With free time on my hands, I thought I'd do something productive, rather than give in to the work of the devil. I spent hours trawling through travel pics. They brought back some great memories! All the trips I've taken have been special, but a few stand out.
My first trip to Egypt was post the Al-Qaeda bombing of Sharm-El-Sheik. I felt quite guilty going on holiday after so many people had lost their lives, but the trip had been booked for ages. I spent my birthday travelling through Sharm (just another tourist destination), Dahab, Alexandria, Taba and Nuweiba. I snorkeled in the Blue Hole, had a local BBQ catered for by one of the Egyptian tribes in the Oasis of Mount Wadi Gnai, followed by a climb up the mountain itself. I rode a camel through the desert and then promptly passed out from heat stroke. I woke up a club-owner to belly-dance with local dancers at the Tree Club in Dahab, situated on the edge of the Red Sea, at 4 in the morning. I saw the sunset rise over Saudi, across the way. I slept on the sand of the Sahara, in a Bedouin camp. I remember lying on my back, listening to a fox howl, feeling the desert wind on my skin, and gazing up at a view of millions of stars before going to sleep. Breathtaking! All the photos in the world can't replace the memories I have of that trip.
Another memorable trip was to the US after having lived and studied there some years prior. I spent a few days in Big Bear, in the San Bernardino Mountains. I stayed in a log cabin, that overlooked the lake, surrounded by the mountains. I smoked vanilla cigars overlooking the lake, drank local wine and had the most amazing pancakes for breakfast at the Original Pancake House. I went hiking in the mountains, hoping to spot a cougar. Next time...
Laguna beach, on the west coast of the US, is one of my most favourite places in the world. I spent the afternoon watching Kelly Slater and Rob Machado on the beach, surfing. My friend, the original honky (aka Adam) lives in Laguna Beach. We went for lunch at Johnny Rockets after, where I had the best chilli cheese dog and curly fries in the world! Later, at Adam's place, we heard the sounds of his neighbours drifting in through his living room windows, in what can only be described as a display of mid-evening porno sex. Shameless!
As I'm writing this, I've begun to realise that there are quite a few memorable trips I'd like to wax lyrical about. There's Malta, where I went dancing at the St. Johns Co-Cathedral, built originally as the church for the Knights of St. John, and where Caravaggio painted the Beheading of St John the Baptist. Tunisia, where I went to try heal my soul a few months after Malakqi died. I went swimming off a coral reef in Hammamet, with a depth of over 30 metres! Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Hawaii, New Zealand... the list goes and on and on.
I definitely have itchy feet. Where to next? I'm dying to go to Cuba, before the architechure and the old cars are completely phased out. I want to learn to Tango from the old Cubans who teach on the cobbled sidewalks throughout the city.
A trip to Machu Pichu in Peru is next on the list. Then India. Then... wherever the travel bug takes me.
I think I'm beginning to get delirious. I better go and lie down so the visions in my head will stop. It's so hot and sticky. I can't breathe. That may have something to do with the head congestion. Who would believe I went through 9 months with not a single sniffle and now summer is here, I get sick. Ho hum. Catch you later!
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