Egypt

Trip to Egypt

January 14, 2022 – January 26, 2022

Debbie Peavler Stewart,

Veryle Peavler,

Emilee Peavler,

Anastasia (Ana) Peavler

Day 0 Flights ≈ Friday, 14 January

We were worried about flights – there had been a lot of cancellations, so we decided to take an earlier flight than needed to have more choices if things went wrong. Emilee, Ana and Veryle left Denver at 11:29am and arrived in Minneapolis at 2:24pm. We signed up for the Aspire lounge so we would have a place to sit –food and drink were provided while there, Debbie left Seattle at 11:56am and arrived in Minneapolis at 5:18pm – she joined us in the lounge. Our flight to Amsterdam left Minnesota at 9:20pm and arrived 12:15pm on the 15th. Since it was such a long flight, we chose our seats so we each had a window. Debbie and I were on one side of the plane and Emilee and Ana on the other side.  When we boarded there were two old ladies (Emilee’s description) in Ana’s row, one was in her seat. Emilee asked her to move and pointed out there were a lot of empty seats and no need to be crowded in a row. One of them went to another row, the other one moved to the aisle but hogged the middle seat, leaving her bag and other items in it. There was just Ana in the row when we checked in, so they chose the seats at the last minute. We were a bit dumfounded that they would choose to sit right beside a stranger when there were a lot of other seats to choose from.

Day 1 ≈ Saturday, 15 January ≈ Arrival in Cairo

We had a six-hour layover in Amsterdam leaving at 6:10pm arriving in Cairo at 11:25pm. In Amsterdam they have a place to wet toilet paper in the stalls so you can clean the toilet seat before sitting on it. While we were sitting waiting for our flight. Debbie remarked that she liked that instead of toilet paper. Veryle sat for a minute then remarked – “Debbie you know it is for cleaning the seat not you, right.”  Debbie did know.  We got a good laugh over that. When we boarded we found they had switched Emilee’s seat to a middle one. When asked why the agent replied so a family can sit together. It turns out the family were three grown men. When we deplaned we saw several people with signs but no one with a sign for us. We went through a line to show we were all fully vaccinated from COVID. Egypt requirements were be vaccinated or show a negative COVID test. We went on to baggage claim and found our  Djed Egypt Travel  Cairo rep, Trek waiting for us. We gave him $100 USD and he purchased our travel visa’s, we got our luggage and he took us to our hotel, the Marriott Mena House. The hotel has a gated entrance with armed guards and dogs who walk around and sniff the van. We were on the first floor, and had a view of the Giza pyramids.

Day 2 ≈ Sunday, 16 January ≈ Day at leisure in Cairo

We had arranged for a free day since we got in so late. We slept until 9:45 then went to the breakfast buffet.  We wandered around and found the gift shop. We had heard that people often sold things that were made in China, so Debbie asked the store clerk if the items were made in Egypt, not China. He said, I hate China like you.” I said, pointing at Emilee, “my daughter is from China” at the same time Debbie said, “Emilee’s from China.” We thought it was funny, he was very embarrassed.   We thought we would wander around outside of the hotel, there was a store and post office. When we started to walk past the area where taxis and buses  pick you up- the security guard, who was holding a rifle, motioned us back to the hotl. So we went back. You have to go through multiple security checks wherever you go in a car. Trek said this is their way of monitoring where tourists are and where they are going. Trek had arranged to take us to downtown Cairo to get some authentic food, he and a driver picked us up at 3:30. They took us to Abou Tarek where we had koshari. A family was celebrating the birthday of a young girl and asked if they could take her picture with us. Apparently it is good luck. We then went to a place and had tea. We visited and Trek told us how women don’t like to work and expect the man to support them.  Which is funny because the next day we visited with our female Egyptologist and she said it is tough for women to work because the men don’t want them in the workforce. Every place has cats so Ana enjoyed petting them while we had tea. We walked through downtown while Trek assured us it is very safe – although everything he said made us think it is not that safe. There were police all over. Ana and Emilee were leered at, especially Ana because she has not perfected the leave me alone face that Emilee has.

Day 3 ≈ Monday, 17 January ≈ Giza, and Saqqara Monuments

We got up and had the breakfast buffet.  The buffet in each of the hotels was very extensive.  We met our driver outside the hotel and drove out of the parking lot and waited for our guide, Mina, who came by taxi. We drove up the road to the entrance of the Giza’s Pyramids. As we walked to the Great Pyramid of Cheops Mina said guides aren’t allowed in the interior of the pyramid. We climbed up a series of steps going up the side of the pyramid and went inside.  It was hot inside and not very wide – although large enough for people going up and those going down. Veryle is a bit claustrophobic and was going to turn back but was talked into continuing. There were only a few people in the pyramid besides us.  A man, about 25 years old, came down and said “good luck-not for me” as he passed by.  We got to a tunnel like entrance and went through it to the tomb room. We were glad the pyramids were not crowded because it would not have been fun to be in there with a lot of people. We met up with Mina and continued around the pyramid where our driver met us. He took us to where they were giving camel rides. Mina said most arrange for an hour, but a half hour is plenty of time (she was right). We paid $90 USD for the ride for all of us plus tip. One guide led Debbie and Emilee and one guide Veryle and Ana. Ana’s camel kept trying to get in front, so Debbie and Veryle had to be concerned about camel spit since its face was right beside them. They took us up to a view of the three pyramid and took pictures. They had Emilee and Ana get off for the pictures, but Debbie and Veryle remained mounted.  We then drove to the Sphinx, which is even more surrounded by the city than the pyramids – pizza and other restaurants. There are a lot of stray dogs, so you have to avoid feces to get to it. It is much smaller than it appears in pictures.  We then drove to the necropolis of Saqqara, including the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser, the pyramid complexes of Kings Unas and Teti, rock tombs and temples. This area has not been open long and there is a History channel documentary on it that we had watched, so it was very interesting. We then went to the Imhotep Museum at Saqqara, where new and old discoveries are displayed.

We then went to a farmhouse where we had lunch. The family that lives there cooks for the visitors. While we were waiting for his wife to finish the food the farmer took us for a walk around the farm. The food was delicious-one of the entrees was camel.  As we were returning to the hotel we stopped at a place where they do papyrus paintings. Most of the shops we visited offer you tea when you enter-Veryle says it is rude if you don’t accept the tea-Debbie thought they were “buttering you up” so that you would buy something.   Back to the hotel – we were tired and since we had  a late lunch we skipped dinner.

Day 4 ≈ Tuesday, 18 January ≈ Coptic, Islamic Cairo & Azhar Park – Fly to Aswan

We had breakfast at the hotel and packed our bags. The driver and Mina picked us up and we drove into Cairo. It was an interesting drive, the highway is very crowded and it appears there are no rules.  The road is made for four lanes that drivers turn into at least six lanes. Looking out over the city there is a satellite on every apartment (no single-family homes). A lot of them have half the building falling down and the other half inhabited. We went by canals of the Nile that are full of trash.  We went to Cairo’s old city and saw the historical Coptic churches around the Roman fortress of Babylon, and the Holy Family’s Cave.   Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus are thought to have stayed there when they escaped Bethlehem when King Herod ordered that babies under two should be killed.  We stopped and had tea and then to Gayer-Anderson Museum, one of the best-preserved examples of 17th century domestic architecture left in Cairo and the Ibn Tulun Mosque. We went downtown and stopped at a restaurant for lunch. We had made a deposit on the trip with Djed. We knew nothing about the company so decided to pay the remainder by credit card once we got to Egypt. They were having problems with credit card payments so we walked through downtown to their office to try and pay there. Again we were offered tea. We were unable to get the payment to go through. Debbie asked if this was happening to others and the accountant showed her a screen of about ten names who were unable to pay. They said to enjoy our trip and not worry about it – they knew we would pay. Veryle ended up wiring the money to them once we returned home. We said goodbye to Mina and, we, along with Trek met the driver for the ride to the Cairo Airport for our flight to Aswan. Trek got our boarding passes and told us where to go. It was an interesting flight – mostly men – all of them with smoker coughs. Before taking off the stewardess had to stop and specifically tell several of them to raise their seatback. Apparently, the announcement meant everyone but them.  Debbie sat by a man and woman.  The woman was dressed impeccably.  The man did everything for her including buckling and unbuckling her seat belt.

The city rep met us and took us to Movenpick Resort Aswan on the Elephantine Island. We had to take a small ferry across the Nile to reach it.  They upgraded our rooms, which was very nice, but it meant the rooms had a staircase to the beds.

 Day 5 ≈ Wednesday, 19 January ≈ Historical Monuments of Aswan

We got up and had breakfast at the hotel buffet. As we entered the buffet a woman handed us a mask and asked us to wear it when not seated. This was the first time we were asked to wear masks (other than at airports). We  then took the ferry across to where we met our driver and Egyptologist Samba. We drove to Lake Nasser then took a  motorboat trip to Agilika Island and visited the island temple of Isis at Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis. There were a lot of cats there that Ana fed. Samba told us that the cats are wild and used to having people feed them-with COVID, many died because tourists weren’t going over.  Someone finally remembered them and started taking food to them.  We also saw a temple of Hathor, Trajan’s Kiosk, a birth house (mammisi) and various shrines and sanctuaries. We then went to the Ptolemaic temple of Kalabsha and took the staircase to the roof for a view of the whole temple complex and what lies beyond. Both temples were part of the UNESCO rescue campaign of twenty-two monuments in ancient Nubia. Samba is a great storyteller so her explanation of the history was very interesting. Her English is very good.  We commented on it and she told us she learned it by watching American movies over and over.  We went to the  High Dam that controls flooding on the Nile River and the ancient quarry that still holds a gigantic unfinished obelisk.   We stopped at a shop that sells spices – Debbie and Emilee said they wanted spices. The man filled a bag and said $200 they said not that much, he emptied about half and they paid $25 each. We told Samba we were going to eat and walk through the marketplace. She said she would join us. She may have been told to stay with us until we were on the ferry headed back to the hotel. Veryle decided she needed a jacket so we looked for one there. Men were calling Ana Cleopatra and harassing her. We took the ferry back to the hotel.

Day 6 ≈ Thursday, 20 January ≈ Board the Dahabiya in Aswan – Kom Ombo 

We had breakfast at the hotel then took the ferry across the Nile to meet the driver and rep. There were two men already in the van-they were from the Netherlands. We drove to the embarkation point for the Dahabiya. Another couple started to walk towards us and for a few minutes we were worried that they were the same couple who had been with us in South Africa,-fortunately they were not.  They were a couple who lived in New York who were originally from Croatia.  So, there were 8 guests on board.  We were shown our rooms.  Emilee and Debbie’s room may have been above the septic tanks because it had bugs in the bathroom and smelled strange.  When we made our reservation we had the choice of the balcony but turned it down because it didn’t have twin beds. We wished we had taken it so that we could watch outside from our room while sailing.  Our Egyptologist was Yessar he is working on his PhD in Egyptology and is very knowledgeable. We set sail and had lunch on board. The food is traditional Egyptian cuisine, stews, salad, fish and chicken.  It was cold on the deck with the wind when the boat was moving. We sailed for a couple of hours and made it to the only double temple in Egypt, Temple of Horus and Sobek at Kom Ombo. We docked and were met by young boys and men selling jewelry and trinkets. They followed us to the temple and met us again when we left. There was a crocodile museum which was interesting. The museum is one of the few places we had to wear masks during the entire trip. When we returned to the boat we had tea.

We had dinner in the common room of the boat. After dinner we visited with the other people on board (Ana excused herself to go to the room and visit with her friends since we had wifi). We had several good conversations about politics and the world in general after dinner each evening.

Day 7 ≈ Friday, 21 January ≈ Dahabiya journey to Gebel Al-Silsila & village

We sailed to Gebel Al-Silsila, the quarry for all the temples built in southern Egypt.  Most people skip the quarry on their itinerary, but we stopped and enjoyed the quiet. It is right on the banks of the Nile.  It is massive and you can see how the stones were cut and extricated out of the rocky mountain.  They were then taken down the Nile to build various temples.  There were also small temples and burial sites inside the mountains and remnants of colorful hieroglyphs. It was such an amazing feeling to walk in the sand along the banks, beneath this perfect sky. There were two guards watching over the site. 

After lunch we sailed and stopped on a small island to spend an hour or so visiting a local village.  The Village is fully sustained,-they grow their own food, keep animals and live in brick houses that seem unfinished. We found out while visiting with a family that they are always building as the generations are marrying within the family. A new floor is built to accommodate them and the family they will make. People are friendly and welcoming.  We walked through on a Friday which is similar to our Saturday.  Men were walking by carrying mats, on their way to pray. All along the Nile and in the cities you hear the call to prayer three times a day.   Inside the home is very simple, not a lot of windows as the heat can be unbearable any other time than January. We sat in their living room or rather living space. Furnishings, walls and interiors are simple. It felt a bit invasive to be inside a complete stranger’s home, but our host was very proud to show us his house, it was one of the biggest ones on the island. They had a tv on-their President was giving an address (which we found was a common occurrence).  We left the house and headed back to our boat.   Cows and donkeys rested in the valley, there were a few dogs and kids laughing and saying “hello” “hello” as we walked by.

Most of the time the “sailboat” was pulled by a tugboat. They put the sails up and we  sailed for a bit. Because of the wind direction we were actually going back toward Aswan when we did this.

Day 8 ≈ Saturday, 22 January ≈ Dahabiya journey to Edfu and El Kab

We sailed to Edfu and took a horse carriage to get to the Temple of Horus at Edfu which is right in the middle of the city. Emilee and Debbie in one and Veryle and Ana in another. The horses looked emaciated and the drivers’ used crops on them – not something we would do again. It is a massive temple with so many interesting “rooms”. Not to mention there was a lot of Roman leftover presence here. The Romans deliberately scratched off all the “god” symbols from the walls, mostly up to the area they could reach so top parts were left intact. There is an Apothecary room with all the potions carefully inscribed in detail and quantity. Of interest in all of the places we visited, the Egyptologist placed their hands on the inscriptions and we were allowed “free reign”. Apparently, they do not worry about hand oil damaging them. oil damaging them. There was a school group there. The boys were asking Yessar why his English was so good (and sneaking pictures of Ana). We had been told if you want to learn English you need to go to a private school, the state schools do not do a good job of teaching it. The rest of the school group joined us and asked to take pictures. Another point of interest all of the children had cameras – according to Yessar they were provided so they can so their schoolwork.

That afternoon we sailed to a El Kab, ancient city of Hekheb, a large open space enclosed by mud brick walls (which used to surround every ancient city in Egypt). We docked and as always were met by children selling things. Veryle witnessed a young girl writing something in a notebook, tearing the page out and throwing it to the ground. There was scattered trash in the Village that is periodically burned.  The banks of the Nile near populations are full of trash. We walked across a field where there is scattered pottery remnants and pieces of history. It has not been thoroughly excavated according to Yasser. We crossed the main road leading from Cairo to a mountain that is full of nobles tombs. It is the first time we encountered chambers that depict “everyday” man’s life and not aspirational king’s afterlife imagery. They are gorgeous, colorful and vibrant. As we were walking back to the boat we were joined by a guard carrying a rifle.

We sailed on a bit to our final “cruise” stop and spent the evening on the banks of the Nile. The cook and helpers set up a picnic on the shore. We had to sit on the ground so, because of her knee, Veryle didn’t really enjoy it. Mia and Ivan purchased a bottle of wine to share. After the meal we went on board and the crew entertained us with songs. Ana got a laugh as Debbie, Emilee and Veryle joined in the dancing. 

Day 9 ≈ Sunday, 23 January ≈ Disembarkation in Esna and drive to Luxor – Explore Karnak & Luxor Temples

We had breakfast on board and were told the rooms were being cleaned for the next group, to put our luggage in the common room and we could use the restrooms but to stay out of them otherwise. We were to be picked up at 10:30. We decided to walk to the Temple of Esna. We almost passed the entrance but people selling things told us where the entrance was.  We toured the temple, which is very colorful and in the process of being restored.  This was one of Debbie’s favorite Temples.  We walked a bit on the main street of the city and bought candy and bakery goods- then we went back to the boat- they were a bit late picking us up. We all got in the van and drove to Luxor. It was interesting. We drove along the Suez Canal that runs between Egypt and Sudan. There were villages and market type places along the way.   We stayed on the east bank at the Sofitel Pavillon Winter Hotel. The others stayed on the west bank, so the van stopped once we reached Luxor and had them transfer to another van. We got to the hotel and the rep checked us in and told us they would be back in a few hours to pick us up for the afternoon. One of our rooms was ready but when we got to it discovered it had a queen bed instead of two twins. We went back to the lobby and asked for a different room. We left our luggage and went looking for a restaurant. We ended up at the hotel pool restaurant. There was a cat we fed.  We were picked up for a visit to the temples of Karnak & Luxor on the east bank. The rep had asked if we were okay with Mia and Ivan joining us for the tours and we said yes, so they were there also. The temples were just a few minutes’ walk from our hotel. Karnak is the most impressive temple complex in Egypt that we saw. We walked through its avenue of ram-headed sphinxes and visited some of the many temples and chapels. There is a great hypostyle hall, where 134 vast columns soar into the sky. Even though it wasn’t crowded there were more people in the temples than we had become used to. We went to a restaurant for an Egyptian meal, where we tried pigeon, played with the inevitable cat, and then back to the hotel. 

Day 10 ≈ Monday, 24 January ≈ Monuments of Ancient Thebes

Emilee and Debbie left at 5:30 am for a hot air balloon ride. Ana is afraid of heights, so she and Veryle elected to sleep in. Debbie and Emilee were met at the front of the hotel and taken to boats that line the Nile.  Their guide had them follow-climbing over 5 or 6 boats and were instructed to sit on one of the boats with 6 other people.  They were given tea and cookies.  A stern man got on and informed them that he would be the captain of the balloon.  The first instruction was that they were to touch nothing unless informed to touch it.  He then said that when the balloon takes off and lands they were to get into a squat position but not to let their butts touch the bottom of the balloon-the balloon could scrape the land when taking off and landing and could tip over. Debbie had a picture of herself in this position (and it wasn’t a pretty picture). They went to the other side of the Nile and got off the boat and into vans and waited because it was prayer time.  The men got out, took their mats and bowed as the prayers were called across the area.  They then drove to the airport where there were many other balloons.  The wind was too high so they waited.  They went to the restroom- each time you go to public restroom there is a person who will hand you a little bit of toilet paper for money (usually 10 Egyptian pounds which is about .50).  Eventually they were told the flight was canceled-got back in the vans, went to the Nile-followed in a mad dash as a 100 people went different ways to boats and went back to the room.  It was a major disappointment but a very interesting experience.  Veryle and Ana had breakfast while Debbie and Emilee were gone.  The driver and guide met us. We crossed the Nile to the West Bank and the Valley of the Kings. Buried under the arid hills here are over 60 tombs of pharaohs, many richly decorated with reliefs and paintings. We visited the tombs of Merneptah, Tutankhamen, Rameses III and Rameses IX. While King Tut is one of the most famous pharaohs his tomb is one of the smallest.  He is famous primarily because his tomb was not ransacked like most of the others.  Afterwards we visited the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari, the only terraced temple in Egypt, is set in a natural amphitheater in the cliffs and rises out of the desert plain. It features great ramps and courtyards and still contains beautiful reliefs on its inner walls and chapels. We went to the Valley of the Nobles where guards still use broken mirrors to direct the sun’s rays into the tombs to light their interiors. We continued to the mortuary temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu which is the best-preserved temple in Thebes. We returned to the hotel and back to the pool restaurant for dinner.

Day 11 ≈ Tuesday, 25 January ≈ Flight to Cairo – The Egyptian Museum & Medieval Cairo

We had breakfast at the hotel and the van took us back to the Luxor Airport. The rep just dropped us off and we made our way to the gate. Trek met us at the Cairo airport and was arguing with someone for about a half hour. Another man got in and sat in the front. We went to a medical building and Emilee, Debbie and Veryle got COVID tests. Ana had COVID in November, so she didn’t have to have one. Technically we should have had the tests on Wednesday, but we had made our plans before the re-entry rules changed, and getting the test done then would not have worked. Trek arranged for them to collect the samples on this day and run the actual test the next day. We went to the Kempinski Nile Hotel and checked in. Our rooms were not ready so we hung around the lobby until Mina got there. We went to the Egyptian Museum, the strange man (who had a gun on his side) was still with us.  A lot of the collection had been moved to the new museum by the pyramids, which is not yet opened, but there is still a lot there.  A copy of the Rosetta Stone was there this has been used to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphics.   They had several death masks which were interesting and a King Tut exhibit. We were told not to film in the Tut exhibit, but Debbie did and got asked not to. We walked across a busy street to a bakery so Debbie could get some gifts. The strange man made himself useful stopping traffic for us. Veryle asked Mina who he was and she said he is from the Bureau of Touristry. Usually, they only follow large groups around but decided to bother us – she was not happy to have him. We were not sure if he was protecting us or making sure we did not do something wrong. We then drove to Al-Muizz Market Street and picked up shawarma sandwiches and took them to Cairo’s oldest coffeehouse El Fishawy (built 1737) and got drinks and ate our sandwiches. The owner asked us to exchange some of his US dollars for our Egyptian pounds.  In Cairo the money is inspected and if there is a tear or bend  in it -the merchant won’t accept it.  We then walked through the market a bit and Mina called the van and we went back to the hotel. We had an expensive dinner in the hotel.  

Day 12 ≈ Wednesday, 26 January ≈ Explore Alexandria Highlights – Return to Cairo

Mina and the driver were late picking us up and argued about the armed guard going with us. She won, after agreeing to “be responsible for us”, so we left without him. It was raining pretty hard and they were excited because they don’t usually see rain. It was about a three-hour drive to Alexandria. The van windows were fogging up. Finally, Debbie and Emilee told them how to turn on the fan to clear them. Debbie wanted to mail some postcards, so we stopped at a post office. Mina ran in to get stamps and came out with $20 USD worth of small denomination stamps. We visited the Catacombs of Kom es-Shoqafa and Pompey’s Pillar. Ana was nervous about being in the catacombs and I have to admit we teased her a bit trying to scare her. At the Pillar a group of girls approached us asking to take pictures with Ana. We had a set lunch of fish at Sabren and then visited The Citadel of Qaitbay. While in the Citadel the guard offered Veryle his folding chair. She sat and watched as he laid his rifle down and walked away from it, then picked it up and casually held it pointing at the courtyard.  We had considered taking a boat out into the Mediterranean Sea, but it was too windy.  The Sea is an amazing blue color. 

We drove back to our hotel Le Méridien Cairo Airport Hotel. We were later getting there than we had planned because we had a late start and the rain slowed us down. When we got to the hotel Mina asked about mailing the postcards and was told that when people leave them the post office won’t accept them (she said “because of COVID” and rolled her eyes) and they don’t usually have a return address, so they just throw them away. Mina helped us get checked in and said Trek would meet us at 11:30pm to get us checked in for our 1:30am flight. We told her we could manage getting to our gates, Trek did not need to come that late. She passed it on to Trek and he replied it is his job. Something they might pass on to the Luxor rep since he just dropped us off. We were only at the hotel a few hours. It was the most expensive shower and nap we have ever had. 

Trek met us and we took a shuttle to the airport – he showed us which line to use for security and told us where to go to check in after we got through. There were large groups of Egyptian families, with a lot of luggage, so it took a long time to get past that point. We went up to customs and got through it.  Veryle gave the customs man her COVID test and the letter from Ana’s doctor that said she had recovered from COVID and was cleared to travel. He said wait, took the letter and disappeared for about five minutes. It was a bit tense waiting to see if they would accept it. 

Day 12 ≈ Wednesday, 26 January ≈ Flights home

We had made our reservations through Delta, but the Cairo to Paris leg was flown through Air France. You have to pay in order to reserve seats on Air France flights, otherwise you wait until check-in and get a seat assigned. We opted to pay to get the seats we wanted. When we checked in, we found that Ana had been switched to a middle seat beside Veryle. We complained at the gate, saying we had paid to choose the seat. They said it showed we had not paid for that seat. We had a screenshot showing the seat had been assigned and the receipt showing it had been paid for.  They said there was nothing they could do. Once home Emilee filed a complaint and managed to get the fee returned. As we deboarded after arriving in Paris we noticed the seats the Egyptian families had sat in were strewn with trash – much like the banks of the Nile.

We got to Paris at 6:10 am and had just a few hours layover. Debbie flew to Seattle from there. Veryle, Emilee and Ana to Minneapolis and then Denver. Veryle was pulled for extra security while boarding the Paris to Minneapolis flight (something that has happened the last three international trips). While in the screening area a black woman was complaining the whole time that they just pulled black people over for the screening, which was funny because there were about six people there at the time and she was the only black person. Emilee and Ana waited a bit before deciding to go ahead and finish boarding and Emilee noticed they were pulling every third person over. As we got on the Minneapolis to Denver flight the gate attendant handed Emilee a different boarding pass saying she had a different seat. They switched her from a window to a middle seat. Once onboard Emilee asked the flight attendant why – she replied she didn’t know, but there was a window seat she could move her to. When we fly internationally, we are usually traveling 18 – 20+ hours – seats are important to us. In response to the survey Delta sent, after the trip, Veryle explained this and their reply was, basically, we can change your seats anytime we want. 

It was a great trip and we are trying to decide where to go next – Thailand, Cambodia – who knows.