I've been meaning to write for a while now about Morocco and Marrakech, but haven't been able to find the words, so that will have to come later. After a couple nights of bad sleep, I was having a fairly grumpy day today and I was thinking about the nature of the way of life in developing or 'poor' countries and how those in the tourist trade deal with tourists. This is going to be one of those rambling posts with no point, so check out now if you...

Dear Egypt, Although I understand that baksheesh (tipping) is a way of life and part of the price when you pay for services. However, in the case of tourists, I believe some of you are getting a little bit cheeky in respect to some of the services you believe require baksheesh. Here is a list of some of the things I will not be giving you money for;Showing me how to use an ATM Giving me an unasked for tour of a templeLeaving me alone in a temple Giving me directi...

It's been about a week since my last post. I don't really have any exciting or funny stories to write about, so I might just post some random observations that I've had about Egypt so far. As I mentioned last time, similarities about being a tourist here and in South East Asia are mind blowing, but not as bad. The traffic rules (or lack thereof), fresh fruit juice stands on every corner, but most importantly, you still get seen as a walking wallet, but the shopke...

Finally, after what seems like an eternity (at least since quitting my job), I’ve landed in Cairo and I’m back in travel mode. The plane trip was odd. I started doubting if I really wanted to do the extended travel thing again. The Lonely Planet book on Egypt wasn’t much help, talking about soaring temperatures, touting locals and dodgy water. But once I’d landed and was taking a taxi into town, all that evaporated and all those good feeli...