After fleeing the mosquitos of Cairo, we headed west into the desert. First the Black desert, where we rough camped for the night, and then on to the white desert for 2 nights rough camping. No need for tents here which is wonderful. To go to sleep under the stars and wake up to the rising sun shining off the stark landscape is stunning.

Three days of camping rough and long days driving with nothing but sand and rock for as far as the eye can see is probably enough, though, and as we neared Aswan the change of landscape from desert to the cultivated greenery that lines the banks of the Nile was a welcome sight. Joining the Nile convoy that was to take us into the heart of Aswan was also a welcome sign of the end of three days of truck-bound confinement and of a shower and the chance to sleep in a bed.

Aswan is a pleasant city. The soucs are less stressful than our experiences have been else where and there is less concerted hassel, which made for as pleasant change. The Nile offers a welcome break in the city, and the place has the feel of a seaside resort despite being far in-land. Our time in Aswan was spent touring some of the sights, including the High Dam, which is the third largest in the world and gives rise to the largest man made lake in existence. Nice to swim if it wasn't for the crocodiles. We also visited the Philae temple that sits on and island in the middle of the Nile. Not its original location as that is now submerged beneath the man-made lake. It was transported in the 1970's stome by stone and reconstructed in its present location and is apparently a stunning example of greco-egyptian architecture from the time of Alexander the Great. Well worth a brief look around, but spend too long and you are in danger of having your head baked. The sun here is fierce.

The next day we left Aswan, but not on the truck. A felucca was our mode of transport for the next day and a bit, and a nicer way to spend a day on the Nile I can't imagine. There is nothing to do but drink, eat, read, and lounge about on the cushion covered decks - and no reason not to. A very pleasant way to spend a day and a night.

Departing the Felucca the following morning and rejoining the truck, we joined yet another convoy to Luxor continuing our breakneck journey north. Wierd to think in 5 days we will leave Egypt. It has been a whistle stop tour and pretty full-on, but very good.

Last lot for now...

And again...

And some more...

Ok, I finally got round to getting some photos uploaded. Here are some images from the trip so far...

Lots of people have told me that the pyramids are a disappointment when you finally get to see them. Having now done so I can only describe such disappointment as the product of an unimaginative mind.

How anyone could fail to be bowled over by these magical monoliths that rise out of both the desert and the grubby extremities of Cairo is beyond me. I can't remember the first time I saw pictures of the pyramids, I know I studdied them in school, but to set eyes on such an iconic image first hand is nothing short of mind-blowing. This is compounded when you consider the age of the civilisation that created them and the technology with which they worked. It is in some ways a shame that the best view of the pyramids is from the top floor of Pizza Hut and I could understand how this could tarnish the experience for some people. Unusually for me, though, I found a certain attractive irony in the way the transient trappings of our modern world lie like rubble at the feet of these serene creations that almost predate history. Catching occasional glimpses of the pyramids whilst travelling by taxi at breakneck speed through the crazed real-life video game that is Cairo, offers you a rare moment of tranquility and a reminder not to lose yourself in the busy noisy smelly city.

Astonishing!

Aside from the pyramids Cairo also offers the Egyptian museum. This is a grand place filled with thousands of artifacts from ancient Egypt, that are at once amazing and a little dry. If nothing else, though, it is worth visiting this place to stand in front of another iconic image: that of the death mask of Tut-Ank-Amon. I have seen this image repeatedly since childhood. It was nothing short of incredible to stand in front of it and see it with my own eyes, and hard to tear myself away.

Cairo was another city I was not sorry to leave. The mosquitos, the smells and the hustle-bustle of a busy African city are simply not to my taste. The images I take with me make the experience well worth while, however.

Dahab was a great place to rediscover diving, and I am pleased to say that thanks to the superb instruction from Mark, Steve and the others at Posidon Divers, and despite feeling extremely ill on the final day of the course I think I have overcome the breathing difficulty that caused me to stop diving last time round and I am now thoroughly converted to the world of PADI diving. Back in my BSAC days I was indoctrinated to think poorly of PADI, but having now done the course, I have to say I have been extremely impressed. I thoroughly enjoyed the course, and it was a great way to experience Red Sea diving.

I guess nowhere seems safe from terroist action these days and bombings can occur anywhere - as has been proven repeatedly over (at least) the past five years. Nevertheless, a week ago I was in Dahab redoing my open-water diver qualification, and I was due back there in three days time for our penultimate evening in Egypt. It is hard to imagine such a paradice wracked by explosions, but there is nothing like proximity to focus the mind.

Heartfelt sympathies and best wishes to all those who were hurt and to the families of those who were killed.

After Petra our next stop was the Wadi Rum desert. This for me has been a highlight. The desert landscape, made of sand-dune filled valleys surrounded by high monolighic rocks that shine red in the rising/setting sun was hauntingly beautiful and I count myself priviligded to have been here.

There are a selection of three ways to experience this place: on foot, on the back of a camel or in the back of an open-backed jeep. As nice as it would have been to ride a camel through this place, time steered us to the jeep option and we had a magnificant 5 hour tour of various places in the park. This culminated with a stop atop a small mountain to watch a stunning sunset over the desert, a meal cooked bedouin style in an oven buried in the sand, a night camping out in the desert in a bedouin tent and an early rise to watch a similarly magnificant sun-rise.

A highlight indeed.

Leaving Damascus we crossed into Jordon and once again the difference between the two places was immediately obvious. Jordon is clearly richer; the infrastructure is better and the culture is more liberal. The stereotypical sunglasses endowed 'Arab in a Merc' is a little more believable here and I am sure I saw at least one. Jordon was a whistle-stop-tour as we drove from the northern border through Aaman and on towards Petra. As we did so it became obvious that the terrain was also changing. While Syria is relatively green, at least in parts, Jordon is a desert realm. In the words of a now relatively famous song: 'it was all yellow'. Sand here is not restricted to the beach and vegetation is at best scrubby and dry.

Petra was our next stop. The ancient ruin made famous by the closing scene of Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade, is an astonishing site and firmly on the list of unmissables when visiting this country. An early morning start here is recommened both for the chance to visit the place without the hoards of tourists that come later in the day and because after about 10 in the morning it is hotter than the seventh level of hell!

Despite the heat it is easy to lose two days exploring this site. The landscape is impressive all by itself and there are lots of opportunities for interesting walks down the paths of dry river beds and through canyons formed by ancient earth-quakes. Add to this the incredible facades carved out of the soft volcanic rock and the place is nothing short of a wonder. The long walk from the gate of the park to the high Temple at the far reaches of the site is a must, both for the astonishing architecture and for the incredible views down from the high mountans and across desert planes towards Israel. Of course if you don't fancy the walk there are also the donkey / camel taxi's that offer a fine if unstable alternative to shanks's pony.

Thanks all the same, but I'd rather walk.

Damascus is a larger, busier, smellier version of Aleppo without the friendly people. There is much to see here, but explaining to the taxi drivers where you want to go is too hard. Half of them can't even read their own language, so the hope of finding one that understands English is at best slim. Two days here in a campsite that lies within easy distance of one of the loudest, most overzealous, early-bird mosques in all of Islam was more than enough. I am not a fan of 5:am wake-up calls at the best of times and this was too much. Lack of sleep, polution and extreme frustration saw me not sorry to leave this place. I am not a city boy at heart and this is a city on steroids!

The one good reason to visit this town is that it affords the opportunity to go somewhere else. A day-trip to Lebanon and Beirut from Damascus is a must and whilst Beirut is these days less a war-zone and more a subscriber to the faceless, soulless, franchise-overrun sameness that are modern cities acoss the world it was a pleasant journey back to normality for a change to sit eating icecream in the Hardrock cafe on the waterfront in Beirut feeling just a little like home.

And besides, what a stamp to have in the passport!

On from Aleppo our next stop was Crak des Chevaliers, a monstrous crusader citadel that sits atop a hill to the North of Damascus. This citadel that was built by the crusaders and eventually given over to the Arabs when the crusaders left this region is a stunning example of crusader architecture and is in a remarkably good state of repair due at least in part to reparations made by the French in the early part of the last century. It is easy to lose a day here exploring the myriad levels and coridores of this impressive castle, but if nothing else it is worth it for the view from the top towers.

We camped a night at the castle with the hope of getting sunrise photos but heavy rain put pay to that idea. Never mind; on to Damascus!

Well it has been a while since I posted. The trip has been pretty full on for the last three weeks or so. After Goreme we headed south to Aleppo and the transition from Turkey to Syria could not have been more obvious; instantly you are aware that you have passed into an Arab state. The dress and the attitude is immediately and starkly different. We were greeted in Aleppo with the usual crazed driving and cacophony of car hornes but here to look out of the window of the truck is to look out onto an alien culture (alien at least to us). While traditional islamic dress is evident in Turkey, it is diluted by a western influence. In Aleppo it is the norm. It is rare here to see a woman without her head covered and men more often than not are dressed in traditional robes. The culture shock is immediate and stark.

Aleppo itself is at first impression grubby and dilapidated, full of smog belching cars and ancient crumbling architecture. After the beauty of the southern turkish landscape this can only add to the impact of the cultural change. Our hotel was in keeping with the town that housed it; not without charm, if you find charm in things that fail to work and floors encrusted with the grime of milennia, but for us for a few days it was home. The showers were at least hot which is a luxury that I am coming to appreciate greatly..

As with so many first impressions, though, ours were at once revealing and deceiving. Grubby and dilapidated yes, but Aleppo is also packed to its crumbling rafters with friendly, helpful people and this if nothing else is a good reason to make it your introduction to the Arab nations. A day wandering the soucs in the old city left me with a warm smile etched onto my face. The characters who placed it there had made my visit to this town an interesting and amusing one whilst of course trying to sell me everything from kinky underware (who in this country wears it when women are covered from head to toe with modesty protecting garments the mind boggles to comprehend) to camel intestines. Added to this a wonderful tour of the impressive crusader citadel and in the end I was sad to leave this place.