Though not as fraught with as many perils and frustrations of most of my trips, the adventure to the Abacos islands of the Bahamas with my Mom's brother et family was not without its adventures. We began in the hills of Georgia's northland where the Cessna 310 waited to pick me up in Cartersville, GA; which is a far easier airport to manage than ATL. Then from the comfort of the copilot's seat Kim, Keith, Eric and I were off to Ft. Pierce, FL to spend the night on the...ummm enchanting..."Treasure Coast". Where we met our beloved hotel madam, Joy [View Full Entry]

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My new Australian 'mates', Peta and Daniel, departed for the Lawrence of Arabia desert early on Monday morning which left me to seek out my own adventures once more, though I really did enjoy their company over the week beginning on the felucca. Departing Petra, Jordan I fell victim to my last Arab scheme, overpaying for the bus because the greedy driver had me and two Asian travelers in a tight spot. I was really pissed off despite the fact that he only charged us $1.10 more...it REALLY is the principle of the matter with these people. Crossing the border [View Full Entry]

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I had toyed with the idea of not returning to Cairo for much of my stay in Egypt and after hearing that Daniel and Peta were heading to Jordan I decided to join them in Jordan. We drove by yet another mini bus to the Egypt/Israeli border along the way we nearly collided with a camel herd and one unfortunate camel nearly bit the dust as he lunged hopelessly out of the way. The camel was severely limited though as his front to legs were tied together to prevent him from running (away from the sheppard) and had we hit [View Full Entry]

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Leaving Luxor with my perpetual Australian traveling partners, Peta and Daniel, the supposedly 6 hour bus ride to Haraguada, on the Red Sea, turned into 7 as the driver stopped for a leisurely coffe/lunch break on two occasions. The city is supposed to be Egypt's answer to Myrtle Beach; a vacation destination for Egyptians. But approaching the city there is a huge collection of condo and hotel developments in various stages of construction that look as if they've been abandoned for years. Apparently construction booms and busts move with the often volatile political situation in Egypt and neig [View Full Entry]

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I was grateful to leave the crowded city streets of Cairo behind as I boarded the train to Aswan, Egypt's southernmost city. I even met a group of Peace Corps volunteers who were on vacation from their assignments in Kenya; the first American's I'd met while in Egypt. It is always comforting to hear someone speak English, even better with an American accent. After settling in at my Aswan hotel I had a tour of nearby Philae Temple, which was built during the time of Cleopatra, just before the Romans took over the territory. The temple had been flooded with the [View Full Entry]

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After a fast paced day of sightseeing with a guide on my first full day in Egypt I was given just enough time to clean up and organize for the trip to the Western Desert and Bahariyya Oaisis. As part of my 'package tour' I was provided with all transfers to and from all ports, bus terminals and train stations which can be one of the most daunting parts of traveling in a foreign country as you're never quite sure where you need to be and often times the agents at the station/port/terminal don't speak English. The bus finally pulled into [View Full Entry]

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Arrived in Cairo last night mentally exhausted after a long day of travel which had me waking up in Budapest, eating lunch in Frankfurt and capping the day off with a stressful arrival in Egypt's capital city. Completely overwhelmed I made it to the hostel I had booked in the downtown area, not far from tourist headquarters, the Egyptian Museum, which houses most of the nation's historical treasures. Finding not a single westerner at my hostel I was very concerned at first...who could blame me really? Here I am, alone in an Islamic country for the first time, without any sense [View Full Entry]

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Round Two Has Begun! Adventures in Pig Latin An unexpected return home to refuel on cash and celebrate Christmas temporarily interrupted the travels but now it's GAME ON. I had initially expected to return to New Zealand and Ms. Katie Guthrie but after looking at expenses I get much more bang for my buck if I avoid westernized locales. This stop in Italy is only temporary and much of this next round will be spent in N. Africa and back in Asia where a dollar is enough to get you a hotel room, massage and three meals a day...ok maybe not [View Full Entry]

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So while ya'll thought I was eating Tim Tams, surfing and lounging on the beach in Raglan, New Zealand I was actually winging my way back to the states to surprise the family for Christmas. Aside from wanting to be home for the holidays (because nobody ought to be alone on Christmas) the money situation was getting tight and I'd heard all kinds of unpleasant stories about working in New Zealand's many orchards. I figured I could come home and work for US Airways for a month and make more money than I could browsing fruit trees for the perfect pick. [View Full Entry]

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New Zealand is a place of dramatic geographical contrasts. From the barren volcanic craters of Lake Taupo's Tongariro Crossing to my present location, Raglan on the Tasman Sea, it is amazing that these two vastly different landscapes are nothing but a few hours drive from each other. In Raglan the rolling hills filled with hundreds of sheep give way to the turquoise water of the sea and the occasional cliff drops off to the long wide black sand beaches that are nearly empty, save for the few brave surfers that ride Raglan's famous waves. It is a small town, even by [View Full Entry]

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