• Overall, EgyptAir wasn't as bad as all the reviews made it out to be (except the ticketing portion). I made it safely to Cairo, so I should be happy I lived to share it with everyone. :D

12 Hours to Cairo!

Day One - Getting Ready to Leave, December 15, 2009

Its 3:30 pm, wait, now its 3:45 pm … crap, its 4:00, I really have to get a move on it if I want to make my 6:30 pm flight at JFK. I now have 2.5 hours to get to the airport (and no, there is no online check in with Egypt Air. It takes about 40-50 minutes, door to door, to get to the airport via LIRR. I also know at a minimum, I must be there 45-50 minutes prior to departure, regardless of international travel, if I wanted to check-in and check-in a bag. So I have to be there before 5:40 pm (or else the ticket agent will see me groveling and pleading with them! Not a pretty sight – haha!)

So if I leave now (um, not ready yet), I will get there around 5:00 pm. Plenty of time (you getting skirmish yet?) , so, I tell myself, I will make it (yes, I’m notorious for cutting it close to departure time). I caught the 4:22 pm LIRR Jamaica outbound train and made it to the check-in counter at 5:10 pm. Not bad – phew, what a relief! So with one hour and twenty minutes to spare – what can I do? Shop… No, I made my way to the gate (afterall, I didn’t want to miss my plane after cutting it so close). I also used the remaining time to call my credit/debit cards to authorize usage in Egypt and Jordan (definite must, so don’t forget to do it on your next international travel!) and texted a few friends before I left. Ah, the hard part is done, now I can relax and sleep on the plane!

If you’re curious about my preparations, read below… If not, wait for my next blog posts on Egypt!

Excitement Level: Low. For some reason, I don't usually get excited until I’m am at my destination. It doesn't feel until I am there and witnessing it. :D

Mental Preparation: None. Though, I do admit, I am a bit nervous to be a woman traveling in Egypt (thank goodness, I’m traveling with my brother, which reminds me -- should I pretend that we are married? sick thought, i know, but apparently married woman here are not accosted as much!).

Physical Preparation: Limited. Ankle is still hurting a bit. - I expect to do my own physical therapy while on the road. Gym? I went a few times to get my body ready for some scuba diving (though, I had no pool to see if I'm capable of swimming a few laps – so let’s hope I don’t drown!)

Planning: A lot. My brother determined our route and I obliged. I figured out all the hotels and made reservations via email. I used Lonely Planet Egypt, Lonely Planet Middle East and tripadvisor.com to find reputable and clean hotels. For the first few nights, Wilson and I will be staying at a 5-star hotel (he is returning from a 42 day safari -- so he needs to slowly readjust back to society.) No we aren’t staying at 5-star hotels the entire time, just 3-stars (or whatever I can find). Took a week or so to get email confirmations from most of the hotels (sounds easy, but really isn't).

Packing: Not so bad. Packing my clothes was easy -- I packed one carry on suitcase for a 38 day trip (I checked it in), one side tote bag filled with camera stuff and another sling shot backpack with my camera equipment. Lots of camera equipment and I already feel as if I've packed too much!

Purchases: Drove me insane. Tested three cameras and six lenses within a week. At the end of the week long camera trials (sounds like a lawsuit!), I chose the 7D and equipped it with 24-70mm F/2.8L lens and 70-200mm F/4.0L lens. Btw, I have some new friends at B&H, though I do admit they probably hate me at the return counter. :D But, if I’m about to spend THAT much on equipment, it better be good and perform well under certain stress tests! (future blog about camera purchase to come)

Last Minute Thoughts

I made my flight and with 45 minutes to spare! phew! I can't believe I'm on my way! The excitement is slowly building. (ha ha, the photo of me on the left is me writing this part of the blog!)

I can’t wait to see what Egypt has to offer and I can’t wait to explore and live day to day, not knowing what to expect next. Every day will be a new challenge, whether finding a way to our destination, haggling with Egyptians over their wares, or finding a clean bathroom! Whatever it is, I love the newness of traveling and the unknown. Traveling is probably one of the only times where I find myself in a heightened “survival” mode – where I depend on my gut instincts, my common sense and my ability to talk to strangers. I love it! I really can’t wait to interact with the locals to find the good food and the hidden gems! oooh and all the beautiful photos I will capture (cross your fingers!) So, on to my adventure I go!

I will have limited internet access while on the road but these are the countries I will be traveling to on this adventure -- Egypt and Jordan ; if enough time, perhaps Israel or Syria (if we can get visas!) with my brother.