Cairo’s location at the beginning of the Nile Delta has always been of strategic importance, but the current city was not founded until the second half of the tenth century, when the Fatimid Caliphate conquered Egypt. The walled town they constructed was initially quite small, but has grown to be the 13th largest city in […]
Continue ReadingThe Egyptian Museum
I was still exhausted from the previous day’s trip to the pyramids, so all I could muster on my second day in Cairo was a walk to the Egyptian Museum, which houses most of the important artifices from the Pharonic era. Photos were forbidden, so I’m afraid I don’t had much to show, but I […]
Continue ReadingThe Pyramids
On my first day in Cairo, a trip to the Pyramids at Giza was my first priority. Getting out to the pyramids was an adventure of its own, as I refused to be gouged by taxi drivers and went by public transport. I ended up lost in Giza twice, but eventually found my way there. […]
Continue ReadingAlexandria
The I arrived in Alexandria with little sleep, no plans, and no reservations. The first order of business was to find a hotel and/or a place to put my heavy backpack for the day. The first hotel I tried was full, and after trying to look for luggage lockers at the train station (I failed), […]
Continue ReadingCollecting Visas
The visa situation in East Africa is unbelievably complicated and convoluted, but with only a couple exceptions, countries are doing their best to welcome tourists with open wallets. Since most tourists to African countries arrive by air, visa information on embassy websites usually is geared towards travellers arriving at a country’s main international airport. This […]
Continue ReadingShots! Shots! Shots!
One of the little details that’s important when travelling to Africa is the shots. Unfortunately, the kind that come with needles. And you need a lot of them. My first round of vaccinations included yellow fever, typhoid, and cholera. I got the cholera vaccine at the Boots pharmacy here in London. It requires two doses, […]
Continue ReadingPlanning Tools
I have a toolbox of my favourite planning tools when working out an itinerary. I’ve had people ask me in the past what websites I use, so I thought I’d write about some of them. None of these places are paying me. Airlines Kayak.com – For years, I’ve been a Kayak devotee. It’s great for […]
Continue ReadingThe Trip of a Lifetime
The Pyramids at Meroe, from Wikipedia On May 4, I’ll embark on the trip of a lifetime: Cairo to Cape Town overland. I’ve been plotting and planning this trip for probably two years now, and it feels good to finally make concrete steps towards making the journey. Here’s an outline of the first leg of […]
Continue ReadingBoth of My Passports
Today a courier arrived with my second passport. I now have two entirely valid passports! The State Department takes a dim view of people with two passports, and their official policy is to only issue one at a time per person. However, there are two exceptions: Exception #1: You’re going to an Arab country…and you’ve […]
Continue Reading9 Rules for the Tube
The London Underground, better known as the Tube, is the world’s oldest underground railway. Back in 1863, they started running steam locomotives through these underground tunnels. It wasn’t until 1890 that a line using electric trains was built. I’m sure those sooty tunnels were good for the lungs. This isn’t the world’s first, and probably […]
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