A year after our first visit to Egypt, Jill and I were off again. This time on a Red Sea Magic cruise but with a one week all inclusive stay in Sharm el Sheikh before once again joining the Thomson Celebration.

We flew from Bournemouth and arrived at our hotel 'The Nubian Island' after dark with Jill already testing out her Arabic. La Shukran (No, thank you) being the most used during our stay I believe ...Though we both had a soft spot for Filmishmish ( a saying with the same meaning as 'In your dream's') I admit I was in hysterics the whole 2 weeks as Jill mixed her words a lot, especially this one which always ended up being Filmishmash! But kudos to her as she was a lot braver than me, always trying to speak some arabic even when she was unsure- I on the other hand only used the little I knew when I was at least 70% sure it was the right phase

Despite being November, Sharm had gloriously hot weather and we happily spent the week pottering around in the sun- though if you had asked the Egyptians, they would have told you it was freezing while wearing coats in the evenings! I had never experienced all inclusive before but I quickly came to enjoy it....It may have helped that most of Sharm is swamped by rude Russians so the Egyptians in Sharm have a soft spot for us Brits....the end result being that our drinks were never lacking in alcohol! Win!

Within a day of arriving we met Medhat and Mohammad, two of the guys working at the hotel and we soon adopted them... We had a great many hours talking and laughing with these two, especially the one night they were working together in the bar and had a group of about 10 of us in hysterics. Medhat is a massive flirt but a really sweet guy and Muhammad is just as sweet if a little quieter- to begin with anyway, he didn't stay that way long while around Medhat!

While we did make good use of the hotels pool and beach, we tried to go out of the resort at least once a day despite our being a distance from the center of town. Jill did a snorkeling trip one day which I had originally planned on doing as well but I eventually wimped out given my dislike of water. I cant say that I regretted it on hearing how 'only a reef shark' was spotted close by that day....Are you mad?! I dont care what kind it is... If it has the word 'shark' in it, then I don't wanna know!!!!

We also spent an amazing evening out in the middle of the desert -which was actually classed as asia minor- with Bedouins, riding camels and trying shisha pipes (I'm so glad we eventually got Jill to try this -her face was a picture!!). We learnt how to make Bedouin bread and danced around an open fire before stargazing once the sun had set. We even got to use high powered telescopes to find the different constellations and had an astronomer on hand to explain everything to us. Quite an evening.

On lazy days we wandered the strip close to our hotel, haggling while picking out some souvenirs. We both knew in coming to Egypt that we wanted to get our own cartouche made, having passed on this opportunity the year before. Luckily we found Alex in the hotel next door and he was extremely patient with our indecisiveness....explaining again and again what our options were and what would be best. Despite buying these we still managed to spend a load more money on jewellry across the street...shopping with Jill proves dangerous as we tend to egg each other on

Theres not much to Sharm as a place but we did make a night trip to the Old town and had a great time getting lost in this big bazaar like area. We even headed back later in the week during a tour of Sharm where we visited different Mosques and the only Coptic Church in the whole area. And what a church it is! It may be lacking in history given that its only a few years old but it is one of the most beautiful churches I've ever come across with amazing painting covering every available surface!

One night we spent a 'fun' hour in the chemist trying to figure out what would be best to help after my legs got eaten alive by mozzies! And on another night we ate at the small restraunt down by the beach.....it was complete darkness apart from lantern style lights and the occasional white crest of waves crashing onto the beach....Fantastic and made even better by one of the regular bar tenders being the waiter that evening....It was so peaceful there......

But no matter where we had been or what we had been up to we always ended up back in the hotel bar- usually with the 'boys'. One thing we quickly learnt was that despite working crazy hours, far from their homes and their families (Both Muhammad and Medhat were from Cairo and while working in Sharm you can't have dependants with you) they never failed to stop and chat no matter how bad or long a day they had had. (And believe me, given the way the russians spoke to the staff, there were some doozies! In fact the first time we met Muhammad was after a girl spoke to him as though he was her personal slave...)

When it came to leaving the Nubian I think both Jill and I were slightly reluctant because we had been spoilt the whole week long. While the 'boys' may have been our favorites, the whole team had gone out of there way to help us at some point in time. Be it to help us change our currency or expand our arabic vocabulary. They had all been great...sigh... I only wish on leaving Sharm that I had made the effort to stay in touch with them. Live and learn I guess!

Once onboard Celebration Jill and I had a lazy afternoon, enjoying the fact that we weren't tired from having to travel. The sun was shining despite a strong breeze and we made the most of it before setting sail once darkness had fallen.

And where were we heading I hear you ask? Well Aqaba, Jordan of course!

Im not sure what either Jill or I were expecting from our visit but its safe to say we were surprised. I knew from reading about it beforehand that despite its relatively small size and being surrounded by volatile countries, Jordan is known to be a stable country. In fact, since my visit I've heard it referred to as ' a quiet house, in a bad neighbourhood'. A very accurate -if simplified- description as far as I'm concerned.

The first thing that struck us upon docking was the military vehicles covering the whole dockyard. Our curiosity was further piqued when we caught the shuttle bus into town later that afternoon as on closer inspection many of the vehicles had english writing on them. With no way to immediately solve the puzzle, we concentrated on figuring out where to head once we were dropped in town.

Since we didn't have much of a plan we decided to head along the main road to begin with and within minutes we had cabbies following us. Despite having spent the past week in Sharm with people pestering us, we really didn't want to have to deal with this. So imagine our surprise when we turned down countless tour offers only to get the reply 'Welcome to our country, let me know if you change your mind, we hope you love it here'....you could have pushed us over with a feather, seriously.

We spent a good few hours wandering in and out of shops and this was the general response wherever we went. Sure we still got pestered just as much as in Egypt but the difference being that as soon as we told them a firm 'La Shukran', they would wish us well and back off. A welcome and most unexpected response. And its this exact action that has me to this day saying that for sights I would pick Egypt; for the country itself, Israel. But for the people? Jordan hands down.

Back onboard I took a walk on deck and ended up in a debate with other passengers about where we were looking at. The general -and correct-consensus being Eilat, Israel. It was very pretty and peaceful as we stood looking across the water at it all lit up. While I was busy here Jill being Jill got to the bottom of our mystery. It turns of that with Jordan having such good relations with the west, the military vehicles were actually American and were heading back to the US via Jordan.

The next morning was an early start because despite still being docked in Aqaba, we had big plans for the day..

.....A trip to The Rose City of Petra.....

Aqaba is a good couple hours drive from the world heritage site so we set off early across the desert roads listening to our guide tell tall tales about his family. As we neared Petra we passed the town which houses the old residents -or more precisely their descendants- of the Ancient city and see that a small sandstorm must have occurred shortly before we passed through as people were sweeping a good couple of inches of sand from their doorsteps.

At the top of the path to Petra there are pony and traps, tacked horses as well as donkeys for you ride if you so choose. I have to admit this annoyed me to no end, especially once back aboard listening to people brag about using them. Yes I admit I have seen animals in worse conditions but by no means did that mean they were fine for more than a couple of hours in the stifling heat. This was compounded by the fact that the charity Brooke had a notice stating that they're trying to work with the locales to improve the quality of life for these animals but people must make a responsible decision about the condition of each animal at that particular time before hiring them. Of course what people took from this was 'Yes these animals have been cantering about in the sun for 6 hrs lugging fat, lazy people about. Their dripping with sweat, in some cases foaming at the mouth, but yes, please feel free to stick your lazy ass in the seat, because when in Rome... or in this case Jordan.....' People are dumb s***s

Anyway, back to the stunning Petra....

I dont even know how to begin to describe this amazing place. The carvings on the structures in Petra are beautiful and complex, the colours vibrant and ever changing. And as you walk through the 1km Siq you pass niches which once held votive images; a rock formation which has a remarkable resemblance to an elephant; windswept statutes; 12ft dams built to direct the rainwater. Theres guttering 3 ft off the ground in places that you can touch and in others its 40ft high!

And before even setting foot in Jordan you're sure to have seen that famous picture and you've definitley heard the warnings about it too but somehow you're still surprised when you turn a corner and get your first glimpse of the Al Khazneh (Treasury) It comes upon you so quickly and once you've seen it you just can't tear your gaze away.... a mental snapshot that will forever be in your mind.

....And yet your not even halfway through the city. In fact your still on the outskirts. You've still got kilometer upon kilometer to explore. The Tombs, the Temples, the Theaters, the Nymphaeum... It goes on and on and I know that we only saw a very small part of it. In reality you would need at least 4 days to explore the whole of Petra and even then I'm sure you would feel its not enough time.

And while its been said that there was a time when Petra was considered 'lost', standing in the city today, nothing seems further from the truth. If anything it feels as though time has stood still to give you this personal view into the past. Its magical. And if your lucky enough to find just one moment alone- just one minute- while there, then its simple spine tingling.

Jill and I lingered as long as possible in the city while the rest of our group headed to lunch early. This of course made no sense to us- if its a choice of spending time in this ancient city or eating, its a no brainer!

But finally having made it back to the restaurant where we were to have lunch, Jill and I barely sat down before we were being ushered on as the 'majority' of our group wanted to leave early. This too seemed insane to us and while it was their loss it also meant that we too lost out as the guide catered to them rather than sticking to what the tour was meant to be. We found out later that other groups had a good hour more than us in Petra but then this is what Jill and I found throughout this whole cruise. Many people were going on these trips just so they could say 'Ive been there' rather than actually wanting to experience it like we did.

The next day was spent at sea so we just a enjoyed a layin and the activities onboard. For Jill this included the quizzes which she excels at and for me I watched the afternoon show put on by the entertainment team. It was the formal evening so we headed back to the cabin early to get ready and after our meal and the evening show we made our way to the Liberties bar where we spent most evenings.

We had already met Peter and Anita a lovely couple who joined us for the quizzes and we had a great laugh as Peter made his way through the cocktail book. His aim was to sample every single one, as they were on the all inclusive package deal like 90% of the passengers. This was a new option offered by Thomson and while Peter was amusing with his 'get my monies worth' attitude, we certainly noticed that the passengers on this cruise were a lot more like a friday night bar crowd....every night We even heard an assistance needed alarm go off on 3 separate occasions during the week whereas we had never heard it on previous cruises.

Anyway the next day we arrived in Port Sokhna, Egypt which would be our gateway to Cairo. As you may remember when we had been here a year before, the revolution was in full swing and for safety reasons, downtown was off limits and we travelled in a heavily armed convoy. This time despite there still being a lot of unrest we were able to move around without limitations meaning Jill and I immediately chose to do the Cairo Museum tour.

This was as amazing as everyone says it is. We had maybe 2 hours here which was nowhere near enough time but we did get to visit the room with Tutankhamun's funeral Mask and his coffins- yes plural he had 9 in total! Jill and I also paid the extra to visit the 'mummy room'. I was surprised at how many mummies there were and the amount of information they had telling us who they had once been. This was so very odd and strangely unnerving, especially since a handful of the mummies still had hair attached... not something I was expecting after all this time! And while I know that we're talking about Egyptians from centuries ago, I was still surprised at how small they were! A weird thing to be surprised at but then thats me

On leaving the Cairo Museum we waited outside for the coach to pull around and as we looked at the building from this side we could see scorch marks still on the wall from the fire during the revolution. After all the Museum is part of Tahrir Square where the protests first began.

Next we travelled to a restaurant near the Pyramids for lunch. Jill and I were two of the last people to get food so when it came to finding a seat we didn't have many options but we lucked out as we ended up sharing a table with Marc and Hefin, two friendly welshmen whom we soon got talking to. It was their first cruise and their first time in Egypt too, so we spent some time comparing notes and telling them how much of a difference there was in the general feeling just a year on from our last visit.

After lunch we made for the pyramids and again Jill and I were surprised at how different the atmosphere was. We didn't need to get off the coach to be searched as we entered the area and there was no fighting between people this time around. Jill had initially been worried about doing this tour because while she wanted to visit the museum she wasn't too bothered about seeing the pyramids again. But as it turned out, this time around we spent the majority of our time at the Khafre pyramid. Again we had the option of entering the pyramid (the one I did the year before was closed) but I certainly didn't feel the need to do repeat the experience. I had talked to Marc about it during lunch as he was unsure and I distinctly remember thinking he wasn't going to make it out alive given that he was in flip flops and by his own admission he's nearly as clumsy as me.... but of course when I caught up with him on the coach later on, I found out that apparently this pyramid was easy to enter...no bending like a pretzel in a 5ft x 5ft tunnel while trying to to navigate a steep incline in the dark...Nope, it was easily walkable in flip flops.....just my luck!

Another thing we did while at the pyramids this time was to drive further into the desert where we could actually fit all the pyramids into the same frame when taking pictures. Something we had yet to manage! We only stopped here for 10 minutes or so before heading down to the Sphinx again. But this time we were to have longer here and with the ticket rules having changed I was able to make my way a lot closer to it. And man is it huge! I mean you know how big it is from a distance but I never realised that it was built in what was once a quarry. This means the base of it is hidden from view unless your up close and then its just mind boggling big.

Later that night, back on Celebration, we had the usual fun and games in Liberties including a rather risque game of 'perfect couple'. Some of the questions and answers were way too personal- even for my twisted sense of humour! After this, we then had to attend the Midnight Buffet. After all these creations are a work of art and lets face it, who in their right mind turns down the chance to sample this many different deserts?! Not us, that's for sure!

The next day we were in Safaga and Jill had decided she was going to have a lazy day onboard. I on the other hand had decided to do the glass bottom boat trip in Hurghada followed by a shopping transfer. As I didn't have to leave until midday we took our time getting up and going to breakfast but when we did, we happened to bump into Marc and Hefin. We chatted for awhile before going our separate ways only for Marc and I to bump into each other again on deck a little later on.

The journey from Safaga to Hurghada is about an hour and our guide was a young, friendly guy who clearly wanted to educate us as much as we were willing to let him. I learnt a great deal from him about the area such as the last lot of significant rain they had was 2 years ago and so each property would have a tank atop it which would be filled twice a week via underground pipes fed from the Nile; School is mandatory for 6 years only and teachers supplement their incomes by tutoring as they can earn a lot more this way; Unless your an only child you have to do your time in the army; Theres no fishing in in the winter unless its in the Nile or the Suez; And black is the only colour with meaning for women.-It basically has a 'leave me alone' vibe.

As well as this I learnt a lot about the struggles brought on by corruption in the area. What should have been prime real estate on the red sea, was sold to a hotel owner in a under the table deal with the government which had him fleeing to switzerland during the revolution. I think I probably would too if I had paid $1 per square meter for what was actually worth £400!

Once we reached Hurghada we boarded the boat and set sail. I had never done one of these boat trips before but given that I had wimped out of snorkeling the reef in Sharm, I figured this was as close as I was likely to get. And wow was I impressed! I admit I hadn't been expecting much from this kind of viewing but the water (which in November was still at 23c) was so clear that even at 15 metres deep you could still see the seabottom.

I saw so many different kinds of fish and even stingrays too. The corals themselves were stunning in such vibrant colours it astounded me. Its amazing to think that it takes 10 whole years for just 1cm of coral to grow! Despite the harm I know it could do to me if I accidentally brushed up against it, I think this fact alone would keep me away from the reefs if I ever did choose to go snorkelling. I wouldnt want to risk damaging such a delicate organism structure.

Back atop the boat I enjoyed the sunshine while chatting away with the guide. It turns out that he studied in Glasgow for awhile which led to a rather deep conversation about different cultures and outlooks on life. I found his take rather interesting as he said that he struggled while in the UK with our mentality. We were always stressed and looking to what's next. Whereas he explained that Egyptians tend to be grateful for the individual moments and treasure them. He even used the current unrest as an example. Yes they had ousted the former president but the new government was just as corrupt, if in different ways. Everyone knew there was still a long way to go to create a better future but in the meantime they would live each day to the fullest. Maybe I've more of a western mindset than I thought as I found it odd that he was so negative about us but I know exactly what he meant and couldn't argue because he was right. Far too many people worry about tomorrow, rather than just enjoying the day.

By the time we got dropped in Hurghada it was dark and my first bit of unease trickled in.......I sooo did not want to get lost especially since we were told where to meet the coach rather than shown! Luckily it was mostly one long street so I just wandered along at my own pace. I chatted to the venders but tried not to get to involved. Afterall in the space of a week there were at least a dozen incidents that we had heard of where tourists got locked in stores until they bought something. Being a complete scaredy cat I was very aware of this as I window shopped but apart from one instance when there was definitely something weird going on with one of the venders, I was at ease. And I soon got out of that particular shop when I realized I was alone and he was acting very oddly....and then I made sure to be on the other side of the road on the way back!

After arriving back at the ship I joined Jill and later on we were joined by Marc and Hefin for the quiz. I hate quizzes. I seriously know nothing! But after awhile Jill called it a night, followed soon after by Hefin. Marc and I then decided to go to the crews show. This may have been a mistake though as we got told off for talking...so embarrassing. And I know what your thinking if you know me well....Its not exactly a surprise as I can talk for england sometimes. But not usually with people I just met. Eventually we called it a night as we had a long day ahead but we were all doing the same tour so we agreed to meet up in the evening if we didn't see each other first.

As it turned out we actually met up with Marc and Hefin on the way off the ship and were even on the same coach to Luxor. Marc and I were pretty much joined at the hip after this which I think amused Jill greatly. And according to Marc, Hefin was just glad it was now obvious they weren't a couple....amusing me greatly

We talked the whole way to our first picture stop which was The Colossi of Memnon- 2 huge statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III- before carrying on to The Valley of Kings. This place is so spread out that we actually rode a cart to get between the buildings!

We enjoyed wandering here despite the heat. Some of the inscriptions inside the tombs are amazing and you can understand why they would have begun building them as soon as a new Pharaoh began to rule -It would take years to make the chambers ready.

After a while we made our way back out via the cart again. This time we had a good show as our guide decided to warm himself up a little by jogging along behind... Or at least Jill enjoyed this while I was too occupied staring stupidly at the egyptian sharing the cart with us, who at Marcs urging was showing him his gun .....WTF!......

Next up we made a stop at an alabaster shop which was great to look around. But what was even better were the artists working in the street as we approached the shop. This was amazing and we stood and soaked it in while learning how to spot real and fake alabaster products and watched as their creations came to life.

Our last stop of the evening was to be Karnak, said to be the open air museum of the world. And its hard to argue once you've seen it for yourself! Definitely my favourite sight in Egypt, its a complex of temples and as with places such as Petra and Ephesus, you walk through it, over it, on it... And its amazing. At one point we were stood in what was the Hypostyle Hall, amongst giant pillars which have Hieroglyphics from top to bottom. And theres a wall that Jill came across with a type of calendar on it- I think it was a feast calendar?? Either way Karnak is somewhere I highly recommend and by the time we dragged ourselves back to the coach the sun had set and we journeyed back to the ship in darkness.

The next day we were back in Sharm to fly home after an amazing fun filled two weeks. Neither our flight or Marc and Hefin's left until later on so we decided to walk into Sharm and maybe do some last minute shopping. Peter and Anita also joined us for a couple of hours and we wandered leisurely before we had to head back to say our goodbyes.

I never would have foreseen this holiday unfolding the way it did but it was a great experience that always has me shaking my head and questioning if it really happened, when I think on it

"Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey."

―Pat Conroy