Amazing Cave Churches Carved Out of Solid Rock | Egypt Travel Blog: Day 0 (Part 4)

Middle East’s Largest Church - Saint Simon Church (also called the Cave Church), Cairo, Egypt

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

I arrived in the early morning at the Oasis Hotel, so I had the afternoon and full evening free on my first day (Day 0) in Cairo. The tour guide suggested a few tours, and I picked visiting the Winter and Summer Churches located on the outskirts of Cairo.

The Monastery of Saint Simon is located in the Mokattam Mountain. To visit this historic area, you have to go through Garbage City, home of the famous Zabbaleen. The residents here are Coptic Christians who collect, sort, and recycle garbage of Cairo, all done by hand—no machines. The way this community does all the work manually is an incredible story in itself.

There are seven churches and chapels hidden inside the Monastery of St. Simon the Tame, all within a series of caves. The Virgin Mary and St. Simon Cathedral is the largest church in the Middle East with a seating capacity of 20,000 in the amphitheater.

The Cave Church of St. Simon is literally carved out of the solid rock of the stone mountain. The cave church is really a natural grotto, also known as the summer church. There is another underground 'winter' church as well.

Inside the church, you will find beautiful engravings covering the walls, representing stories from the Bible. The whole area has lots of engravings and artworks on the walls, on the mountains, statues, paintings, and carvings and all over.

Some other cave churches carved out of the rock are St. Bola’s Church, St. Marks Church, and St. Simon the Tanner’s Hall.

In recent days, there was another Church discovered underground. The Church (now known as the Burnt Church) got burnt, possibly from electricity. However, the picture of Jesus Christ did not burn. I saw the signs of smoke and fire on the frame, but miraculously the picture got saved without any significant damage.

The whole area was historic and felt like going back in time, especially the engravings on the walls telling various events from the Bible that occurred in Egypt.

There were lots of visitors, both local and foreigners, in that area. The security presence was noticeable. After seeing so many historic places in one area, I got tired and our team wanted to go for a restaurant or café to relax a little bit.

Toronto Will Be One of The Top Ten Competitive Cities on Earth By

Toronto Scores High On The Future Competitiveness of Cities List

First Published Date: August 22, 2013

Commissioned by Citi, The Economist Intelligence Unit has looked at several factors such as the quality of human capital, business and regulatory environment, environmental governance, cultural aspects, among other factors to determine the competitiveness of 120 global cities in 2025. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, a city’s competitiveness means its ability to attract businesses, capital, talent, and visitors – and the factors mentioned above are required to sustain high economic growth and future Competitiveness. Let’s look at the top ten list:

The Top Ten Competitive Cities in 2025

1.    New York

2.    London

3.    Singapore

4.    Hong Kong

5.    Tokyo

6.    Sydney

7.    Paris

8.    Stockholm

9.    Chicago

10.    Toronto

Vanguard Canada Launches 5 New ETFs

Five New Vanguard Canada ETFs

First Published Date: September 5, 2013

Low cost ETF guru Vanguard Investments Canada Inc. launched 5 more new ETFs in August. Vanguard entered the Canadian ETF market in December 2011 and currently its total ETF portfolio consists of 16 ETFs, including these 5 newcomers. Let’s look at these 5 new ETFs briefly.

VCN – FTSE Canada All Cap Index ETF MER 0.12% – VCN tracks (net of expenses) the performance of the FTSE Canada All Cap Index. The difference between VCN and Vanguard’s other similar ETF VCE FTSE Canada Index is in its holdings. VCE holds about 77 large and mid-cap stocks. On the other hand, VCN offers more diversification by holding 277 large, mid, and small cap stocks.

VDU – FTSE Developed ex North America Index ETF MER 0.28% – VDU tracks (net of expenses) the performance of the FTSE Developed ex North America Index. The difference between VDU and Vanguard’s other similar ETF VEF FTSE Developed ex North America Hedged CAD Index is that unlike VEE, VDU has no currency hedging. The FTSE Developed ex North America Index provides exposure to developed countries excluding North American or emerging market stocks. If you remember my older posts on iShares 5 New ETFs, XEF – iShares MSCI EAFE IMI Index ETF MER 0.30% offers broader diversification by holding 2479 stocks, while VDU holds 1338 stocks.

VUN – U.S. Total Market Index ETF MER 0.15% – VUN tracks (net of expenses) the performance of the CRSP US Total Market Index that holds about 3582 large, mid, small and micro cap stocks. VUN is basically the non-hedged version of Vanguard’s VUS.

VGG (Non-Hedged) and VGH (Hedged) U.S. Dividend Appreciation Index ETF MER 0.28% – These ETFs track (net of expenses) the NASDAQ US Dividend Achievers Select Index that holds about 146 U.S. companies that have increased dividends over time. Some other U.S. dividend ETFs listed on TSX are XHD, CUD, ZDY.

There are about 281 ETFs trade on the Canadian TSX. The number is much higher in the U.S. at 1490 ETFs. Vanguard has about $2.5 trillion global assets under management ($285 billion in ETF). BlackRock iShares is the world’s largest asset manager and the world’s largest ETFs provider with about $3.6 trillion global assets under management ($645 billion in ETF).

Lenovo Twist 12.5 Touchscreen Laptop Review

Lenovo ThinkPad Twist Convertible UltraBook

First Published Date: September 12, 2013

Lenovo Twist Laptop Review

I bought my last laptop Acer Aspire Timeline about three years ago and so far it has worked without any problems. I kept it in crisp condition and was able to sell it for $200. This time, to try something different I decided on buying a Lenovo ThinkPad Laptop/Tablet. This is my first time buying a Lenovo product.

Specifications

– 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3537u processor 2.00 GHz 4MB cache

– 500 GB Hard drive

– 8 Gig RAM

– It’s an Ultrabook combining laptop/tablet together that can bends, twists, folds, and spins.

– Dolby® Home Theater® Stereo speakers

– Magnesium Alloy Construction – only 20 mm thick and weighs 3.45 lbs

– A hybrid hard drive and solid state drive. Active Protection System prevents hard drive from system failure.

– Wakes up from sleep mode in two seconds

– Spill resistant keyboard

Cons

– Feels a bit heavier than other Ultrabook. I think this is due to its heavier keyboard. A feature to detach screen from the keyboard would have been nicer.

– Although Lenovo says battery has 6 hours life, I cannot get it to work more than 4 hours.

– I don’t understand or see any value in The TrackPoint center button. I find it meaningless, but it could be due to the fact that I never dealt with such a button in my life.

– I am not impressed with its Dolby® Home Theater® Stereo speakers. My cheap $250 Acer Netbook has a better sound system.

My Take

I like its rugged, rubberized durable construction. Its overall design and looks feel and look elegant and extraordinary. If you don’t mind the few cons I mentioned above, I think the Lenovo ThinkPad Twist Convertible is worth its value (around $1000 to $1100 + taxes in Canada).

Some Facts About Mongolia Economy

Economy of Mongolia

First Published Date: September 19, 2013

Mongolia is the world’s most sparsely populated country with an area of approximately 604,000 square miles – making it the 19th largest country on earth. Mongolia’s emerging economy is mainly based on herding, agriculture, and its over US$1.3 trillion resource sector.

Before the 1990s, Mongolia’s economy was mainly dependant on aids from the USSR. Following the dismantlement of the USSR, Mongolia suffered deep recession and political and natural disasters leading to economic reforms, and eventually opening up its boundaries for free-market economies and privatization of the government-run economy.

Mongolia opened its first stock exchange in 1991 and joined the World Trade Organization in 1997. Economic growth was slightly less than 10% from 2004-2008, 6.5% in 2010, 18% in 2011, and 12% in 2012. Mongolia saw its economy contract 1.5% in 2009 right after the global financial crisis.

Mongolia’s 2012 GDP was $15.22 billion – making it 140 on the country rank comparison to the world. However, GDP growth was an astounding 333% from 1981-212 – making it 5th on the list comparison list for 2012. Mongolia is forecasted to be one of the top five fastest growing economies on earth over the next decade. GDP per capita for 2012 was $5,400, or 149 on the world comparison list.

Mongolia is rich in agriculture and mining. Mongolia exports meat, wool, and cashmere. In natural resources, Mongolia holds and exports copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, tin, tungsten, coal, uranium, precious and semiprecious stones, and gold. Mongolia is the world’s number one cashmere producer and is home to one of the world’s largest copper mines.

As Mongolia is rich in natural resources and perfectly positioned to meet China’s insatiable demand, foreign investments are pouring in. As the years go by, things are looking brighter for this amazing country.