Thus They Call It The Promised Land (Part 1): From Coffee in Jakarta to Breakfast in Abu Dhabi to Lunch in Cairo

I did mention that I had 11-day leave some time ago, didn't I? Well, this is what I've been doing from August 24 - September 3: The Holy Land pilgrimage/vacation, in pictures! I'm still tired and a bit jetlag, so I apologize for any grammatical errors that might occur in this post. Tomorrow is back to work, so I'm mentally and physically preparing for that. @_@

Also, I'd like to say thank you to all of you, dear Readers, for visiting this lil' blog and for all your sweet comments. I read each and every one of them and really appreciate your thoughts, opinions, and inputs. Thank you!

One late afternoon at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Ready to go! The flight will be long, with many hours of transit time in Abu Dhabi, so I opted for something comfortable. And warm, to combat the notoriously cold airplane aircon!

Jeans: old. Sneakers: Nike (gifted from friend). Red bag: from Makati, Philippines. Yellow striped long-sleeved T-shirt: GAP. Turquoise beaded necklace: DIY. Blue earrings: Naughty MKG.

Many hours later, I reached Abu Dhabi International Airport. Like this: turn off the water faucet when you're not using it!

The spaceship-like corridors of Abu Dhabi International Airport. Love the all whites and brights. Notice the red jacket? It's an essential not for just in the airplane but also served as an emergency pillow during the long transit time! And you know what, actually it's a branded jacket. You know, jacket that you got for free with lots of product branding all over it. I got it from one of the Brand Managers in the office, and I'm sure he'll be upset if he knows how I wear this jacket: I wear it inside out! The red inner lining becomes the outside of the jacket so you can't see all the brandings. Haha!

Good morning Abu Dhabi! Would you like some coffee? Hot rolls? Newspapers? Even with the long-sleeved T-shirt, I still needed to layer with another long-sleeved blue-green Nevada shirt.

Finally we arrived at the first destination: the magical land of Egypt! Errr... first time on this land of the Pharaoh and Nefertiti and Cleopatra, and my first meal was at, guess where, TGI Friday! So not sexy! Anyhow, this TGI is strategically located on the Nile Riverbank, with full river view. Strange thing: they have small portions. It's the only TGI Friday I know that doesn't serve big American portion.

And after hours after hours of freezing cold in the aircraft and airport, now the weather was scorching hot, hot, hot!

Hat from Korea. Very useful in the scorching weather and hot sun.

After lunch, we headed to Maria Adawia Church, by the Nile River, where an ancient Bible was miraculously found floating on the waters of the Nile - in tip-top condition -, and was opened at the page that said: "Blessed be the people of Egypt."

Some random snaps of Cairo: skyscrapers along Nile Riverbank, the Nile, my Egypt visa, and Egypt Supreme Court.

Some shopping at one of many souvenir and craft shops in Cairo. Look at the gorgeous green viscose scarf! I bought several of those, in different patterns and colors, and planned to sew them into blouses.

After a looong flight, a looong transit in Abu Dhabi, a loooong day full of activities, finally it's time to rest! The hotel where we stayed - Le Meridien - was very strategically located, with a direct view to the Giza pyramids! Look! Look!

Shower... I desperately needed a shower... Haven't showered since departure, and it was 24 hours ago. Yikes!
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