What Up Dog?

Well, Lots:

Fellucca Trip up the Nile - was awesome!! Totally recommend it. Had a great time, and swam in the Nile. So relaxing too :)

Temples, temples and more temples - seen lots of temples. Fortunately I have a high tolerance for temples. Loving Hierogryphics (mispelt, I'm guessing) and have rougthly 23, 567 photos of them so far.

Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Workers and Mortuary Temple of Ramses III - good. Really liked it. Going to dinner now with group, and can't expand right now!!

Kartha or something temple - Cool! Loved the massively huge columns. I want some for my backyard when I get back!!!

Hurghada - snorkling is fun! Though the coral there is pretty useless as loads is dead. Nice relaxing day on a boat though.

Broke my camera - my NEW DIGITAL camera!

Well, my luck strikes again! I was in Edfu temple, tripped up, put my hand out to save myself and whacked my camera :( Now the lens is crooked and pretty much screwed. Hopefully insurance will cover it - if I ever get through to them - but it would have to happen during the first week of a five week trip!! Just my luck!! Fortunately I still have my SLR film camera.

You know, this is now the third time I've been on holiday and had a camera break:
Japan
Germany
& now Egypt

I suck.

Abu Simbel

Today we went to Abu Simbel and it was cool! (I'm trying out putting on smaller pics as maybe that will be easier to do/upload? It's not easy uploading things here!!!)

My On a Camel at the Pyramids!

My camel was a rascal, and whenever the camel guy wasn't looking he tried to run off! It's weird and a bit scary being on a camel! But a cool experience :)

I'm in Aswan

And it is hot!

Today we went to Abu Simbel, which was cool. Ramses II really loved himself!!!

Then some of us went to Philae Island, which was lovely and tranquil in the middle of the Nile - until the full busloads of tourists came! Ruined everything! But it was great while it lasted.

Tomorrow we're off to the Fellucca and spending two nights on it. Not good. No toilet, no shower and I get seasick :( Last night we took a boat to the Nubian village and had dinner there, I also got my hand henna painted, and then we took the boat back - but that night when I tried to sleep, it was like I was still on the boat and it was all swaying! Not boding well for the fellucca trip.

I also keep getting ripped off. Constantly. Not much I can do, I guess.

Also, I;m wearing a headscarf now (to cut down the hassles) and everyone thinks I'm Egyptian. Hate the headscarf though. It gets hot!

Well, enough for today, I'm gonna try to post some pics on my MSN group.

The Road here are DANGEROUS!

I forgot to add, that people drive crazy here! There are no road rules! Except beep your horn all the time, if possible.

They have actual concrete dividers on all the roads and I realise now that it's because if they didn't people would just drive on the wrong side of the road! There are no lanes, everyone just seems to treat it like a dodge-the-other-cars game! Crossing the road is a nightmare. So hard and you just have to go and hope for the best. Follow the Egyptians!

I may have completely white hair by the time this trip is over...

Two more days of craziness

Yesterday:

Went to the Egyptian Museum and saw stuff. Can't be bothered adding the rest, as it's strange and difficult.

Except that I got a set of passport photos done, and they photo shopped it! I now have a photoshopped passport size pic!!! Hehehehehe. They made my skin look better and stuff. It was so cool! I think I look better in the pic than real life now! And it only cost one british pound. I want all my photos photoshopped from now on!

Today:
Got an ISIC card - very good. It has my photoshopped pic on it :) Then went back to the Egyptian Museum and saw the stuff I didn't catch yesterday. Tutancamen (can't spell that) stuff and mummies (which you have to pay extra to see).

Then went to a square and wandered around. It was really cool. Just crazy, of course, and loads of stalls etc. I bought a headscarf as people keep talking to me, even though I'm wearing long sleeved and legged clothes. The headscarf really works! It's great. Much less hassle. Still some, but much better.

Anyways, at this square and the streets leading off it, everyone was waiting to eat as it's Ramadan this month. People can't eat during daylight. Only before sunrise and after sunset. They have 'dinner' at 3am!

I took some photos, cos it was kinda odd to see all these people sitting on the street or at tables lining the street, waiting for it to be time to eat. However, then some people came up and I think they told me not to take photos. So I said I wouldn't & apologised, and then they invited me to eat with them.

So I ended up having 'breakfast' on the ground of a street with a bunch of people. They were really nice, although couldn't really speak english. And they even had a woman with them. She was someones wife and I think possible Mother to more than one of the kids there. Then i had some tea with them. It was all very nice, and very strange. I got a photo of them all, so will try to post it on the msn pictures group I've got (link on the right hands side green bar/border)

Now I'm just blogging/emailing and then I'm off to my hotel. Tomorrow is the first day of the tour!!!! Wish me luck! Really looking forward to travelling with people again! It's so hard here!

I made it to Cairo!

Well, I'm in Cairo :) It's a crazy, crazy city! It's so busy and everyone talks to you - mostly trying to make money out of you, I think.

Also, I've been spoken to in Arabic/asked if I'm Egyptian about a zillion times today. At least 50 anyway. I say I'm from New Zealand, which is a bit hit-and-miss regarding whether or not they know where/what that is, and then I say my dad is Samoan. Try explaining SAMOA to Egyptians!! It's been difficult.

Also, blue hair seems to be a bit of a novelty round here. Granted I haven't seen anyone else with it.... I have had a number of compliments though :)

I've also been proposed marriage about a dozen times.

Today I went to the Coptic Cairo area - the christian bit. It was great, and I was there for ages. I had a look in the cemeteries, which were really cool and had all these mini-house mausoleums (hope I spelt that right!) for the dead. But then I saw some washing hanging outside one, and I'm pretty sure that dead people don't need washing... So I checked later, and sure enough, some people (though not many) live in the cemetery!

Also, in the guide book it says for female travellers alone to be careful of flashers in the cemeteries. I stayed on guard, but didn't see any. Not too sure if I'm relieved or disappointed now! Aren't I good enough for them??!?? Besides, we did see one in Barcelona at the Gaudi park - Thanks to Ras repeatedly pointing him out to us until we all got an eyeful! Poor Christina and me! Christina just thought it was as a statue she was shouting about, and I thought it was just a cactus in the shape of a naked man!!! I'll know better next time she points one out.

Well, I'm gonna try to post this now, and if successful maybe a picture too! And something about the Pyramids & Sphynix (prob misspelt) Sound and Light show I went to the other night (quick summary - lame)

There are more pictures at this link:

http://groups.msn.com/EmisPics/shoebox.msnw

Click and see! :)

By the way, this link is also on the Right Hand Side of my blog, under 'Link to MORE PICS'

Gareth's 30th Birthday! 8th Oct 2006

This is Gareth. A rather drunk Gareth.

It was his 30th birthday and his girlfriend, Sue, put on a surprise birthday for him at the Fighting Cocks in Kingston. Neil's band with Ben and Rich played, as did Jay's metal band.

Sadly I had to go early, as I went there straight from the airport and was knackered after Berlin! I think I got there about 9.30pm, and left about 10.30pm. Also I had work the next day :(

Berlin! 04 - 08 Oct 2006

(Sorry about the crazy angle - blame Martin's crazy friend with the crazy name, Till)

This pic is me and Martin Boettcher. Martin is from Cologne (in Germany), but he's doing his PhD in Berlin. We know each other from uni, as he did a year in NZ - 1999. It was great to see him again!! :) AND Yes, he is also a physics geek.

This is us at a punk party in an old, somewhat derelict building in Berlin, about 3am. It was great, but those punks smell (probably all the unwashed dreads and leather) and there were dogs EVERYWHERE.

Actually, there are dogs all over Berlin. Martin and I went for a walk around the city on the Sunday before I left, and I counted 30 dogs before giving up on it. There are loads in Berlin!!!

Anyways, Berlin was awesome!! The best part though is the nights. So many wicked bars! I had a great time :)

EXCEPT for my wallet going missing, and my camera breaking. Fortunately I'm covered by travel insurance, but still. Going to the police station to make a report wastes so much time!

Closeup of the Womble!

Slightly out-of-focus, but still cute :)

You wouldn't believe how long it took before I could hear the name 'Wimbledon' without singing the Wombles song! I have finally conquered the urge now - just a mere 6 years after I arrived ;)

Moved Out of My House! 30th Sept, 2006

....and into Neil's bedroom at his parents' house.

So, I packed up my stuff up into lots of boxes, and sent it back to NZ. Then moved out of my house!

It's weird to be homeless, even if it is just for 2 and a half weeks before going to Cairo.

By the way, this is my (now dead) Grandpa's suitcase from when he emigrated to NZ from Samoa in the mid-70's. Sadly the handle broke off and eventually I had to throw it out. I've always loved this suitcase though - I was a big fan of the wombles as a kid :)

Out & About in Earl's Court

I was out and about in Earl's Court, and just had to get a final pic of this Dr Who tardis/Police Box.

I also snapped the 'Kenway Rd' sign (for Melissa Yee) and 'Benjy's Restaurant' as I call my brother Benj(y).

Car Boot Sale - 17 Sept 2006

This is my stuff. I had a car boot sale to try and get a little bit of money for all the crap I'd collected over the last 6 years! My friend Matt helped (kinda) - he's the guy in the photo (of course).

Anyways, after a full day of selling, I came away with around £80!!! Not bad!!

Lots has happened

But as usual, I am a bit behind - so I will do some more posts. I'll try to do them in order of how they happened. No promises though!