Blogs from Africa - page 3361

We got another early wake up call. This time it was 5am. We crossed The Nile, and got fitted to our donkey's on the other side. The took us to The Valley of the Kings. The donkey ride was by far the best thing I have done whilst being in Egypt. I couldn't get the smile off my face. The Valley of the Kings was really big. Quite hard to walk around I found, as by 9.30am, it was so hot that we had all consumed a large amount of water each. We climbed up the side of a mountain to get a nice view, and met the donkey's at the top. After walking our donkey's along the top of the mountain for a while, we got a nice view of Queen Hatseheptsut's Temple. I wanted ... read more

We took a day trip to Alexandria. It was really nice up there. The drive up there was pretty enjoyable too. Anyways, in Alexandria we went along the Cormche and then looked at a palace called El-Muntaza. We also took a look at an aquarium and Fort Wait Bay, which was being reconstructed with some of its original pieces. We then drove along past the huge Alexandria Library, and made our way to the Catacombs at Kom El-Shogafa. For dinner, we had Pizza Hut. I was so happy to be eating something familiar to me. I love Pizza so much, so I was one happy person. But I do admit I need to steer clear of the junk food, and try something local. We went for a walk along the Nile as the sun was setting ... read more

It was only a few hours flight from Dubai, to Egypt. The airport wasnt so great. When we were landing I saw a lot of rubbish just beside the runways, and people just all over the place. When we got to the terminal, I was kinda shocked to see an airport of this standard.... I guess it was my first taste of the good old culture shock. The airport pretty much looked like an old bathroom that had never been cleaned before. When we were going through passport control, I was a little confused. It seemed some of the richer local men found it okay to cut in front of like 30 people at a time. I was so pissed, but hey, I wasnt in Melbourne anymore. Anyways, David and I found our bags easily, but ... read more

Egypt and Israel December 27, 2000 - January 8, 2001 Wed/Thu 12/27-28/00 Egypt is a country that has created a present as fascinating as its past, so when we had an opportunity to visit friends who were living in Cairo, Brian, Bill, and I eagerly planned a trip that would also include visiting relatives who had recently moved to Israel. We flew from Houston to London Gatwick, where we had an eight-hour layover, so we took the tube into London's Piccadilly Circus. A five-hour flight brought us to Cairo around 11 p.m. Our friends had arranged for a “meet and assist,” who whisked us through all administrative red tape & visas, and soon we were out the door and met by Kasey, Bruce, and their driver Mustafa. En route to their home in Maadi, a suburb ... read more

Reluctantly leaving isolation, we ferried, bussed and matatu-ed our way to Bukoba. When we arrived, Mike threw his arms in the air and announced to the waiting crowd, "Yes! Mzungus are here!!" Everybody looked so confused, I fell out laughing. It's a nice small town where the cheapest accommodation rents dorm rooms to men and women separately. They roll up the sidewalks at dusk. We bought our ferry tickets and went to a little restaurant where they kept us captive for 3 hours by lying to us and saying they had food while they slyly snuck out to the market. A few beers later, waiting in line to board the boat, I was shocked to find someone trying to charge me to use the ladies room. "I don't have it. I'll go around back where half ... read more