Following our visit to Abu Simbel and other temples on the shores of Lake Nasser, the second part of our 2010 Egyptian holiday involved a cruise down the Nile from Philae (Aswan) to Thebes (Luxor).
Continue reading 'Down the Nile to ancient Thebes'
Author archive for Bruce + Simone
Bruce determined that he wanted to visit Abu Simbel as a child, when he came across an old National Geographic from May 1966 describing how the temples were saved from drowning. Although the engineering achievement was remarkable, what struck him at the time were the depictions of life in ancient Egypt. While he never did get to reign as Pharaoh, he has at least fulfilled that early ambition to see these magnificent temples for himself. In February 2010 we flew into Luxor (ancient Thebes, in the former Upper Egypt) and travelled south of Aswan (the site of ancient Philae, near the First Cataract) into the northern lands of Nubia (known as the Kingdom of Kush after decolonisation, now mostly in Sudan).
Continue reading 'Monuments of ancient Nubia'
Our year abroad started in China and finished in Australia. In between we spent most of our time living and working in Wellington, the City at the Heart of the Edge of the World and the capital of New Zealand. Having written our last post from New Zealand we've now returned to our previous address in Chesterfield (near Sheffield, in the Midlands) where we've found that some things have changed, and some things never change. For all intents and purposes Project Koru has run its course, although we would like to think the essence of our experience will endure.
Continue reading 'Back in Britain'
We've left Wellington and will shortly leave New Zealand and begin our journey back to the UK via Australia. Project Koru, our "year out" from life in the UK, has essentially run its course.
Continue reading 'Last post from New Zealand'
Although we had pre-arranged accommodation in Wellington for the first month, we almost immediately began the search for a place to stay in the longer-term. We used the Internet to look into a number of options prior to departing the UK, and had decided that renting was the most feasible and the most comfortable proposition. Finding a place thus meant having feet on the ground, and the urgency of success was dictated more by Simone's impending full-time work commitment than anything else. Here we share a few insights into the process of finding a rental property.
Continue reading 'A place to live in Wellington'
Moving your life? The whole idea of packing for a year abroad is daunting: where do you start? How do you overcome personal baggage allowance restrictions when three pairs of your favourite underpants won't last a year? What is involved in sending baggage unaccompanied? How do you minimize the chances of things going wrong? Allow us to share our experience.
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