THE ODYSSEY: Review of 2009
I guess now is a good time to look back over what was the year that was, the highs and lows of life on the road. If you can't be…
Day 365: We’re Here
31.12.09: Egypt. Ground Zero. My first backpacking adventure was in Egypt ten years ago, an adventure which introduced me to the joys of backpacking, the love of deserts and the…
Day 364: This Is A Drill
30.12.09: Yesterday's little incident was soon forgotten and we were now making our way pell-mell towards the Suez canal – possibly the most famous canal in the world. You know…
Day 363: First Catch Your Jerk
29.12.09: Today we hit land in fortress Saudi, possibly the most difficult country in the world to pop in for a quick visit. It was a great sunset as we…
Days 361-362: All Aboard!
27.12.09-28.12.09: 3am phone calls are not my favourite form of wake-up call. When I picked up the phone it somehow integrated it into my dream so much that I assumed…
Day 360: Boxing Day In Somalia
26.12.09: This was it. The most critical day of The Odyssey so far – make or break, do or die, cake or death. Dino Deasha, that magnificent chap, had cadged…
Day 359: Do They Know It’s Christmas?
25.12.09: After a good three hours sleep, I left the Dil Hotel to go and get a ticket for Dira Dawa on the 'luxury' coach. No chance. Sold out. Although…
Day 358: Birdstrike!
24.12.09: Another 6am bus didn't seem like a lot of fun, but the minibus up to Addis turned out to be quite an eventful one, as after just half an…
Day 357: The Hard Slog
23.12.09: Any time frame you are given in Africa, remember to add a few hours, or even days. Matt and I got up at 6am, just in time to jump…
Day 356: The Special Bus
22.12.09: Groan. T.I.A. strikes again! The bus we're on is equipped to ferry disabled schoolchildren around in Japan. It is not in any way shape or form designed to survive…