Blogs from Egypt, Africa

We practically sprang out of bed at the crack of dawn, filled with the joy of leaving Cairo. The driver was only 5 minutes late and I was already gripped with panic that we wouldn’t be going. But all was well and we were on our way, through the miles and miles of non-descript apartments, slowly replaced by apparent attempts to create a ‘new’ area on the outskirts of the city with water parks and resorts. And then the flat nothingness. After about 4 forgettable hours, we arrived in Bawiti, a town in Bahariya oasis, with, honestly not much to note about it. We were fed a hearty lunch, bade a fond farewell to bathrooms and were on our way into the Black Desert. Our guide attempted to get us to climb a big hill to ... read more

So, despite the lovely view and the potential of fireworks (of which our neighbours were proving plenty), we didn’t quite manage midnight…but set an alarm for 5 mins before. The hotels and houses in front let off a few…not the Opera House but not too shabby. We decided on a lazy morning to give Beeb some more recovery time, and then headed in to Khan El Kahlili for some lunch. Another delicious serving of juices and some tasty chocolate filled things gave us some energy for perfume buying and general wandering. But there’s only so many conversations one can have about ‘best price’ before it becomes overwhelming, so we jumped in an Uber and headed to the Egyptian Museum. It’s in a state of flux as the new museum in Giza is “opening” but no one ... read more

Actually not really, but places where dead people had been…and if you’re Eloise, that’s basically as bad as lying in the sarcophagus with them. A grumbling early start as we scoffed breakfast and headed for our adventures on the West Bank. Not too long of a trip and we were at Medinet Habu, a temple for Ramses III. It was all about him really, what a strong warrior he was and how he killed lots of enemies. And the usual chumminess with the gods. He understood the importance of really making his mark, so he made the carvings very deep so they could never be removed or worn away. Some beautiful colours, not many other people and guards who were keen to earn a bit of coin on the side meant we were shown all the ... read more

Yes, for all you pedants out there, I know Montezuma is Mexican but the reference is related to the very authentic curry stir fry noodles in the Mexican buffet which did not agree with me AT ALL and rendered me horizontal for the entire day. So for everyone else, it was a lazy start to the day including breakfast and lunch before pick up for a “desert experience”. Not particularly authentic I’m told and a bit naff all round but they did get a camel ride and enjoyed the show. But I’m assured that my Mexican dalliance didn’t cost me too much in experience even if it did in body weight. Another long day back to Luxor via the same route we came. We were pleased to be leaving the resort but glad we’d made the ... read more

What does everyone want in their Christmas stocking?! An early morning wake up and the chance to spend the day with chain-smoking half naked Russians! If your answer is yes, then you’re in the right place! Santa’s exceptional navigational abilities enabled him to find us here and his delivery partially offset the offence caused by the early start. Breakfast, pick up, some grumpy Russians and before too long we were on the boat with more. Luckily they had endless ciggies to suck down. But all was not too bad as we headed seawards into the waves towards Samadai reef, or dolphin house, hoping they had not been in touch with their lazier cousins of yesterday. A bit of rocking and rolling, some ciggies and more than our fair share of man boob and we were there. ... read more