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Member. To us, Stephen Gardner is a member.
Our card members are entitled to a world of privileges.
We're not too late, are we?
You're assured reservations. We've been waiting for you.
A week spent rock-hopping and now just as the snows begin to fall...
...we could stretch our holiday a little.
Can I have a glass of English tea?
Certainly, sir.
Oh, dearie.
And you know we're going to miss you.
And just in case, we want to know his...
Oh, Dad.
Bangkok tonight.
No worries. I'm packed.
Members carry our promise of respect, recognition and personal service.
Membership has its privileges.
On each American Express card is one word that makes every other card seem like just a piece of plastic.
Member. To us, Rick Mitchell is a member.
And our card members are entitled to a world of privileges.
It certainly would look good.
Let's put on mine.
Hello, Global Assist. Can we help you?
Yes. I think I need a doctor.
We can arrange an English-speaking doctor for you.
Oh, good. Don't bother to wrap it, Mike.
All right, then.
Thank you.
It's only just out of warranty.
No, it's not. He bought it on Enix.
Good afternoon. A glass of English tea?
Certainly, sir.
Oh, dearie.
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Oh, bright and violent crowned and famed in song,
Woolwork of Greece,
Famous Athens,
Divine City,
Wrote the Greek and the Greek
The
Greek poet Pinder, 2,500 years ago.
This city, with its ancient monuments and classical buildings,
attracts visitors from abroad in their millions.
The temples and exquisite treasures are evidence of a history that stretches back more than 2,000 years.
And yet, despite its ever-present illustrious past, Athens is a modern metropolis.
Crowded streets, pulsating life and contemporary architecture provide truth that is a city very much geared to the present.
The priceless works of art in the museums, the hospitality of the people and the attractive countryside around Athens are just some of the reasons that tourists flock here in their thousands.
All year round.
It's a city with plenty of greenery, with quiet corners.
People meet and relax in the parks, and they are a paradise for children.
A chat over a cup of coffee, and time slips by. Rub shoulders with people of all nations. See and be seen.
Newspapers from all over the world are available.
And it's always fun to do a bit of window shopping, strolling and buying things.
In Athens, it has a fascination all of its own, thanks to the international range of goods on offer.
Why not step in and have a look around some of the galleries, or wander through the Plaka with its hundreds of friendly shops, offering something in everybody's price range.
The building is Southeast**!
If you want to discover something about Greek's
cuisine don't miss a visit to one of the markets. The colorful array of produce
from the land and the sea is a feast for the eye. There are plenty of restaurants
and tavernas waiting to serve you. You will find a whole range of international
specialities but when in Greece do as the Greeks do and eat Greek food and try a
drop of one of the excellent wines all served with music.
Why not explore the countryside around Athens and discover some of its beauty.
Not far from the town there's a Kerasani monastery on the slopes of the
Immatous Mountains. The monastery has grown up around the Church of St. Mary.
Kephysia a pleasant suburb with quiet streets, beautiful villas and horse-drawn
carriages.
If you continue your drive it'll bring you to an idyllic lake near Marathon.
Few of the world's holiday areas can offer such a unique mixture of city
attractions and delightful countryside, sea and beaches. The coastline and the
blue attic sky above it seem to merge into one another.
Here you can swim in crystal clear water, you can be energetic or just lays in the
sun.
When it's winter time at home in Greece the sun is shining. Of course as a sea
ferry nation we can offer everything for the keen water sportsman from
windsurfing to big yachts.
A stay in Athens isn't complete without a visit to the famous temple of Poseidon
at Cape Sunion. Several bus tour operators include this trip on their
program.
The best time to go is in the afternoon to be there for the spectacular sunset.
If you plan to visit the most beautiful islands in the Saronic Gulf you'll first
have to go to Piraeus. Cruises leave from here all year round. The white ships take
you to the famous islands of Agena, Hydra, Spezza and Porus. Come on board and
enjoy an unforgettable trip. If your time is limited and you'd rather visit several
islands on one day we can recommend the flying dolphins, hydrofoils, which will
whisk you to the islands comfortably and in no time at all. Welcome on board and
as a foretaste a few brief impressions of the islands.
The sea of life seems miles away. Here people still have time, are friendly,
romantic harbours, quiet alleyways.
Here one horsepower is quite sufficient to get about. You're bound to fall in
love with one of the islands or a particularly beautiful spot and you'll
want to come back again next year.
When you return to Athens in the evening your mind is full of memories.
There's nothing like sun, sea and wind for giving you an appetite. There are
dozens of little fish restaurants where you can sit and enjoy an alfresco dinner
near the sea.
After dinner you can take in some of the cultural attractions. For theatregoers
and music lovers there's a full program. For instance the famous Athens summer
festival of music and drama. In the old theatres there are performances by
international artists and famous theatre and ballet groups. All year round
Athens offers a varied calendar of events.
If you prefer entertainment in a lighter vein again there's plenty to choose from.
Every evening something different. In an atmosphere like this it's easy to realise
any of your fantasies.
Not far from Athens are a number of places whose names recall a glorious past.
Places of natural beauty, sites of ancient Greek history. All of them are a
convenient day's trip from the city.
Take the road to Corinth, cross the Isthmus and you're in the Peloponnese.
Epidaurus, the temple of Asclepius. Here you can find the most beautifully
preserved amphitheatre in the whole of Greece. Famed for its wonderful acoustics,
classical and modern dramas are still performed here during the annual festival.
Nourplia, in ancient times the harbour of Argos with the mighty fortifications on
the Palomidi rock. The Venetian fortress of Bozzi, set in the Gulf of the Argalis.
The road to Mycenae from the Cyclopean walls of the Acropolis. There's a
magnificent view across the Argolean countryside. The Lion Gate constructed
about 1250 BC, one of the most important archaeological finds.
The road to Delphi winds past romantic bays, the fishing village of Galaxidae.
Here you see the most extensive olive groves in the world.
Delphi, a name that perhaps more than any other conjures up the glory that was
Greece. The Castilia Spring, the temple of Apollo, the Athene treasury, the Oracle
Opythia, the stadium and the treasures now to be found in museum.
Not far away the snow-covered mountains of Panathis, a typical mountain village
famous for its weaving and carpet making. A favourite subject for photographers.
Slowly the day draws to its close. By the time the Sun sets you're back in Athens.
Athens world-famous museums. The National Museum, the Acropolis Museum, the
Byzantine and Monarchy Museums house extensive collections of Greek culture
and priceless antiquities. A visit to these museums is another of the
unforgettable memories you'll take home with you.
We want our guests to enjoy their stay in Athens and make it as comfortable as
possible. Accommodation is available in all categories from first-class hotels
and two- and three-star hotels to small simple pensions. If you prefer to stay
outside the city there are plenty of hotels along the coast.
The Association of Athens Hoteliers aims to take care of its guests and has rooms
to satisfy all demands.
In the off-season of course when the city is a little quieter you can find a lot
of inexpensive rooms.
Our guests come from all over the world. You can arrive whichever way you like. We
are only too glad to welcome every visitor who wants to get to know the
glorious past of our city and be a part of its vibrant present. For our
hospitality is known all over the world. Welcome to Athens.
All seasons in a single moment. The first creations of earth lie in this corner
of the Mediterranean between Greece and Italy. Here are the Ionian Islands each
offering a delightful Greek experience. Zante, Cephalonia, Ithaca, Lefkas, Corfu
and Paxi. These are the Ionian Islands. The islands of flowers and poets.
Their culture has been drawn from land and sea and also from their own age-old
roots. Much of their history is lost but here one can see prehistoric graves, a
wealth of religious tradition and fortresses to protect them from invaders.
Romans, Franks, Venetians, French and English walk these islands leaving the
stamp of their civilization. The Ionian Islands also represent faith and music.
The saint gives them hope, love, fear. The saint consoles and forgives.
And for these sincere people he is everywhere. The city, the countryside and
he guards the ships that go to sea. A stern saint but a comfort. In ancient days
an iron curtain separated the people from the nobility.
But they joined together in the church and the belief in the saint.
Here rulers and subjects would meet. The countess and the peasant. The boatman
and the baronet. The long skirt and the tailcoat. Beside the knotted fingers and
ragged clothes.
When you set out for Ithaca pray that the road will be long.
Wrote the poet Costas Kivafis, molding his lines into the purest Greek harmony,
making Ithaca stand for man himself and his destiny. Around the island's
precipitous coastline the legendary world of Odysseus lives again. Odysseus,
the seafarer, the mythical king of Ithaca, who after Circe, the sirens,
Calypso and Nausicaa returned to his faithful Panipi offering her the wealth
of his amorous experience, his achievements at Troy and the glory of
the Trojan horse.
The beginning of the island's history however is believed to be about 1500
years before the age mentioned by Homer in the Odyssey, judging by the ancient
cups and vessels found in various parts of the island. While in the small museum
in the island capital of Vathi, statues, vessels, tools and ornaments from the
later archaic and geometric periods are on display. Homer sang of many places and
in today's Ithaca they are still there, still untouched. The island abounds with
legends, tradition, history and memories which make every latter day Odysseus
wherever he may be long for the day of his return. For every village, three seashore,
every house, every tree is for him an eternal reminder of an ever-present
memory.
Always keep Ithaca in mind, to arrive there is your destiny.
Cephalonia has been called the island of contrasts. The island is generously
endowed with a combination of cool mountains, beautiful valleys and endless
virgin sands.
Here is shadowy Mount Anos, completely blackened by the Cephalonian fir tree
found nowhere else in the world.
Underground lakes fed by rivers of seawater within the heart of the earth
and others bottomless high among the mountain peaks.
There is a fairy tale about this magic land which begins once upon a time
perhaps 4,000 years ago. Cephalonia welcomed its first inhabitants. Today one
may see the remains of this first pinnacle of its civilization, Messenian,
Beehive and chamber tombs. First to visit the island was Imperial Rome with her
luxurious villas and mosaic floors depicting allegorical themes. Later came
the Byzantines and then the Franks, Norman and Italian counts.
Until in 1500 when Cephalonia passed solely into the hands of the Venetians
and the story continues. Now the land is ready to receive art but the seed is
missing. From the fertile island of Crete came the spirit of Byzantium adapting
itself to the new learning in Venice. The Byzantine art of Crete rejuvenated with
Western elements came to find a home in this new land.
And still our story does not finish for after the Venetians and the French of
Napoleon came the English. And finally in 1864 Cephalonia together
with the other Ionian islands was united with Greece.
I am a captain and I have been traveling the sea for many years now. I am a
navigator. I remember the old ships that were
in the water. Now it is very fast. Now it is a game. The Cephalonian himself a
sort of Odysseus is an individual with great character. And I miss very much the sea.
He travels the world yet remains attached to his rock the eternal dreamer
and traditionalist. After the earthquakes of 1953 life on the island carry on as
before in the towns and villages. The chasm rent open by the earthquake
straightaway filled with flowers.
Here in this traditional village of Fiscardo the state has proclaimed it a
protected settlement so that it may retain its natural beauty.
Elsewhere the old style may have changed to take on new fashions but the feeling
will always remain the same beautiful and serene.
Cephalonians twin sister is Zanti but smarter brighter and more carefree.
An enormous boundless garden and bloom.
The island's capital, Zakynthos, offers a rich mixture of Renaissance styles and
magnificent churches and the changing pattern of the modern age.
Zanti is small but the history of its social life spreads back over several
centuries. For 300 years the Venetians were here with their troubadours, the
noblemen and their privileges, their feast days and their amorous adventures.
And on the other side of the coin the people, the popolari, a confused mass of
workers and merchants, intellectuals and bourgeoisie all famed for their wit,
their stories and their gentle irony.
And lots of women thin and frail often tragic stirring the emotions with their
beauty, their eroticism and self-sacrifice. And others thirsting after
money and adventure who brushed aside superstition and tradition.
Zanti also means the shapes of a past age. Music and song.
To the north lies Lefkas where tradition and history tell a long story of great
works, great misfortune and also great battles. Here can be seen traces of the
constant struggle which began in the 15th century with the conquest of the
island by the Ottoman Turks and ended almost 400 years later with the union of
the island with Greece.
Visitors to Lefkas are often beguiled by the words of the Greek poets as they
wander over the island. In Lefkas the heart burns and gives warmth. Thought
exposes and composes. Imagination sees and molds.
Proportion regulates and idealizes.
The poet paints, the poet declaims.
The Lefkadians are close to their island. They know it like the back of their hand
and experience it to the full. They sow seed in its earth.
They work its stones.
They delight in its beauty.
For it gives inspiration to their hands and a fulfillment to their lives.
Corfu, Homer's island of Iphiasians, is the northernmost of the Ionian islands.
Corfu is an island of poets, nobility, meditation and music. The face of the
island is Western but the soul is entirely Greek.
Corfu offers such traditional beauty. It is no wonder that some of the greatest
poets of the world chose this island for the most idyllic of their love stories.
Here in Corfu lived the Homeric King Alkinos and his daughter Nausicaa.
Here Shakespeare plays Prospero's cell in The Tempest and here poets such as Shelly
and painters such as Lear and Berkling expressed in their works their great
love for Corfu.
Captivated by the incomparable landscape, the Empress Elizabeth of Austria built
her palace here and named it Achillian for her Homeric hero Achilles.
Time and man has altered the appearance of Corfu but nothing can destroy the
warmth of the people and the charm of the land.
Corfu, a distant recollection but also a presence which is totally alive.
alive.
Tiniest of the Ionian Islands is Paxi, untouched, quiet and restful. Here instead
of man yielding to the bustle of modern times, the island has imposed its own law
of peace and tranquility.
Like a painting by a great master.
Two and a half thousand souls live here, unspoiled, hospitable islanders.
Fishermen most of them living between sky and sea, a sea which whether calm or
rough is their constant companion. The Ionian Islands, islands of laughter, of
joy, of light, of art and of song.
The Ionian Islands, islands of laughter, of light, of song.
The Ionian Islands, islands of laughter, of song.
Another day is born over the North Aegean. In a little while the Greek sun
of a thousand songs will give life, light and color, to a string of verdant Greek
islands stretched out before us here. Vesporades. The first stop in our journey
after leaving the port of Volos is Skiathos.
Skiathos, peaceful, gentle, light as a feather, an unsophisticated air, deeply
moving and enchanting.
A strikingly beautiful mosaic of colors and shapes beckons challengingly. The
more you accept the challenge, the more you enjoy the island's irresistible
charms. The more you set out to enjoy it, the more enchanted you become.
On this island, exactly opposite Mount Pelion, between the azure of the sky and
of the sea, the great novelist Alexander Papadiamandis was born.
Little lonely boat, little battered boat, on the open sea, amidst the foaming
waters, I struggle with the waves without sail or rudder and have no anchor save
only your blessing.
The island's atmosphere gave great stimulation to the lyrical sensitivity of
this holy man of Greek literature.
As if the sufferings and sorrows of the world would never end.
In all the works of this great Skiathan writer, his deep faith and his devotion
to the wealth of local folk art are a living presence.
The most important focus of religion on the island is the monastery of the
Annunciation. It was built in 1800.
It's re-read as a rare piece of wood carving as of the art of Constantinople.
Priceless sacred paintings adorn the walls of the unworldly monastery.
Skiathos does not have a particular character, yet you're won over by its
sweet serene appearance framed by the harmonious blue ski and sky, by its
wonderful beaches. Skiathos is not just the natural setting of the works of
Alexander Papasiamandis. It's also an island which pulsates with modern life.
Leaving behind the island of Skiathos, we arrive at the second island of the
Porathis group, the lovely Skopelos. 65 churches in the town. Most of them thank
offerings of the seagoing men of the island, spiritual refuge to be invoked in
moments of desperation in raging seas.
Skopelos is the island capital, built in the form of an amphitheatre at the foot
of the hill dominating the small bay.
Island characters bent on ignoring technological progress, shout their
wares in the alleyways by their picturesque beasts of burden.
The architecture of the island is a wonderfully strange combination of stone
and wood which blend in so harmoniously with their surroundings.
From among the beauties of the island we can pick out the boundless golden sands
framed by the tallest of pine trees mirrored in the deep blue of the water.
Here one can easily shake off everything conventional and uninhibitedly enjoy the
saltiness of the sea and the burning of the Sun which will leave their unfading
mark for a whole winter, souvenir of a magical experience.
Following the seagulls we travel a little further northwards to Alonissos,
a small fishing island where the mind is set free from the anxieties of the city.
A haven of peace far from the madding crowd.
Those who keep company with the simple island folk in the difficult,
wearisome work of the fishermen, which is their chief occupation, enjoy with them
the abundant fruits the sea offers to those who love her.
Tempting fish and lobsters await the lucky visitor who will enjoy them with the
fairest of retinas in the carefree atmosphere which the island offers.
After the toiling a splash of cold water from some clear mountain stream on the
base.
And then a little relaxation until a hard toil of work begins again.
A charming island pictures the old Scopelitan woman with her inevitable
distaff spinning tirelessly for her betrothed daughter's diary.
An endless alternation of sands, rocks and vegetation.
An inexhaustible enchantment every hour, every moment.
But the most unusual island of the Swarages is Skiros.
Breathtakingly beautiful, purest white, isolated.
It's a different kind of jewel in the Aegean.
The architecture of the houses gives grace to the island where the most impressive
examples of folk art in the Aegean are still preserved.
That which a man lacks in the clamor of the cities, the simple, the pure, the primitive,
the natural.
That which is mercilessly submerged by the modern way of life, he'll find if he sets
out for a trip around the little island.
Life in the village square flows peacefully on.
A little ouzo, a coffee in the coffee bar, a stroll through the picturesque little back
streets.
This is what the visitor seeks and finds.
Wood carving is a tradition and a trademark of the island.
It's a tradition which still flourishes today.
Here the skilled hand carves the wood into Byzantine decorative motifs.
The Skyrion house, full of the products of local handcraft, impresses the visitor.
Brusses, worked by the hand of a skilled craftsman, flash.
Wood carving constitutes a special style.
In the art of furniture making, the famous Skyrion.
Gold trimmed embroideries, worked by the hand of some lovelorn young girl, have a special
place in the artistic life of the island.
The
age-old threshing of wheat with horses is also proof that civilization has passed Skyros
by.
Another very interesting feature are the little ponies.
This sturdy breed has all but disappeared from the rest of the Mediterranean.
And here in Skyros, virgin sands with crystal clear waters, characteristic of the special
beauty of the Sforades, offering unforgettable moments to the visitor.
Our journey is ending.
In a little while, the sun will set again over the Sforades.
The beautiful islands will return to the stillness of night in anticipation of a new day, yet
more lovely, more joyous.
Sunrise over Gebelmusa, or Mount Moses as we know it.
Tradition says that this is the very spot in the spectacular mountains of Sinai where
God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses.
The summit is still climbed by hardy pilgrims, including some members of our explore groups.
At the foot of the mountain is the 6th century monastery of St. Catherine, its solid rampart
walls built to protect the monks from once hostile Bedouin tribes.
The wild Sinai landscape with its many biblical associations has long been a refuge for anyone
seeking escape from the temptations of the outside world.
Cairo is the inevitable starting point of all explorers' Egyptian trips.
And we soon begin to sense something of the capital's great cultural heritage, where mosques
and minarets jostle side by side with modern apartment blocks.
Just across the river, we get our first glimpse of the Pyramids of Giza, built at the very
dawn of history some 50 centuries ago.
The Felahin who toiled to build these tombs for their gods, the pharaohs, worked with
only the simplest tombs, without draught animals or even the wheel to help them.
Our different itineraries push south from Cairo by road and by rail, sometimes heading
for the picturesque oases of the western desert, sometimes following the fertile margin of
the Nile valley to upper Egypt.
Some of the explore groups travel by overnight train to the small riverside town of Aswan,
situated on the first cataract of the Nile.
Our hotel overlooks the river, so we can enjoy the graceful images of Fuluca sailboats weaving
to and fro.
The beautiful white silhouettes shimmering in the water.
Aswan is wrapped in steep cliffs and a vast expanse of sand and rock stretches beyond.
Much further south, close to the Sudanese frontier, we explore the great rock-cut temples
of Abu Simbel.
Built by the pharaoh Ramesses II for his own eternal glory, here he sits in a multiple
of four, smiling benignly upon all comers.
Ramesses, the master builder who sired more than 100 sons, did everything on a grand scale
and with immense gusto.
His priests proclaimed him the equal of the sun.
These huge structures have survived for 32 centuries, the largest human figures ever
carved.
Inside the temples in a sanctuary, Ramesses appears again, this time supporting the vaulted
roof.
I
Everything is huge around here, but it's nice.
I like it. It beats America.
Camels are still the essential lifestyle of desert peoples.
These Nubian herdsmen continue to ply the ancient caravan tracks just as they used to centuries ago.
We too will get our chance to ride our favourite animal back in Aswan.
Camels are fairly docile, but not domestic in the usual sense.
Where do you put your legs?
First you have to get up, and that's pretty high. And then the fun really begins.
We ride across the desert to the old Coptic monastery of St Simeon, now mostly in ruins.
Another explore group left Cairo by road, taking an alternative route through the western desert.
Using a chartered bus, it drove to the attractive oases of El Fayoum and El Carga.
The going is not particularly difficult, but any traveller off the regular tourist track should be prepared for the unexpected.
A journey through the desert is a wonderful experience, a true adventure.
The all-enveloping emptiness is awe-inspiring.
But we must not forget that this is where a whole Persian army once disappeared in a sandstorm.
The oases around El Carga are now resettlement areas, and we stop to see some local craft work.
Explore leader Adrian Chokar takes up the story.
A long day's drive to reach there through very barren and arid desert, very desolate countryside, and then this very lush green town of El Carga.
Now in this town, one of the highlights, one of the points of interest that we came across was a centre of cotton industries,
which produced pottery, glass making, and a group of young Egyptian ladies who were very enthusiastic to show us their carpet weaving.
There are two types of carpet weaving that they use there, there's the hand loomed and the hand knotted,
and the ladies that we spoke to were doing the hand knotted ones, and they were very dexterous in the way that they approached this.
One carpet, a metre by three metres, can take up to 120 hours per lady to produce.
They were very enthusiastic and they very much enjoyed the contact between Westerners,
and very much wanted to have their photographs taken and talk as much as they could using their English and using any Arabic amongst the travellers that were with us.
Egypt is the gift of the Nile, wrote the ancient historian Herodotus.
One of Explorers' most rewarding trips is the Nile Faluca sail trek from Aswan to Luxor.
Faluca sailing is the most intimate way to get to know the river and its peoples.
A traditional Nile craft, rigged with Latin sails, is to be our home for six days.
The Nile is no place for a rigid itinerary.
Taking advantage of the lightest breeze, the relaxed pace and free-form nature of the trip makes the experience as personal as possible.
The open decks both table and bed for us, and the cook's galley is never far away.
Fresh food is bought at the riverside villages and cooked on board, Egyptian style.
Our progress depends on the elements.
There are ample opportunities to swim, sunbathe, meet the locals, or just unwind.
The ever-changing scenery in the endless desert beyond conjure up a dreamy romanticism.
We also break our journey to visit the monumental temples of Komombo and Edfu, superb examples of the late period of Egyptian architecture.
Dave Elf, leading the Faluca trip, explains something of the background.
Well we've stopped off at Edfu, which is a small town halfway between Aswan and Luxor.
The reason why we've stopped here is we've called in at the Temple of Horus.
The reason why we've stopped is it's a very good example of Egyptian architecture, the late form, built by the Ptolemies right towards the end of the great days of Egypt.
It's in remarkably good condition, which is why it's very popular for the tourists who come here to have a look.
We're in fact in the central courtyard at the moment, in between the huge pylons at the southern edge and the main entrance to the temple on the northern side.
On each side of the northern entrance there used to be two statues showing the god Horus in the hawk form.
Unfortunately one is damaged now, but you can see on the left that there's one fine example still remaining.
Around the courtyard we have 32 huge granite columns marked along the top with papyrus and other decorations of the ton.
I could give you the dimensions in feet, but that would just be confusing. I think it's easier to say it's as high as a six-storey building.
The courtyard that we're in is at least the size of a football pitch, possibly larger.
In fact this is the one of the most impressive things of this temple, just the sheer size of it.
All our Egyptian tourists naturally spend time in Laksa, a place where the sky is always blue and the air is magical.
Our hotel is within easy reach of the souks and close to Karnak and the Valley of the Kings.
The great temple of Karnak dedicated to the god Amun is unbelievably big, larger than any cathedral in Christendom.
It dwarfs the visitor. Started in 1500 BC it was still not finished in Cleopatra's time, a millennium and a half later.
The Karnak temple is situated in the site of the ancient city of Thebes and despite the reaction we had to the previous temple we had seen in Edfu, which was spectacular in its size,
again the thing that strikes you most about Egypt again and again is the never-ending series of surprises you get as you see the next temple,
which is even more impressive or different in the way it strikes you, in its immensity.
The site and the Karnak temple in its 200 acres is very huge and it has so many different elements to it.
For example when you walk through there's an avenue of sphinxes that you walk past and then you encounter 130 or so 75 foot high columns
with papyrus tops and the temple isn't covered now and it must have been much more impressive in those days,
especially since it allowed for windows to let light in, but still a fair amount of the color and the hieroglyphs on the walls are still evident.
You can just imagine how impressive it must have been, awe-inspiring it must have been in those days.
And then there's obelisks which I think are about 100, I can't remember, enormous single massive pieces of granite I think brought from Aswan.
You certainly wonder how they ever got them there.
And then there are all sorts of various sculptures around the place.
And then you proceed to the back of the main part of the site and walk up to where you can watch the Sound and Light show at night
and look over the sacred lake which used to be used for, used to have barges on it during a fertility ceremony I think.
And look over the entire site which is wonderful to see the whole site on its own with the Nile and the Valley of the Kings and the mountains in the background.
Wonderful pictures.
Early morning, Caesar's begin a donkey trek to the Valley of the Kings where Tutankhamun was buried.
The donkey trek was lots of fun.
It started quite early, especially after our celebrating the night before which went on quite late.
But once we got across the river and onto our donkeys, with a few people falling off and much giggling,
we trekked off down the road to the intersection, you can see behind us here, the roots up in the mountain behind the valleys.
It was fairly rocky and interesting going, not too tough.
We got off and walked our donkeys when it got a bit rough.
It was the most wonderful pink glow in the mountains made for wonderful photographs.
And we trekked up to Tutankhamun's tomb and got off and had a guide, a wonderful guide who led us into the chamber.
It wasn't very big but it was amazing, especially after you've been to the Egyptian Museum and seen all of the caskets,
one or the other that were in this room and all the beds and various things, it's amazing how small the room was, jam-packed it was.
The trek is the best way to explore this extraordinary place, the necropolis of the New Kingdom pharaohs.
The climate is perfectly dry, perfectly still, and one might imagine that time has stopped.
We trekked back down to Queen Hatshepsut's temple, which is built into the south side of the mountain,
and I was struck by the contemporary design of the temple.
It's still in the process of being reconstructed but it looks like a modern building, it's quite wonderful.
And then we trekked out. A hard day but very rewarding.
Egypt is a land where you can enjoy every facet of adventure travel.
It has the greatest concentration of archaeological treasures in the western world.
The variety of tours offered by Explore Worldwide is your chance to experience it to the full.
Welcome to Explore Egypt.
Explore also offer an exciting range of two and three week adventures in other countries of the Middle East,
including Israel, Jordan, Syria, and the Yemen.
We take a relaxed offbeat look at Israel, which involves some swimming, hiking nature trails, and easy climbs.
We mostly camp in summer, but hotels are used throughout the winter months.
Several days are left free for personal exploration of old Jerusalem.
Jordan is combined in various ways with Israel, Egypt, and Syria.
A major highlight on each itinerary is Petra, the fabled rose-red city, once the treasure trove of all Arabia.
Our tour of little known Syria includes the formidable Crusader castle of Crac des Chevaliers,
and the old ruined site of Palmyra, Queen Zenobia's capital, a desert outpost on the ancient Silk Road.
Finally, some tours visit the Yemen, a place so extraordinary, so unique, that it scarcely seems real.
Leaving our expedition vehicles behind us, we explore the medieval mountain villages on foot,
experiencing something of the old Yemeni way of life.
Come with explore.
The truth
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I could have had one solid network working together in harmony.
Worldwide customer care is that bridge. It's the hello to a conversation.
It's not something that you can necessarily hold in your hand. It's something that you have to feel.
Worldwide customer care is like a Steinway piano.
It's a sleeping giant. It's like the fountain. It's a common currency.
It's a friendly face. A very clear-cut identity which is respected well on.
We wanted to put together a package of services that could be delivered in all of those 1700 offices.
Like reconfirmation, flight tickets, flight-seeing arrangements, hotel reservations, car reservations, re-rooted.
So that turned out to be worldwide customer care.
If you think about what we promise customers, the promise we make to them is that we will be there for them.
That we will take care of them.
That you can rely on American Express.
It has to start by the whole office feeling and believing that this is a service that is part of being American Express.
Being willing to help, regardless of who the client is or where they're from.
And that the customer, no matter where they might enter the network, is handled through a global team of people who have as their one desire to please the customer.
London, Moscow, Rochester, Florence, Dallas, Texas, Tokyo. It's a very global feeling.
I help you and you help me and that's nice. But not because I have to help you, you have to help me.
It's nice to help each other.
And that's why they're going to return for you again because you gave the greatest, there could be, I mean the best service available.
And that's what worldwide customer care is all about.
And the more we educate ourselves of what we're capable of, and the more we educate our clients of what we're capable of,
the better off everybody's going to be.
We decided our biggest competitive edge was our worldwide network and our worldwide customer care.
And our entire campaign to kick off the business was based on marketing.
One of the things we always hear from clients is, why should I do business with you versus somebody else?
Well, one of the reasons I always use is worldwide customer care.
It's one of our primary selling tools. It helps us win business.
We pride ourselves on our global network and that is what we try to offer to all of our clients, the ability to service them wherever they are.
When a person walks into an office, how he gets service and handles is what he goes away with.
And if you fix up the problem and you handle it when the person has a problem, you make a friend for life.
A customer who could walk in your door today could refer ten other friends or business colleagues to your office.
They recommended their friends to come to our office because we help them with a little tour to the Barossa Valley, whatever it might be.
And then they'd come back to us and we'd just sold them something extra beyond as well.
You can give them something that no one else can. You can offer worldwide customer care.
Being part of the network expands our capabilities, expands our mission, expands what we can do for our clients.
She was on the northeastern side of the desert, in Egypt, on the border, no communication channels whatsoever.
We were faced with having to obtain hotel space in a European centre when it was a city-wide sellout.
So we contacted our local travel guide there. He drove out to the desert, picked her up, took her to the nearest airport.
So contacted our office in Europe to see whether they might be able to assist us.
And the happy ending is that the hotel space was clear thanks to them. The client was more than impressed.
And I don't think any other network in the world could have really done what we did.
To make the network work, to make it one network, use your worldwide directory.
Don't be afraid to use it. You're not going to upset anybody by asking them,
will you help me in this particular case? Because number one, it's an opportunity for them to serve a fellow American Express member.
And the second, it's generally an opportunity for them to make a few dollars. It's business. That's what we're in.
You know it's always there in the background and you can use other things to enhance your sales
and also enhance the image of American Express overseas.
And know that you're one solid network working together in harmony. And that's what it's really all about.
It's so important for the travel counselors to be aware of what the worldwide customer can have to offer.
We can explain to our customers that American Express is all over the world.
And we've got 1700 offices over the world to help you.
And they think it's a great program. And they continue to be with American Express because they think they need that care every time they're away from home.
As long as the client feels comfortable knowing that American Express is there for them,
that person will eventually walk into another TSO, will make a purchase, whether it's a travel purchase,
some business will be generated down along the line.
Worldwide customer care is to give. To give something to the person that is in front of you.
First as a person and then as a customer. If he feels that these things...
A lot of times they're in there and they have an emergency need and there's nothing you can sell them.
That's okay. You're selling them by giving them that service.
You're winning us business every time you do that and do it well.
You're part of the team. You're not one individual behind the counter.
It's easy for me just to send a fax or a telex to my colleagues all over the world and get the right information as soon as possible if I need it.
If it's a hotel booking that you need, you're not getting feedback from the airline. We are there to help you.
And you asked me, please take care of my client. You can be 100% sure that I'm taking care of your client.
And I feel so good of knowing that they're going to be traveling all around the world and that they always have somebody there for them.
Maybe somewhere in the world my client needs help and is in another office.
And that helps me serving the client which is in my office and being friendly.
If my client's satisfied with my, you know, assistance, then I am happy.
That is the most important thing for me to see the satisfaction of my clients.
When you have one person who says thank you, you know it has been worth it all.
It makes me feel that as a professional I'm fulfilling my obligations to my customers.
And that at the end of the day I'm doing a good job. It makes me feel good.
This letter is from one of my clients from the World Bank.
Dear Ben, this note is simply to record my personal appreciation for your assistance.
One of the things I've always heard about American Express since I was a little boy was that American Express was your home away from home.
She certainly makes travel away from convenient and safe ads at home.
Being an American Express Travel Service customer, it means that you can go to any one of our Travel Service offices in 120 countries.
And know that when you arrive there, there'll be somebody there to welcome you, help you when you get into trouble, or just plain reconfirm your airline.
Your representative Sonia Kolkata made an outstanding effort to resolve our problem and we wanted your management to be aware.
I think it's that peace of mind that wherever he is, he's in safe hands.
During the last several years, I have climbed extensively throughout the world and have always relied upon American Express services with deep satisfaction.
By walking into an office in Munich or Tokyo or wherever you happen to be, you have that same confidence.
And it's a friendly face. Somebody there who's happy to help.
Arrangements have been made quickly and efficiently and with exemplary courtesy.
It really has been a pleasure doing business with you. You're sincerely.
Our customers want to know we're going to be consistent. They want to know that they can depend on you.
And all that takes in some cases is a smile, a friendly hello and where are you from? Nice to see you.
Not just ticketing, not just hotel reservations. You're giving that something extra nobody else is going to give them.
Worldwide customer care is the embodiment of home away from home. That is American Express.
The.