Start of Holy land Tour pilgrimage and Sightseeing holidays .(Egypt-Israel-Jordan) with "Mosaic holidays Tours"(Saturday 25-10-2008)

Raqs Sharqi Dancer(Belly Dance)

"HOLY LAND TOUR PILGRIMAGE AND SIGHTSEEING WITH "MOSIAC TOURS(PVT) LTD" :-My tour to the "Holy Land" was the only tour in which i traveled with a "Tour Company" and not "Back-packing" as had been all my previous private visits outside India. After the death of my father Louis.J.Furtado in August 2007 i had decided to go on a "Holy Land Tour", since i was the last surviving member of our family, besides, my parents were devout Catholics. I had contacted "Mosaic holidays" as they had placed an advertisement in our parish at "Sacred Heart Church ,Worli", but, being single proved a traveling disadvantage. They agreed to accommodate me in their tour group but at a higher charge as hotel room sharing was on "Twin Basis" and they couldn't find another single travel companion for that particular tour in 2007 to accommodate me on "Twin Sharing " basis tour charges.
Hence, i decided to visit Malaysia and Singapore on my own, a "Solo Backpackers Tour". An account of this tour is on my previous blog, as are all my previous tours and travels which were formerly hand written on "Diaries" and now thanks to the invention of the "Internet",stored in "Blogs" for sharing experiences with readers.

Later in August 2008 i again contacted "Mosiac Holidays" for a "Single vacancy" in their "Holy Land tour Itinerary" and this time the answer was in the affirmative and hence i decided to proceed on this long overdue but never undergone pilgrimage cum study holiday tour.
The total price for the 11 days/12 Nights pilgrimage cum sightseeing tour was Rs 87,000 which i paid in 2 installments prior to departure from Mumbai. A few days before departure from Mumbai , all the package tour travelers were called for a "De-Briefing" at "Mosiac Holidays " office at 52A/Pali Village,Bandra(West). Mumbai-400050.I remember meeting Miss Christina.Rebello a spinster who akin to me was a lone pilgrim/traveler and besides got acquainted with other fellow travelers and we were handed our "Travel documents" and a "Mosiac Back-packers bag" , reviving memories of my own "solo" backpacking tours , modern day adventures.
Nicola Maria Phillips, the manager of "Mosiac Travels" was to be our "Tour guide conductor" for the entire pilgrimage tour and we were a group of 20 pilgrim tourists.This was my first overseas tour outside India with a group of travelers, although, i have almost toured every continent barring the Arctic and Antarctica! As the World knows, travel to "Israel" is restricted and also dangerous to "Single travelers", hence, i was forced to travel with a "Tour Group" which in hindsight i didn't regret as it was a very memorable, pleasant and self-learning experience .My fellow travelers were from various professional backgrounds and age groups and sexes , all mingling harmoniously.
For the first time i carried a heavy suitcase packed with clothing along with a 'Backpacker haversack" which i had purchased on my previous "backpacking" tour of "Malaysia-Singapore".
We would be residing in plush hotels, hence the heavy decent luggage and not my normal "Solo Backpackers tour Equipment"! Detailed excerpts from my personal tour "Log Book(Shipping terminology)"are written in these blogs and the views and comments expressed are my own personal opinions and open for debate or suggestions.
Start of "Holy Land Tour Pilgrimage and Sightseeing Holidays  -Day 1(SATURDAY 25-10-2008):- Left home early in the morning at 0300hrs leaving the entire house to my house-keeper Sabina.Dias for the upkeep and maintenance of my pets and plants.Reached Mumbai airport at 0400hrs at "Gate D" and was one of the earliest to arrive, later we all checked in after the normal formalities and the Gulf air(Gf 57) plane was punctual in departure, leaving Mumbai at 0800hrs.
There was a transit stop of approx 1 hr at Bahrain and hence we got to "Window shop" at the "Custom Duty-free" lounge at the airport.A "Duty Free Shop" is the ideal place to counter-check and keep yourself updated with your "Purchasing status" of earning to live the "Fat Cat Life"! Boarded the interconnecting flight(Gf 71) to Cairo reaching at 1215 hrs local time(1600hrs I.S.T) and were met by the local Egyptian tour guide Mr Mehud and transported to "Maadi hotel", a "3 Star hotel" situated in the posh "Maadi locality" of Cairo.
We were allotted our "Twin-sharing Rooms" and i got to know my room partner Mr Stephen.John.Lewis , a married sports channel business entrepreneur and much junior to me in age.

On the bus in Cairo heading towards our hotel.

I was suffering from a severe headache due to lack of sleep in Mumbai and "jet-Lag" , but, the excitement of visiting the "Egyptian Museum", my childhood fantasy and a quick shower freshened my spirits and enthusiasm. We boarded the "Tour Bus" for the "Egyptian Museum". with Mr Waleed,a authoritative guide on "Egyptian Artifacts and King Tutankhamen" accompanying ,witty and humorous in his lectures on Egypt and its local culture.He explained us about the infamous slum graveyard houses of Cairo something as fascinating as Mumbai's Dharavi slums. Some of Cairo's worst criminals , contract killers and would - be- criminals live in these huge graveyard grounds, a place which people even in poverty stricken country's avoid as residences, hence, a unique living condition found only in Cairo.The "Egyptian Museum" was an ancient government style massive building with various floors, each housing a different era of "Egyptian History". Viewing the entire museum as a "History student" could take months, let alone days.We did a quick detour of some major historic artifacts being allotted only 2 hrs for the entire museum tour by tour guide Waleed,one of the handicaps of touring with "Package tours". >"King Tutankhamen s Room" is the museums major attraction and honestly,I felt like a small child, filled with excitement and awe while viewing the most famous "trade-mark" antique in history,"The golden death mask of King Tutankhamen".Photography was not allowed inside the museum and guide Waleed explained us some of the lesser known facts of "King Tutankhamen s treasures" brushing my own knowledge of "Egyptian Mummylogy".Left Cairo museum at approx 1815(local time) and made our way to the hotel in peak cairo traffic.

Classic Nile river cruise ship "TOPAZ" at the wharf in Cairo.

Later in the night at 2000hrs a few of us went for the World famous "Nile Boat Cruise" on the river Nile which cost US$'s 35 and was a replica of a normal cruise ship entertainment.The famous "Egyptian Belly Dance(Raqs Sharqi)" was performed along with some other local Egyptian dance skits along with live local Egyptian music .The petite graceful belly dancers resembled an "Arabian Nights Fantasies" dream. The Nile Cruise provided an excellent view of the river at night and was packed with tourists, having 2 decks for entertainment and buffet dinner.The "Mosiac Tour Group" was allotted the lower deck, but, tourists were allowed to move freely between the 2 decks as the same entertainment was repeated on both the decks, a classic night to remember.Returned to the hotel at 2230 hrs, absolutely refreshed instead of tiredness due to jet lag and headaches, a real mystery of human psychology!

Authentic "RAQS SHARQI(BELLY DANCING)" on the Nile Cruise ship "TOPAZ".

                                                                                                                                  Some readers might wonder about the mingling of "Earthly Pleasures" with a "Holy Land tour" and the answer is simple, pleasure and spirituality have to co-exist in the World for normal human living.In the 21st century it is next to impossible for the average human to avoid life's earthly pleasures either through the "Media" in the form of television, magazines, newsprint and movies or through personal interactions , hence, a delicate balance between pleasures and religious piousness is required to lead a normal guilt-free life.The "Khlysty" form of doctrine practiced by the earliest monks of that sect for attaining spiritual nirvana has undergone a 21st century upheaval ."Sex" and "Sin" are a daily occurrence in the average humans life, directly or indirectly, hence a fine balance is to be maintained to achieve a spiritual calmness inspite of distractions or indulgences.

We were a total of 20 pilgrim/tourists out of which 17 were couples and were accommodated to their respective hotel rooms with only Mosiac tour conductor Nicola and fellow travellers Christina ,Stephen and myself being the "Single pilgrim/tourists". Nicola.Phillips and Christina.Rebello were accommodated in a "Twin-sharing room" while myself and Stephen were allotted room No 1409 on the 14th floor , hence the problem of accommodating "Single Tourists" without "Extra-Tour Charges" was solved by "Mosiac Holidays". Maadi hotel was a 3-star hotel but the T.V reception in our room was pathetic as also the available "English Channels", something surprising for a hotel catering to "International Tourists".Being a male or female "Single tourist" is a major hurdle in any " Packaged Tour Group" as my inquiries with other "Tour operators" confirmed, hence we were fortunate to get a normal cost tour with "Mosiac Holidays".

Tour  co-traveller Mr Stephen.Lewis and myself  tasting a "Bedouin Hookah" in Mt Sinai .