Dahab, Egypt: Wednesday morning - Spring. Sydney: Wednesday evening - Autumn.

"We spent 4 days of our 17 day tour just lazing by the Red Sea in Dahab. There were optional activities: snorkelling, diving, camel riding, ATVing, climbing Mt Sinai. However, we weren't able to take part in many of these. My poor boy was very sick and suffering from severe dehydration. We had to take him to the local clinic where he was put on a drip for an hour or so. He'd also cut his foot while swimming in the Nile so hiking was out (Luckily, we didn't have to amputate).While he recuperated I spent my time relaxing by the poolside. No complaints here."




Check out Sue's day at noodlebowl.net and her photos on Flickr.

Part of our time in Jordan included a day in Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum (high valley) is a rocky desert in the southwest of Jordan. The sand is very red. So red in fact that it has been used in several movies as the surface of the planet Mars. It's also famous as the home of Lawrence of Arabia. He fell in love with the desert and the Bedouin lifestyle.

We jeeped it into the desert to get to our campsite for the evening. Our Bedouin drivers were crazy so the ride was lots of fun but a little bit scary as well. I was often screaming and holding on for dear life as we fishtailed across the sand. I'm not sure the jeeps were in a roadworthy condition either. We had a breakdown and a flat tyre on our ride out to the camp. We blamed it on our guide Okla, as he always seemed to be in the jeep that broke.

At our campsite, we spent the evening relaxing, playing card games and toasting marshmallows.
The next morning, we had the choice of 30-minute jeep ride or a 2-hour camel ride out of the desert. Andrew and I opted for the camel ride. It was fun for a while but then it started to hurt. Camels are bony!

Here are some more photo highlights:

Climbing sand dunes.

We also climbed this rock formation called The Bridge. I know! I climbed it! Crazy Jess.
The colour and light is so beautiful in Wadi Rum. It's definitely worth a visit.
More photos on Flickr.

Our visit to Wadi Rum was part of our Road to Jordan tour. We did a 17-day tour with On The Go to Egypt and Jordan and we had a lot of fun. Other entries from this trip include: Kom Ombo and Edfu, Feluccan Fun, Abu Simbel and The Dead Sea.

The Nile, Egypt: Tuesday evening - Spring. Sydney: Wednesday morning - Autumn.

"Back on the Felucca. (I kinda wish that I was back on the felucca now). Our tour group was split over two feluccas for the sailing trip. There was the party felucca and the other felucca. Andrew and I were on the other felucca. Our guide Sam would spend time on each boat. Sometimes he'd even swap feluccas while we were under sail. The two boats would cross paths and Sam would jump ship mid-tack. It was precision sailing and very impressive to watch."




Check out Sue's day at noodlebowl.net and her photos on Flickr.

Church spire climbing in Croatia is scarier than spire climbing in other countries. We climbed St. Duje Cathedral in Split, St. Lawrence Cathedral in Trogir and St. Mary's church in Zadar.

In other countries, the staircases to the top of spires are narrow, stone staircases. They are enclosed and feel very solid. In Croatia, the staircases usually hug the outside wall of the spire. There are lots of open windows so you can feel the breeze blowing through the spire and it feels very open. As you climb you can see that's it a long way down both on the inside and outside the spire.

At the entrance to each climb there was a sign warning you that you were undertaking the climb at your own risk. Most of the staircases that we climbed were in pretty poor condition. They were rusted metal staircases, usually covered in pigeon poo. There didn't seem to be any health and safety concerns either. At the top of St Lawrence's Cathedral in Trogir, there was no barrier or railing to prevent you from falling into the hole and down the ladder.



With my fear of heights (really, it's a fear of falling), I was pretty impressed that I made it to the top of these spires. It was definitely worth it for the views (below: Split, Trogir, Zadar).



More photos of Split and Trogir and Zadar on Flickr.

Our visit to Split, Trogir and Zadar was part of the Aegean Odyssey. Mum, Dad, Andrew and I spent a few weeks in Croatia and Greece with a quick visit to Slovenia and Austria in the middle.

London: Thursday morning - Spring. Sydney: Thursday evening - Autumn.

"I love miniature versions of stuff. I have miniature shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, hand sanitiser, sunscreen, moisturisers and hair straightening spray. I think it's a disease. Every time I go into Boots I keep buying smaller and smaller bottles of product. My excuse is that I need the smaller bottles so that it all fits in my toiletries bag when we go away. Does anyone else have the same problem?"




Check out Sue's day at noodlebowl.net and her photos on Flickr.