http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Odysseus/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Odysseus en-us Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:23:08 UTC Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:23:08 UTC Scotland was a nice change the people are very relaxed and laid back. I would once identify similarity to Australians except over the past few years the general population of Sydney have become so loud and sometimes aggressive that I think the Scottish are probably more down to earth Now Scotland I had been to before and seen a lot so it was a re cap for me so I acted as the tour guide again. E http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/United-Kingdom/blog-328826.html After reading up on what islands had what to offer and where they were located the best and most interesting plan led to Santorini Also known as Thira one of the more southern most islands towards Crete The camper was to be left on Santorini Packing up the night before and leaving the van at old port meant we slept the night there and woke up the next morning with enough time to walk around 2mi http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/South-Aegean/Santorini/blog-328823.html After working Most of the coast south coast we decided we had better speed up and visit the islands. So planning a route with a few stops on the east coast of the Peleponnese with the finally destination being the Capital Athens. I wonrsquot go deep into details about the other attractions of this journey so as not to bore. So just one I will mention Dira Caves. These were amazing I don't thi http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/South-Aegean/Mykonos/blog-328820.html With a little difficulty in communication I finally manage to purchase ourselves and the camper van tickets for the last ferry of the day. A quick shop for food and wersquore on our way boarding just in time The trip is long and hot sleeping in the van is near impossible due to the heat and noise of the engines so armed with a pillow and sheet I enter the communal areas of the ferry in searc http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Greece/Pelopennese/blog-328816.html Hello againIt is almost 2 years since I have visited this site I am sure the same applies to most of you. Hello to any new friends and welcome back to everyone else.So here I am browsing over my previous journal I find myself a little surprised how many little adventures I have forgotten. It is now that many of my memories come flooding back. Pondering now more seriously over what lays ahead of http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-324113.html Feb 18thToday I went to Star Bucks to use the wireless internet but they were charging a fortune so canned that idea and since it was Sunday and Chinese New Yearrsquos Day as well I walked the streets to check out the market stalls. Feb 19thToday I booked into a tour of Dui Inthanon a region north of Chiang Mai where the highest mountain in Thailand is found The trip was pretty simple we visi http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Mai/blog-132082.html Wakeup was 5am as planned a quick shower and hurriedly dressed to catch two trains to Tokyo station before 730am and then on the bullet train shinkansen for an hour ride to Narita airport to check into my flight to Bangkok Thailand. Check in was the best ever I didnrsquot even wait for more than a few minutes. I did have about an hour wait at the boarding deck so I called home to use up th http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/Central/Bangkok/blog-130677.html I got off to an early start Boss man had looked up the train time tables and it appeared I was to depart on the 756am train. After being dropped off at 20 to 8am I found I couldnrsquot exchange my JR voucher for my JR pass so I had to pay for my ticket to Hakodate.. then when I went to head to the platform I was informed that the next train was due in an hour and a halfhellip Boss man had m http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Kyoto/blog-127789.html Well it seems like it is about time I update my blog. Since my last update all I have been doing is snowboarding and going out to the local clubspubs at night. The lifestyle here is very laid back and social. Snowboarding as a sport seems to be very easy to pick up and there are few better places to learn than Niseko Japan where the powder comes on thick and strong. The first day I arrived saw http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/blog-125246.html The accommodation in Hakodate was great the service was very good also and the amenities were brand new and clean as a whistle. I awoke in the middle of the night as the heater was on too hot only to find it was snowing and raining at the same time. The rain was melting the snow which was disappointing but still great to see snow none the less. After I showered the hostess was kind enough to give http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Hokkaido/Sapporo/blog-117291.html I made a late start to my journey to Sapporo and by doing this found that I had run out of time and couldnrsquot make it the whole way. I stopped off at Sendai for a few pictures then caught the next Shincansen train to Morioka I had a quick look around the main town then headed off to Aomori. I didnrsquot feel like hanging around there so hopping off the train was a bad idea. I caught the v http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Iwate/Morioka/blog-117288.html Today I visited the Imperial Palace east gardens it was raining but only lightly and still the place seemed very beautiful. Possibly having the rain was a blessing as far less people were around and it gave a really peaceful feel to the place. After walking the gardens I headed back into town for a meal then went back to the hostel to get my things as I had a plan I wanted to spend the night in http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Tokyo/blog-117285.html I slept in today as the jetlag seemed to be effecting me a lot last night and that resulted in badly disturbed sleep patterns. After finally waking up I decided to visit some other districts of Tokyo. I visited Akasaka Ueno Ginza Shinjuku and Roppongi. I visited the electronics stores in Shinjuku and also went to the 52nd floor of Mori Tower for a 360degrees view of Tokyo then visited the art http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Tokyo/Shinjuku/blog-117280.html A new day in a new country Tokyo Asakusa and some exploring for me to do. I headed to the temple Sensoji armed with my camera let off a few shots. The place was pretty busy being last day of New Year holidays as people went in to prey and light incense. Many markets were to be found and I bought some cookies from one of the more famous stalls there. After finishing a walking tour of Asakusa http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Japan/Chiba/Narita/blog-117270.html An early wakeup of 4am followed by another crazed cab ride through Cairo. Then I had to check for my lost sleeping bag. I spent a while speaking with a French girl whorsquos English was not crash hot only to find that the bag was not in Cairo and in fact in Paris. I then boarded the plane and flew to Paris where I went and spoke to the British air staff. After about an hour of walking around fro http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-117267.html Dahab.... as mentioned before an Egyptian paradise with a teaspoon of commercialism the place is laid back and beach styled with bungalows and clubspubs lining the foreshore a perfect place to finish up my tour of Egypt This morning I slept in even though last night was not a big one. A few friends and myself went to the most famous club in Dahab from the front it looks just like a boat I fo http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Egypt/Sinai/Dahab/blog-114495.html Wedesnday 27th. Caught the over night train from Luxor to Cairo via first class seats again. Upon arriving back at Cairo I checked into the hotel and then went out on the town again for dinner. The following day was mainly used up in transit where I went by coach under the sewers canal through to Sinai. The scenery was amazing with hillsmountains sort of rolled over many times through the many ye http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Egypt/Sinai/Dahab/blog-114254.html Today was one of the hardest times for me to get out of bed I didnrsquot sleep for more than half an hour at a time but knowing this day was going to be one of the most interesting parts of my stay in Egypt I had to drag myself out of bed and get going. Today was the day for me to have a hot air balloon ride over Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. After waking up around 530am we finally arrive http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Egypt/Upper-Egypt/Luxor/blog-114253.html Today is not a good day for mehellip I didnrsquot mention that over the past few days I had some gastro bug. However since this is very common for foreigners from western countries to catch I didnrsquot bother mentioning especially the fact that it did not stop me from enjoying the 5 star food aboard the ship or going out to visit the sites however it must have resulted in me becoming quit http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Egypt/Upper-Egypt/Luxor/blog-114252.html Cruising down the Nile is a magical experience we moored at Edfu received a wake up call at 7ish and ducked down for a buffet breakfast. After breakfast we headed ashore to visit the well preserved Temple of Horus considered one of the finest examples of temple construction Later on that night we enjoyed a fancydress party with of course a Egyptian theme. By the end of the night we arrived at http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Egypt/Upper-Egypt/Aswan/blog-114251.html