Trip Report - June 24
Salaam from Egypt!

Hanging out for one last night in Cairo before heading to Turkey tomorrow morning. There's so much to see and do here! I need at least another week or two... *grin*

Last I wrote, I think I was headed to Bali -- which was lovely and relaxing, especially once I got off the (much-beaten) track. I wandered around the island for nine days: did a little wreck and reef diving; saw a few temples, some dolphins, and a few lovely sunrises/sets; spent a couple of nights in a serene mountain garden bungalow (where it rained most of the time -- but I had my own koi pond and met a lovely family, so who's complaining?); and then moved on to Ubud, where I treated myself to souvenir shopping (bargaining is fun...maybe too fun!), some sightseeing, several traditional dance performances, and a Balinese massage or two...

Upon arrival in London, I was interested to discover that I experienced zero culture shock (except maybe the prices!) -- I seem to have gotten so used to everything changing that I don't even expect the familiar to be familiar...if you know what I mean?

Andrew met me there, and we spent a few days being tourists in London -- Westminster Abbey, London Eye, British Museum -- and playing with the niece and nephew before heading up to Suffolk to see the rest of his family. We drove to the Peak District with his brother for a couple days of lovely hiking -- perfect weather, nice walks, a charming old farmhouse B&B with an incredible garden -- then went back down to London to catch our flights (same departure time, opposite directions).

Arrived in Egypt at midnight and found myself sharing a taxi from the airport with an Englishman who's been living in Australia for the past seven years. The next day, we decided to keep each other company wandering around the teeming streets of Cairo, taking in the various sights -- what a crazy and fascinating city! -- and then headed to the Pyramids for the *very kitsch* evening light show.

Made the mistake on our way there of getting into a "cheap!" taxi with a guy who drove us straight to one of the horrible desert horse ride stables that are really just a front for a perfume/papyrus/spice shop (they take you in the back way so you can't see the official price list at the entrance gate, completely overcharge you for the horse ride to view the pyramids, then invite you into their shop for some "Egyptian Hospitality" -- which means tea and a sales pitch!).

We ended up spending a fortune on the sunset ride, despite the fact that neither of us wanted to do it! We'd misunderstood each other's facial expressions and both of us wound up thinking the other one wanted to go, so were polite and went along with it! Ha.

In the end, though, we were quite proud of ourselves for getting so thoroughly ripped off -- it's such a quintessential Egyptian experience (and to think, we're both seasoned travelers). We decided in the end that it was well worth the price...but only once!

The next few days were much better money-wise (no more taxis!). We caught a local bus out to wander around the Pyramids (massive) and Sphinx (pensive), walked down to Coptic Cairo, and located a great cheap neighborhood restaurant (these things are important). We spent hours wandering around the Egyptian Museum -- stuffed full of objects that seem to lack any semblance of organization: it's like stumbling through a fantastic storehouse full of ancient treasures. You have no idea what you're looking at most of the time, but its all incredible and is literally piled up around you everywhere you look!

We caught the overnight train to Luxor with a nice Aussie couple we met at the hotel, and the four of us teamed up to get ourselves to the Temple of Karnak (immense...towering...beyond words), then back down to the nearby Luxor Temple overlooking the Nile just as the sun was setting -- the colonnades and statues take on a surreal and striking appearance as the sky darkens and the spotlights come on at their bases.

The next day, we took the local ferry across to the West Bank and caught a taxi out to the Valley of Kings, then to Nefertari's miraculously preserved and vividly colorful tomb (gives one a glimpse of how astounding the King's tombs must have been in their original state!), and a couple of grand old temples. Caught the sunset from a felucca, cruising down the Nile with a nice breeze as night fell across the city and sands.

Then I got on what was supposed to be a 13-hour bus to Dahab, where I planned to climb Mt Sinai before heading down to dive in Sharm el Shiekh. Seventeen hours, two breakdowns, and one bus change later, we had only made it as far as Sharm (with two hours still to go to Dahab), so I gave up on Mt Sinai and went diving instead. Everything is incredibly expensive in Sharm! But my bargaining skills served me well: I whittled a $100 room down to $30 (which is still lots more than the $2 to $4 I've been paying elsewhere!) and spent two days in relative luxury before heading back to Cairo this afternoon (that bus ride only took six-and-a-half hours...and the air con worked!)...plus the diving was exquisite.

<Previous - Next>
or choose below:

January 10 - Hola from Ecuador!
Costa Rica, Ecuador

January 30 - Moving on from Chile
Peru, Chile

February 20 - Greetings from Laos
Thailand, Laos

March 18 - Adventures in Cambodia & Thailand
Cambodia, southern Thailand

April 3 - A whirlwind tour of Rajasthan, India
India

May 21 - Greetings from Malaysia
Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia

June 24 - Salaam from Egypt!
Bali, England, Egypt

August 29 - The Final Installment
Turkey, Spain, Italy

For a quick overview of the trip, check out travel highlights.
Or learn about my vivid slideshow & storytelling presentation.

Looking for more stories? Visit this handy list of articles.

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