E'gipped

Where do I even begin with Egypt? It almost feels like the whole country has collectively decided to siphon every bit of your hard earned cash. Whether it be the Pound, the Yen or the Greenback the locals share the common occupation of trying to get a hold of your money. Sometimes you're lucky to walk away with some advice, a photo or if you're lucky, a souvenir. I was shocked to see a police man spend 2 minutes of his time to show me one particular vantage point, only to ask for money for his generous time. It's not hard to see why, the main bulk of the population look to be living under the poverty line and a couple of Egyptian pounds here and there can make a world of difference. Still, nobody likes to feel cheated, even if it is only a couple of bucks.

Egypt. Where buffets reign supreme. Where there's a DSLR everywhere you turn. Where it feels like tourism is driving the entire economy. Where a truck breaking down on the side of the road is the norm. Where you feel like that you're a statistic within the number of tourists. Then you see the Pyramids and learn of the rich history and suddenly you realise that being a statistic is all worth it. That the early starts and the habitual bus rides were minor in the greater scheme of things. That the food, the quality of accommodation and the conditions are probably a million times better than what most local Egyptians will ever experience. It's a grounding experience, you feel selfish, insignificant and ungrateful.

Jewels of the Nile Tour with Travel Talk

Day 1 Cairo, Cataract Hotel, Aswan Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren, Mycrenos and Sakkara
Day 2 Aswan – Nile Cruise High Dam, Philae Temple, Unfinished Obelisk
Day 3 Abu Simbel,Aswan, Nile Cruise Komombo
Day 4 Nile Cruise, Edfu, Irish Pub
Day 5 Luxor, Balloon ride over west Bank, Donkey ride Disembark Nile Cruise,Temple of Luxor, Temple of Karnak NEW YEAR GALA DINNER IN LUXOR!
Day 6 Luxor, Cairo Valley of the Kings, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut,
Day 7 Cairo Egyptian Museum, Citadel of Saladin, Mosque of Mohamed Ali, the Hanging Church, Kahn El Khalili bazaar
Day 8 Cairo, 3rd January 2011

Currently reading 100 Years of Solitude.

Dubai

The Emirates Airline website states, 'Pets are not permitted in the cabin, with the exception of falcons between Dubai and certain destinations in Pakistan'. Strange yet true, this is one of the traditions that remains true in the present day; falcons allowed in aeroplanes. My visit to the United Arab Emirates, or more specifically, Dubai has been one of the more enjoyable trips this year. This is a somewhat partial comment as the agenda was to visit my sister on her last weekend in Dubai.

Not reknown for the sites, it was drastic change in scenary and culture which made this one of the more memorable trips of 2010. I have been meaning to swing by Dubai but given the nature of her job and the unpredictability of her whereabouts it's always a challenge to be able to meet her. The August long weekend proved to be ideal, she had no passport and I had nowhere to go. So with my stand by tickets in hand I headed to Heathrow after work in hope to catch a flight into the Middle East.

Arrived at Dubai International early Saturday morning, the flight had been comfortable but sleep was hard to come by. Greeted by my sister in the 'meeting area', also known as the pavement outside the Airport. It was hot, insanely hot. I could feel perspiration developing on the top of my feet. A short 30 Dirham cab ride and we were soon signing into one of many Emirates crew lodgings in Al Garhoud.

Plenty of activities to keep me busy. Lunch at Pier Chic, accessible by a simple cab, a gondola ride and a golf buggy down the wooden pier. Sister was cunningly encouraged by the restaurant to make the lunch time agenda my birthday which meant I had to pretend I was celebrating my special day all while enjoying the wonderful view of the Burj Al Arab. Being Ramadan, meant that majority of restaurants were not able to serve food until after sunset.

Managed to see most of the sights. At The Top - Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world (100 AED). Ski Dubai the indoor ski slopes at The Mall of Emirates (180 AED) . Dinner at Atlantis at the Palms and the dancing fountains of the Burj. Plenty of international food: Bobotie, Sushi and the traditional Iftar buffet.

Great trip overall. Don't think I've experience such a culture shock in a while. From the rules governing Ramadan. To the way people present themselves outside of the walls of their houses. Public Displays of affection aren't a common site, where even married couples don't hold hands. Yet you'll see grown men holding hands as a sign of friendship. Then there's the mash up of old and new. Men will sport the traditional Thwab or Dishdash, but you can't help but notice the Rolexes, Ipods and Blackberry accessories. The women are far more influence by western trends. Burqa clad women women littered with the latest array of Jimmy Choos and Chanel handbags - the only form of visual individualisation. Then there's the transient lifestyle of Flight Attendants, remarkable. Had to leave Dubai early, but the trip was definitely well worth it. It's opened a new desire to explore more Arabic/Middle Eastern destinations - there's so much out there!

Airplanes

My suspicions lie with the pressurised cabins, the high altitude, the overly nice cabin crew and my appetite for aeroplane food. Whether it is specifically, or a combination of the afore mentioned, there's something about long haul flights that causes my penis to detach and become replaced with a massive vagina. It's only a theory, but the more I fly, the more I subscribe to the idea that airlines are pumping some kind of hormone-laced sedative into the cabins. My perceived estrogen levels sky rocket and I'm reduced to what can only be described as a Spider Woman experiencing her periods (I can only imagine). Spider senses tingle!

There's something about flying that makes me react to the following scenarios in the same manner. A young infant with no desire to sleep but to make as much racket as humanly possible. An elderly couple sitting together holding hands on take off. Or even the simple smile of a stewardess. It makes me smile and think. So with this hypothesis, I decided to test this out. I sat through the following: How I Met Your Mother, Date Night and She's Out of My League just to see how I would react to each. Sure enough, each and every one managed to make me tear up; much to my own resistance. The conjecture being, that two of the three were Rom-Coms, but How I Met Your Mother? C'mon now!

The sample space is hardly warranted and you could easily argue that this is far from conclusive. It could have benefited with perhaps a different genre of movie. Unfortunately, I don't have the attention span or the willingness to concentrate on anything more than a comedy. Especially when an action or thriller would only be dealt an injustice on the 6 inch entertainment unit. Perhaps it's a coincidence - business trips, my initial flight out from Sydney, my flight to Singapore, my flight back to London. One thing for sure, I can honestly say I've welled up at some point in time to something insignificant and probably less stimulating on the ground.

It must be noted, this is not a symptom exhibited by short flights through Europe. The early morning starts, the group of familiar faces and the excitement of a new country coupled with the sheer fatigue of traveling weekends overwhelms all emotions. Invariably, it is the trips between home, family and old friends. Perhaps it's not the actual flight, but the transient nature of flying from point A to Point B. Where at some point there is an emotional attachment to the destination. It reminds us of who we will see, or alternatively, who we are leaving behind.

"Can we pretend that air planes in the night sky, are like shooting stars, I could really use a wish right now." - Hayley Williams

Long weekend: Flame on!

Departing London with the 4 day weather forecast of:



To hopefully, something a little toastier:



Screen shots courtesy of BBC Weather (source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/).

Weekend Trip: Take #1

This destination has long been on my European "todo" list. I've been told that if I were to see any major Scandinavian city, then this should be the one. A quick browse over travel forums and I soon realised that attractions were not the major draw card and found that it held a sentimental appeal of character and atmosphere. With newly assessed expectations and a fistful of Swedish Kronas we set out for Stockholm.

We opted for the after-work flight option and arrived at Arlanda International airport just before midnight local time. Thankfully the tourist information was still open and in the bright halogen illuminated room we stood in awe of the postcards and posters depicting an aestival Stockholm. This was unfortunately, not to be. We were greeted by cold, wet weather. That, and the fact we had limited daylight meant we had a severely reduced number of tourist options.

The general concensus, was that Stockholm is definitely a Summer city (A number of locals reiterated this point). Resigned to the fact that it would probably remain on my "todo" list I set out to count the number of Ikea Products, Saab Automobiles, H&M stores and beautiful Swedish women I would see over the trip. I lost count after the first day.

Stockholm Christmas Markets - Sugared Almond vendor.

My Ikea futon - In fact, in our hostel room alone, I counted 3 Ikea-labelled products. Don't get me started on the kitchen and bathroom.

Saab - It must have been the weather, but every single car we spotted was filthy and in dire need of a wash.

H&M

Dubbelrulle - It's 50% kebab, 50% hotdog. 100% post-alcohol snack.

Vasa Museum - Replica (10:1) of Sweden's most famous ship.

Overall, plenty of fun. We spent majority of the time cafes, sleeping and walking the streets of Old Town. Didn't get to see any Ericsson Mobiles or Nudie Jeans, that I'm afraid, will have to wait until the summer.

Why are you going there?

An impromptu trip over to Romania for a 30th Birthday weekend. Weather was miserable - I only took one photo (from inside a cab).


Not much doing - Stayed what can only be described as the Bucharest projects. Had a tour night guide. Typical boys' trip out to Eastern Europe.