Dimai - Part 2

From Deir Abu-Lifa, we drove up farther into the hills.  You can detect the road markers along our route.

Below: Two road signs.  One for the Petrified Forest and the other which went to our left, directed visitors to Widan Elfaras an old stone quarry.  We are headed to the Petrified Forest.

Below:  As we sat on the edge of this small valley, VB told the driver that we had no wishes to re-enact Thelma and Louise.  We drove down, and yes, between those rocks there is enough space for an SUV.  On return, a good pace is needed to clip over the edge at the top of the hill. 

Below:  In the valley, looking back.

Below:  This was as far as we could get due to the blowing sand the week before. You can see where the trail becomes too deep for travel. 

Below:  We left the valley, and a kilometer or so away we arrived at the Petrified forest.  These remains are scattered throughout this area.

160 meters (524 feet) above sea level.  Before descending we stop to enjoy the view.

Below:  Another road sign, indicating the way down the mountain.

Finally, Dimai.

Below: The rooms of the castle.

Below: The walls of Dimai.

We lunched at Dimai, outside the walls, and decided to make a last minute stop to visit Lake Qarun.   Both Qasr el-Sagha and Dimai are guarded by boabs.  There is no entry fee, and not many visitors at all, but it is customary to tip the boab.  We were completely alone to explore both sites - it doesn't get any better than that.   It would have been nice to spend a bit more time at Dimai, but we had had a long day.  Several cars of visitors arrived just as we were departing Dimai. 

These are huge rock formations along the way to Lake Qarun.  (The photos of Lake Qarun weren't very good.)  Lake Qarun is 43 meters (49 feet) below sea level.

 

Below: Just outside of the cemetery, the drivers decide to race.

Below:  Back to the City of the Dead (cemetery), and then home.

 

Qasr el Sagha and Dimai are great for day trips.  The air is clean, and the skies are blue, something we don't get in Cairo.  There's no gas stations once you get to the desert people, so make sure you have a full tank of gas, food and drinks.  We took two cars, just in case of unexpected problems, like getting stuck in the sand.  And a GPS also helps, which one of the drivers had.  We had a great time and plan on doing it again when we have visitors.  It's not far from Cairo, it's not crowded, and it's a bit of an adventure, as well.

Dimai - Part 1

A bit over two weeks ago, we took a trip to Dimai, with a few short stops beforehand.  Originally our first stop was to be the "castle" at Dimai.  But, due to blowing sand the week before, and the route being muddled, we steered off to an alternate site.  Our destination was still Dimai, but now it would be our last stop.  The route we drove is similar to this map.

We left around 8:00AM and drove south along Dead Donkey Canal Road, through Giza on a road where a new water tower is being built. 

When approached a newer City of The Dead (cemetery) along the same road, and turned into it, driving through.

The cemetery borders the desert, and we continued our drive in the desert until we came to a one lane road a few kilometers away. 

Below: Here, we had been driving for awhile, and stopped to shoot photos of the scenery.  It was foggy, and chilly.  This one lane road is said to have been built for Mrs. Mubarak so she could take her friends to Dimai, Qasr el-Sagha, and Fayoum, President Mubarak's hometown.  VB decided to call this road, "The Susan Mubarak Highway."  VB's not sure what the road is called on maps, but it's in the middle of the desert, and seems to have just been plopped down, without any other road intersects at all (at least not on the parts we drove.)  VB's not sure where the road ends either, as we strayed away.  If memory serves, we were told The First Lady is flown in, and there did appear to be a small flat area nearby, and a watchtower which would be perfect for a helipad.  (Sorry, no pics of it all.)

Yes, there is dew in the desert - see below.

After stopping, we get to some cement blocks lined up in a row, indicating a pipeline, and we turn, and drive along them, off road, for some distance.  Turning, and winding through the desert, we arrive at Qasr el-Sagha, aka the Golden Temple. 

As you can see from the photo above, there are two doors.  The smaller door to the right was a lure for thieves wanting to raid the temple.  It lead nowhere, as you can see below.

Rooms to the right were designated for specific gods.  The room at the far end, leads to another room, with a hidden jail room, behind it.  According to the guard, visitors would be greeted at the main door.  They would present their problems to the greeter, and he would determine which god they needed to address their woes.

As usual, everyone likes to leave his / her mark after a visit to the temple.

Found items at the site.

After visiting Qasr el-Sagha we drove into the hills and arrived at Deir Abu Lifa, which at one time contained a monastery.  We did not go caving, but did view these small cave-like areas on the hill.  We were told they're all interconnected, but did not explore them.  We took in the views, and us ladies found a couple of private spots to relieve ourselves.

Below:  A close up of the formations.  The stone looks like shale, is fragile and flakes easily. 

Next Post, Part 2 (The Petrified Forest, and The Castle at Dimeh / Dimai.)

Funkengroovin To Dimai

Before VB details her trip to Dimai, she figured she'd better get the Funkengroovin part out of the way.  We drove to Dimai/Dimeh just over two weeks ago.  We started out at 8:00 AM and returned home after 4:00 PM.  The majority of our time we spent out in the desert, but on the way, we passed through Giza, the home of the "white chickens."

(Below): A Bus on Dead Donkey Canal Road (no dead donkeys seen this day.)

(Below 3 photos):  Around Giza, as we make our way through.  We hit Giza during morning rush hour.

And it was overcast and foggy.  Some areas foggier than others.

(Below 2 photos):  Bus stops in Giza.

(Below):  Most white chickens have an open door policy.

(Below):  Just before we drive into the desert.

(Below):  On our return.  When we left in the morning, it was foggy, and the Pyramids were hidden.  The sun came out, the sky turned blue, and on our return we could see the Pyramids for several miles.  We were so amazed even though we've visited them, and in trying to get passing shots, VB almost missed this broke down bus.

(Below 5 photos):  Shots of buses and scenes from Giza.

(Below):  Leaving Giza, and spotting a nice blue van.

(Below):  VB turned to get a frontal photo of the blue van, but the combination of a sand covered window and a brilliant sun, totally obstructed her view.

Restaurants and Motorbikes

Eating in The Capitol is not only impressive, but can also be expensive. VB enjoys eating out, when there's good food to be had. In her little town in Connecticut, every single restaurant offers bad pizza, bad grinders, bad gyros, and just bad food choices, and it's all the same - as if one family owned all the restaurants. (Okay, one has good pizza and another has very good Japanese food, but that's it.) VB enjoys variety, and so last week when we were in Washington, we ate at:

Eric Ripert's West End Bistro. (Below) VB had the Fish Burger with the Macaroni, ham and cheese for two (she shared.) The Fish Burger is like a massive crab cake on a bun. We took a doggie bag of mac and cheese back to the hotel. Coincidentally, as VB was editing this, Serious Eats posted the recipe for The Fish Burger. VB can verify it's incredibly good, and actually looks like it might be healthy, as well (VB has a habit of picking the most unhealthiest foods from menus.)


The next evening we ate at Grillfish. After the waiter annoyingly repeated several times that there was just one serving of wild halibut left, VB raised her hand and said, "I'll take it." Thus reserving it, as someone else mused aloud, "how old is it?" We had already eaten the Ginger Calamari and Fried Calamari at the bar during happy hours, when drinks and bar food are half price. The halibut was excellent. VB should add that she had massive amounts of gin that evening, so just about anything on a plate would've been "excellent".


Friday afternoon, after watching the crazies on Capitol Hill, we ran off to Founding Farmers for luncheon rendezvous. Just about every restaurant we called was booked solid from 5:30 PM until 9:00 PM that evening, so we decided to do a big lunch instead. VB ordered the House Salad with Buttermilk Ranch, but was instead served with Bleu Cheese (she didn't send it back). She also had the Slow-Simmered Sirloin Chili: "48-Hour Marinated and Simmered Sirloin Chili with Beans, Cheddar Crisps, Grated Onions, and Grated Cheese". It may have been marinated for 48 hours, but there's no way that meat was slow simmered. VB likes the sirloin in her chili to fall apart, melt in her mouth, and be meaty. This was tough, and loaded with gristle. We also ordered the Skillet Corn Bread, at which someone commented, "This is just like yours." Yep, VB makes that exact same freaking bread!


That evening we walked to Dupont Circle in search of a place for drinks and small dishes. We found Zorba's Cafe. We were lucky enough to find a seat outside. We had Zorba's combination Plate containing meats and dips and two wedges of pita, another appetizer plate containing numerous dips, and a full carafe of Retsina on tap. The gyros pieces were amazing and done right (not half raw - they grilled it again after shaving it, which is how it should be)!, The retsina awesome! You have to have a taste for retsina to appreciate it when it comes from a tap (most Greek restaurants don't even offer it. Not even those chichi pseudo Greek restaurants in New York City.) Sorry, no photos from Zorba's.

Below: Our last meal in The Capitol, was a Ben's Chili Bowl. Needless to say we had chili. The boys had Bill Cosby's Original Chili Half-Smoke. VB had a bowl of chili (meat) with cheese and onions. We all shared the Chili-Cheese Fries. And, we saw photos of Obama when he visited earlier this year. We sat in the same area. VB wonders, if she sat in the same seat as Obama, will some of that brilliance rub off on her?

As we strolled back to the car, VB then took photos of the neighborhood, and these are two of her favorites.




While driving home to Connecticut, south of New Brunswick, on the New Jersey Turnpike, we encountered some teenagers on their Yamahas (or whatever small bikes they were riding). They descended upon us, at first, one by one, then in twos. VB tried to put a video together (yet another photo album with music). She should have videotaped this on her new iPhone, but she's a camera gal, and grabbed that first. Watch it if you'd like to (1) see what may come upon you as you journey through The Garden State; (2) Identify the assholes who are participating in this. After the first cycle passed, The Boss Man sped up. VB wondered if he was chasing the guy. The Boss Man said, "I'm going 80." As another bike passed furiously he added, "what do you think they're going?" They were going well over 100 miles per hour, and refusing to use lanes (squeezing in between two side-by-side cars) while one was even wearing his team jacket with his name on it! The highway patrol needs to grab these guys and revoke their licenses to drive, even if it's for a tricycle.



For a real taste of what we experienced, look at: this video.