17 12, 2015

The Martian and Me

By |December 17th, 2015|Categories: Books, Pop Culture, Travel, Travel Memories|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |2 Comments

Source “Mars is a barren wasteland and I am completely alone here. I already knew that, of course. But there’s a difference between knowing it and really experiencing it.” -Mark Watney in The Martian by Andy Weir Egyptian Desert as seen from a Nile cruise. I remember the days before I had my Kindle. Stacks of books taking up space in my bags. I could easily go through 5-7 books per trip. And god help me if I had only brought a few in a series...and it finished on a cliffhanger! I remember many frustrating trips

7 12, 2015

Travel Missteps: Terror on the High Seas

By |December 7th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

They call camels the "Ships of the Desert" as they are the most resilient and efficient form of travel. I actually hadn't planned on riding a camel. I had been warned, "They spit! They bite!" And other travel bloggers noted that the gate of a camel is awkward and will make you walk funny for days after. But I got caught up in the mystique of the pyramids, and so happily joined my friend on a camel trek in the desert around the Great Pyramids of Giza. Plus it cost so little! Just 120 EGP (plus 10 EGP tip at

3 12, 2015

Egypt: Planes, Trains, Automobiles, Ships, & Submarines

By |December 3rd, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Review|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

I thought it would be fun to count all the ways I traveled on my 2.5 week trip to Egypt! Planes: 8 Trains: 3 Taxis: 8 Vans: 17 Shuttles: 3 Private Cars: 4 Trams: 5 Boats: 4 Ships: 1 Submarines: 0 (sadly didn't get to go on this one, as I had to cancel my day trip to Sharm) Horse Carriages: 4 Camels: 1 And a whole lot of walking, one time swimming, a handful of elevators, and a few people movers.

19 11, 2015

Egypt Trip Cost & Budget Analysis

By |November 19th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Budget|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

This is my budget breakdown of my trip to Egypt (with a layover in Frankfurt, Germany). I knew going into this trip that it was going to be on the expensive side. I had budgeted $6262.41 in expenses for this trip. Here is how I actually spent that budget: Airfare: $972.26 I had watched airfare obsessively for about 2 months before I saw the airfare drop significantly through Lufthansa. I was able to get a 1 stop through Frankfurt on the way to Egypt, including a 12 hour layover in Frankfurt. And then on the way home I'd have 2 quick stops in

6 11, 2015

Egypt Books, Movies, & Documentaries

By |November 6th, 2015|Categories: Resources, Travel, Travel Planning|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Yesterday I discussed the many online resources to help plan a trip to Egypt. Another important part of my planning process is reading books and watching shows on the place I'm traveling to. Here are some of the other resources I used in planning a trip to Egypt. Books Travel Guides: I actually had started planning a trip to Egypt back in 2009. So many of by guidebooks I have are older. I actually found the older guidebooks (pre 2011) to be more detailed and many more options. After 2011, when tourism dropped it seemed the guidebook publishers pulled funding and effort

5 11, 2015

Egypt Travel Blogs & Online Trip Resources

By |November 5th, 2015|Categories: Blog Recaps and Roundups, Resources, Travel, Travel Planning|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

When traveling I love to research about the place I'll be going to. I usually will get a few travel guides, but I'll also read many blogs from other fellow travelers. I was sad to learn that Google's "Blog Search" functionality was discontinued, which made searching for the rare blog on Egypt so much harder to find. So to help future travelers here are some of the many blogs and other online resources I used in preparation for my trip to Egypt. Egypt Blogs Blogs with multiple posts about Egypt Lili On The Loose LandLopers Young Adventuress Oneika The Traveller

4 11, 2015

This Day in History: First Steps towards Tutankhamun’s Tomb

By |November 4th, 2015|Categories: Currently Traveling, History, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon at the entrance of the tomb. 1922. “At last [I] have made wonderful discovery in Valley; a magnificent tomb with seals intact; re-covered same for your arrival; congratulations.” Howard Carter's cable to Lord Carnarvon on November 5th, 1922. The day before, on November 4th, Carter's team found the first step of a sunken stairway and then on the 5th they reached the sealed doorway to the tomb. A few weeks later Carter and Carnarvon would open Tutankhamun's tomb and entrance the world with their findings. Today I'm sadly leaving Luxor to head back to

31 10, 2015

Happy Halloween!

By |October 31st, 2015|Categories: Currently Traveling, Geek, Pop Culture, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Happy Halloween! When I was little, I wanted to be an Archeologist. This probably stemmed from watching Indiana Jones movies over and over again. So last year I created my own Raider's version of Indiana Jones complete with the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra. I thought it was a pretty awesome costume. But we had a work Halloween party where their kids were invited: Kid 1: Are you a cowgirl? Me: No I'm Indiana Jones. Both Kids *Blank Stare* Kid 2: What is India Jones? Me: ....a Archeologist. Both Kids *Blank Stare* Me: ... I dig up

22 10, 2015

Sun Festival at Abu Simbel

By |October 22nd, 2015|Categories: Events, History, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

Today is Rameses II birthday!  Each year on this day (and February 22nd, the day of his coronation) the morning light pierces into the dark chamber of his temple at Abu Simbel, shining on the statues of Ramses, Ra and Amun. They are 3 out of 4 statues in the central chamber, the last one Ptah the God of Darkness, which remains in the shadows. Source Red more here. I'm excited to be heading to Abu Simbel during my trip to Egypt!

19 10, 2015

Museum Monday: Guidebook to the Egyptian Museum

By |October 19th, 2015|Categories: Museums, Travel, Travel Tips|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments

Reading any guidebook to Egypt and they will say that the Egyptian Museum is a little disorganized, with no labeling, and bursting to the brims with so many ancient objects that it can be overwhelming. They will also advise that you get "Illustrated Guide to the Egyptian Museum" by Zahi Hawass so you can easily understand what you'll be seeing. However, this book is out of print, and so the prices on Amazon and Ebay move wildly. (A few months ago the book went over $100 on Amazon.) One tip I figured out, was that that book and "Treasures of