Travelling The World

2003-04-05T20:57:00.000+10:00

My day started about 9.00 where i woke up not feeling to well. Deciding not to stay inside, i went to take some photos of Cape Town to add to my collection. It was a very peaceful start to the day compared to some of the last few. I came back in from my photo taking journey around 1 pm still not feeling to well.
At about 1.30 i couldnt take it and had to go out again. I found my way to the train station where i boarded the Blue Train which is accredited as the most luxurious train in the world. I haven't been on too many trains to make a comparison but i would say it is quite luxiourious.

2003-04-03T19:01:00.000+10:00

Cape Town is a wonderful place to visit. There is so much to do so i decided to spend another day here.
Today started quite early. At 7.30 i took a ride on the Table Mountain Cableway where i bungied out of the cable car. To jump from a cable car attached to a wire is quite a thrill but kind of scarey. At 8.30 i took another ride on the cableway but this time to enjoy the view and to hike around the mountain. It's a really fascinating place with lots of wonderful flora and fauna and wildlife.
After a rush of blood and then a peaceful hike i decided to visit an Ostrich farm where i learnt How to Ride An Ostrich. That was a lot of fun. I took on the challenge of riding an Ostrich (Worlds Largest Bird) that can run at almost 100kms an hour. My first attempt was quote poor. It lasted 3 seconds. I was quite surprised at there strength. My second attempt was a bit better where i lasted 13.6 seconds before hitting the ground like a bag of potatos. I wanted another go but the guy in charge said no more. I was told later that an ostrich can kill you by kicking with its huge clawed feet.

2003-04-02T17:40:00.000+10:00

My third day in Sth Africa was another remarkable one. Cape town is a very nice place. My first activity today was an Incredible Adventures Adventure. I took the "Wings over Cape Town" ride of my life. A one hour flight in an English Electric Lightning seemed like five minutes. I was allowed to fly the plane, which i did for about 5 seconds but decided on safety rather than fun.

I also took another Incredible Adventure in Cape Town. This time at False bay where i met the sharks. It took about 30 minutes to find a spot to start off at. A french girl took the first dive. She knew very little english and the little amount of French i learnt in Paris made for very interesting conversation. By the time it was my turn it was very warm on the boat and i was desperate to get in the water just to cool off. We had to travel for about 10 minutes to find another decent spot for diving. When we got there it was my turn to jump in the cage. They took me through the checking procedures just like they did for the french girl and some other guy. It was a big relief to be out of the sun. For the first five minutes i sat watching the endless blue depth of water as fish swam around the cage. My first encounter with a Great White Shark came just as i was beginning to relax. It was just amazing seeing a Shark so close up.

2003-04-01T15:20:00.000+10:00

This is my second day in Sth Africa and it started quite early.
AM

Sunrise started like 2 hours earlier than i expected which didnt make me too happy. The cup of coffee which sat beside my bed when i finally awoke was one of the best i've ever had. It came with biscuits which i was told later are called rusks which are a Sth African food.

Apart from the early hours, my day started pretty well with a Game Drive. I sat in the back of the vehicle next to a young South African man who had been on one of these drives a couple of times. He had a really harsh South African accent. My first encounter with a really bad Sth African accent was a taxi driver. He told me he was going to "pork the cor" which i kind of figured out to be "Park the Car".

We drove for awhile before the young Sth African man yelled in my ear "LOOK!!!! LOOK!!!!". I trully didn't understand him and i wouldn't of looked to see what he was looking at if he hadnt screamed so bloody loudly. He was pointing and screaming at a herd of Zebra. The driver told him to shut up which i totally agreed with. The next animal we saw was the Giraffe. We were told the zebra and giraffe usually are close together. Further on in the drive we saw some kudu, impala and steenbok. The driver suggested we stop for some breakfast. The driver had some really good ideas.
Well so far my day has been pretty good. We go out on another drive tonight.

At 5pm i was back sitting next to the young Sth African man waiting for another drive. I really wanted to see a Lion, so I asked the driver to track me down a Lion so I could shoot it. With my camera.
The first animal we saw was a Rhino standing under the shade of a tree. I didn’t blame him or her. Further along in the drive, we found a Leopard hunting for food. We watched for an amazing 5 minutes as the Leopard went about his job. Just as we were about to move on, the Leopard, 3 Spot the driver called him, gave chase to a Warthog. To be sitting in the back of a vehicle watching the survival of the fittest as the Sth African man yelled “Go Warthog, Go Warthog!!!” is a memory to be cherished.
On the radio, the driver was told where some Lions were seen. We found them not long after near a watering hole. A male lion was sleeping while another cleaned himself. Hearing the occasional roar sent shivers down your spine. Not far away two little cubs played chasy and also chase the tail.

2003-03-31T09:29:00.000+10:00

I really enjoyed my time in Egypt as it was totally different to the rest of my trip. I hope the rest of my tour of Africa is just as enjoying.

For today im planning to go to South Africa also called "a World in One Country" which has been in the news recently mainly because of the World Cup Cricket which was just held here. When i think about it, i should have planned to go to see the cricket but it doesnt matter as i have had a good time anyway.
For today and tonight im going to be staying at the Djuma Game Reserve. I've been told we wake at sunrise and go for a game drive. I cant wait.
I also have planned a trip to Cape Town which i have been told is the most beautiful city in Sth Africa.

2003-03-29T15:22:00.000+10:00

For my trip to Cairo i was advised not to drive. I was shown this little excerpt from this website.

"There are very few rules of the road in Cairo. The overriding rule is like our second basic concept, make use of every available space. But instead of cramming people into cars, now people also cram cars onto the road. Every available space on the road surface is used to its limit. Lane markers are outright ignored and even red lights are blatantly disregarded. When you're driving in Cairo the only time you ever stop is when there's absolutely no way to squeeze around whoever is in front of you. Sometime you might stop if a police man is telling you to stop AND he's standing in your way."

I was once again told to grab a taxi or walk.
My first stop in Cairo was the Cairo museum where i saw the Tutankhamun Exhibition.

I also went to see the Citadel which is a medieval fortress. I picked up a map from my hotel, The Cairo Nile Hilton which is located on the Nile.

My third destination in Cairo was The City Of The Dead. I was told by a couple of friends who had travelled to Egypt a couple of years earlier to visit this part of the city. Before visiting, i had found out that this part of the city was a 4 mile stretch of Cemetry. My idea of this city was that it was a place with tombstones. I was kind of right. But i didnt get the bit where about 1 million people live among the graves of the deceased and about 50 thousand people live in the tombs. To me that seems really eerie but i guess they have to live somewhere.

2003-03-28T12:54:00.000+10:00

My Day started by taking my Jeep back to the car rental place. I stood next to a big bald guy eating a sandwhich as i waited to get a taxi so i could go to the airport. As i waited he reminded me of this song.

"Buying bread from a man in Brussels
He was six foot four and full of muscles
I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich
And he said,
"I come from a land down under
Where beer does flow and men chunder"

Men At Work- Land Downunder

I have no idea why i brought that up. Well Anyway as you can tell im heading off to my fourth and final destination, Africa.
My first stop will be Cairo in Egypt.

2003-03-25T21:16:00.000+10:00

I think im getting to much sun as im red as a beetroot. For today i chose to take a day away from the beach. I went to the Cayman Island Turtle Farm. It was a very interesting place. As i was leaving though, i was invited to the cafe to have some turtle soup. Mmmmmm i dont know about that one.
After lunch which wasn't turtle soup, i was drawn back to the water where i took a Captain Nemo's Adventure Tour which is a two hour trip on a semi submarine.

2003-03-24T08:57:00.000+10:00

I accidently slept in last night and nearly missed my flight. I made it just in time though so im now off to my third destination, the Carribean. It was hard to pick which island to go to first. They all seem so nice. After making my decision though with a little help from a taxi driver in Athens, i chose to visit the Cayman islands. I hadn't heard much about the Caymans, and the little amount i knew, came from reading The Firm by John Grisham.

My friend found me this, How to Build a Sand Castle. It'll be quite handy for all my leisurely hours on the beaches. I'm also hoping to do a fair bit of scuba diving and snorkeling.
Unlike my trip in Greece, i hired a car to travel around in as i have been told by many people that taxis in the Carribean can be very expensive as the drivers rip you off as they have no metres. I hired a Jeep. I've never drove a Jeep before but there pretty cool. MacGyver drove a Jeep so i feel pretty special.

2003-03-22T19:14:00.000+10:00

I went and travelled around the island of Santorini. I'm glad i did because it has some really nice views. There were many photo oppurtunities.
While i was here i had to check out the black beach, i dont why, for some reason i had to see it. I was told that there can really nice sunsets in Santorini which of course i wanted to see but there wasn't much sun today which totally let me down.
Overall i enjoyed my time as its a very nice island. I had made plans to check out the Island of Mykonos but ran out of time as i plan to leave for my next destination tomorow morning at 9 o clock.

2003-03-21T19:48:00.000+10:00

I thought i would rent a car while i was here to travel around in but i kind of changed my mind when i found out that Greece has one of the highest rates of traffic fatalities. I was advised to take a taxi when required.

My first stop in Athens was The Acropolis which consists of monuments such as The Parthenon, The Erechtheion and The Temple of Athena Nike. As i stood amazed at the wonders of this place i was reminded of a story i heard in Ancient History at High School. It was the story of where Theseus went to fight the Minotaur and was supposed to raise the white sails if he was returning alive from battle but he forgot and when his father saw the black sails he jumped to his death. Yeah You know the One.

Well anyway my second stop in Athens was The National Archaeological Museum. I've never ever really liked museums that much but this was different for some reason. I actually liked it. The artifacts that are in the museum are just amazing.

I learnt a lot from my little tour in Athens. It was great.
I was told by one of the tour guides to go see some of the islands. I'll see how i go if i get some time. I plan to move on soon.

2003-03-20T20:35:00.000+10:00

Im here now in Greece after my 12 hour ferry ride from Brindisi in Italy. It was my first time on any type of boat so i was nervous at first and only once i felt like i was going to vomit but i got over that pretty quickly.
Italy is a very nice place as well and one day if i get another chance i would like to go back to visit cities like Florence, Rome, Venice and Sicily.

2003-03-20T19:18:00.000+10:00

Even though im not feeling well, I have this spliting headache, Im off to go sight seeing. I took a panadol so im hoping that will kick in soon and ill be fighting fit again. So see you soon.

2003-03-17T08:48:00.000+10:00

I have had so much fun in Paris but unfortunately its time to move on. Im now off to go see Athens, which is in Greece, which i have heard to be a very nice place to visit. I've checked out the Athens Survival Guide so i think i'm ready to be wowed.I found a good page which i could have used for the trip to Paris, The Matt Barrett Cure for Jet lag and Insomnia
When i get to Athens, I particularly want to see The Acropolis and The National Archaeological Museum. I'll be hoping to add to my photoalbum which is getting bigger and bigger by the day. Well i better get some rest. Later.

2003-03-13T17:20:00.000+10:00

Hey Im back.
Im having the time of my life so far even after i found out that there is a hazard in Paris and to make it worse about 1/3 of the population suffers from it.
The Sight Seeing has been great. I went and climbed the Eiffel Tower, all 1652 steps. I also got a very good tip from one of the locals, "take the cable car down as its free because no one checks the ticket". So i did.
I also checked out the Notre Dame which is very beautiful. The Lourve was also a very good place. I didnt see it all as it is quite large but the highlight of course was seeing the "Mona Lisa".
Of course the one thing i cant go without food has been wonderful virtually everywhere I go.

2003-03-10T09:30:00.000+10:00

Im now in Paris which is really exciting. There is so much i want to see.
I have my maps with all the places i want to see such as The Louvre, Musée Picasso, The Eiffel Tower.
It's going to be a lot of fun, so if i dont write on here for a while it will be because i'm a bit busy. But other than that see you soon.

2003-03-06T20:04:00.000+10:00

I'm very very excited. Do you know why? I'm off to travel the world. I've always wanted to and at last its coming true.

First Stop-Paris.

Theres something about Paris thats always intrigued me. Maybe because I watched too much Madeline as a child. Who Knows.
I have everything i need and my bags are packed with the help from this website Top 10 Must-Haves For Your Trip To France.
Ive also found this really nice place to stay when i get there. CLAUDE BERNARD HOTEL. It sounds and looks really nice.
I have my tickets which i found at Qantas International Flights. I got one way tickets to Paris from Sydney for $1900.

I better get some sleep as I've got a 30 hour trip ahead of me and i cant sleep on planes ever since i saw the movie Alive.
Tomorrows going to be a big day with much planned. See you Then.