Venture to Egypt (Rewrite)

Eight people, including two guests, participated in the Toastmaster Magazine Reading group dim sum gathering from 11:15 till 12:45 at Brother Hotel today. As the Chinese New Year is approaching, the Brother Hotel was crowded with gourmets and food lovers. The meal time was tightly restricted to one and a half hours, only less and no more. 

After the meal, I grabbed the opportunity to rehearse my contest speech at the waiting area in front of the elevator. I am grateful to our group members for their time and immediate visual response. As soon as I arrived home, I rewrote my contest speech as follows:  

Habibi Toastmasters and Friends,

In January, I ventured to Egypt for the first time. Why Egypt? The Great Pyramid? River Cruise on the Nile? Red Sea Villa? I had them all. On top of that, I ran into a sudden sandstorm, all outdoor group activities were cancelled. What? It took me almost 20 hours to fly from Taipei to Cairo, with 6 hour time difference!  

We are Toastmasters, we have plan B in our pocket. In the sand storm, I chartered a taxi to visit the Hotel Old Cataract Aswan where famed Agatha Christie wrote her popular detective story “Death on the Nile”. I visited the main bazaar with goods of the past and of the present, bought palm dates, spice herb tea, and I smoked shisha, the water pipe, for the first time. Yes, Toastmasters turn adversity into opportunity.

The Great Pyramid at Giza, the only exiting one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, the stunning feat of engineering and human accomplishment. Three grandiose pyramids of King Khufu, his son, and his grandson. King Khufu built the biggest pyramid 4,500 years ago, but left no paintings, no statues of himself for people to remember. I saw the humility of humanity. 

River Cruise on the Nile from Aswan to Luxor, four days and three nights. River Nile, the longest river in the world, 7,088 kilometers, is the life line for old and modern Egyptians. We hopped on and off the River Cruise to visit historical monuments. Being a party animal, I prefered meeting strangers to visiting holy temples and seeing breathtaking sceneary. On river cruise, I made friends with 5 Russians, 4 Tunisians, more than two dozens Spanish, 40 plus Chinese, 2 Koreans, 1 English, Irish, French, and Colombian, not to mention the Egyptian staff, everyone is a precious walking dictionary.  

Red Sea Villa at Hurghada, three days and two nights, according to the Bible, the place where the sun shone on the earth only once, Where? Yes! God parted for Moses, the Red Sea. The water of the open swimming pool had a temperature more than 20 degree Celsius. People enjoyed free icecream by the pool side. What a destination of choice for winter vacation at the Red Sea Villa.  

Riding the Land Cruiser at the world biggest Sahara Desert was thrilling. At a Bedouin Arab tribe, I met a petite woman fully covered in black veil, surrounded by many of her young kids. She invited me for tea sitting by the fire on the sand. She was so dark and small, I couldn't forget her sweet smile. In her, I saw my distant evolutionary ancestors from Africa. In her, I saw the legacy of humanity.

Egypt has a lot more to offer. You must try Koshary, a spicy Egyptian noddles, with UNESCO recognition. I loved it at the first bite, It cost 60 NT dollars for a big plate. There were many beautiful women on the street, like Cleopatra, Nefertiti, handsome man like Omar Sharif in the movie of Lawrence of Arabia.

Fellow Toastmasters, with the communication and leadership skills I honed at District 67, I enjoyed the venture to Egypt twice as much as other 30 Taiwanese tour group members. I encourage you to make Egypt your next travel destination. Go explore Egypt with your very own eyes. Share your Toastmasters spirit with Egyptians, young and old, men and women. 

The world is a big classroom. The more people we meet, the more places we visit, the bigger and wider global perspective we have to make the world a better place for all. Yes, Habibi Toastmasters in Egypt, I shall return! Contest Chair!

Venture to Egypt

For Division D Speech Contest in English, District 67, Saturday morning, March 28th, 2026

To: Egyptians Toastmasters in Area G25 & G26, District 20

Habibi Fellow Toastmasters and Friends,

In January, I ventured to Egypt for the first time. Why Egypt? The Great Pyramid? River Cruise on the Nile? Red Sea Villa? I had them all. On top of that, I encountered a sudden sandstorm, haboob, all outdoor group activities were cancelled. What? It took me almost 20 hours to fly from Taipei to Cairo, with 6 hour time difference!  

We are Toastmasters, we have plan B in our pocket. I chartered a taxi to visit the Hotel Old Cataract Aswan where famed Agatha Christie wrote her popular detective story “Death on the Nile”. I visited the main bazaar with goods of the past and of the present, bought palm dates, spice herb tea, and I smoked shisha, the water pipe, for the first time. Yes, Toastmasters turn adversity into opportunity.

The Great Pyramid at Giza, the only exiting one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, the stunning feat of engineering and human accomplishment. Three grandoise pyramids of King Khufu, his son, and his grandson. King Khufu built the biggest pyrimid 4,500 years ago, but left no paintings, no statues of himself for people to remember. I saw the humility of humanity. 

River Cruise on the Nile from Aswan to Luxor, four days and three nights, an ecstatic Toastmasters adventure full of acting and improvising. I knew half of the international passengers and Egyptian staff members on Blue Shadow 2. Toastmasters are icebreakers and small talkers. I made friends with 5 Russians, 4 Tunisians, more than two dozens Spanish, 40 plus Chinese, 2 Koreans, 1 English, Irish, French, and Colombian, age between 16 and 80 plus. I hosted Toastmasters gatherings whereever possible, on the roof deck, in the restaurnt, on the dance floor. 

Red Sea Villa at Hurghada, three days and two nights, according to the Bible, the place where the sun shone on the earth only once, God parted for Moses, the Red Sea. The water of the Red Sea was icy cold, but the open swimming pool of AMC Royal Hotel and Spa was warm with a temperature above 20 degree Celsius at noon. People enjoyed free icecream by the pool side. What a destination of choice for winter vacation at the Red Sea Villa.  

At a Bedouin Arab tribe in Eastern Sahara Desert, I met a petite woman fully covered in black veil, surrounded by many of her young kids. She invited me for tea sitting by the fire on the sand. She was so dark and small, I couldn't forget her sweet smile. In her, I saw my distant evolutionary ancestors from Africa. In her, I saw the legacy of humanity.

Egypt has a lot more to offer, Sphinx with philosophical riddles in Greek mythology, Koshary, a spicy Egyptian vegan staple, with UNESCO recognition, handsome man like Omar Sharif in the movie of Lawrence of Arabia, and not to mention Naguib Mahfouz, the first and only Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988.

When I was in Egypt, Taiwanese were often hailed with “Taiwan No. 1”. Yes, we have No. 1 TSMC. From an once notorious island of products made in Taiwan, to the world best chips manufactured today, Taiwan has come a long way. Taiwan is No.1 in friendliness. I am a proud Taiwanese, a modern good Samaritan in East Asia! 

Roman Emperor Caesar once said, "Veni, Vidi, Vici". Fellow Toastmasters, with the communication and leadership skills I honed at District 67, I enjoyed the venture to Egypt twice as much as other 30 Taiwanese tour group members. The world is a classroom. I encourage you to make Egypt your next travel destination. Go explore Egypt with your very own eyes. Share your Toastmasters spirit with Egyptians, young and old, men and women. 

We are the world, We are the children, We are the ones who make a brighter day. So let’s start giving. Yes, Habibi Toastmasters in Egypt, I shall return! Contest Chair!

Departure for Egypt

Today is the long waited departure day for Egypt! I had my hair dyed in the street yesterday afternoon at a cost of NT$150. My husband helped me set up another smart phone at the last minute last night, because my old HTC couldn't fit in the new SIM card. Finally I gave in to a new smart phone!

For the past few month, I have been training myself physically, visiting the gym, hiking in the wild, to build up the muscle strength. I have also read intensively and extensively, watched many YouTube videoclips and DVDs to get to know a little bit more of Egypt.

It's the second time in my life I visit the north Africa. During a business trip to Casablanca, Morocco 30 years ago, I bought two local robes, one in black, the other in pink, I brought both of them along in my suitcase. along with one Parkistanti costume. I am not going to take them back to Taiwan.

When Egypt was colonized by the Great Britain, rich and noble Englishman would spend their winter vacation in Cairo. I couldn't believe that I could be so lucky to set foot in Egypt in my life!

I am excited to experience another culture, another part of the world, be the oversea trip quite a long distance one.

Happy 2026

As a patron of Taipei city library Jing-Xin branch, I visit the place at least twice a week, therefore I have more opportunities to run into new arrivals of books and DVDs. In addition to mine, I also have my husband's library card with me, and I can borrow 30 books and 14 DVDs upon one visit. My desk is always piled with books and DVDs for me to spend a good spare time.

I didn't get up until 9 o'clock this morning, I was very tired yesterday, the last day of 2025. I got up before 7 o'clock to attend the online Toastmaster magazine reading for one hour, rushed to a year-end Karaoke party in Bang-Qiao. We sang from 10 in the morning till 3 in the afternoon, for 5 straight hours. I took Bus 930 back to Xin-Dian, changed to Bus 909 to Da-An Sports Center to exercise for one hour. I felt exhausted after dinner and went to bed at 10 o'clock.