Hey there, adventure-seekers and fellow foodies! Welcome to another mouthwatering episode of "Travel + Explore and Play with Sallee Jay" — where I'm not just your host, I'm your culinary co-conspirator!
I've JUST touched down from the concrete jungle that is New York City, and my taste buds are STILL doing happy dances from what might be the food highlight of my year (bold statement, I know, but wait until you hear about it)!
I was inspired to move to the United States as I prepared to send my daughter off to college and step into a new chapter as an empty nester. It felt like the right moment to embrace a change not just in life stage, but also in pace and place.
Hello and welcome to travel + explore & play with Sallee Jay, I am your host.
If one is lucky in life, they are able to make 2 or 3 really good friends. It’s even better when those friends become family. Allow me to introduce you to one of those people in my life, Rachel Nava. Recently, we traveled to Nola to celebrate my longtime sister-friend affectionally dubbed “Chacon” for her 50th birthday and 5th wedding anniversary and we had a blast.
Rachel and I met when we worked together almost 20 years ago and have always managed to stay in touch. She is a rare and beautiful soul and the epitome of a true friend.
Our private driver and Egyptologist guide helped to ease us through the Cairo airport travel visa procedures before whisking us away to the Giza Plateau to see the world-famous pyramids. We were able take in the massive ancient tombs and Great Sphinx, enjoy a camel ride and visit the Valley Temple, the nearby ancient mummification complex. Next, we headed to the Papyrus Institute, a museum and shop dedicated to educating individuals on the process of creating papyrus paper and all of its many properties. Afterward, we refueled with an Egyptian lunch before returning to the airport for our outbound flight. While, that is a pretty decent summary of our day, read on below for more intimate details of our layover tour in Egypt!
Welcome to travel + explore & play with Sallee Jay, where I am your host. 👋🏾💓‼️ I’m fresh off my second trip to Africa with Africa Development Promise, a non-profit organization whose mission is improve the lives and livelihoods of rural women in East Africa, through training and resources that support their collective efforts to operate competitively in the marketplace. However, while the primary focus is women, ADP is helping East African families with training and resources. The impact and reach are undeniable.
Last year when we travelled, the country was on lockdown due to Covid restrictions and while we were able to experience movement, the Africa and programming that I experienced this year was much different. Follow along as share this year’s ADP travel experience, provide updates regarding the cooperatives and programs and introduce you to some of the remarkable staff!