Initially, when I was tagged for Tripbase’s Best Kept Travel Secret project, I struggled with the “secret” part of the whole thing. Though I could talk about some obscure destinations I’ve tramped through, I’ve decided to share with you 3 lesser known goodies, all travel related. As they say, share and enjoy!
Gayer Anderson Museum – Cairo, Egypt
My 1st travel secret is not so much a secret, but definitely one of Cairo’s most overlooked sites. It’s also a great place to head to if you’re feeling all “pharaoh’ed out” and want a change from the typical tourist fare of ancient Egyptian sites.
Located next to the Ibn Tulun mosque, in the Sayyida Zeinab neighbourhood, the Gayer Anderson Museum is a traditional 17th century house restored and occupied by Major Gayer Anderson in the 1930′s and 40′s. The house itself is an architectural gem, but even more so is the huge collection of period furniture, carpets, art work and knick knacks displayed throughout the multi-storied building. If you go, don’t miss the amazing views of Islamic Cairo from the lovely mashrabiya adorned rooftop.
Mister Chicken – Aleppo, Syria
In all my wanderings in the Middle East, Mister Chicken take-away, in the Northern Syrian city of Aleppo has the best chicken shawarma sandwich I’ve ever had. Period. So good, I’ve been known to eat there twice…in the same afternoon!
They serve a tender, moderately spicy, melt-in-your-mouth parcel of chicken’y goodness, garnished with grilled vegetables all tucked into a tightly rolled flat bread. This take-out-only joint is located on sharia Bab Al Faraj, just a few meters away from Aleppo’s famous Clock Tower. It’s a cheap meal at 50 Syrian Pounds (approx. $1.10 US) per sandwich. Inch your way to the cash to place and pay for your order; then hand the receipt to one of the nice gentlemen manning the large skewers of marinated chicken.
For the homesick Canadian, they also have the largest selection of Canada Dry soft drinks I’ve ever seen.
The local crowd spilling onto the sidewalk from morning until late at night are sure sign you’ve hit the chicken sandwich jackpot. It’s a mystery to me why Mister Chicken isn’t mentioned in guidebooks. I’m not complaining, more tasty chicken for the rest of us I guess.
Tea tree oil *
The most multi-purpose little bottle of natural disinfecting liquid you will ever pack. Ideal for: scrapes, cuts, pimples and insect bites. If you are, like me, a walking mosquito and fly buffet, you’ll appreciate tea tree oil’s ability to stop the itch, disinfect the bite and reduce swelling. Dealing with a sudden, and embarrassing case of dandruff on the road? Add a drop of tea tree oil to your dollop of shampoo. A small 30ml (1oz) bottle was perfect size for a 5 month trip where I had to deal with insect bites almost daily. It’s highly concentrated, so use it sparingly.
*like all remedies, even natural ones, do consult your doctor before using tea tree oil.
Lastly a big thank you to Nick Rowlands at Delicious Chaos who tagged me for this project! 
Need to keep this going, so I tag Earl over at Wandering Earl.com to share his travel secrets next.
Hey – glad to see you took up the challenge!
Totally agree on Gayer-Anderson – a real mash-up of arts from different (mainly Islamic) periods of history.
I’ll remember tea tree oil, since I too am a hop-by bug buffet!
Yes! Tea tree oil is wonderfully multipurpose. I now take it with me everywhere. Wish I’d known about Mr. Chicken when I was in Syria two weeks ago. In a land of wonderful food, how do you choose the wonderfullest?
Finally someone has released the secret of Tea Tree oil onto the world
Also rumored to help kill bacteria in water if you get stuck!
I like your “secrets”–and this is the third ref I’ve run across to tree oil. I need to track some down. We just returned from a Mayan jungle adventure that has left my family riddled with fat mosquito bites!
Thanks for dropping by everyone!
@ Lisa: In North America, tea tree oil is fairly easy to find. Any Natural Health Product store should carry it i.e. Whole Foods & such stores. I’ve never had to buy it while traveling,as a small bottle often lasts for 10-12 months. In Canada, even Walmart carries it, and Loblaw’s supermarkets as well.
Jason is the only brand of tea tree oil I’ve encountered so far that has a drop stopper on their bottles. You only dispense one drop at a time. Which is nice, because 1 drop is often all you need. Helps avoid spills and leaks too.
Hey Francoise – Thanks so much for the tag! And I absolutely cannot wait to eat at Mister Chicken when I get to Syria in a couple of months!!
Last time I watched sunset in Lake Taupo, NZ, I was eaten alive by a swarm of sand flies. They thought I was more delicious than my husband. The major itchiness didn’t go away until a week or two, and even now I those spots are still itchy a bit sometimes. I want to try that tea tree oil!
I’ll have to give that tea tree oil a try. Great secrets!
I’m also a big fan of tea tree oil. It’s good for getting rid of and preventing lice as well.
Thanks for the travel secrets!
Hey, I just bought tea tree oil from the Body Shop! Now I need to find a crowd of insects to bite me, so I can test it right away!
I have lived in the tropics for more than 20 years and yet I have not heard of using tea tree oil for mosquitoes bites. I guess people just get used to the mosquitoes bites, since we may be get them everyday.
dang,
Wish I could find tee tree oil in Ecuador.
how did I not know about Mister Chicken BEFORE I went to the Middle East??? Damn it!
Don’t tell me you went all the way there AND DIDN’T GO to Mister Chicken??
Well, just means you’ll have to go back!
Great list! I totally agree with you on the tea tree oil.
And I wish I’d known about Mister Chicken! I was in Aleppo a couple of months ago (visited Syria, Jordan, a little bit of Lebanon and Israel) and wish I could have tried it. I thought the food there was the best in Syria, btw. Did you try the lamb kebob with cherry sauce?
Like I mentioned to Michael above, you’ll just have to back to try out Mr. Chicken
Oh yes, I really liked the cherry kabab. Aleppo cuisine is unique in the Middle East with some surprising mix of flavours. Love muhammara, a pepper paste and pomegranate molasses dip also from Aleppo.
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