Day 72: Sunday, February 7th, 2010 Paihia, New Zealand to Waitomo, New Zealand. Per the Contiki brochure: "We head south, stopping in Auckland for lunch before traveling through the lush Waikato farming region to Waitomo, home of magical limestone formations and sparkling Glow-worms. Tonight there's the chance to meet the local characters." So, I'm now writing this blog on 2/22/10- needless to say, I have forgotten much. I do remember that we left Paihia and stopped in Auckland again. Here, we dumped off the "olbies" (their tour was up) and picked up some "newbie newbies". We then headed down to Waitomo and we got into the hotel (Kiwi Paka Waitomo) at the same time that the Black Water R... read more

Day 70: Friday, February 5th, 2010 Auckland, New Zealand to Paihia, New Zealand. Per the Contiki Brochure: "Today will be the day awesome scenery, great fun and extreme adventure take on new meanings! Meet your Contiki crew and view the beauty of Auckland's famous harbor as we cross the Auckland Harbor Bridge. Heading towards the subtropical region of Northland, we'll explore Parry Kauri Park before checking into our Resort in Paihia. In the evening get to know your fellow travelers during dinner." I'm to meet up with the Contiki group at the Mercure Hotel today. The brochure says we depart at Noon so I'm assuming I need to get there before Noon to fill out forms and what not. I'm all twitchy and ready to get going so I leave my hotel at 10:30am and start ... read more

Day 65 & 66: Saturday, January 30, 2010 thru Monday, February 1st, 2010 (Lose 1/31 due to time/date change) Cairo, Egypt to Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Melbourne, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand. Remember on the previous blog that I ended with "I cannot wait to get the hell out"? Yeah, that's called tempting Fate, boys and girls. I wake up at 8am to the sound of someone trying to open my hotel room door. I groggily call out "Hello?" and get the reply "oh, you're still in there." So, guess housekeeping was ready for Contiki to get the hell out. I hop in the shower and pack and I'm updating my blog when they try again. I, not so patiently, yell out "Yes, I'm still here, I'm not leaving until Noon!" So, at Noon, I ... read more

Day 63: Thursday, January 28, 2010. Luxor, Egypt to Cairo, Egypt. Per the Contiki Egypt brochure: "A visit to the Valley of the Kings- the place where King Tutankhamun was buried, before we make our way to the magnificent temple of Karnak. In the afternoon, see the Colossos of Memnon and why not join us for a visit to a traditional Egyptian village? Later, we board our overnight train to Cairo." We hit the road around 7 am (I think, can't remember and it was only this morning!) and head towards the Valley of the Kings. On the way we stop and take pictures of the Colossis of Memnon and there were some hot air balloons drifting around at that point- very cool. We head into the Valley and Sherif tells us that people would sneak ... read more

Day 61: Tuesday, January 26, 2010. Aswan, Egypt to Edfu, Egyp via Nile cruise. Per the Contiki Egypt brochure: "This morning, why not join our fantastic excursion to Abu Simbel- the most complete example of ancient Egyptian architecture. Built by Pharaoh Ramses II more than 3,000 years ago, the temples were moved over a period of years to their new site safely above the waters of Lake Nasser. After lunch, we cruise to Kom Ombo to view this unique temple, shared by two Gods. We reach Edfu, where we spend the night on-board." Per my stomach: You really ate/drank something you shouldn't have. I must have picked up the travel bug (though I've been following the rules for eating/drinking in Egypt). There are a couple of others that are not doing so hot so it's nice ... read more