Author archive
28 March 2014
Above: From my Luxor hotel rooftop. I had spent all of yesterday in the hotel, mostly in bed. I needed time to clear my mind with things I haven’t taken care of for a while when on the road. So, it was filing, sorting bills, and trying my luck with getting a new job when […]
28 March 2014
Melaka along with Penang and Singapore is home to the Peranakan (Nyonya) people who created fusion food drawing from… Posted by Alex Chan on Friday, April 12, 2013
27 March 2014
I’ve been told that much of sub-Saharan Africa is a culinary blackhole. Sudan kinda borders on to that. In Khartoum,… Posted by Alex Chan on Wednesday, March 26, 2014
26 March 2014
West Bank Tour Today I did a tour of Luxor’s West Bank as part of a van arranged through Bob Marley Peace Hostel. Their price was EGP40 (NZD6.50) compared to EGP100 at my hotel. Not bad for nearly 7 hours inclusive of a guide. I visited the Valley of the Kings some 22 years ago. […]
25 March 2014
With nearly no tourists in Luxor the price of hot air balloon rides has plummeted. I managed to score a deal for EGP220 (NZD37) by booking at the Bob Marley Peace Hostel rather than my hotel. I was picked up by van at 0500 and dropped off at the river bank for a ferry ride […]
24 March 2014
I woke around 0700 again and was offered a slightly better breakfast today as Ahmad was onboard. Today I had an omelette as well as bread, jam, cheese and tea. Ziggy told me that there had been a slight change in plan. Rather than drop me near Edfu where I’d have to take a car […]
23 March 2014
We tied up around 0200 near Daraw. When I woke around 0700, I was offered a simple breakfast after which I took a tutuk to the camel market. This is a Sat/Sun event (it isn’t too clear) but there was certainly a fullhouse of camels and camel traders on this Sun morning. Planning is essential […]
22 March 2014
I had breakfast with Erich and Ulla. We were going our separate ways today; their Land Cruiser had arrived and will be ready for use today. I picked their brains on various parts of Africa. They talked about Chad and how they had seen some canyons with water there; I thought for a moment that […]
21 March 2014
I woke at 0230 for a 0300 pickup for Abu Simbel. Before we left Aswan, we went through a checkpoint where the vehicles were inspected by mirror underneath. It was a 3h+ ride from Aswan and I dozed part of the way. We didn’t travel in a strict convoy in a manner that was prescribe […]
20 March 2014
I joined Erich and Ulla today to explore Aswan’s west bank. Our planned activities required a private felucca journey in one direction so it made sense to do it together. We started off in town and found a felucca for EGP50 to take us over to the west bank, getting off underneath the Aga Khan’s […]