Backpacking: Egypt

19: UK to Cairo – Leave Heathrow at 6.20am (after staying up the night in the airport) and arrive in Cairo that afternoon. Join Topdeck Tour that afternoon.
20: Cairo to Luxor – Egyptian Museum, Giza and Pyramids, night train to Luxor
21: Luxor – Valley of the Kings. Ramesseum Temple, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, light show at Karnak.
22: Luxor to Aswan – Temple of Karnak, Temple of Luxor, Aswan
23: Aswan – Abu Simbel and Temple of Hathor, felucca ride at Elephantine and Kitchener Islands, swim in and drink the Nile, Nubian village, bazaars
24: Aswan to Cairo – Temple of Isis and High Dam, night train to Cairo
25: Cairo – Saqqara, Coptic churches, Khan el Khallili market, dinner cruise on the Nile.
26: Egypt to Amsterdam – Tour ends in morning, taxi ride to airport, leave Cairo in afternoon to arrive in Amsterdam that evening.

Though a bit nervous at first about going to such a culturally different country, I eventually loved Egypt. Our guides, Rafik and Ahmed, were both very welcoming and insightful, fantastic guides for their country and culture. Our tour was small, only 15 people that were mostly Taiwanese or Aussies, but became very familial very quickly. The Egyptians were also very friendly and welcoming, though some uncomfortably eager to sell their goods in the markets (though I recognize that it was their right and livelihood to do so). As a woman that did not easily blend in, I received my fair share of uncomfortable compliments, such as being compared to a glass of milk and offered up in exchange for some camels. As for the landscape, culture, and history, I was more and more entranced the further south we went into Egypt. The pyramids in Giza I found rather underwhelming in comparison to the temples in Luxor with their impressive structures, hieroglyphs, and history. I loved the prayers being called from the mosques, the food, and the language. All in all, Egypt was fantastic all around.

(photos: Cairo from our hotel; Egyptian Museum; me infront of the Great Pyramid (look closely at its bottom-left corner... I'm in a black shirt); me infront of the Second Pyramid; and the pyramids of Giza with Cairo in the background)






(photos: me at the Sphinx; morning from our night train near Luxor; sign at the entrance to the Valley of the Kings; Valley of the Kings; and our group at the Valley of the Kings)






(photos: Temple of Hatshepsut; hieroglyphs at the Temple of Hatshepsut (still in original colors, have not been altered); Karnak Temple (my favorite!) with the row of ram-head sphinxes; columned room at Karnak, originally only for priests, high priest, and pharoh; and what columned room originally looked like, with much of original color still visible (though not in these posted photos of Karnak))






(photos: Temple of Luxor; Sunrise over the Sahara on the way to Abu Simbel; Lake Nasser from Abu Simbel, only about 25 km from the Sudan; Trace and me at the Temple of Hathor at Abu Simbel; and me at the Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel.)






(photos: On the felucca, with our guide Rafik on the right; feluccas on the Nile; drinking the Nile; at Philae Temple; and more feluccas and the Nile as seen from our Hotel in Aswan)






(photos: Giza Pyramids as seen from city; Khan el Khallili bazzar; and Tristen, Rafik, Matt, Ahmed, and Fiona on our Nile dinner cruise our last night.)

Backpacking: Ireland

As the first entry in a series about my backpacking trip, firstly, I appologize for not having done this sooner! It's been a crazy six weeks (or so) since I've been back and I just now have a day off with enough free time to get this done. Hopefully updates throughout the summer won't be as sporadic. Also, if you'd like any more detail, let me know! I'm putting just bits on here since I figure most people just want to see the pictures. I'll have a basic explanation of what I did and when with a few thoughts on that particular part, but most will be photos.


Mar 12: UK to Ireland - Trace, Steph, & Anna leave London Stanstead for Dublin, arriving early afternoon. Find hostel, wander around, visit pub with live music.
13: Dublin to Kilkenny - Leave on Shamrocker tour 08.15am; Glendalough, Kildare, Rock of Dunamase, Kilkenny
14: Kilkenny to Killarney – Rock of Cashel, Blarney Stone, Cork, Killarney
15: Killarney to Doolin - fishing villages, Dingle Peninsula (beach picnic, hikey hikey to the “End of the Earth”), Doolin (dinner and music at teeny town)
16: Doolin to Galway – Doolin, Cliffs of Moher, Burren landscape, Pol na Brone Dolmen tomb, Galway
17: Galway - St. Patrick’s Day in Galway (parade, pubs, food)
18: Galway to Dublin to UK - Clonmacnoise, Whiskey distillery, Hill of Tara; return to Dublin in evening, but fly out to London later after wandering and watching rugby finals.

I found Ireland to be just as enchanting as everyone says it is. I had high expectations after hearing stories from friends that had visited, and was honestly a bit confused about all of the hype at first. However, I realized that the charm of Ireland was its unassuming charm and beauty, in its landscape, people, and culture. We passed through mountains and valleys, though some of the most breathtaking scenery was in the Dingle Peninsula. There, sheep roamed along the cliffs and rambling stone walls with the ocean crashing a hundred feet below. Our day on the Dingle was warm, sunny, and overall fantastic. We made lots of friends on our tour, which was mostly Americans and Aussies, with a few Canadians, South Africans, and Brits. Our guide, Jerome, was fun, knowledgeable, and passionate about his country’s history and landscape, though he did introduce us to the genius song “Where’s Me Jumper” by the Sultans of Ping FC. I was very impressed by the country and its extremely friendly people. I did feel like I didn’t see anywhere near enough of Ireland, though I plan on returning (as became the pattern for many of the places on this backpacking tour…).

(photos: Anna and Trace in Dublin; The Liffey at night; my first Irish Guiness; Glendalough; typical Irish food (and one of many food photos from the trip...); daily putting-on-the-backpack dance; me in Kikenny; typical Irish landscape from the Rock of Cashel; the Rock of Cashel (an old abandonned Cathedral); and a Celtic cross)












(photos: Me at Blarney Castle; kissing the Blarney Stone; group photo; Dingle view 1; Dingle view 2; Dingle coastline near our picnic spot; fun sign with an interesting amount for a fine; Anna and I at the Cliffs of Moher; the Burren (unique limestone ecosystem); Galway; group photo on St. Patty's; and a marching band, Irish style in the St. Patty's Day parade)

Guttentag! Brief Update (from Germany)

So since I for once have some extra surfing time, here's a bit of an update from Cochem, Germany...


Ireland: Sooooo much fun! Got my fill of traditional and pub music (as well as Guiness), Dingle Penninsula is beautiful, lots of great historz, and the song 'Where's me Jumper' by the Sultans of Ping is both a wonderful and terrible thing. Cows and Sheep are still great.

Egypt: Hot and amazing. Learned lots about history, etc. and have actually been to the Sahara and also been within 25km of Sudan. I now have quite a colelction of Arabic pick-up lines.

Benelux: Amsterdam = classy and only the Red Light District is trashy. Netherlands = windy. Belgium has great chocolate and the Nethlnds has great cheese. Luxembourg is so cool and we now are fans of the Grand Duke and his royal family. Germany has lots of promise! More later!