We set off at 6:30 for the drive to Gansbaai, a port town further along the coast. It was an hour or so’s drive from Hermanus. On arrival, we were really efficiently checked in by Amy, a Marine Biologist, and joined by 28 other folk for our briefing for the cage dive. It was at … Continue reading The Great White Elephant
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Hurghada and the Red Sea
We checked into the Marriot Beach resort in Hurghada, which we’d hoped would be a rather nice interlude between the hectic dusty, harassed and gastric tour of tombs and pharaohs. It turned out to be in the middle of a dusty derelict area on the skirts of Hurghada and not an ideal place for the … Continue reading Hurghada and the Red Sea
Luxor
The following morning, Shona and I went for a run along the Aswan river side, which was a pretty unpleasant experience - not just the grime, fumes and traffic but for Shona, the stares and [Arabic] comments from the groups of men and teenage boys. We’re both acutely aware that this isn’t our culture, and … Continue reading Luxor
Abu Simbel
We were up early again today, this time for a long drive to Abu Simbel. We had tried to get flights from Aswan but there was no availability so we checked out of our hotel at 5am and travelled by bus to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Abu Simbel. After leaving Aswan, and passing … Continue reading Abu Simbel
Smelly planes and hot runs
The next morning, it was a particularly evil 3am start to get up for a flight to Aswan. A decent airport cafe coffee didn’t do much to improve the flight experience; an interminable security queue (they have lots of security here), followed by a very busy, very smelly flight. Fortunately, the other side was much … Continue reading Smelly planes and hot runs
A land of Gods and Pharaohs
On Friday at terrible o’clock AM, we headed to the airport to start our trip to Africa. We’re off to spend the next two weeks exploring around the ancient world of Egypt. Nestled between a war-torn Sudan, a live war zone in Gaza, and the unstable and dangerous Libya, Egypt strikes an Oasis of relative … Continue reading A land of Gods and Pharaohs
The Last Post
As our odyssey comes to an end, and we return to our Ithaca, it’s time for a wrap-up post. It was with genuine sadness that we left Fiji. Driving towards the airport, the roads glistened from recent rainfall and the sea was calmed with the wind dropping to a whisper. Winding our way along the … Continue reading The Last Post
Australia (country 7) – Week One
Melbourne Our flight to Melbourne was with Philippine airlines, who were okay. Without anyone behind me, I had the luxury of full-tilt on my reclining seat, and for once avoided anyone smashing my knees from infront. We managed to get a couple of hours kip (and I snuck in a film, John Wick 3; perfect … Continue reading Australia (country 7) – Week One
Philippines week 2 – The Islands (Part 2)
Puerto Princesa, Palawan We were picked up at 7am. The driver had to stop by a pharmacist to pick up some medicine for his wee daughter who had not been well overnight with a fever. We dropped the medicine off at his house, which was a sobering sight. Behind the main town of Puerto Princesa, … Continue reading Philippines week 2 – The Islands (Part 2)
Philippines week 2 – The Islands (Part 1)
We spent one further night on Infiniti, as it sailed overnight to dock back in Cebu harbour at Mactan island. Along with our Swiss compatriot Tobi, we caught a ferry from the island to Cebu City harbour, where we went through a convoluted ticketing process, involving passports, ticket purchase, stamping, check-in, bag-drop and finally boarding, … Continue reading Philippines week 2 – The Islands (Part 1)
Travels with Sklaroffs 