will i am's delayed diary

Back from our failed hike, we quickly showered and packed to check-out. Mum was never good with rushing, so she had a big challenge getting ready. She always had a peculiar inability to not fuss with the minor details. With a little help from me, she managed to get ready, and we had 15 minutes to eat breakfast before mass. Mass was celebrated at a small function hall in the hotel. Right after mass, we went back to St. Catherine Monastery. A chance for those who didn't hike to take a look. Tarrying was not an option because we had to catch the 10 AM slot to leave for Israel. Traveled through more desert to reach Taba, where we had our last Egyptian lunch at a very quiet resort ( maybe it was off-peak season ). Hany bid us farewell and we started the long process of exiting Egypt to enter Israel through the Taba Gateway. When we got off the bus, I nearly melted in the heat. 42c! Departing Egypt at Taba Gateway : Fill up departure card, and affix stamp. Line up to check...

Checked out of Movenpick and our bus was joined by a government security officer. His blazer couldn't hide the semi-automatic weapon he had at his hip. Made our way back to the Elizabethan monastery for morning mass. The poor sisters had to clean up after us again after we had raided their restrooms as the taps were still dry due to the waterworks out front. The sisters bemoaned the cruelty of digging up pipes in front of the monastery for the seventh time! DBKL pun kalah. We bid farewell to the pyramids and started our journey towards the Sinai Peninsular. Moses and his people traveled through the wilderness while we took the highway through the desert. Security was really tight as we approached the Suez Canal as its under Egyptian military control. Could see that each vehicle was searched but since we had special clearance, they didn't open our bags. The bus crossed underneath the canal via a tunnel and voila, we had left the African continent and reentered Asia. Our firs...

Our second day in Egypt started bright and early with breakfast at 6 AM. Pretty standard fare, with the exception of some local stuff like falafel. By 7:15 AM, we were out to mass at the Convent of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth. The building was unmarked, with high walls, located beside a canal underneath an elevated highway. The entrance was dominated by excavators laying huge water pipes. Several Italian sisters welcomed us into the compound. A different group from India ( also were staying at Movenpick ) had the earlier slot, so we had to wait for them to finish. Mass was celebrated in the chapel, just enough for the forty of us. It was small, but the acoustics were great. No local tour is completed without visiting some kind of factory for some tourist trap shopping. Hany brought us to Golden Eagle Crystal, a government-owned outlet for a 'crash course' on fragrances. We were ushered into a small room filled with pretty glass vials. Our salesman also s...

Way back in July 2018, mum and I decided to join a pilgrimage to the Holy Land scheduled for April/May 2019. Since then, I had constantly ignored the trip until the departure date arrived. Opps. Didn't start packing until a few days before. Sis and Little Monster sent us to the airport. The check-in at the Emirates counter was a breeze. The whole group gathered at 10 PM for the pre-pilgrimage briefing. Our flight out to Dubai was at 1:25 AM, so we had hours to kill. It was my first time on Emirates and also my maiden flight on the A380. Leg room was decent on economy class and the entertainment console was good. Didn't feel much turbulence at all. No complaints about the food and service ( no cute steward :( ). The only bad thing was that mum's tray table kept falling down. Watched "Mortal Engines"  which truly was an underwhelming affair. Arrived in Dubai International Airport at about 5 AM. DBX's reputation as the biggest transit airport also means...