Semiramis Nile Cruise Ship

Here is just a taste of what's to come.  I will be supplying more photos soon of our Nile Cruise ship.  This is a picture of it.  It was built about three years ago and has recently been through a luxury upgrade.  Now, she is one of the finest ships on the Nile, a pearl in freshwater...

All the best,

-The Mariner

By the way, I forgot to mention the 5-star restaurant and swimming pool/sun deck.

Airplanes

Boeing 777 200/300

Airbus A321

Boeing 757 200/300

Embraer 170

Hello Everyone!

Right now we currently have 34 days until our departure.  I have some interesting information regarding our flights to and from Egypt as well as from Luxor to Sharm El Sheikh and from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo.  If you want to know about meals and movies that will be shown, or to change seats or request special services, the Delta site is www.delta.com.  Have your Delta flight confirmation number handy.  To contact Egypt Air for in-flight service requests (special meal options, disabilities, etc., call (718) 751-4850 or (212) 581-5600.  I thought that you all might be interested on the planes we are scheduled to fly on as well.  This is subject to change...

From LAX to New York and New York to LAX:

Boeing 757-200/300

Seats: about 290 passengers

Cruising Speed: about 565 mph

From New York to Cairo and Cairo to New York:

Boeing 777-200/300

Seats: about 600 passengers

Cruising Speed: about 585 mph

From Luxor to Sharm El Sheikh:

Airbus 321 (A321)

Seats: about 220 passengers

Cruising Speed: about 540 mph

From Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo:

Embraer 170

Seats: about 70 passengers

Cruising Speed: about 530 mph

Enjoy,

See you at 4 a.m. on the 7th!!!

-The Mariner

The Funny Side of Cairo

A "Google" Internet Cafe on a backstreet in Cairo.


McDonald's - A taste of home perhaps...


A man herds his goats down a busy Cairo street.

These are a few interesting pictures I found that truly show contrasts betweeen modern and ancient cultures. Cairo is truly a metropolitain center where cultures, styles and peoples mix and live together. I hope you enjoy these... Who knows, we may even encounter one

on our trip!

Take Care,

-The Mariner

The Purple Swamphen!

Yes that's right... there is a bird found on the Nile in Egypt known as the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio madagascariensis). They range from Florida to New Zealand and can be found along rivers and swamps in most tropical environments. We will most likely see these birds walking amongst the reeds and water lillies whilst on the Nile Cruise. These are one of my personal birds and a true ornithological treasure. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled while aboard the cruise ship!

All the best...

-The Mariner

Transportation

Here are two links, one to Abela Egypt, the sleeper train company that we will be using, as well as the link to Egypt Air. You will find a lot of important and useful information on these sights. I have learned a lot myself from these and they can definately be of use to you. All amenities and meal info is also avaliable here. If I am not mistaken, you can even search for what planes are in the Egypt Air fleet (if not a quick Wikipedia search for Egypt Air will suffice).

-Abela Egypt Sleeping Trains
http://www.sleepingtrains.com

-Egypt Air
http://www.egyptair.com.eg/

Best of Luck

-The Mariner

Preparation for Dive Trip in the Red Sea

Longnose Hawkfish Oxycirrhites typus



Coral Grouper Cephalopholis miniata

Red Sea Clownfish (Tower Bar Anemonefish) Amphiprion bicinctus

One of the many activities that we can partake in while in Egypt is a dive/snorkel trip to the reefs of Ras Mohammed National Park. We are blessed with the ability of being able to visit these prestine environments. The reefs of Ras Mohammed are among the world's most protected and they are free of the pollutants and damage caused by humans. Many divers that have traveled to other reefs in places like the Caribbean, Hawaii and parts of Australia say that Ras Mohammed is by far, a much better place to dive. The uniqueness of Ras Mohammed comes from the fact that many of the species found there are endemic, and are found nowhere else on earth. Also, Ras Mohammed is home to the threatened Hawksbill Sea Turtle, a sight rarely seen outside of the Red Sea! You do not need to be a professional diver to enjoy this. I highly reccomend this for everyone because the state of our planet's environmental health is declining and sadly, we may not have treasures like this much longer. Do not miss this opportunity! I am a marine biology major and this is an oppurtunity that I am so thankful for. I'd like to just provide you with a quick taste of some of the common fish you might encounter.

All the best...

-The Mariner

Yacoubian Building

Just as a little tidbit, this photo is an actual satellite image of the Yacoubian Building in Cairo from an altitude of 852 feet. If you look closely, you can actually see clotheslines and furniture or the roof!


-The Mariner

Prelude

As I write this, there are currently 42 days and 2 hrs. until our date of departure.  I can honestly say that I have never been this excited before in my life.  The Thanksgiving break is less than 24 hrs. away and that means that we have only one more class together, on the 3rd of December.  It is getting down to the final weeks here.  I hope to see you all on the 3rd, I will also be presenting on that date.  Its going to be a fun and memorable last class but it will also serve as the kickoff to a trip that I will remember for the rest of my life!  Its hard to believe that this trip is so close because we aren't having to deal with the hectic travel arrangements that we deal with when we travel... all thanks to Nassef.  He has done an amazing job getting this all worked out and deserves all of our thanks.  When you are sitting at the Thanksgiving table on thursday and that time rolls around to say what your thankful for, you should remember both the hard work of Nassef and the money your parents are spending so that you can go on this trip of a lifetime!  Anyway, until the 3rd, Happy Thanksgiving!

-The Mariner