A Felucca on the Nile

The lovely hike at the Wadi on Friday was hard to top, but we might have done it on Saturday.

We spent Saturday morning hanging around at the apartment.  Paul let me sleep in while the kids played and he did a little writing. After a relaxing morning we went down to road 9 at around 11am to run some errands, do some shopping, and then grab some lunch.

My older daughter bought this lovely scarf.   You can't really tell from the photo, but it has skulls on it.  So not only is it pretty, it is tough too.  Just her style.  My younger daughter bought herself a little camel figure made of sandalwood, and my husband bought me a wall hanging  (I will post a photo of once I have it hanging on the wall).   Everyone got a chance to practice their haggling skills.  I'm not sure if we got the best deals possible, but we all liked what we got and enjoyed the shopping.

After poking around in a few shops we had lunch at a wonderful place called the Dragon House.  It was a perfect choice for the Chinese New Year.  They serve Chinese, Thai, and Indian food. We went there our second day in town and enjoyed it so much that we thought it was worth another visit. We had a good meal and then we went home to grab a few things before catching a cab to the main event.

A felucca ride on the Nile...

What a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. We enjoyed the company of new friends while sipping beers, enjoying the scenery, and having a snack. A couple of people brought guitars so we played a little music and watched the world go by. I loved it! The boats are roomy and there is plenty of space to share the ride with a group... but the price is reasonable enough to consider just making it a romantic sunset ride for two. I can't wait to do it again.

If you look to either side of the boat you can even see the great pyramids in the distance... What a lovely view!

Cheers,
Jenn

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A Trip to the Market...

I do most of my produce shopping at Cuevas Produce. I got all of this beautiful produce for 7 dollars... I would have paid more than that just for the pineapple and the strawberries at the local grocery. I always go to Cuevas first to see what they have and then I head over to do the rest of my shopping at the grocery. I'll write more about Cuevas at a later date... it is a wonderful small business with a lot of local history and tons of fascinating urban legends surrounding it.
On Tuesdays from 3 -6 we have a farmer's market. Some days after I pick up my oldest from school we will stop by to pick up something fresh and delicious from the local farmers. I bought some wonderful spicy greens last time I stopped by... and of course the girls picked out some pumpkins for Halloween on another visit.


We took a field trip to Central Market in Austin recently. We decided that we would take a photo of my little one here in front of the pumpkins instead of paying an arm and a leg to visit the pumpkin patch... They had an incredible selection of gourds, winter squash and pumpkins on display.






Central Market also has a whole host of other cool things to see. Fresh baked breads... a huge coffee and tea selection... cheeses and olives... you name it and they probably sell it.


And of course who can forget the figs...
Cheers!

Going Green in the Kitchen!

I just thought that this Friday I'd offer a few tips on how to "go green" in the kitchen...and I'm not talking about eating your kale or broccoli... I'm talking, of course, about all those little choices you can make each day to make a difference to the environment. Many of these are obvious things... but hey... if we all did them all the time I'm sure that the world would be a cleaner place.

1. Use reusable shopping bags... a couple of years ago I didn't know anyone who used reusable shopping bags... most of us just felt superior at the store when asked "Paper or plastic?" and we opted for the paper (much to the annoyance of the clerk)... but the truth is the best choice is cloth or canvas. The production of paper bags is not green... it produces air pollution. Sure recycling is great... but reducing and reusing is a whole lot better!

2. Pack lunches using reusable bags and containers. Instead of buying all those prepackaged snacks or putting your kid's sandwich in a plastic bag... invest in a few containers that you can reuse time and time again. While you're at it leave out that bottled water or juice box and get a thermos or reusable water bottle.

3. Pay attention to packaging. Look for products that are packaged wisely. Sometimes it pays to buy in bulk... but only if your family will really use it. Buying things in bulk is usually a good idea due to the decrease in wasteful packaging... but if buying the super pack of paper towels encourages you to use more paper then go with the smaller package.

4. Recycle... I know... it is a no brainer... but it pays to take a look at what your curbside recycle bin can take... and look for other options to recycle what it won't. Our curbside service just expanded and will now take plastics and paper that they wouldn't in the past. In the past we had to take our colored plastics and some of our paper to a local service... now the city takes it all.

5. Compost kitchen waste if you have a garden. It's good for your garden... and while your out there plant some herbs and veggies... the more you grow the less you have to buy at the store. But once again garden wisely... if you live in Arizona think long and hard before planting something that requires a lot of resourses.

6. Buy organic and local... but use your brain about it. Sometimes a green label doesn't mean that it is really green. A six pack of organic milk in little plastic bottles may seem like a good idea for you kids lunch... but what about those 6 little plastic bottles? Buy a gallon of organic milk instead and put it in a reusable container.

OK... enough self righteous preachiness... it's time to go to my kitchen and wrap the entire contents of my fridge in plastic wrap while cleaning all my counter tops with toxic chemicals.

What do you do to make your kitchen more green?