2010: Odyssey Two
Well…we are pleased to announce that Graham managed – unbelievably – to get from Dar-es-Salaam to Cairo in two weeks, via Rwanda and Burundi (without
Day 367: Brookes Was Here
02.01.10: To say that our hotel in Hurghada was a bit lousy would probably do insult to lousy hotels. My general dislike for large-scale tourist
Days 368-371: The Whirling Dervishes
03.01.10-06.01.10: So Mand and I had a few days kicking around Hurghada. Our hotel had been pre-booked up until the Tuesday night, so we thought
Day 372: It Belongs In A Museum
07.01.10: Thursday started with a very early morning trip to the Sudanese Embassy – I missed out Sudan and Eritrea on the way up here,
Day 373: Goodbyeee
08.01.10: It was a restless night – I had to upload the last of my 2009 tapes to my computer so Mand could drop them
Day 374: Globe Alone
09.01.10: Again I woke up at 6am with every intention of visiting the pyramids, and again I looked to Mandy for moral support on this
Day 375: Odyssey Again
10.01.10: Here’s what you need to do to get a visa for Sudan: Have two hours sleep Taxi to Sudanese Embassy Queue up at the
Day 376: The First Cataract
11.01.10: Off the train and then over to the High Dam port. Back in the god-knows-when, the British built a dam at the First Cataract.
Day 377: The Second Cataract
12.01.10: Another fit of African bureaucracy before we could disembark saw us waiting for over an hour after we arrived, before we could get off
Day 378: A Change of Plan
13.01.10: I’ve got to say that getting back on the boat was a lot easier than getting off it, although you really have to admire
Day 379: Our Botanic Garden
14.01.10: After an interrupted night’s sleep (I foolishly slept under the plug socket that everybody wanted to use to charge their mobiles) we crossed the
Day 380: Luke Warm In Alex
15.01.10: After me waxing lyrical about the Egyptian transport system yesterday, our train arrived in Alexandria three hours late (typical!), meaning that I was too
Day 381: You Can’t Be Siwa-ous
16.01.10: This time last year, I had visited every country in South America. This year, I’ve been to one new country, Sudan. Pathetic! Well, I
Day 382: The Pyramid Scheme
17.01.10: I was planning to be at the Jordanian Embassy first thing in the morning, but you know what I’m like by now and after
Day 383: Eric The Frenchman
18.01.10: To say I was being incredibly lazy today would be an understatement. Not being interested in doing, well, anything much. There was a bus
Day 384: Am I Still Here?
19.01.10: Dammit – I should have left Egypt on Saturday morning. Instead, here I am three days later still in Cairo. I woke up at
Day 385: Crossing Jordan
20.01.10: This morning we arrived in Nuweiba, the Egyptian border town from where the boat for Jordan departs. You see if you tried to go
Day 386: Don’t Tell Bin Laden, But…
21.01.10: Today, I just hung out in Amman, the capital of Jordan. Didn’t do nothin’.. just hung about. Didn’t go anywhere that might jeopardise my
Day 387: CouchSurf United
22.01.10: Up early and back to into Jordan, no probs. I really should have left Amman for Damascus this morning, but by the time I
Day 388: The Road To Damascus
23.01.10: Jordan was awesome. I really felt as if I had finally left Africa behind me and was back on the backpacker trail, rather than
Day 389: A Blizzard In Beirut
24.01.10: Before you could say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, I was on the coach heading to the Lebanese border. Again, Lebanon has a bit of a bad rap
Day 390: The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
25.01.10: It was the wee small hours when we pulled into Aleppo in the top left corner of Syria. Not one to stand on ceremony
Day 391: The Invasion of Iraq
26.01.10: I blame Lonely Planet. The nearest town to the border of Iraq according to my guide book is a place called Sirnak, the real
Day 392: Drunk… with an AK-47
27.01.10: Londa hails from a place called Colorado in a little out-of-the-way country called America not far from Comoros, Sao Tome and Djibouti. She’s been
Day 393: The Morning After
28.01.10: </object I woke up in the morning wearing all my clothes, with hardly any recollection of the night before and Mike Tyson's pet tiger
Day 394: Chav and Chav-Nots
29.01.10: You know what though – all these dangerous places I’ve been to, I haven’t seen one gang of horrible teenage lads hanging around on
Day 395: The Silopi Slope
30.01.10: I had checked in to a local hotel in Silopi, sharing a room with a few other guys to get the price down to
Day 396: The Slow Boat to Cyprus
31.01.10: It was one of those mornings upon which it’s far too cold, gravity seems to conspire against you and the snooze alarm makes it
Day 397: Calypso’s Isle
01.02.10: When they say slow boat, they mean it! It was 11am before we reached port in Girne in the northern half of Cyprus. Northern
Day 398: Branson’s Pickle
02.02.10: Dragged my carcass off Zafer’s couch a few minutes after seven, said my thank yous and goodbyes and soon enough I was down at