Petra, Jordan

Mount Nebo, Jordan

Looking toward the Plain of Moab and Jericho
Steve at the Tomb of Moses
Dead Sea 20km thataway

If it's Wednesday it must be Amman

It seems I have no photos from Cairo. We didn't really do any sightseeing but I wish I had some of Anna and Shoukry, at least.

Now we're in Amman, which was a quick Egypt Air flight on Monday. Amman seems a bit...sleepy, to be kind. It's dusty, all the buildings are bone-colored, and the nightlife seems to revolve around the bars in the American hotels. 3 American hotels were bombed in November of 2005.

Yesterday Jihan, the Jordan rep, took us to Mount Nebo, nearby. It is where Moses is buried! Who knew? You can stand at the tomb of Moses and look out across the Plain of Moab to see the Dead Sea and Israel. She pointed out the town of Jericho and the Israeli border. Then we stopped for lunch at a wonderful little restaurant in Faysaliyah.

Hector has a presentation this evening, then tomorrow we get up early for our private tour of Petra, 3 hours away. Jihan arranged for us to have the driver used by the Minister of Tourism. Is this a good thing? We'll see.

The Cairo Eye Doctor

Hector accidentally tore his last contact lens so we went off last night (8pm) in search of an optometrist recommended by the hotel concierge. All we had was a business card totally in Arabic and some vague directions that it was "near for walking". After taking twenty minutes to cross the street outside the hotel, we were then plunged into a completely non-tourist area. We stopped 5 times to ask directions and after a lot of pointing that way, we were standing in front of an old apartment building. Hanging from a 5th floor balcony was a dirty banner with a lot of Arabic writing and a picture of an eyeball. That had to be it.

Up four flights I knocked on a blank door that was thrown open by a woman who looked at us, screamed and slammed the door in our faces. After a few seconds of more screaming behind the door she opened it a crack and I stuck the business card inside. (scream, scream) "upstairs!"

On the next floor we found the Dr's receptionist and Hector managed to explain who he was. We sat a few minutes in the crowded waiting room, like a pair of fucking Martians, and then we got ushered into the Dr's office. It turns out that he was educated in Spain so he and Hector, of course, were immediate best friends. After an exam and a lot of jokes about the silliness of U.S. medical care, Hector got his box of contact lenses. Total cost for the evening: $19.22

Cairo

I was so excited that I was flying Emirates Air out of Dubai to Cairo, first class no less, while Joan and Hector were in business. But our plane was an old bucket and it was no better than some crappy American airline. What a disappointment. I had always heard it was ultra-elegant.

But we're here now. Good old Cairo. Good old filthy, stinking, chaotic Cairo. This is our 3rd time here. Our hotel is the Intercontinental Citystars, attached to the fancy schmancy Citystars mall and in the area, Heliopolis. We have the same sweet, funny driver as last time, Shoukry. He's a hunky former U.N. soldier and I'm certain he carries a gun in the car somewhere, in addition to the 3-foot long club he already showed us. He sees himself as a bodyguard as well as a driver and keeps an eye out for all the Harcourt people here.

We met up with Freddy, our Egyptian friend, last night for dinner. We went to the Four Seasons Hotel for their Lebanese buffet, which was delicious. But the hotel is incredible. It sits right on the Nile and is absolutely gorgeous, by far the nicest in town. As we were walking out of our hotel, trying to negotiate through the heavy traffic, a car ran over my fucking foot! Luckily for me it was a small car and they must have needed air in their tires because it didn't really hurt at all. Mostly my pride.

Today Hector is presenting at the American University of Cairo. I joined them all this morning for the opening but they said I could take Shoukry and get out of there so I did. Outside it's cold and dusty, a rotten combination, so I imagine I'll be staying in the hotel or the Citystars Mall all day.

The Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai

Looking up inside the atrium
In the Lobby
In the bar, 27th floor

Dubai

Burj Al Arab Hotel


Indoor ski slope at Mall of the Emirates

Dubai

We're here at last. After three long flights, we made it to the hotel at 3 am Monday after leaving SD at 1030 am Saturday. Our hotel, the Montgomerie, is just great. It's a brand new boutique property located on the grounds of a private country club.

Dubai is one big construction site. It's as if Sheikh Mohammed woke up one day said "let's build a city today" and they started on the whole thing at once. My cousin, Babs, said it used to be a charming little sleepy place when they first came here in the 1970's. Her husband, Crawford, works for one of the big construction firms.

Best of all, the schedule is easy and I've had 2 days now to play on my own. Yesterday I met Babs and her friend for lunch and we took an abra ride up the Dubai Creek. Today I went to the incredible Mall of the Emirates, which has the only indoor ski slope in the Mideast. Shopped at Harvey Nichols.

Hector has had afternoon presentations in Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain. Tomorrow night we're going to a barbeque at a local's home and then Thursday we leave for Cairo. I'm still fighting jet lag. It's only 4 pm and I'm eyeing that luxurious bed... maybe just a little nap...

Last night my old friend from 2nd grade, Chris, called to let me know that he was in a Tulsa hospital after nearly dying from a ruptured appendix. Apparently they kept telling him he had an ulcer and sending him home until finally someone did the right diagnosis. Further proof that a hospital is the last place you want to be if you're sick.

Then this morning I was talking to my old friend, Diane, and she was on her way to the clinic with a bunch of suspicious symptoms like nausea and lightheadedness but no fever. She was scared. At our age it could be anything.

Plus, my old friend, Kent, needs to have a hip replacement! He's younger than me, for God's sake (but only by a couple of years). We were with him in Palm Springs over the weekend and he was limping around like Grandpa from The Real McCoys. By Sunday I had developed a sympathy limp.

Today, however, I'm feeling by far the healthiest of my contemporaries.

Fun-filled weekend in Palm Springs

Just returned from a whirlwind weekend in good old Palm Springs. Our friend, Rob Lang the photographer, was having a gallery reception there this weekend and invited us over. So Bob and Kent flew in from Santa Fe, we collected them here in San Diego, then all drove over together Friday evening. H and I stayed at the antiseptic Courtyard by Marriott (have to build up those points), they all stayed at the Mirasol, a charming gay guest house that was built in the 1940's by Howard Hughes, though not as a gay guest house, of course.

Rob's reception was fun, even though it was competing with the annual Christmas Parade outside, which was mostly a parade of city utility trucks decorated with Xmas lights. But we met lots of new folks- some from LA, some from PS, discovered some new restaurants, and did some lounging by Howard Hughes' pool. Hector and I are buying two of the pieces from Rob's show.

Back in San Diego now, I have dropped them all at the airport. Hector is going to Seattle for work, K & B returning to Santa Fe, and I am vegetating for the rest of the evening so stop bugging me.