Enroute to Zagreb we find ourselves in the business-class lounge in Vienna airport waiting for our flight to Zagreb and I could not pass the opportunity to use the free access to the internet even though I have nothing really special to say. Hit by an immediate culture shock of getting something without having to pay backsheesh and a fleeting hesitation to help myself to the free champagne, it finally sinks in that I am Out of Africa. Despite the Red Crescent donation boxes (the Muslim version of the Red Cross) prominently displayed in the Egyptian airports we managed to leave [View Full Entry]

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The Red Sea diving has certainly been relaxing. Our Dive Leader, Hazem speaks 5 languages fluently including English, Russian, German and Italian. This requires familiarity with 3 different alphabets, with his native Arabic being written from roght to left! Hazem takes underwater pictures as a side line. All the pictures here he took during our dives with him. This is our last day in Egypt and we have thoroughly enjoyed the last four weeks which seem to have flown by. A trip to Egypt is a must for any serious traveller with a "bucket" list: a list of things to see [View Full Entry]

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Many thanks for the birthday greetings. K couldn't miss up on one more day of scuba diving but I decided it was time for a day off. I spent it very pleasantly under a shady umbrella beside one of the hotel's pools reading and writing. About 5 p.m. a small birthday cake was delivered to the room. We will sample it after dinner at our favourite spot in the hotel complex - an Italian Restaurant that overlooks the Red Sea. For some strange reason, it doesn't get very busy. I don't know why not as the food is lovely and the [View Full Entry]

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The main attraction along the southern tip of Sinai is scuba diving and we have been renewing our PADI certifications. Today we joined a group going to Ras Mohammed Park, considered to be the jewel in the crown of Red Sea dive locations. The drift dive from Shark Reef to Yolanda Reef is considered to be one of the top three dives in the world. There was certainly plenty to see in the clear turquoise waters; huge fan corals and all manner of brightly coloured fish and plant life including a large Moray Eel hidden in the reef and a blue [View Full Entry]

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You may have noticed a lack of pictures in this and the last 2 postings. As happens, a young over-enthusiastic helper at the internet cafe we used last, reformatted our memory card deleting all our pictures taken to date! As you can imagine, with our time in Egypt coming to a close, this was quite a blow. K had taken many pictures of amazing tombs, temples, and general life in Egypt to jog our memories. K was so traumatised, he had to have a beach-front massage to recover his equanimity and his attention is being distracted by topless European beauties. On [View Full Entry]

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We broke camp (left our monastery guestroom) at 0230 hrs for our attempt on Mount Sinai and joined a parade of torch-wielding pilgrims. Skillfully managing not to walk into any of the camels sitting silently chewing the cud while thier Bedouin masters tried to drum up customers, we gave a wide berth to those already along the camel trail and reached camp one (a teahouse 20 minutes up the trail). There was no moon as we pressed on in the dark for another 2 hours passing another dozen tea houses and camel stands. Wanting to be sure we had enough stamina [View Full Entry]

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The guide book tells that "the monastery has been visited by pilgrims from around the world, many of whom brave extraordinarily difficult and dangerous journeys to reach this remote and isolated site." They must have had the same taxi driver in his overpriced taxi with no air conditioning. We survived a nerve-wracking, bone-rattling high speed chase through barren landscape avoiding hobbled camels shuffling across the road and passing through numerous police check points. We were relieved to arrive safe and sound. Sadly the monastery closed to visitors 40 minutes before we arrived and doesn [View Full Entry]

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No trip to Egypt would be complete without sailing a felucca on the Nile so it is only fitting that our last day in Luxor we relaxed aboard Emmeke Dream for a sail upstream to Banana Island. Going upstream the feluccas hug the shallow marshes where water buffalo (Egypt's cows) graze neck deep in water. This is also a good place to spot birds and I wished I had binoculars with me. Coming back downstream with a bunch of very tasty bananas the sailboats move midstream where swifter current speeds their passage. Many larger boats also cruise the Nile where a [View Full Entry]

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One can't help but be impressed by the enormity of the temples at Karnak. Our first visit with a guide from the cruise boat took over an hour but felt rushed. Armed with a little inside knowledge, we decided to head back for another look. Away from the main tourist crush we wandered through the outdoor museum and marvelled at the White Chapel of Senusset (1965 BC), the Red Chapel of Hatshepsut and the Alabaster Chapel of Amenhotep. There are also several statues of Sekhmet, the goddess wife of Ptah. But the real treasure was hidden away in a dark corner [View Full Entry]

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Deir Al Medina (monastery of the town) was the temple so named because it was occupied by early Coptic christian monks. Although small, it does have an excellent scene of the final judgement. The deceased is pictured extolling his virtues to the Egyptian gods who sit in judgement, and his heart is being weighed on a scale against the feather of justice. Anubis, the jackal-headed god of mummification stands awaiting the decision. If the heart is heavier, it will be consumed by Amit (a creature that is part lion, part crocodile and part pig who will eat all the evil) and [View Full Entry]

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