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2023

December 2022 - September 2023
A 284-day adventure by Jessica and Alex Read more
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  • Traveler2023
    Day 55

    Kathmandu, Nepal

    February 13, 2023 in Nepal ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    One thing I forgot to mention about Nepal is that there’s no roads. Well, the Chinese government seem to be pushing a lot of dirt around, but for the most part, travelling through Nepal is like 4 wheel driving on a rough track. Even in the city, the roads (although not as chaotic as India) are super underdeveloped and difficult to navigate. This was particularly hairy as we drove around the mountain ranges, dodging animals, dirt piles, potholes (not sure if you would classify a giant ditch in the centre of the road this though) and machinery. The drives between cities were particularly long and uncomfortable in Nepal.

    Our first stop in Kathmandu was the monkey temple to see the most famous landmark of the city. We then headed into the city centre to find our accomodation. Where we were staying was in the centre of town, with access to awesome shopping and nice cafes. We spent our time in Kathmandu mostly exploring the shops and the streets. We visited Adam Bazaar, which was a market which originated from the silk trade. As we walked deeper and deeper into the market, we saw that each of the alleyways was set up for different trade - from silk, to meat (freshly plucked chickens mostly), to electrical appliances and clothes. Small wooden appartments blocks overhang the tiny streets, with residents in windows watching the world.

    In the evening we went for dinner. Alex (with the help of Jai) had organised a Valentine’s dinner. It was a lovely way to end our time in Nepal.

    We woke up early for our flight to Dubai, via Delhi. We were told by a few different people to request a window seat on the right hand side of the plane. And wow! Lucky we did! The plane flew alongside the Himalayan mountain ranges for almost the entirety of our flight. The mountains seemed almost higher than the altitude of our flight and it was crazy to not be looking down at them. The highlight was spotting Everest in the distance. The photos definitely don’t do our view justice!    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 56

    Duba, UAE

    February 14, 2023 in the United Arab Emirates

    We had two nights but only one day in Dubai. Mum met us in the morning before breakfast and ready for a day of exploring.

    First we visited the gold and spice souks. Although there were some spice markets open, most of the gold shops were still closed, so we went to a local cafe for breakfast. After a quick bite, we walked around the gold market. Although many tourist sites claim this area portrays an authentic Dubai experience, it felt very touristy and overpriced.

    Next we visited Dubai mall, to see the aquarium (or at least the outside of it). The aquarium is the largest suspended aquarium in the world. Next we had a look at the human waterfall in the mall. Then a quick visit to the Dubai fountain - we only caught the end of the show, but there was a lovely view of the Burj Khalifa from the base.

    Next, we caught the metro to the Mall of the Emirates, which is home to Ski Dubai. This is a massive indoor snow centre, with ski slopes, tobogganing and snow games. We didn’t pay the hefty fee to enter, but we could see the whole thing through the glass wall in the mall.

    After, we headed back to the hotel to relax after a big day of exploring!    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 59

    Tel Aviv, Israel

    February 17, 2023 in Israel

    So the Israel adventure started at the airport in Dubai, where we passed through the most intense pre-boarding security screen ever. El Al, is Israel’s national airline and also the most secure but most targeted airline in the world. Before checking in, we had an in depth interview where we had to explain where we had been, if we knew anyone in the Middle East, how we knew each other (I had to present my marriage certificate) and what we were doing in Israel. We were then identified as more suspicious (who knows why) which meant we had to have a full luggage search. El Al is the only airline where the aircraft are fitted with anti missile technology.

    Once we arrived in Tel Aviv, we decided to take a stroll along the beach, which was an awesome beach bustling with e-scooter riders and beach bars. We then visited Carmel markets, where Alex wrestled homeless people for a loaf of free bread. Friday at sundown marks the start of Shabbat, which means shops and public transport closed for 24 hours. We were able to catch the end of the markets before the stalls began closing up.    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 60

    Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the Dead Sea

    February 18, 2023 in Palestine

    Due to our flight getting changed, we had less time in Israel. It was for this reason that we chose to do a day tour of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the Dead Sea in one day. Also, Saturday is the Jewish holiday of Shabbat, which means public transport plus most shops and eateries are closed.

    The morning started when we arrived in Jerusalem, which is around an hour drive from Tel Aviv. Jerusalem’s old town is a walled city made up of four quarters - the Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Orthodox quarters. First we visited the Western Wall which is significant as it is the closest and oldest remnant of the Temple Mount, which was built by Solomon on land purchased by his father King David. The site is significant as it is where Abraham came to sacrifice his son Isaac. Later, the temple was burnt down by the Romans and the Western Wall was the only remains. Now, a mosque sits on the site of the original temple and until the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, Jews were denied access to the wall. Now, Jews from all around the world come to visit, touch and pray at the wall, making it the most important historical site for Jewish people. During our time in the Western Wall plaza, we had the opportunity to touch the wall.

    Next we moved into the Christian quarter. Here, we visited the first, and most important Christian Church - The Church of Sepulchre. This church holds the sites of the most important biblical events, including the the site where Jesus was crucified and resurrected. The tomb where Jesus’ body laid was also in the church but the line was too long for us to have time to go inside. From Jerusalem, you can also see the Mount of Olives, the site where Jesus ascended into heaven.

    After touring around the quarters of Jerusalem, we hopped back on the bus and headed for Bethlehem, to visit the Church of Nativity. This is the oldest church where services still take place. The building is made up of three worship areas - for Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Christians. This church is also the site of the birth of Jesus. Again, the line into the actual area where Jesus was born was just too long, but we were able to catch a glimpse by peering down the exit.

    After lunch, we traveled though the Judea desert to the Dead Sea. On the way, we passed by Jericho and the rolling dunes of the desert.

    The Dead Sea was an incredible experience. The sea is 33% salt and the lowest place on earth. We floating around easily and smeared mud on our bodies to extract as many good minerals from the area as we could! After the swim I felt salty for hours!    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 60

    Jaffa, Israel

    February 18, 2023 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Today we hired bikes to explore some of Tel Aviv. We started by cycling south along the beach toward Jaffa and Old Jaffa. Old Jaffa is a port side town comprising of sandstone alleyways, old churches and bridges. In Jaffa, there is a huge flea market, which lines a number of streets in the town. The merchants sell everything from second hand carpets to silver wear to clothing. We also ate lunch here - we had falafel, hummus and salad pitas.

    After Jaffa, we got back on our bikes and headed north up the coastline. The beach is Tel Aviv is beautiful. The ocean is clear and there are plenty of beach cafes and bars in the sand. We stopped for a quick drink to enjoy the sunset before returning the bikes.    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 62

    Cairo, Egypt

    February 20, 2023 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We flew from Tel Aviv to Cairo via Jordan. The first flight was only 20 minutes - the shortest flight ever. The second flight was slightly longer but still very easy. When we arrived in Egypt, we expected a bit of a fuss about visas and immigration but it was easy and we were out of there within half an hour.

    Our hostel is located in downtown Cairo and is on the rooftop of an extremely old building. After checking in, Alex had a nap because he isn’t feeling well and mum and I explored the city a bit. It’s an old looking city but the people are friendly. The roads are chaos and probably quite dangerous.

    Day 2:
    We were picked up by our driver in the morning and take to the Pyramids of Giza. When we got there, we hired a guide and some camels to take us around the pyramids. Since I had recently ridden a camel in India, I’d wasn’t too keen on the idea but mum and Alex wanted to. As predicted, it was (at best) eventful. The camels were in pretty bad condition, with large open wounds where their straddles had been rubbing. You could see where they had been whipped as they had scars all up their neck. Also, before mum had properly mounted the camel, it began getting up. Mum nearly fell off. Then the same camel got stuck on a metal prong and the saddle completely broke off! Needless to say, I wouldn’t recommend the camel tour!

    Apart from that though, the pyramids were fantastic. The pyramids of Giza were built around 5000 BC, making them some of the earlier Egyptian relics. At Giza, there are 6 pyramids, 3 large and 3 smaller structures. We also visited the Sphinx, which was actually much smaller than we had both imagined.

    Next we visited Saqqara to see the step pyramid. This was built by the king as a stairway to heaven. We also entered into this pyramid to see the sarcophagus of the king and the hieroglyphic writing which was all over the internal walls.

    Day 3:

    Since Alex was unwell, mum and I caught the metro to Coptic Egypt. The metro was fine, but getting to the station was a bit of a problem. The roads are crazy. Similar to India but at high speed, making it quite dangerous for foreigners to cross. We found some people to help us cross, but these people were usually trying to sell us something! None the less, they were friendly enough to help us cross through the crazy traffic. Coptic Egypt has Christian ruins from the latest era of ancient Egypt. Coptic Christian’s were the first and only remaining Christian group in Cairo - also known as Egyptian orthodox.

    Day 3:
    On our final day in Cairo, we visited the Museum of Egypt. This is a huge museum, full to the brim of ancient relics. The highlight was visiting the relics from Tutankhamun’s tomb, which was only discovered in the early 2000s. They were in pristine condition!
    Although very interesting, the museum is just so disorganised - almost as if there are simply too many artefacts to store! Many were not labelled. Some rooms had everything from random mummies, to art work and sarcophaguses. A really crazy, interesting place.

    To end our time in Cairo, we hopped on a dinner cruise down the Nile. The entertainment on board was full on - we had European dancers, belly dancers and singers. It was lovely to see the city lights and the hundreds of other cruise boats floating down the longest river in the world!    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 66

    Sokhna Port, Egypt

    February 24, 2023 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    From Cairo, we drove two hours south to teach a beachside tourist area called Porto Sokhna. This is where we will be catching the ship from tomorrow.

    The town was made up of huge resorts, catering mostly to Egyptian tourists. Our hotel was on the shore of the Red Sea. The surrounds were completely baron - only the yellow and red sand mountains.

    The ocean was beautiful and clear and when the sun set, you could see pink land on the other side of the sea. Beautiful!

    The following day we boarded the MSC Splendida for our week long cruise. Luckily, Alex and I were upgraded to a balcony cabin, which was relatively large and comfortable. The ship was extremely busy, with lots of Arabic, Italian and Russian people.    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 68

    Luxor, Egypt

    February 26, 2023 in Egypt

    After floating down the Red Sea overnight, our first port of call was Safaga port, which is the cruise gateway to the city of Luxor. We had booked a private tour of the Valley if the Kings and Karnak temple, so we disembarked the ship and met our driver.

    The drive into Luxor was almost three hours and our driver was going at almost 150km/h along the highways! When we reached the city, we met our guide and headed to the Valley of the Kings.

    The Valley of the Kings is an impressive area, which holds the tombs of Kings and Pharaohs of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. The tombs were huge underground structures, decorated with hieroglyphics, carvings and paintings. Then, we visited Abu Simbel, which is a historic site which comprises of rock-cut temples and sculptures.

    Next, we headed for lunch at restaurant along the river Nile. It was lovely to see the traditional feluccas sailing along the river. We then boarded a river taxi to cross the Nile and head to Karnak temple. This complex comprises of temples, pylons and chapels also from the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. Karnak is significant due to the time it took to construct. Approximately thirty Pharaohs contributed to the building of the middle and New Kingdoms. The size and complexity of the buildings is truly impressive - we could have spent all day exploring the area.

    After our visit to Karnak is was time to hit the road and race back to our boat in time for dinner and departure!    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 69

    Petra, Jordan

    February 27, 2023 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The next stop on the cruise was Aqaba port, which is around a two hour drive from Petra. This meant another big day and another early morning off the ship.

    We met our driver and made our journey through Wadi Rum, which is the famous Jordanian desert that’s been used in a number of Hollywood movies.

    We reached Petra and got on a golf cart which took us about three kms through a rock valley towards Petra. Many people prefer to walk this track, but mum’s knees were playing up so we decided to catch the cart. Luckily, doing the tours privately meant that we were at the sites early enough to miss the cruise ship tours so Petra was relatively quiet on our arrival.

    As the cart came around the last notch in the rock, the treasury facade of Petra became visible. The treasury is the first and most intricate of the rock carvings in Petra valley. As we walked around the area, we visited tombs, sculptures and homes which were set into the rock face. You can also climb up the cliffs, where you will find additional structures.    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 71

    Jeddah and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia

    March 1, 2023 in Saudi Arabia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Our final two ports of call where in Saudi Arabia and were made mostly for Muslim people onboard to visit Makkah and Medina. As non-muslims are forbidden to visit these areas, we explored the cities by ourselves.

    At our stop in Jeddah, we spent our time wandering around the old town. The buildings here are around 500 years old and made from cement and timber. The markets and cafes were mostly closed due to prayer time. They open usually around 5pm so we spent the time walking around the narrow alleys and admiring the old style houses and buildings.

    Our final stop was Yanbu, which is a port on the Red Sea for snorkelling and scuba diving. Around the port there are lots of ancient ruins which we spent time exploring. We then enjoyed a drink at the port side cafes before boarding the ship for the final time.    Read more

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