My twin sister and niece visited me in Cairo

I finally convinced my fraternal twin sister Patricia to visit me in Cairo!

I was sneaky--after nearly three years of begging it finally occurred to me that if I could get my sweet travel-crazy niece Alexandria to visit then she would hound her mother and the deal would be done! My plan went perfectly. We had so much fun! Nine days of sightseeing, shopping for souvenirs, and a three-day trip to see the temples in Luxor. Like all our guests, they were really sad to leave. A funny side note is that Patricia named my niece after Alexandria, Egypt. Who knew? It never occurs to you while growing up in Louisville, Kentucky that you would ever have a twin sister living in Egypt.



Visiting a mosque in Cairo and wearing hijabs.  

There were two delightful Muslim women
at the mosque who answered
all our questions about what it's like
being a muslim woman.

What I've learned is that most people are afraid to visit but once they get here they have a wonder-full time and quickly see how kind the people are and how interesting everything is. Life is so different here and I love the adventure and sharing it with others. Although you try to describe what life is like here to family and friends people don't understand it until they experience it for themselves. 

Patricia and Alex loved the community of my villa--my bowabs, driver, and gardener treating them like family. I loved taking them to the local shops to meet the people I see throughout the week. They were overwhelmed at the friendliness of everyone and for me that's the most special thing about visiting Egypt. I love showing people that part of Egypt that doesn't exist in Houston, Texas or Louisville, Kentucky.

During their visit we managed to get interviewed for an Egyptian talk show while shopping in the Khan; got ripped off by a souvenir seller in Luxor; ride camels at the Giza pyramids, see King Tut's exhibit at the Egyptian museum; and sit by the pool at King Farouk's Winter Palace hotel.

And the best part of their visit is that now I can share my ongoing adventures with them here in Cairo and they get it!

Just normal tourist stuff. See how much fun we were having? I miss them! They were perfect guests.

Being interviewed. I was asked "What makes Egyptian men better than all the other men in the world?" My friend Penni was watching the chaos and getting a good laugh. How do you answer that? How does she suppose that I know about all the other men in the world?

Our other visitors were our children Ben and Sydney in December 2013 and then Sydney and Jared in January 2016. They loved Egypt also!! Sydney and Jared were lucky enough to go on a Nile cruise. They loved everything I described above, our villa, the people. Jared got to go mountain bike riding in the Wadi as well. I wish they could visit for a month!! My only regret with Patricia and Alexandria was not going on a Nile cruise. Staying in Luxor for three days paled in comparison to the wonderful cruises. Sorry Patricia and Alex!