Traveling to Egypt + Jordan

[MsElizabethAkana]

This is my first time to see any of your videos, and it makes me so happy to see an American Woman traveling to the Middle East, Speaking the Language, and using Couch Surfing. These are all things that I want to do in the next couple of years. You are an inspiration :)

[soccerftwnolie]

I am glad, that God blessed you to go to Egypt. I am a Proud Egyptian, and I hope u had the best time in my home. I love Egypt so much, I am happy for you. Egypt is the best country.

[jesuskitchen]

Gut me some brownies!

[milad2007halo3]

Hey i want to go to egypt too! it was my dream since i was little and anyone know how expensive is there? USD money

[iRewel]

Nice tits. You're a hot little piece of ass.

[HannaHasAPlan]

@iRewel perv.

[arabprincessss]

hey girl!

I am Jordanian and living in Amman now, so if u might ever need any help i can always be ur travel guide lol

check my channel :p

[merrytraveller]

when are you travelling by the way?

[KnightMD]

By the way right now in Egypt it's still a bit too hot... so make sure you pack in plenty of summer clothes :)

[Shehdginger]

emmm...im iraqy arabic..lol..my bf is learning arabic..em..just put ur baby on ur lap...no one even uses seat belts there:P..have fun..and well ur nice but most egyptians are poor so thats why no one offered u a couch..its just a guess:P

[VideodiaryofLizz]

Hi sounds like you will have so much fun! You are so adventurous and with little one in tow I admire you! - LIz

[temporaryLealatTv]

I'm a couch surfer. - have only had people staying with me, never stayed with anyone else... Not only good experiences unfortunally. So be good to your host! (you seem like nice enogh people but be extra nice, it's kind of exhausting to have strangers living in your home) Have a great time! :)

[mykylc]

wow...that was a bad pass port photo...hahahah!!!! Have a great time!!!

[jeffthenomad]

Hope you have a great trip, Esther! I'd love to go to both locations someday. Hope you guys are doing well!

[faintstarlite]

Thanks Jeff!

[laurentayler87]

I would say bring it, and whenever you get to a place go to the hotel and drop it off if you arent gunna need it.

But I would definitely bring it, it will be nice to have if there is a time you dont feel safe with him not being in it.

[LINDSTROMTODD]

Sooo jealous! Egypt. one of my dream destinations. I want to take my wife there some time in the next couple years. Keep track on how much it costs for me. You look as tiny as you were before Jude.

[ashlee1228]

how about a "baby backpack" that you wear in place of a car seat? just a thought...

[faintstarlite]

We'll definitely be bringing a baby carrier... we'll be carting him around it rather than taking a stroller

[KMSCoring]

are you sure it's safe to bring your infant to a middle eastern country????

especially being an american baby???

don't meant to sound rude, i am just concerned.

[faintstarlite]

Oh it's totally safe - if anything I expect a lot of people to be really excited to see a young family. People there are extremely friendly & hospitable... so I don't anticipate it being an issue at all.

[EndOfNumbers]

coolness on your trips , my God bless you and your family on your trip!

[mudchair16]

I wish I was allowed to smile on my passport

[yaz20100]

wow. really cool to have you again here in Jordan. I wouldn't have many tips except, if i were you, i'd be careful because driving is dangerous here (honestly). I've been to Petra, actually, (unlike other jordanians.. who rarely visit anywhere), and i could say that, it's a large city, and might need more than a day to see it. also I recommend Jerash, cuz it's a whole Roman city and quite large compared to other Roman cities in the world. finally, nice passport, esp. the new photo. and welcome!!

[kingjimsixsix5]

have a great time, looking forward to seeing the videos.

[iurak6868]

that trips to egypt seems like a lot of fun I hope you tell us all about it

[catloverKD]

You've been everywhere, I'm kind of jealous! I can picture Jude studying abroad someday. You should tell the border patrol story. Have a safe trip.

[twink1ebug]

Wow, you're taking Jude on the trip.... ambitious and brave.

[twink1ebug]

Your arabic is going to come flooding back to you when you're in the environment. After a day or two of hearing and stumbling through it...  I am sure.

[KnightMD]

Egypt also has tasty stuffed pancakes called "Feteer". One of the best Feteer restaurants chains is Tebesty. Try their Shawarma feteer.... delic. Anyhoo... as you'll see, there's a Mcdonald's/Hardees/KFC etc on every corner so food won't be a problem at all...

[faintstarlite]

I don't think I've ever had feteer... I'll have to try it out while there.

[chris812125]

That's great your going too Egypt! I am actually distantly related to the Muhammad Ali Dynasty (Fawzia Shirin) threw my dad's half sister then threw..long story lol, I don't know what I would be considered too them though lol. I would visit The Old Cairo Opera House, Cairo Citadel (Very nice but kinda high tourist area), Islamic Cairo (It's my faveorite part of the city and near the citadel). Hope you will love Cairo. A good resource is Frommers . com. Have a great trip!

[chris812125]

(Cont) Driving in Cairo is crazy, I would ask your hotel for Taxi's cos many of them can be scary. Not all the time but SOMETIMES the black and white Taxi's can be better for many different reason's. It's been a couple years since I have been too Egypt so lot's has changed. Try Yahoo Answers Egypt section under travel for more up too date help than mine lol.

[wayman29]

Visit the Cairo museum! It's awesome there! Take loads of pictures, and take your time when you can. I did a 10 day tour. We had armed guards. I hope security is good when you travel.

[KnightMD]

armed guards??? :D:D:D:D

Why? I've lived in Cairo for 17 years, walked in the streets till 4 am, and worked in v.poor places.... Never heard so much as a real gunshot in my entire life. Tourists are REALLY too scared for no reason. This isn't NYC, Chicago...etc.

[KnightMD]

Well, to tell you the truth you were better off learning Egyptian Arabic :) It's easily the most understood slang thanks to decades of Egyptian TV and cinema media domination in the Arab world...

But Universal Arabic (fos-ha) is the origin so anyone will understand it... although I would feel SO FUNNY speaking in fos-ha in front of my friends. It's like an Irish speaking American to a tourist so he'd understand :)

[KnightMD]

Cool places to shop:

1) Best mall in Cairo (and among best in ME): City Stars. It also has a bazzar if you want to buy pharoanic statues...etc :) About 4-5 food courts with all tastes from the world...

2) Azhar park: Gives you a beautiful view of old Cairo

3) in addition to all the other sites u'll find online: Pyramids, Muhammed Ali Mosque... Walk across the Nile...etc.

[KnightMD]

Ok tips:

1) Car seat: Leave it in the Hotel. Traffic is mostly slow and the city is packed.

2) Food: Must try Egyptian meat BBQ (Kebab and Kofta). The best shop in Egypt is Abu Shakra. Ask a driver to take you to the nearest one.

3) Food again: A cheap tasty Egyptian meal is Koshari. It's very carbohydrate intensive and super tasty. Make sure you mix in some garlic sauce and all the tomato sauce. 1-2 tablespoons of garlic sauce per plate is advisable, and I can't take the hot sauce it's HOT.

[KnightMD]

Ahhh..... lucky u.... I miss Egypt.... You'll love it. And kudos for choosing perfect timing :) weather should be great now :)

[faintstarlite]

That's what I'm hoping!

[butterfly2729]

I know Jordan better than Egypt.

Amman is best for tourists (being the capital), but then there's Petra and another place called Aqaba where they do coach rides there - the better ones are on the JET coaches. Aqaba is tax free, so everything is super cheap for shopping! But i must tell you that it is incredibly hot!!!

[faintstarlite]

Ya we'll be going to Aqaba - I love snorkeling there. My thought was to take the coach down & then rent a car to go to Petra, which is what I did when my mom & sisters came to visit while I lived in Amman.

[butterfly2729]

All arabic counrtries DO speak Arabic.

Like most places though they use 'slang', even in Jordan.

If you speak the universal arabic, everyone will know what you are talking about and change it (their side of the conversation) to how you would understand.

I can see how it would be confusing when they use slang (as one word can turn into about 6 and some of these words can be used for different meanings.)

As a tourist, I advise just to stick to the Universal : ]

[mhsabry14]

I am Egyptian... Our language is Arabic but just we have a slang like American English ....

[mollybcutie2000]

wow thats amazing! I look forward to hearing about your travel adventures.. Do you have a moby wrap or a simple wrap sling you could use instead of a car seat at least that way he would be secured to you .and those things are pretty good my sister used them all the time :o) good luck

[faintstarlite]

I have a bunch of different options - including the moby, mei tai, bjorn, sling & beco. I use the beco the most & will take that + the bjorn (which Nick wears).

[LYDISANC21]

I have the new passport too. I love the new kind!

[cutechoclatechip]

what a blessing...........thats awesome to even get a second passport..............i havent even had one lol! have a safe and fun trip!

[HappyMarilena]

I went to Egypt and it was by far the most difficult country I have been to. The cars are all from the 60s or 70s just as a warning, and the driving is crazy. Like, don't even know if u can get a car seat in there. Most windows don't open, some doors, and basically it is only very basically functional. That's what happened when money pulled out (the brits) decades ago.

So ya, I have been to Cairo. Let me know if u want to know more!

[Crazyglues]

Youtube is so silly it won't let me post this link but if your going to Egypt you need to watch this - youtube dot ( com ) /watch?v=B7fNvMF1kMY

[chatabox0girl]

the new passports are great. Im from New Zealand, and they have looked like yours (with the chip ect) for a few years now. I am worried about bending and snapping the dam thing!

[TheGiantRobot]

My relatives do the couch surfing where you actually trade homes - not sure if that's what you're doing, but they've had great experiences doing that. It tends to be upper middle class or richer, so it's rare anyone takes advantage of each other.

[zoulation]

OMG THIS IS SO EXCITING !!! ...Im EGYPTIAN..I hope you have a great time..where are you going in egypt ?? ...about the Arabic learning..I think you can get pretty good Help In the American University of Cairo (AUC) ..I go there..just let me know !! ..HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!! XD

[faintstarlite]

Thanks! :)

[MadBadVoodo]

Five Stars!!

[stalkher]

you don't look like the same person after you lost so much weight.

[faintstarlite]

My face does change a lot after losing weight. I still have about 10lbs til goal and you'll see even more changes.

[beetlecakes]

I'm American but I live in Italy and people don't really use carseats here. You know, when in Rome do as the Romans! We use a carseat (because we LIVE here) but don't stress about it too much. We usually keep our daughter strapped to us in the baby bjorn druing all the trips...FORGET the carseat, it'll be more of a hassel than anything else. And dont listen to people to say it sucks to travel with a baby...we go all over europe and its great...we're going to England and France in just 2 weeks!

[faintstarlite]

Awesome!

[MakeItFunkyProds]

I don't understand why anyone would want to travel all the way to Egypt with a baby. Seems like more hassle than anything else.

Anyway, have a safe trip and I hope you enjoy it.

[stalkher]

i agree... but eh...

[angelfromlsu]

Why wouldn't you?

[MakeItFunkyProds]

I woudn't want to subject my baby to that long flight and all the hassles of traveling that long distance.

[Girlllpuhlease]

Egyptian know foreigners. Egyptian arabic is different than grammar egypt taught in even Egyptian schools. Perpare to be charged like an American :-D

[capricon9178]

I actually came back from Eygpt 2 weeks ago. Stayed in Sharm el Sheikh though... and only went to Cairo for the day. Was a Really good experience! My Arabic is not very good nd could only say a few words.. but we did not really have too much of a problem... so am sure u will be fine!

[Xenu]

We want to see more cute bobble-head baby!!!!!

[faintstarlite]

Ok will do!! :)

[akumie]

an american who wants to learn more arabic WOW, first time u see that

[stalkher]

lol that's what i thought

[Slim4Iife]

How exciting!! I'm happy for you! When my parents traveled with me when I was little and my baby brother. My mom would have my brother on those carrying baby "suits" ( Im not sure what they are called) But it's hands free. Maybe not the safest but it was great when we had to walk from one place to the other. Plus a stroller for long walks.

I'm so glad you guys are traveling with baby Jude. So many people stop traveling after having kids. Get start baby Jude on the traveling world. :) have fun!

[HollyR0X]

I live inbetween jordan and egypt and the language is totaly diffirent lol

[3mmerz]

Egypt is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're going to love it :D I would advise sticking together, and to not go to sketchy areas....!

[sircygnus]

keep those in an RFID wallet. they are easy to scan and be picked up by identity thieves just by simply walking past you.

[sircygnus]

RFID BLOCKING wallet

[faintstarlite]

Thanks for the suggestion - I'm reading up on it now that you brought it to my attention.

[CO2umbrella]

The new ones suck. I got my second passport right at the end, Dec. 2006, so I'd have ten more years on the old one. Yeah, Egyptian Arabic will be pretty different, but basic grammar words structure will be about the same. As for Cairo, I would recommend staying around Talat Harbb or Khan al-Halili, not off the track, but nice, many hostels with communal areas, better than posh hotels were you don't meet anyone. Dahab Hostel is nice, entire top floor, many internationals and common areas.

[Mrseptember15]

Woooot! i was born in Jordan. Don't worry, your arabic will all come back to you once you get there

[bellitawurst]

I thought you weren't supposed to smile on the picture?

[TinaDenali]

Heh! My first passport photo is really awful, too! Totally washed out and bald looking... not cool for a girl! :P

Anyhow, sounds like fun!