245am is really a time for sleeping I've decided. Unfortunately this was not to be today, but we were headed for Abu Simbel which was about the only place I was willing to get up for at that time of morning. We were up and packed and on the bus by 330am and were given our little breakfast boxes to eat later on the bus. We then made our way to the area where our convoy of buses met to all make our way to Abu Simbel which is a 3 hour bus trip there, and then 3 hours back to Aswan. So, we dozed for a while on the bus until we pulled up at Abu Simbel just after 7am. It had to be about 35 degrees already and we sat down in front of ... read more

James back again... Well, after the delicious roast chicken with spaghetti bolognaise etc. (That's what you call fusion cooking...?!), we left for the train ride to Aswan. Before we even got out of the street our hotel was on, our bus was blocked in by a car that had been left in the middle of the road, contents: a couple of unsupervised kids. Our bus driver, not wanting to make us late for the train, decided to get in the car and relocate it for the owner, with the kids still sutting in the back seat...., just as the driver returned from their "quick stop in". At the time our fearless leader Ahmed had been giving our briefing for the day/night ahead. Not one for time wasting he did what any self respecting tour leader does ... read more

Finally, the Giza Pyramids!! We were up at a reasonable time today and made our way to the Great Pyramids before it got too hot (38 degrees is nothing). Okay, I apologise now for the history blurb that is about to follow, but I love this stuff and have to get it all out. Feel free to skip along ahead if you get bored! Sal gave us the rundown in the airconditioned bus on the Great Pyramids built over 4000 years ago by Cheops, Chepphren and I forget the other dude's name (memory is going already). Each of them were built with granite from the quarry on the other side of the Nile - meaning they had to transport each block of no less than 2.2 tonnes each across the river every time. It took 20 ... read more

Hi, James again. Well the trip from Rome to Cairo started well........ Our shuttle bus that we organised yesterday didn't turn up. After a phone inquiry (With only 30 minutes to go before checkin) we discovered that the driver may have slept in, and that we should take a taxi which would cost about the same anyway.....?! After running to the train station (Back packs and all), we took the express train to the airport, checking in slightly late, but making it in the end. After an uneventful flight via athens, we arrived in sunny Cairo in one piece. The drive to the hotel was something else however! Me not having read much about egyption way of life, I was somewhat unprepared for what we encountered. Cairo is big, very big. With a population of amost ... read more

Its James again, taking up the story in Florence (or as they say here Firenze). We arrived after yet another train ride. Unfortunately I must have insulted the lady at the reservations office in Venice after guffawed at the 15 euro ($30 AUD) reservation fee per person, resulting in Tania and I being separated on the train. Mental note to self, must hide such feelings! Any ways, we arrived at the train staion of Figline (Pronounced fill-inye), where our shuttle bus (looking like a corny Thomas the Tank-engine ride) picked us up and took us the the Girasole Plus camping Village, which is located in the Tuscan Country side only half an hour out of the Florence City. Very nice accomodation, with every amenity and facility you could possibly need, including restaurants, bars, swimming pools, a ... read more

Well its about time that I (James) shared some of the blogging workload, however, please note that my editing skills are not quite as refined as Tania's. After the thrilling hights of skydiving the day before, we decided a quiet walk into the swiss alps was in order. We took a train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen, then a bus to a small town (Cant remember the name), where we jumped on a cable car to the scenic (and very high up) town of Gimmelwald. Not so good for those with a fear of hights, or a fear of cable cars. The scenery was incredible, with views of snow capped mountains, sheer cliff faces, and green meadows. Nestled within the area was the village, with houses probably unchanged for a few hundred years, and an atmosphere as ... read more