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October 19 Egypt - AfricaEgypt is a great place to visit once. With no coins, the 50 piastre note and 1 egyptian pound notes are so grimy you cant help but draw parallels between that and the actual, mostly filthy environment in Cairo and down the Nile. The paradoxical experience was great though, dodging old hideously polluting cars to buy great quality shoes on the street, riding on disease infested camels to the remarkably ancient pyramids, and experiencing both deep pity and then no remorse as you bravely push pass desperate gift sellers at all the temples and tombs. We travelled with my bro Tim and his wife Clare for their friends wedding. We hung out in a Cairo Hostel, then a floating hotel later in the week as we travelled from Luxor to Aswan down the Nile on a 5 night cruise. Im not going to mention the overnight trains to get there and back to Cairo. Nope not at all. I thoroughly enjoyed my second experience of shishak, the mild apple-tobacco pipe smoke device, and some jaw-dropping moments as I tried to fathom some of the thought and times going into these structures, carvings and symbols that are perhaps some of the oldest on Earth! And in amazingly good condition. I wonder if the cities of today could last 7000 years. And, as Bek and I got a wee bit sick and had been travelling for 6 months non stop, just like that, we had had enough. After egypt we did a U-Turn, cancelled the return journey to Canada, and came home! We may be off again soon, but for now, a little holiday from our holiday. Cant wait to catch up with you all back home! Bek n Shan Dubai - United Arab EmiratesWhat to buy in Dubai? An umbrella to block the eternal sun! During the day, we couldnt be outside for more than 15 minutes before becoming too dehydrated. We walked 200m one morning to the shops at 10am. It was 43 deg celcius. And I couldnt even squint it was so bright. So night time excursions and airconditioned buildings and buses became the environment in which to view this insane city. 80% of population are from overseas, with the majority of the remaining 200,000 nationals living in government paid for land + houses with free utilities and education. Not bad. With smaller land mass than its other Emirate cousins (Abu Dhabi) Dubai is running out of oil, but intelligently running into the tourist business, and building its mega city. You may have seen the unbelievable pictures on email and yes its all here: the artificial indoor snow/ski slope, the palm islands, most luxurious hotels in the world, tallest buildings in the world, and inner city skyscrapers being raised quicker than you can say 'Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum', who happens to be His Highness, the Ruler of Dubai. Our few days were enough to see around town, and around desert as well. Check out the photos of the dusk evening meal in the dunes, including camel rides and 4x4wd through the windy dunes of the 'Fly Emirates Desert Conservation' area (Yes this airline owns the tour company and the desert where the tours go!). Cya Shan&Bek x x September 13 Beks Cousins Wedding Penang (Malaysia), Singapore and Langkawi IslandAfter HK we headed to Singapore and spent some time with family (Mums side) before heading to Penang, Msia for my cousin Justin and Tashas wedding (Dads side) . It was a fabulous day with lots of time spent with cousins and loved ones. We had a ball! and the best thing about it was my WHOLE family was there! It was awesome, especially after not seeing them for 6 mths! We all shopped, partied, ate and ate and ate and made each second count 2gether. Also added is our trip to Langkawi with both my uncle and auntys, Ab and us! Will put pics up soon of Dubai, Much love.. Bek n Shan xx September 12 Hong KongStraight after UK was HK, 11 hours away. Hong Kong was cool, another asian super busy & polluted metropolis. Spending 2 full days there, were able to meet up with a friend we met in a Canadian tour (Thanks Sylvia! ...if you're reading this..) who took us up the HK Peak, the Tai Ping Shan. There was too much fog though, so back to city centre for authentic Dim Sum, some of the best I've tasted. The City is huge and really cool, some nice advanced looking buildings, juxtaposed against 20 storey awkward-looking bamboo framed bulding supports! Typical Chinese? Who knows.... Not to forget plenty of shopping, electronics gallore and food stalls at MongKok and TsimTsatTsui with its amazing views of the harbour and city! Dont forget to read below! Shan&Bek x x UK and Republic of IrelandLanding in London we followed really good instructions to my cousin Graham's place (cheers Cuz). The weather was so nice I dont know why people complain about it! A few clouds, sun shining and a coolish breeze. Perfect! Except that was just the first 2 days we were there. The rest of our stay was overcast, persistent sprinkling showers at annoying times, and several down pours. In fact there is this constant dark cloud over Scotland which never goes away on the TV Weather report. So after exploring some inner city, some old Palace and some nice big clock (dont mis-read), we boarded a bus trip around the UK for a week. The highlights: meeting a range of different travellers on the bus, cool old castles, various Dublin pubs, Guiness brewery, Fringe Festival in Edinborough. Lowlights: weather, very little freedom to explore places, and a tour guide who seriously didnt know when to shutup. This tour covered England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic Ireland (The difference being RoI is in the EU, but you already knew that didnt you?). Loads of history in all the places, really interesting from the last 600 years of kings and queens to the historic landings of Normans and other older European peoplez. Makes you wish you studied history. Best beer in London: Kronenburg (sp?) Very nice blanc beer with a crisp lemon taste. So good to down a few! If you ask for any beer in London make sure its cold, as some were lukewarm. Best beer in Dublin: The only one. Guiness. Could not help but develop a palate and respect for this 200 yr old company. A cold Guiness Draft (1st developed in 1965!) and Foreign Stout (sometime in beginning of century I think) were the constant companion at the several Dublin pubs we visited. We're now in Egypt with a few other countries to fill you in on as soon as we stop for a breath.... post soon! Shan&Bek x x |
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