Thu - June 26, 2003Thursday, June 26, 2003 (Boeing 777-400 – Somewhere between Dubai and London)The mixed emotions of going home. Reflecting on
where we've been and what we've done.
My
very best versus
Sandy's
very best.
Posted at 01:01 PM Read More Wed - June 25, 2003Wednesday, June 25, 2003 (Dubai – United Arab Emirates)The most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. What
the hell, let's just throw the budget completely out of the window. Got to have
the right attire for the restaurant in the sky. A chauffeur driven Rolls Royce
to the airport.
Posted at 01:00 PM Read More Tue - June 24, 2003Tuesday, June 24, 2003 (Dubai – United Arab Emirates)Living like royalty is the only way to finish our
trip. Our seven-star experience starts from before we reach the front door. Our
two story suite is on the sixteenth floor (or thirty second, whichever way you
look at it). Our
room
is bigger than any
house
I've lived in. Oh, and we have a butler too.
Posted at 01:00 PM Read More Mon - June 23, 2003Monday, June 23, 2003 (Dubai – United Arab Emirates)Where's my bloody breakfast. Yes, I too am a
human being with human failings but a long awaited book can cheer anyone us.
Going wild at Wild Wadi. negotiation pays off from time to time. Could we
possibly dream of staying at the world's
only
seven-star hotel? Yes we can! But we still have to watch the
pennies.
Posted at 12:59 PM Read More Sun - June 22, 2003Sunday, June 22, 2003 (Dubai – United Arab Emirates)Getting out of Jordan brought it's own challenges
but we are finally here and enjoying ourselves. So who is this Harry Potter kid
anyway? And the search for somewhere to stay starts all over again. An expensive
country means expensive accommodation but we're nearing the end of the trip so
what the hell.
Posted at 12:58 PM Read More Sat - June 21, 2003Saturday, June 21, 2003 (Amman - Jordan)What do you mean, the Red Sea is closed today?!
And after all that effort too. Hanging around in Amman. How quickly we've shed
out Western venire but it's all relative in the end.
Posted at 12:58 PM Read More Fri - June 20, 2003Friday, June 20, 2003 (Amman - Jordan)Looks like she rode the storm out. Letting other
see what we've seen. Our Hurghada friends revisited. In search of French Fries
in Amman is not easy. Being tourist can be fun. Having fun catching up on the
balcony.
Posted at 12:57 PM Read More Thu - June 19, 2003Thursday, June 19, 2003 (Amman - Jordan)Onwards to Amman and floating in the Dead Sea.
Seeing the sites along the way. The backpackers' trail in the capital. Memories
of another chaotic city. Mr
Chris feels very special here. Another course
of antibiotics is the order of the day for Sandy.
Posted at 12:57 PM Read More Wed - June 18, 2003Wednesday, June 18, 2003 (Wadi-Musa - Jordan)Missed the bus but it's all OK. It helps to be a
student. Meeting people from home. Following in the footsteps of Indiana Jones.
Stymied by a slow connection. The Kings Highway Tour.
Posted at 12:56 PM Read More Tue - June 17, 2003Tuesday, June 17, 2003 (Wadi-Musa - Jordan)Getting here was no mean feat. Doesn't anyone
want to let go of their dollars? Our Jordanian business friends. Fast ferry to
Jordan. Funny money. Jordan loves us and we love Jordan. Shacking up with two
French girls.
Posted at 12:56 PM Read More Mon - June 16, 2003Monday, June 16, 2003 (Sharm El-Sheikh - Egypt)With Sandy resting, I'm still enjoying the
diving. A hometown buddy. More time in less places might be a better idea from
here on. Reflecting on our time in Egypt.
Posted at 12:55 PM Read More Sun - June 15, 2003Sunday, June 15, 2003 (Sharm El-Sheikh - Egypt)Don't they understand what air-conditioning is
for? Beware of Nitrogen Narcosis. And the diving gets even better. Time for some
underwater navigation skills. We've seen all things under the sun, now it's all
things under the moon.
Posted at 08:34 AM Read More Sat - June 14, 2003Saturday, June 14, 2003 (Sharm El-Sheikh - Egypt)Not used to having a
nice
breakfast. Settling into a diving routine. The best diving location in the best
diving location
is
definitely all it's cracked up to be. What? Does this mean we have to dive with
our clothes
on?
Technology gets very old very quickly. Internet banking is a wonderful
thing.
Posted at 08:33 AM Read More Fri - June 13, 2003Friday, June 13, 2003 (Sharm El-Sheikh - Egypt)You don't have to go far to be amazed. You've got
to have the right compressed air. Our very first Shark sighting. An overall
price.
Posted at 08:33 AM Read More Thu - June 12, 2003Thursday, June 12, 2003 (Sharm El-Sheikh - Egypt)Has it been three months already? Time to
concentrate on how to dive properly. Our very own dive master to pamper us. Our
attention to detail has paid off. How about some advanced diving? Egyptian
public transportation. Time to change hotels? Time to put on my negotiation cap
again.
Posted at 08:32 AM Read More Wed - June 11, 2003Wednesday, June 11, 2003 (Sharm El-Sheikh - Egypt)Two and a half squares a day. Will we capture the
underwater life? How can water possibly be this clean? The view is better below
than above. Perhaps we'd better leave the cameras alone for a while? Just two
dives so far but so much marine life encountered. American fare in Na'ama
Bay.
Posted at 08:32 AM Read More Tue - June 10, 2003Tuesday, June 10, 2003 (Sharm El-Sheikh - Egypt)Travelling with a travel bug. Travelling around
the local area. making friends with the hotel manager is always a good idea.
When does Oriental mean Egyptian? Time to crack open the emergency antibiotics.
Looking for a dive outfit. My horrible mood surfaced again. A countryman comes
to our rescue.
Posted at 08:31 AM Read More Mon - June 9, 2003Monday, June 9, 2003 (Sharm El-Sheikh - Egypt)The luxury of laying in till four in the morning.
Looking after us till the last. Friendly foreigners and strength in
numbers.
Posted at 08:31 AM Read More Sun - June 8, 2003Sunday, June 8, 2003 (Hurghada - Egypt)High drama on the Red Sea of the very worse kind.
The boat leaves but one of our number is missing! Does this hotel even deserve
two stars?
Posted at 08:30 AM Read More Sat - June 7, 2003Saturday, June 7, 2003 (Bus from Luxor to Hurghada - Egypt)Good-bye to Pharonic Egypt but this country has
something for all tastes. Next up, sun sand and sea. Tagging along for the ride.
Egyptian
time is no different to
African
time. Three stars?! I don't think so!
Snorkelling on a full stomach. Taking in Hurghada. Thank you Ehab
(Bob).
Posted at 08:30 AM Read More Fri - June 6, 2003Friday, June 6, 2003 (Luxor - Egypt)Can't leave yet, some gems still to be seen. Our
very own temple. Memories of a massacre. Where are all the tourists now? His
full attention. Sunset over the Valley of the Kings. Yet more changes to the
plan.
Posted at 08:29 AM Read More Thu - June 5, 2003Thursday, June 5, 2003 (Luxor - Egypt)Still slumbering silently. Taking the environment
into our own hands. There he is
again.
The jewel in the jewel in the crown. This guide goes several extra miles.
Christmas is solved. If you're not ready, don't leave.
Posted at 08:29 AM Read More Wed - June 4, 2003Wednesday, June 4, 2003 (Luxor - Egypt)Letting the Germans get a head start on the day.
Driving along the Nile Valley. Still bumping into people we've met before.
Knocking off the temples slowly but surely. Our progress is being followed.
Another new friend goes the extra mile. Temple treasures by night.
Posted at 08:28 AM Read More Tue - June 3, 2003Tuesday, June 3, 2003 (Esna - Egypt)A new day, a new location, a new temple. Tourism
isn't what it once was. Plenty of attention for us. The crew are warming up to
us. More traditional Egyptian entertainment. Something strange left in our
cabin.
Posted at 08:28 AM Read More Mon - June 2, 2003Monday, June 2, 2003 (River Nile - Egypt)Two nights in the same bed is just divine. You
can't go to Egypt and
not
travel on a Felucca. Who are these Nubians anyway? Wandering around the bazaars
of Aswan. A lazy few days cruising down the Nile. Temples along the Nile.
Perhaps it's time to consider this year's Christmas gifts already? An oasis in a
sea of Germans.
Posted at 08:27 AM Read More Sun - June 1, 2003Sunday, June 1, 2003 (Aswan - Egypt)An early morning ride to the temple in the
desert. Still no improvement in breakfast. Arriving in a very bad mood. And just
exactly
where
is this temple anyway? We couldn't believe our eyes. Moving mountains. Travel
taking it's toll on the technology.
Posted at 08:27 AM Read More Sat - May 31, 2003Saturday, May 31, 2003 (Aswan - Egypt)Why does this man have his hands all over my
wife? Asleep, but not really. Our rep. received the full attention of my morning
mood. Laying it all out in front of us. OK, let's be tourists for the day. A new
friend in our new guide. Be careful where you point that thing. Our first temple
experience. Pigeon and chips for lunch.
Posted at 08:26 AM Read More Fri - May 30, 2003Friday, May 30, 2003 (Train from Cairo to Aswan - Egypt)All hands to the backpacks again. One last trip
to the museum. Just a load of dead people really. A brief window opens through
which I talk to the outside world. the overnight train South.
Posted at 08:26 AM Read More Thu - May 29, 2003Thursday, May 29, 2003 (Cairo - Egypt)A fan of the new fan. An Egyptologist no less!
The very first pyramid. Isn't it just paper anyway? The building made from the
pyramids themselves. Our route through the Nile Valley is all laid out and paid
for. A belly dancer and a man with a skirt?
Posted at 08:25 AM Read More Wed - May 28, 2003Wednesday, May 28, 2003 (Cairo - Egypt)Hot air of mosquitoes is not a good choice to
choose from. Midnight shower. The psychologically damaging effects of Cairo
traffic. All the things Mustafa can offer. What else to see in Egypt. The
necessary arrangements for our next country. How to negotiate with Cairo taxi
drivers. What are the odds of meeting you here?
Posted at 08:25 AM Read More Tue - May 27, 2003Tuesday, May 27, 2003 (Cairo - Egypt)The culture shock continues. Time to become
students again. The pyramids await. Negotiations, Egyptian style. World war III
narrowly averted. Who said riding a camel was a good idea? Best view of nine
pyramids on the plateau. A quick tour around the Islamic Quarter. Time for bed
now - so the streets are filling. Different strokes for different
folks.
Posted at 08:24 AM Read More Mon - May 26, 2003Monday, May 26, 2003 (Cairo - Egypt)Breakfast is NOT their best meal here. Out of the
Malaria zone but not yet out of danger. Using our newly acquired skills. And
they call this driving? They don't waste time with new arrivals. I think we must
look like walking money or something. Finding the backpackers' trail again. Our
man Mustafa. A car and driver for just a few dollars. Why did I leave them
behind in Botswana? At least we ca communicate. Memories of home life cropping
up from time to time.
Posted at 08:24 AM Read More |
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Published On: Sep 25, 2005 11:08 PM |
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