Seed Girl

25 December 2009 Kathmandu reveals itself well before you arrive. The clouds, undefined, morph suddenly into the frozen peaks of the Himalaya. The humbling effect of mountains will remain unchanged for me. The significant pleasure of feeling small. After a long time between Nepali visits, I'm curious to feel the familiar and observe the change. See what a country I feel is akin to an old friend may feel like with fresh eyes. The pollution, along with the population, is catapulting towards oblivion along with the rest of the world. But the eau de farm animal blended potently with burning plastic, wraps sharply around my nostrils like an old romance. Happily greeted by motorbike, Andres whisked me through the throng to Thamel - tourist enclave and the logical place to start. Not a whisper of anything ... read more

Hands down Petra was THE best ancient city I have EVER seen. It pretty much shat on Macchu Picchu, Ephesus, Pompeii, every Egyptian monument and the underground cities of Cappadocia. It's an incredibly well preserved 2,000 year old mega city in which over 20,000 people once lived. They lived in a city carved out of the same candy striped multicoloured rock we hiked through at Dana NAture Reserve. We loved it, and can't possibly capture it on film or with words. Impossible! But the people we met along the way today, and those that FOLLOWED us along our way, had us in stitches, blushing and yelling. I think being practically the only two single girls under 55 in the whole of Petra didn't help us. Brooke argues that it is actually her Guatemalan heat and the ... read more

I think Brooke and I have completely squeezed the most out of Jordan. I'm back in Cairo exhausted after sleeping approximately 8 hours in the last 3 nights. Too much to see only possible by starting at sunrise every day. Gladly. It's been an incredible destination and more sandy sojurns are definitely on the cards. The open space of the landscape sunsets, late cave nights out with locals and the hospitality of Jordanians has finished this trip beautifully! Brooke and I have also spent the last fours days with the most travelled person I've ever met - a Swiss guy called Michael who shared our desert jeep hire costs and generally added loads of insight. We spent a gorgeous morning of hiking in the Dana Nature Reserve with a very cheery local guy named Mohammed. It's ... read more

A different rythm and pace has settled over the last piece of my journey. No longer part of a group but travelling solo with my buddy Brooke means a fresh perspective. Independence suits both of us! We are similar in the sense of knowing exactly how and what we want to experience. Remote nature, village life, and culture - with some history for good measure. As soon as Brooke met me in Cairo we have set a cracking pace. We've decided we can sleep when we get home :). A revisit to the pyramids and a mooch around the main bazaar set the tone of the first day. Now just over 24 hours in Jordan we have crammed in alot but we feel peaceful and free. We agreed immediately that having a driver was the way ... read more

With only one day to spare for the town of Alexandria both Kate and I agreed, history could take a side step for the all important tour of the taste bud! la Gastronomique Tour da force was the obvious choice. Drawing a long walking loop from the train station along the coastline and back we chose prudently. Of each circled on the map establishment we had to either eat, drink, smoke or inhale something from the menu. Street food was also fare game. Historically significant monuments where purely an additional bonus for the day. Museums where totally off limits - to go there would be to go against everything we where trying to achieve - the quest for the perfect day of food experiences :) Our 6am breakfast start went something like this*......... *WARNING: the following ... read more

Mt Sinai has absolutley scratched my Mountain high itch! After leaving Cairo we endured a very bumpy 7 hour journey East to the Asian part of Egypt - Sinai. An incredibly dry lanscape with high granite peaks flowed past our first glimpse of the azure Red Sea. Named the Red Sea because apparently at night the granite cliffs reflect and turn the sea a reddish colour. So here I am on the coastline of that sea looking across to Saudi Arabia so clearly on the horizon. A tranquil little town called Dahab is to be my home for the next few days. :) But yesterday remains to be told. I was excited about hiking atop the mountain that apparently Moses recieved the 10 commandments - but not at all for that reason. We started late afternoon ... read more

After the past few days felucca bound I feel like an absolute crusty slug! :) Could it be possible to be more rested and fed? Basically the small traditional sailing boat is one gigantic floating bed. A bed for eight people with ample room to starfish. Delicious endless time to read and just fall asleep with no restrictions is ALL we have done. Lying back and listening to the Nile lap the boat is the only thing I have HAD to do. At times as the book chapters merged into one I thought 'I really must turn over to see if the scenery has changed'. Deep breath. More contemplation. Pass me another pillow will you please. Surrender to snooooooze. This has been the pattern of the last three days but now I'm desperate to move. After ... read more

I have been literally floating through a blissful desert space. The ocean of sand is so open it has cleansed my mind completely. After leaving Cairo and the hustle behind we travelled further into a new found chilledness. The Jeep transporting us with miles into a stress free zone. After much sighing and gazing across the vastness, the Black Desert turned to White. A fairy like fantasy beyong my expectations and imaginings. White on white limestone and sand. A merengue and honeycomb space akin to a gigantic pavlova. The wind exhaled my mood. As the sky turned pink and the silence of the space turned to night we set up camp. I helped prepare th Bedouin meal under the cloak of stars - the almost full moon illuminating my mind. Such peacefulness I haven't felt for ... read more

It's not every day you wake up and think 'I'm off to visit the Pyramids today'. But how cool is that? So with much excitement and years of preconception we headed to the the last remaining ancient wonder for a good look around. I have learn't that expectation can get you into all kinds of trouble. And the pyramids at Giza are pretty surreal for want of a bigger superlative. They are massive, they are sand blown, and they are swarming with people. I know it's not de riguer to slag the pyramids but overall I felt a little underwhelmed by the state of affairs on the site. Of course it's curious as to how Egyptians created them. Big questions need to be asked about the passion for the spiritual conviction of the Pharaohs and with ... read more

Talk about hit the sand smiling! After a better than normal flight enduring a chronic nose clearing man seated next to me from Singapore, I was pleasantly greeted by a jovial and rather rotund Wajit. Flying in over the vast desert - a study in beige unfolded below. Quickly I was whisked through to the central city of early sunrise morning and my buzz started to build. My limited Arabic learnt affectionately from my ex-mother in law Elly flooded back. My few words where met with such enthusiam that Wajit insisted on taking me for breakfast - food being one of my favourite cultural endeavours how could I refuse! His 'local' served apparently 'the best' version of felafel, foul (beans) and potato with salad all wrapped in bread. Followed by tea and apple shisha watching the ... read more