Tag: Travel

Life, Rwanda, Travel

We bought a car and moved to the suburbs: How a summer in Kigali has reshaped our lives

Four months ago, we arrived in Kigali at 3am, and since then we have been regularly asked about our first impressions of the city.  In the leadup to the move our conversations focused on the city being green, clean, and quiet, especially compared to Cairo, our previous home of 4 years. Our experience of the city has mostly been as advertised, but what has really … Continue reading We bought a car and moved to the suburbs: How a summer in Kigali has reshaped our lives

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Travel

More than Malls: What We Liked in Dubai

We visited Dubai for five days in March 2022, and I have already written about the Dubai World Expo and about visiting some of the biggest malls in town. We still had plenty of time to explore other parts of the city, and here are some of the highlights. We left our stroller in Cairo and took the metro almost everywhere We considered bringing the … Continue reading More than Malls: What We Liked in Dubai

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Culture, Travel

The Dubai World Expo Pavilion Awards (and other thoughts about past World Expos)

I grew up hearing stories about the 1967 World Expo in Montreal from my Dad, which was held during Canada’s centennial year. He was 11 years old during that summer and he has written about how he spent many days roaming the Expo grounds with his nine-year-old brother. They would get dropped off at the local mall and take a shuttle bus to the Expo, … Continue reading The Dubai World Expo Pavilion Awards (and other thoughts about past World Expos)

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Culture, Travel

All Malls Lead to Dubai

There are few things I find more stressful than crowded shopping malls, and I immediately felt on edge when we entered the massive Mall of Dubai back in March. My sense of direction evaporated and trying to keep track of our location inside one of the world’s biggest malls seemed like a hopeless task.  The Dubai Mall has plenty of attractions designed to keep you … Continue reading All Malls Lead to Dubai

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Egypt, Travel

Sunrise Squabbling at Karnak Temple

The first time I visited Karnak Temple in Luxor I left feeling a bit underwhelmed. Maybe this was because Karnak was the most-hyped sight among our friends in Cairo, or because it was the hottest day of our trip (28 degrees) and we were already tired from walking and visiting the Luxor Museum and the Mufficiaton Museum on the way. Karnak also was relatively busy … Continue reading Sunrise Squabbling at Karnak Temple

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Egypt, Travel

Driving along the agricultural road to visit Beni Hassan and the temples of Abydos and Dendera

At 9 o’clock sharp the receptionist called our room and announced that the police were ready for us. This would usually be a concerning phone call, but we were unfazed after having the police follow us around Minya the previous day. We had hired a driver to bring us from Minya to Abydos with a few stops along the way.  As we walked out of … Continue reading Driving along the agricultural road to visit Beni Hassan and the temples of Abydos and Dendera

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Egypt, Travel

We Wanted to Casually Stroll through Minya. Instead We Were Followed the Entire Day by Police

“What is your plan for today? The police are asking.” This is how we were greeted by the receptionist of the Grand Aton hotel in Minya.  We had just arrived after a three and half hour drive from Cairo, and we explained that we had no real plans other than walking around the town.  This was mid-February 2021, and we had finally given up the … Continue reading We Wanted to Casually Stroll through Minya. Instead We Were Followed the Entire Day by Police

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Egypt, Travel

The Best Way to Visit Luxor’s West Bank is by Walking

During a trip to Luxor in February 2021, we had allotted two days to visit the Valley of the Kings and the other famous sites on the west bank of the Nile. We were initially planning to hire a taxi for the day, but as I looked at the map trying to decide what sites to visit on the first day, I realized that the … Continue reading The Best Way to Visit Luxor’s West Bank is by Walking

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Travel

A joyful week in Athens with our three-month old baby

On New Year’s Eve 2019, my wife Jessica and I gathered for a small party in Zamalek, the affluent Cairo neighborhood where we and many other expats live. Our hosts were another Canadian couple Sarah and Marko, and they were quick to hand us glasses of imported wine and tell us to help ourselves to sushi or anything else from the generous spread. I would … Continue reading A joyful week in Athens with our three-month old baby

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Culture, Travel

That time I went to the movies the same day the WHO declared a pandemic (and three other memorable cinematic experiences of 2020)

Every year I make a semi-serious New Year’s resolution to watch more movies. There are few things I enjoy more than watching films on the big screen, and even in our era of streaming dominance, I happily leave my house several times a month for public screenings.  The stay-at-home lifestyle of 2020 was good for my overall movie consumption but terrible for my in-person attendance. … Continue reading That time I went to the movies the same day the WHO declared a pandemic (and three other memorable cinematic experiences of 2020)

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