Thursday 30th, Egypt

Thursday – 30th April, Sinai and ferry to Jordan
It’s now 12 hours since our 2am start and we’re waiting for the ferry to Jordan which is already 3 hours late. We’re in a pretty good mood. NOT. The early start was to join the masses for a 6 hour round journey up Mt Sinai. It would have been enjoyable, except that the 3 hour hike up the mountain was in pitch black, we were jostling with camels for space on the track, the final 750 steps were in an icy cold wind and there were too many bloody tourists J. Well, at least we can say that we’ve done it... and will most likely never do it again! We arrive in Aquaba in Jordan at 10pm and it’s straight to bed!

Wednesday – 29th April, Egypt

Wednesday – 29th April, Dahab - The Blue Hole
The Blue Hole is quite simply the most spectacular dive that we’ve both done! It starts by a descent through a thin crevice which opens up to an amazing reef wall where we are greeted by a Hammerhead shark (ahhhh!). We drift alongside the stunning reef wall and we have to pinch ourselves when we come to the entrance of the “Blue Hole”. Our perception of depth and distance become distorted by the hypnotically impenetrable blue and we can understand why so many divers do not return. Imagine the most brilliant underwater documentary that you’ve ever seen... its picture postcard perfect J . Sadly we have to leave Dahab to climb Mt Sinai the following morning. Check out the pics – we didn’t have our camera so we stole these off the net!

Sunday 26th–29th April, Egypt

Sunday 26th–29th April, Dahab
We awake at 6am for yet another 7 hour bus ride with the destination being Dahab, a seaside town by the Red Sea. After the hectic travel from the previous few days, we can’t wait to get there and relax as we’ve heard the diving is amazing (made famous by Jacque Cousteau himself!). There are a couple of drinks... overlooking the coast of Saudi Arabi and a couple of lazy days by the water but on the Tuesday we summon enough energy to go diving. The water is crystal clear and a spectacular shade of blue that I’ve never seen before as there is very little sand. The Red Sea lives up to its reputation and we see an abundance of colourful coral and beautiful fish including trumpet fish, lion fish & moray eels. After a taste of it we book a dive at the infamous “Blue Hole” from which many divers have never returned......

Friday 24th– 25th April, Cairo

Friday 24th– 25th April, Cairo
On Friday night, we board yet another night train back to Cairo... it’s a 12 hour journey from Aswan but this time we’re a little more prepared (especially regarding the toilets!). Once in Cairo, we decide to walk to the Citadel which overlooks the city. Along the way we meet a friendly Egyptian who tells us about his family and his brother in Australia. He tells us that the Citadel is closed till 3 for Muslim prayer time and suggests that we spend our time at the Bazaar instead. He insists on taking us there himself (despite our protests!) and after walking for about 10 minutes, he leads us down a little back street. It doesn’t look like its anywhere near the bazaar and a minute later we end up in an Egyptian perfume shop! We have been done! A bottle of perfume later, we resume our trip to the Citadel. That night Richard resumes the battle for the Egypt vs Australia Backgammon Championship and claims victory over our previously invincible Moustafa (our tour leader!) .

April 21-23, Egypt

Monday 21st – Thursday 23rd April
Egyptian entrepreneurialism is taken to a new level. We wake to the rowdy sounds of a floating market. As our boat approaches a queue to pass through a loch, we are surrounded by small canoes rowing against the current to bargain and haggle. I’ve never seen anything like it. Kaftan’s and unwanted souvenirs are being thrown everywhere and the local men are shouting at the tourists to pay them! Hilarious. As a new boat full of guests pulls up, the small boats all chase the fresh prey!
Our cruise down the Nile takes us south to Aswan. It’s a beautiful trip as we pass by local farms and desert (though rather hot at 40 plus degrees). Along the way we stop at several temples such as Edfu and Kom Ombo, which are amazing but the experience is tarnished a little by the thousands of tourists surrounding us (bloody tourists).
A highlight was a trip to the temples of Abu Simbel, just 45 km from the Sudanese border. The temples have been cut into the side of a mountain and were built by Ramses the 2nd. At 40 metres in height these statues are magnificent. But what captivates us is that these temples were relocated by UNESCO in the 60’s due to a massive new dam raising the waters of the Nile. The project involved moving an entire mountain 200m back and 65m higher!
Later that evening we enjoy Nubian cuisine on a Felucca (local food on an Egyptian sail boat) but the wind is non-existent so we don’t get too far. After a good hour, the skipper gives in and pays another boat to pull us around the Nile to ensure we get the proper experience! Too funny! After being assured there are no crocodiles, Rich goes for a lone dip in the Nile ...... nobody else is game.

April 21, Egypt

Monday 21st April –Luxor

They say there’s no rest for the wicked so I’m sure that someone up there must know that I’m with Rich! It’s a 4am start to watch the sun rise and go hot air ballooning over the Nile. It is breathtaking and despite being 1600ft high, we get to see life for the locals as they start their day. Whilst I was a little nervous about taking off, landing the balloon was an altogether funny experience. As we got lower we had 10 men running after us to try to pull the balloon down. At the same time there was a very perplexed farmer (pictured) concerned about us landing on his crops and negotiating with our Captain for compensation! From here we hop on our ride to the Valley of the Kings, which is by donkey. It’s a lot of fun and Rich gets into the spirit of things (check out the picture) but his donkey won’t listen to a thing he says! We arrive at the Valley and it’s a little more difficult to walk! We visit four tombs, each slightly different and at different stages of preservation. It’s amazing to think that as soon as a new King comes into rule, they start preparing his tomb and valuables to for him to take to the afterlife!
With the combination of the early start and intense heat we are exhausted. We head to our Riverboat which we’ll be spending the next three nights on for a well deserved nap!

April 16 -18, Egypt

Thursday 16th- Friday 18th April Cairo & Train to Luxor

We arrive at the Cairo train station for our overnight trip to Luxor. I’ve been warned that the bathrooms are not a pleasant experience. One look at the florescent lights and our seats (which haven’t been cleaned in 10 years) confirms this is going to be another tough night on a train.

Sunday 20th April –Luxor Nevertheless, it’s worth the effort. We arrive in Luxor and head straight to the Karnak Temple which was constructed 3000 years BC. The “temple” is actually a large complex of timeless structures that makes our modern buildings seem like cheap goods made in China. What strikes you most about the Karnak Temple is how much culture, vision and purpose this ancient civilisation had. It is truly inspirational and makes me wonder why it is so hard for our government to think 5 years ahead! Everywhere you turn there are massive statues and hieroglyphics carved into walls and pillars. It’s so beautiful and no wonder that the Pharaoh’s made this their home! This is an absolute highlight!!! It’s even more amazing when you realise that they’ve only uncovered a fraction of the ruins here. It’s only midday but the temperatures hit 45 degrees. The heat is dry and debilitating so we head back to the hotel for drink and watch the sun set over the Nile.

April 17th - 18th Cairo & The Pyramids

They say you haven't experienced Cairo until you've experienced the traffic. Arriving at midnight we thought we'd have to wait till the next day to experience the real Egypt..... our taxi driver had other ideas and insisted on some high speed driving maneovures that had other drivers waving their arms in appreciation of his great flair and expertise. At least that's what we think they were doing!

Friday April 17th - Cairo

Many people warned us that Cairo can be difficult to travel through, but we found it's people to be generally jovial and the city to have a great vibe. We instantly fell for its charms. Walking through the city was quite peaceful and a pleasant breeze blowing down the nile, made for a relaxing walk after visiting the amazing Egyptian museum to take in the vast treasure of Tutankamins tomb. But, as darkness descended upon the city so too did a kind of madness and energy that gave us a much better appreciation for the real Cairo and its inhabitants ..... and we loved it. Everybody comes out at dusk, the traffic turns chaotic, vendors aand streeet bazzars spring up on side streets and the entire city awakens. The people are friendly (at least 1 in 4 is not trying to sell us something) and amongst others we meet Mahmoud, the air traffic controller who used to live in New York, Abrahim who works at the Opera House but also has a shop where he sells his sister's paintings and our tour leader, Mostafa, who is also a qualified Egyptologist and enthusiastic lover of Egyptian food.

Saturday April 18th - The Pyramids (Cairo)

The most surprising thing about the Pyramids is that the city is built up right to the foot of the sphinx but just behind it and the pyramids is the start of the desert. So depending on which way you are facing when you look at the pyramids you can feel like you're in a scene from an old Charlton Heston film or in a Bollywood backlot. The pyramids themselves are huge (the tallest buildings in the world until the 1850's) and awe-inspiring considering they have been standing for almost 5000 years. They estimate that the largest pyramid weighs more than 6m tonnes! It's wonderful to be here and we have to pinch ourselves every now and again to think we are standing in front of the last standing wonders of the ancient world.

April 16th - Reporting in from London

After a bit of technical difficulty we're back online again! (Please pass on the new URL)! We're now in London staying with our good friends Grant and Maria. We've had a great time here (back in civilization) and we're now getting ready for our 3 week trip to Egypt and Jordan (we leave tonight). We got in on Tuesday and that night Sav and Maria went to see a show Wizard whilst Grant took me to see the UEFA Champions league quarter-final (after a few warm up pints) between Chelsea and Liverpool wich ended in a spectacular 4-4 draw! Unbelievable atmosphere ...... Superb!
Below is an update on what we've been up to in Africa... we hope you enjoy and write to us if you get the chance!

April 7th -12th, Kenya

Tuesday April 7th – Diani

It's official. We are over Africa. The 3 days of hell travelling has pushed Sav over the edge and there’s a lot of discussion about getting out of Africa quicksmart! But one look at the beaches and a swim in the clear, warm waters of the Indian ocean calm us down and we come round to deciding to finish our time in Africa with some serious R&R on the beach. Our decision is reinforced by a superb dinner on the beach at a great restaurant for not very much.

Wednesday April 8th-Saturday April 11th: Diani
Beer and pizza while watching the cricket on the TV, you’d swear we were back home except I’m sitting under the thatched roof of a beachside cafe beside the Indian ocean. We had another relaxing breakfast and swim (Rich managed to step on the spikes of a sea erchant – no major damage) before we headed up to Mombasa to buy our tickets for the overnight train back to Nairobi on Sunday. Mombasa is busy, decrepit, and very hot. We stay for a bit of souvenir shopping in the old town before heading back to the beach.
The beaches here are beautiful... we spend a lot of time enjoying the sun. One of the highlights is a trip to Charlie Island with the owners of the hotel that we are staying at and their friends. They take us out on their 45 foot motor launch to a private island and we enjoy a lunch on the beach with lots of wine! A little bit of decadence is good for the soul! :)

Sunday April 12th - Monday April 13th: Mombasa to Nairobi

The overnight train from Mombasa to Nairobi is a bit of an adventure and a novelty. The train is pretty old and decripid and our first class cabin entitles us to a "silver service" dinner in the dining carriage. The dining carriage is a classic and we have a 3 course meal of soup, beef (probably goat) and pudding. We wash it down with some white wine which turns out to be local kenyan papayan wine (best served very cold with a beer chaser). The novelty soons wears off as our cabin is really hot and neither of us sleep very much. We arrive in Nairobi on Easter Monday only an hour late (quite a pleasant surprise) but find most things closed due to the public holiday so after a long lunch we head to the airport to wait for our overnight flight to London.