Lavender love.

There is one addition to my carry on essentials---pure lavender oil.

I brought this with me in my recent trips and it actually helps me relax and sleep on the plane.

Lavender oil is also a bug repellent! I use a few drops and rub it on my neck, arms and legs before I go outside for a little gardening.

Egypt in 30 images.

Egypt...oh memorable Egypt!

I grew up reading and watching interesting stories from the Old Testament. So when I was still a little girl, I wished to climb the Pyramids and also see if I could do what Moses did---split the Red Sea in two! Haha!

We flew to Cairo from Montréal the day after Christmas of 2010. I convinced myself that we only needed one full day to visit Cairo's main attraction, the Great Pyramid of Giza. I decided to spend most of our time to rest and relax near the beach in Sharm el-Shiek, a city along the coast of the Red Sea.

The pyramid blocks.





 

 

 

 

Egypt was memorable because of a few incoveniences during this trip.

I felt very uncomfortable when vendors, mostly men, pushed us to buy their souvenirs. I politely say "No, shukran". They give me this look as if saying "I am not dealing with you but with that man"---Alain, my husband.

After a short photo session with a donkey, the owner did not want to give us our camera unless we pay him $20! My husband had a few bills in his hands, and this Egyptian grabbed the money from my husband! Alain had to put his foot down.

We were in a hurry to leave Cairo.

 

 One of the beaches along the Red Sea.

I love these boots, made it Egypt!

 New Year's Gala

 Amazing dancer, he was spinning for almost an hour, non-stop!

 Saudi Arabia just across the Red Sea!

 Egyptian desert. On our way to St. Catherine's Monastery.

 St. Catherine's Monastery

 

Believed to be the location of the burning bush.

 Mount Sinai in the background. A possible location of the biblical Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments.

With the American-Egyptian family in this tour of the Sinai Peninsula.

 

On our way back from a 26-hour tour of Petra, Jordan---our tour bus started to emit smoke from the inside. A mother of young children yelled and asked the driver to stop the bus. All of us passengers came out of the bus and now stranded in the middle of the pitch-dark Egyptian desert! The driver and his assistant spoke very little English. I have to admit that that moment was one of the scariest I have experienced during my travel. Luckily, there were other tour buses that passed by and one bus brought us back to Sharm el Shiekh.

 

We were thankful for our experiences in Egypt despite of the inconveniences, those will serve as a lesson.

 

And what a sight! What a marvel to be standing in front of the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!

 



Cinque Terre...give me five (infos)!

- Cinque Terre meaning five lands, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

- The five lands are the five small villages namely Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Monterosso and Vernazza.

- Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, few roads into these villages are accessible by car. When the weather permits, there are ferries that run between the villages except Corniglia.

- Cinque Terre is located in the Italian region of Liguria and is known for pesto, a sauce made from basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, salt and pecorino cheese.

- Hiking is one of the main activities in this area for visitors.