[LesIsmaïliottesdumonde,leursfamillesetleursamis,à Ismaïlia,ensemblepourla1 ère fois,enoctobre2008] [Organisateurs:WagdiHabashietRamiHamam]
THE ISMAILIOTTES, THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR FRIENDS DREAM TRIP Esma a Leyya, Ya bn Esmaalia Thurs. 16 Oct. Departure from Canada, USA, U.K. and France. Negotiations are underway with Egyptair for group fare from Canada, and perhaps from JFK. Persons from other parts of USA, from Europe and Australia should make their own air reservations. Fri. 17 Arrival Cairo Airport, mid-afternoon or later, depending on flight Reception by Decastro Travel Agency at Cairo Airport. Those arriving earlier than others may choose to have a day-use of a room at the Novotel Cairo Airport hotel. However, spending the night in Cairo is too complex. Transfer to Ismailia in A/C deluxe bus, 2 hours. Check-in and Dinner at Hotel Mercure, Ile Chevalier (Forsan Island, on Lac Timsah). Sat. 18 Ismaïlia. Hotel Mercure. Reunion Breakfast, get to re-link with each other. Group program, bus at our disposal all day. I will, with your help, make a detailed program for the 3 full days in Ismailia that will include: City Tour, Plage d Enfants, Cercle de la Voile, Cercle de l Aviron, Foyer Paroissial, Ecoles Amoun, St- Vincent, Franciscaines, dinner(s) at Restaurant Georges (owned by Akram Yassine, he may even cater some lunches for us), Maison de Lesseps, Sinai across from the Plage, Ceremony at Canal de Suez Authority, interfaith ceremony for the departed. Egypt s Ambassadrice in Montreal, Dr. Wafaa El Hadidi, has been of immense help and has contacted on our behalf the Governor of Ismailia, the President of the Suez Canal Authority, and Dr. Zahi Hawass to receive our group. Details will come out soon. Sun. 19 Ismaïlia. Hotel Mercure, Breakfast. Group program, bus at our disposal all day.
Mon. 20 Ismaïlia. Hotel Mercure, Breakfast. Group program, bus at our disposal all day. Tues. 21 Ismaïlia. Hotel Mercure, Breakfast. Transit to Cairo by bus at 9 am. Meet Decastro Tours guide. Lunch at an unspecified location. Joining in by group members who are with us for 10 days. Upon arrival visit the Egyptian Museum, Golden Collection of Young King Tut, till 4 pm. Check into Hotel Cairo Marriott. Dinner at the famous Restaurant Al Azhar Park. Wed. 22 Cairo. Hotel Cairo Marriott. Breakfast. Meet Decastro Tours guide. Visit the Gizeh plateau (Pyramids, Sphinx, Solar Boat). Lunch at Andrea. Hotel Cairo Marriott for a rest. Visit Old Coptic Cairo: Moallakah, Coptic Museum, Synagogue. Visit and shopping at Khan el Khalili (El Azhar) and surroundings. Dinner at the famous Naguib Mahfouz (Nobel Prize Winner) resto.
Thurs. 23 Cairo. Depart Hotel Cairo Marriott, very early breakfast. Departure of group members who are with us for only 8 days. Flight to Abu Simbel, 2:30 hours, with stop in Aswan. Meet Decastro Tours guide. Check-in, Hotel Séti. Lunch Visit of the Temples at 1 pm. In evening Sound and Light at Abu Simbel. Please dress warm in desert at night. Dinner at Hotel Séti. Fri. 24 Abu Simbel. Hotel Séti. Breakfast. Flight to Aswan. Meet Decastro Tours guide. Guided day tour of High Dam (El Sad El Ali), Temple of Philae, Visit Unfinished Obelisk. Escort to Nile Cruise Ship. Lunch on Cruise Ship. Felucca on Nile, bring your music, raks baladi! Dinner and night on board Cruise Ship. Sat. 25 Nile Cruise Ship, all 3 meals. Sailing to Kom-Ombo. Upon arrival start the visit to the temple of Gods Sobek and Harorise. Sailing to Edfu. Egyptian night (costumed): Gallabiehs and Melayat Laff that we will buy in Aswan Bazaar, or you bring with you.
Sun. 26 Nile Cruise Ship, all 3 meals. Start the Guided Tour to visit the temple of Falcon God Huros. Sailing to Esna. Cross the Nile lock. Arrive at Luxor at night. Overnight at Luxor on board Cruise Ship. Mon. 27 Nile Cruise Ship. Breakfast. Disembarking in Luxor. Possibility of meeting Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General, Council of Antiquities, a living legend as an Egyptologist Cross the Nile to visit of West Bank: Guided tour of the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Queen Hatshepsut temple, Colossi of Memnon, Nobles tombs, Labib Habashi s Tomb (at Deir El Bahari, my Uncle, and a passed away legend of an Egyptologist). Lunch at Africa Restaurant on West Bank. Check-in at Hotel Sonesta. Walking tour of Souk of Luxor (Bazaar). Dinner at an unspecified location. Tue. 28 Hotel Sonesta. Breakfast. Visit of famous Karnak temple. Lunch at an unspecified location. Visit of Luxor temple. Dinner at Hotel Sonesta. In evening escort to Sound and Light at Karnak Temple.
Wed. 29 Hotel Sonesta. Breakfast. Travel to Hurghada (El Gouna: La Laguna) by bus (4 hours). Arrival in Sheraton Miramar Resort, at Hurghada, El Gouna. Lunch, depending on arrival time. If not, then lunch box. Free individual time: beach, pool, scuba diving, aquarium, town visit. Thu. 30 Sheraton Miramar Resort, Hurghada, El Gouna. Breakfast, Lunch Free individual time: beach, pool, scuba diving, aquarium, town visit. Dinner not included, so people can form groups and eat in the very nice restos downtown, accessible by bus or taxi. Fri. 31 Sheraton Miramar Resort, Hurghada, El Gouna. Breakfast, Lunch Free individual time: beach, pool, scuba diving, aquarium, town visit. Dinner not included, so people can form groups and eat in the very nice restos downtown, accessible by bus or taxi. Sat. Nov. 1 Sheraton Miramar Resort, Hurghada, El Gouna. Breakfast? 6:30 am flight to Alexandria, with connection in Cairo, arrive Alexandria 10:30 am Arrive Four Seasons Hotel, San Stefano, on beach (designed by Canadians!) or Cecil Hotel, downtown (Undecided yet) Bus Tour of Alexandria, with guide: The Corniche, Midan Saad Zaghloul, Safia Zaghloul Street, Mahattit al Raml, College Saint Marc, Al-Anfushy Tombs, Sidi Gaber, Sidi Bechr, Mosque of Abu El Abbas El Morsi, Pharos Lighthouse, Pompey s Pillar, Maamoura, Montaza, Qaitbey Fortress, etc. Seafood Dinner at Restaurant San Stefano, Andrea or Kadoura, preferably on the beach.
Sun. Nov. 2 Four Seasons/or Cecil Hotel, Alexandria. Breakfast All day visit of the City: Alexandria Library, Graeco-Roman Museum, Roman Amphitheater Lunch at Athineos. Dinner at Restaurant San Stefano, Andrea, Athineos or Kadoura, preferably on the beach. Mon. Nov. 3 Four Seasons/or Cecil Hotel, Alexandria. Breakfast Morning return to Cairo by bus. Stop and visit Monasteries of Wadi Natroun. Stop for late lunch at Fadia Lotfy s House (an Ismaïliotte) in El-Sheikh Zayed. She offers us: chai, karkadeh, kharoub, karawya and Egyptian food such as foul, taameiyah (falafel), besara, kochari, etc. Show Sound and Light at the Pyramids Arrive at Hotel Méridien, Cairo. Dinner not included. Tues. Nov. 4 Hotel Méridien Heliopolis, Breakfast After breakfast, final departure to Cairo Airport or to individual destinations, or continuation of local personal trips. Even with group fares, we will try to do it so that we all arrive close to one another, but departure dates can be individually fixed, of course beforehand. Au Revoir, mais jamais Adieu.
NOTES AND USEFUL INFORMATION 1. If you want to know who is coming and what part of the trip he/she will be in, please go to the Google site I indicated: http://docs.google.com/ Name: Wagdi.habashi@mcgill.ca Password: asdfasdf This will be continuously updated. If you find your own information incorrect, please correct it and send me an e-mail alerting me. 2. Total number of travelers: 42 persons 27 persons for entire (19-day) trip 4 for Ismailia-Cairo only (8-day) trip 6 for Cairo-Upper Egypt-Red Sea-Alexandria (10-day) trip 5 local persons, making their own arrangements 3. Anyone in this list who is marked LOCAL means no payment whatsoever due to joining the trip. It is understood that these persons will arrange for their own airfare to Cairo (if they are from outside), local transportation to Ismailia and local reservation for Ismailia/Cairo hotels. What I need, however, to know is: when and where will they meet our group, and how long are they staying. Inside Ismailia, we may have enough space on the bus for them to join us. In Cairo, hopefully too. 4. Airfare: As the largest group is coming from Canada, we will try to get a group airfare on Egyptair, which flied directly Montreal-Cairo. We may be able to get them to also extend a special fare to JPK departures. All persons leaving from other cities please start looking into airfare. 5. Registration is now temporarily closed, as we are 31 persons on bus to Ismailia-Cairo, and 33 on bus Cairo-on. This is already too much for a (comfortable) single bus, which is estimated at 25 persons, so each can commandeer a double seat.
Additional registrants will be accepted only if we can fill a second bus, this means we must get another 12-14 persons to justify a second bus, with 25 persons riding on each 45-person bus. 6. Breakfasts (all, unless we leave Hotel very early), lunches, dinners explicitly listed in the program are included in the price. Lunches and dinners in Ismailia are at our expense, so is the last dinner in Cairo. 7. All taxes, land transportation, internal flights and guide fees are included in price. 8. Entrance fees (estimated) are not included in the price, as they differ for Egyptian passports and others; so we will pay them individually on the spot. It is not a large sum. 9. I will collect from you and give collective baksheesh to make life easier (bus driver, guides, and anyone else who helps us, etc.). Baksheesh after each meal, at all restaurants, however, is at your own discretion, but is expected. 10. Visas can be obtained locally in your city, from consulate or embassy with 2 pictures, and $25, or at Cairo airport when you arrive. Advice: do it locally rather than at airport. 11. This program has taken into account most, if not all your excellent suggestions. Please remember: we are a group and hence we all have to make some sacrifices. 12. You are encouraged to immediately buy a health and cancellation insurance, as soon as or at most 48 hours after you make your deposit. 13. Clothing: warm during day, sweater at night. Special warm clothing for the 3 sounds and light in desert air.