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An Unforgettable Adventure To The Land of Pharaohs, The Pyramids and Sphinx

African Adventure AtlasCairo, Jewel of Orient, City of a Thousand Minarets, and melting pot of ancient and modern Egyptian civilizations, is still one of most amazing and exciting destinations in world.

A visit to Sphinx and Pyramids at Giza continues as most compelling reason to travel to land of Pharaohs to witness sheer grandeur of monumental architectural accomplishments of a by-gone civilization.

Historians have recorded great legacy of this great civilization that overshadows remarkable feats of Ramesses Second, Alexander Great, and Napoleon; passage of time serves to fortify recognition of builders of Sphinx and Pyramids as a truly great people, achieving what modern man considers to be a "miracle". Visiting "Cradle of Civilization" — a beacon of religion in that part of world — is more appreciative in a group with tour guides familiar with Egyptian people, their customs, culture, language, history, and country; this is a journey through time, a journey through history of an immortal civilization.

For thousands of years Egypt has been playground of emperors and kings, a land bustling with life, visual beauty, excitement, and relaxation, especially on a cruise down Nile on festive river boats and swift faluccas (small, traditional sailboats).

Cairo is largest city in Middle East and Africa and lies at center of all routes leading to and from three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe; city has an incredible selection of shopping, including spices, perfumes, gold, silver, carpets, brass, copperware, leatherwork, glass, ceramics, musical instruments, craft work, and cotton jubbe or Gilbab (long gowns worn by men). Experience dining on a floating restaurant on Nile or sample an apple-flavored shisha waterpipe at a coffee shop; see Oriental dancers at cabarets.

Light and Sound Show at Great Pyramid.

A must-see after dark on first night in Cairo is Sound and Light show at Pyramids, a dramatic fusion of light and music recounting story of antiquity, orchestrated with mystifying perfection. The show follows a typical Egyptian dinner at Rahoma Grill on Sphinx Street in Cairo a short distance from Sphinx and Pyramids. The speciality grill serves homemade barbeque, a large selection of famous Chinese dishes, and other Oriental foods with selections of fish, chicken, meats, desserts, and fruits.

From airplane to bus to taxi to horse, I arrived at La Mansion Inn Arenal with tons of questions: exactly what does a nice Costa Rican hotel look like? What types of food do they eat there? Will my Spanish be good enough to get me farther than el baño? All these questions and more were quickly answered as I quietly stepped forward into a tropical grotto neatly planted between cities of Arenal and Fortuna of north-western region of Costa Rica.

Decked out with a perfectly manicured lawn, exotic flowers and an infinity pool, this is far from a typical hotel. This resort comes with privacy and a backdrop that jumps right off screen of Discovery Channel. Palm trees dot hillsides, and clouds massage deep blue skies over blazing volcano.

I was immediately greeted by Joey, a middle-aged American from Tennessee who has been managing hotel here in Arenal for about three years and lives in a private villa attached to main hotel. When you work in paradise, you might as well live there too. And in a place where temperature is 75 degrees year ‘round, why wouldn’t you?

Joey smiled constantly. I guess you could say he had a perma-grin and with good reason. In next couple of days at La Mansion Inn, Joey explained to me that he doesn’t need fancy cars or money to be happy; being here was enough. He also told me how there are approximately 14 private cottages on property, each with their own view of mystical Arenal Lake and surrounding mountains. Since lake faced east, sunrises are as magical as sunsets. Each cottage is equipped with private covered parking, patio furniture for those astonishing views, and maid service to keep rooms immaculate.

When I first walked in to my cottage, I was a little taken aback by small size, but then remembered to not expect norm. Each cottage is perfectly decorated by Italian artists, giving each its own individual look and feel. The honeymoon suite — still under construction — will house an indoor pool, spa, two bedrooms, and complete kitchen (if you can afford it).

Costa Rica is a land of beautiful simplicity. The pace of life is much slower than anywhere in United States. People are more in tune with nature, and less inclined toward technology. La Mansion Inn does have internet access, phones, and even cable television for occasional glimpse back to reality. Imagine, if you will, that instead of watching Costa Rica on Discovery Channel, you have ventured inside your television set into Costa Rica and brought your television with you. That’s sort of how it feels. Familiar shows remind you that home is not that far away. Still, it’s much more exciting to turn that tube off and go get lost amidst some of most exotic creatures in world.

On night 1 at La Mansion Inn, I decided to take a night walk around neighborhood in an attempts to get lost. A lightning storm was brewing, as they usually did during wet season. Costa Rica, unlike U.S., only has two seasons. The wet season lasts half year and has up to 20 days of rain in one month. The rest of time it’s dry season.