Aswan High Dam in Egypt

On August 17, 2020August 17, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Egypt1 Comment

At the end our Nile River cruise from Luxor to Aswan, we visited the High Dam. Most of us have heard about the Aswan dam, but there are really two dams, an older dam and the newer one, which is referred to as the High Dam. It was built to end the flooding that used to occur on a regular basis along the Nile River and has truly helped the agriculture business in Egypt. In addition to controlling the water, it is also a source of a lot of the power needed in the regions, so power lines are abundant across the surrounding desert landscape. One interesting side effect of the dam was that it has trapped all of the crocodiles for which the Nile is famous south of the dam, so you won’t see any crocodiles between Luxor and Aswan.

The Aswan High Dam is interesting from a historical perspective, but actually visiting the dam is, quite frankly, not particularly fascinating. There are tours that you can take south of the dam, but we didn’t do any during our visit to Egypt. We spent about 30 minutes walking around the dam in the simmering heat of Aswan, which was the hottest location that we experienced during our time in Egypt. If you go to Aswan, it is probably worthwhile to see the dam, but it certainly isn’t worth going out of your way to visit, at least in our opinion.

Moroccan-Style Chicken

On August 5, 2020August 5, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn morocco, Recipes2 Comments

We love the spices of Moroccan food and one of our favorite memories of visiting Morocco was going to the market and buying spices to bring home with us. We also bought a tajine while we were in Morocco, but we chose to use a slow cooker for this recipe. Obviously, you can use a Dutch oven or tajine if you prefer. In addition to the spices, this dish also features olives and raisins, which again reminds of our time in Southern Spain as well as Morocco. Especially when cooking with olives, it is important to use high-quality olives whose flavor you really enjoy. We used olives stuffed with pimentos, which just added to the flavor of the dish. The chicken turned out tender and even though there are a lot of spices, it is certainly not a spicy dish. We did the recipe just for the two of us, but it can easily be increased to serve a crowd.

INGREDIENTS

2 Large Chicken Thighs
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp All-Spice
1/4 tsp Salt or to taste – but don’t over salt as the olives are salty as well
1/8 tsp Fennel Seeds – crushed
1 dash of Fresh Nutmeg – about 3 or 4 scrapes of the nutmeg across a micro-plane
1/2 Yellow Onion – roughly chopped
1 1/2 cloves Garlic – minced
1/2 cup Olives Stuffed with Pimentos – cut in half
1/4 cup Golden Raisins
1/2 Fresh Lemon (or 1 small Lemon) – thinly sliced
2 to 3 cups Chicken Stock – just enough to cover the chicken
Basmati Rice – cooked to the package directions
Parsley for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix all of the spices in a small bowl to combine thoroughly. Spray the inside of a slow cooker with non-stick spray. Add the onion and place the chicken thighs on top of the onion. Cover the chicken with the spice mixture, being sure to thoroughly coat the the chicken with the spices. Add the garlic, olives, raisins, lemon, and add the chicken stock just until the chicken is covered. Cook on low for 5 hours, stirring once close to the end of cooking. Serve over Basmati rice.

Large Variety of Olives in the Moroccan Market

Moroccan-Style Chicken over Basmati Rice

Khan el-Khalili Bazaar in Old Cairo, Egypt

On June 11, 2020June 11, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Egypt3 Comments

Visiting markets wherever you visit is certainly worthwhile, but there is something very special about the bazaars in the middle east. Khan el-Khalili Bazaar in the Old Town Center of Cairo, Egypt, also known as Old Cairo, is certainly one of them. They can be quite busy and you need to be aware of your circumstances to avoid pickpockets or those who might want to take advantage of you. In most bazaars it is usually customary to bargain over the prices and the vendors don’t take offense to it. In fact, to get the best price, you might even start to walk away before the vendor offers a lower price that seems reasonable to you. Haggling, though, does not mean offering a ridiculously low price that might be viewed as an insult.

Many Items for Sale and a Vendor Ready to Bargain

In addition to the crowds, there is likely to be sensory overload with the various smells, colors, and variety of items that can be found within the bazaars. There are spice shops, tobacco shops, artisans selling rugs, hookahs, clothing, pottery, and more. There are also coffee cafes and bistros with local breads as well. The narrow streets of the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar wind in various directions and you could spend hours walking through the shops and bartering for items. We only had a little over half day during our time in Cairo to visit the old historic center and wish we could have spent more time in the bazaar.

Old Cairo has many sites to visit and the bazaar is certainly one that should be visited. Some of the other key sites in the area are the Mosque and Madrassa of the Sultan Hasan, Abu Serga Church, the Babylon Fortress, and the historic Ottoman house Bayt Al-Suhaymi are just a few that should be visited as well. Cairo has so many interesting things to see that you could go back several times and always find something new to see.