Author archive
2 November 2019
Today I pick up friend Michelle from New Zealand who will visit and stay till my departure. She arrived yesterday morning and will leave five minutes before me next week. I had asked her to stay in town for the first night and given her some sightseeing tips to start off her stay before I […]
1 November 2019
As it was cold outside, the A330 aircraft to Kuala Lumpur appeared to be heated. Perhaps a little too much. We were ready to go but had to wait for connecting passengers who had perhaps been delayed by the rain a couple of hours ago. We left about 15 mins later than the scheduled time […]
31 October 2019
Cruising the Bosphorus Today I have to kill the entire day before my flight to Kuala Lumpur at 0135 tomorrow morning. I stayed indoors after breakfast to attend to admin before checking out at 1130. My rough plan was to hop on one of the ferries. At one station, they were going to Hydarpasar which […]
30 October 2019
Dolmabahce Palace After breakfast, I took the tram to Dolmabahce Palace. This palace had been on my radar since my first visit 27 years ago. But having seen a few opulent palaces through the years, in fell down my priority list. But now, I have done and repeated many things in Istanbul, so it’s popped […]
29 October 2019
Leaving Sharm I got to Sharm el Sheikh airport just after midnight. With my departure at 0340 I expected check-in to open at 0040. A queue had built up and airport security started checking documents to enter the check-in area. I then realised it was for the Pegasus flight to Istanbul. I had a short […]
28 October 2019
I thought I deserved a sleep-in but I woked at 0600 despite the blackout curtains being drawn tightly. I lazed around till 0715 when I hit the gym. My flight to Istanbul leaves at 0340 tomorrow morning and I have a 1200 check-out and 2345 departure from the hotel for the airport. After the gym […]
27 October 2019
I finished my second day of diving at Sharm today. It was the beautiful reef fish here 15 years ago that prompted me to take up diving 5 years later. It’s like a full circle that I’ve returned now to try diving in Sharm. But after 10 years of diving in SE Asia, I think […]
27 October 2019
Today is my second day of diving with Desert Rose Diving, going to Ras Mohammed. I was picked up at 0830 but one diver was five minutes late. Then he had forgotten to bring his passport along. Going back to get it, he found that his card had stopped working. We left the hotel 25 […]
26 October 2019
Today I dive Tiran (the Strait and the Island) with Desert Rose Diving. It started with a pickup at 0830 from my hotel and a drive to Shark;s Bay about 30 mins away, near the airport. We waited for our boat “Dahab” to get its turn at the jetty before boarding around 0930. There was […]
25 October 2019
Resort holiday, for a change Despite getting in after midnight, I was up around 0700. I went for the very good buffet breakfast downstairs before exploring the resort. I don’t normally stay in such luxury, but there is a story behind this one. This time last year, I had to accept a cold damp room […]