bioneural.net » Travel

Down the Nile to ancient Thebes

Bruce + Simone — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:15:13 +0000

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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). Overview of our Nile cruise itinerary En route to board our boat at Aswan we drove through the Western Desert before making a stop at the High Dam, and then caught a small boat out to the island temple of Philae. From Aswan we sailed downstream, calling in on Kom Ombo then Edfu before reaching Luxor. From Luxor excursions comprised Karnak Temple, Valley of Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, and Luxor Temple. Waypoints on the Nile Download a KMZ file (82KB) for viewing the above map in Google Earth, showing tracks at the key sites and location thumbnails. Recorded with a GlobalSat BT-335; zoom right in to see our footsteps! Nile cruise KMZ Day 5 to Aswan The early afternoon bus journey from Abu Simbel through the Western Desert took several hours. We made one stop, to look at a mirage that was barely in evidence due to the dust haze. What was remarkable about the journey, however, was how many different kinds of nothingness we passed through. Western Desert with sand haze Before reaching Aswan, given our approach from the south, we visited the High Dam and the Temple of Philae. Excursions to the High Dam and Philae Temple We couldn't really see much at the High Dam due to haze. We could only just make out the Egyptian-Russian monument, commemorating ...

Monuments of ancient Nubia

Bruce + Simone — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 18:52:27 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

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). Below are crops from two of the wanderlust-evoking paintings from the article Saving the ancient temples at Abu Simbel by Georg Gerster and Robert Nicholson, National Geographic 1966 129(5) p.694. We managed to track down a copy in good condition via an Internet bookseller and had it delivered from the US by airmail, all for a very reasonable £9.93. Pharaonic grandeur at Abu Simbel (© National Geographic 1966) Overview of our Nubian itinerary Our first stop on Lake Nasser was the Temple of Kalabsha, just south of the High Dam at Aswan. We 'sailed' south towards Abu Simbel with the Western Desert (eastern Sahara) to our starboard bow. Abu Simbel itself is about 70km north of the Sudanese border. All of the Nubian temples we saw (except for Kasr Ibrim) had been moved ...

Kayaking with alligators

Bruce — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:46:11 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Our first joint trip to the USA was to NYC; our second was a holiday in Central Florida, which we shared with friends from Jamaica. We did the Disney thing (twice was enough), fulfilled a childhood ambition to visit the Space Center at Cape Canaveral, damaged our hearing on an airboat, went kayaking with American alligators, and got some experience driving in the US. What we got up to in pictures We rented an apartment in Bella Piazza, located in Davenport, Polk County, Florida. The location made an ideal base for exploring the attractions of Central Florida, with a nearby supermarket and adjacent eateries. Click thumbnail to enlarge imageBella Piazza's communal pool Disney's Epcot theme park occupied us for a full day. Lots of animatronics. Each ride or pavillion supplements a sales opportunity (shouldn't that be the other way around?). It's one of those things you (almost) have to do, and probably works best if you have/ borrow children. Click thumbnail to enlarge imageThe monorail at Epcot The Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral was a highlight. The shuttle Atlantis was already on the pad, ready for mission STS-125. Being able to walk beneath the Saturn V rocket (used in the Apollo moon landings) was awesome. We went back to KSC on our last day (tickets are valid for re-entry within 7 days) and watched a 3D IMAX movie about the International Space Station; 45 minutes of the most riveting footage I've ever seen. Click thumbnail to enlarge imageAtlantis on the pad at Kennedy Since the Everglades were ...

The Scottish Highlands in eleven days

Bruce — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:48:59 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Scotland. Even the name of the country causes something to stir in my McKenzie blood. The last time I was there in 1994 we didn't get to the North Western Highlands and so in early September, between the high season/ school holidays and autumn proper, we drove 2845km (1768 miles) in our tiny 698cc car to scratch that itch. Here is our admittedly full but rewarding route and accommodation plan, complete with downloadable maps, KML files for Google Earth, and itinerary/ POI files for TomTom navigation devices. For more photographs, see here. Day 1: Home to Glasgow Although not itself in the Highlands (as demarcated roughly by the Highland Boundary Fault), Glasgow served as the staging point for our expedition. We arrived mid-afternoon after a long drive so had several hours in which to visit Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the overrated SECC beside the black waters of the Clyde (not comparable to the Sydney Opera House as suggested), and the civic centre. We stayed centrally at the Thistle, a tired hotel not deserving of four stars (the window sill in our room had been used as an ashtray; we were flabbergasted to see a smoker puffing away in the corridor beneath a smoke alarm; housekeeping fit pillow cases inside-out, etc.). There's free WiFi for patrons at the Kama Sutra Indian restaurant—if you find yourself in the, err... position without it (excellent food with excellent service too). Day 2: Glasgow to Kilchoan Click thumbnail to enlarge imageRoute and points of interest for Day 2 Not far from ...

Argentine Iguazu

Bruce — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 09:58:15 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

As noted, we were recently in Brazil. We also crossed into Argentina for a day, in order to view the Iguazu Falls from their side of the Rio Iguazu. The falls are probably the single most impressive natural phenomenon we've seen. I've uploaded a short video to YouTube here, showing the impressive "Devil's Throat" and views from the Upper Circuit walkway. This YouTube video requires Adobe Flash Player. As you might imagine, filming a waterfall system over 1.5 miles across and cascading 1.3–1.5 million litres of water per second is wet work. Hence the water drops on the lens! The soundtrack is Morricone's The Mission (Remix B.O.F. La Mission).

Three weeks in Brazil

Bruce — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:13:40 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

We spent most of November in Brazil, part of the entourage for Simone's cousin who was attending a couple of conferences there. It was an unmissible opportunity for us to see Brazil in the company of someone who spoke the language, and to meet Brazilians outside the usual touristic environment. We didn't realize just how big the country is, loosing several days from our itinerary in just getting from place to place. Lisbon Thursday 1 November A walk through the old city took us to a traditional Portuguese restaurant that did not deserve its reputation nor popularity. A dinner comprising uncooked kebab, cold fries, and a seafood stew of sorts with rice that tasted of nothing but fish was not the most auspicious start. Friday 2 November We found a nice Italian café for breakfast, then walked past the former now facade-only rail station with its double horseshoe arches, the square in front of the museum, and down Rua Augusta noting the elevator to higher levels of the city. At the large square reached through the Triumphal Arch and beside the river (Lisbon is 15km inland) we got on an open-deck bus. We drove past the art deco theatre, patterned paving, the bull ring in Moorish style, Edward VII Park, 25 April Bridge, Discoveries Monument, the Tower of Belém, and cut short the tour at Hieronymites Monastery in order to get to the airport. Tower of Belém Fortaleza Saturday 3 November The almost 7 hour flight from Lisbon to Fortaleza was not so nice with a cold. It was ...

Aussie West Coast by camper

Bruce — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:38:05 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

After leaving the outback we flew to Perth and picked up a camper van, first heading north to Shark Bay and then south-east via an inland route to Albany, before following the coast west then north to Perth. After landing in Perth we took a taxi to the Kea depo to collect our 2-berth Ford Transit-based camper. After an introduction to the vehicle and completion of paperwork, we bought supplies from a local supermarket and hit the road proper around 2pm. This put us in the Pinnacles Desert near Cervantes just before sunset, an ideal time to catch the evening light and long shadows cast by limestone pillars up to 3m in height. Our caravan park was right beside the Cervantes beach, itself festooned with seaweed. Pinnacles Desert near Cervantes Passing through Jurien Bay and Dongara we took the Chapman River Scenic Route north of Geraldton, enjoying the wild flowers and rolling crop-covered inland hills before entering Kalbarri National Park. Within the park we viewed the coastal features of Island Rock and Natural Bridge (noting also the off-shore whale spouts) followed by the less remarkable Grandstand Gorge, Shellhouse Gorge, Eagle Gorge, Pot Alley, and Red Bluff. We spent the night in the resort town of Kalbarri. Natural Bridge in Kalbarri National Park In the morning we drove to Hawks Head and Ross Graham Lookout on the Murchison River, still within Kalbarri National Park. Leaving the park to join the North West Coastal Highway, long stretches of straight road took us to Shark Bay, where ...

A dingo stole my sock

Bruce — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 10:30:43 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Australia is well known for its "outback", the semi-arid scrubland that occupies most of the continent. At the heart of the outback is the so-called Red Centre, with the famous landmark of Uluru (Ayers Rock). Although Uluru is an impressive chunk of rock it is far from the beginning and the end of all the Red Centre has to offer, as a few days more exploring other attractions with Wayoutback proved to us. Day 1 From Alice we commenced the 450km drive to Uluru, stopping to collect firewood and at Stewarts Well (with its tame-ish dingo) and Mt Ebenezer Roadhouse, taking in the semi-arid (cf. true desert) landscape punctuated by semicircular clumps of spinifex grass (looking a bit like a fungal skin infection!) and spindly juvenile desert oaks (the mature trees look quite different). We had views of Mt Conner, a.k.a. "Fooluru" according to our guide Carolyn, before arriving at our campsite within Ayers Rock Resort to make sandwiches for lunch and top up with water to keep us hydrated for the hot walk around the base of Uluru. Before the walk we visited the Cultural Centre. Displays described the importance of Tjukurpa, the law and basis of Anangu life and belief. A number of the photographs of Aboriginal people were blacked out, being "covered to conceal the image and identity of a recently deceased person as prescribed by Anangu Law". Anangu is the collective name for the local Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people. Uluru (Ayers Rock) is 348m high, made of sandstone that has ...

Adelaide to Alice by Ghan

Bruce — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:07:47 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

During our return to the UK from New Zealand, we spent three weeks in Australian campgrounds. The first leg of our journal involved a 24 hour train journey from Adelaide in South Australia to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory's Red Centre. Our hotel was litterally in centre of Adelaide. We grabbed lunch on Rundle Mall and then took the tram to Glenelg, where we saw dolphin swmimming off the pier. In the morning we bought supplies for our train journey from the large and colourful Central Market. Gavin had arranged a hire car and drove us first to Mt Lofty for views over this city of 1 million inhabitants, and out to the coast. Handorf was next, drawing tourists on the basis of the towns early German history and plying them with cakes, sauerkraut and bratwurst. We stopped at several wineries in the very green MacLaren Vale before returning to the city for dinner at The British. Glenelg is a short tram ride from Adelaide's centre There was time in the morning for a brief walk with the Carmonts before catching a taxi to Keswick train station for The Ghan check-in. On the Red Kangaroo service we had a two-berth sleeper cabin with shared toilet/ shower facilities. The cabin itself contained two chairs in "day" configuration, and two bunks in "night" configuration; some of the older passengers must have been more agile than they looked to get into the top bunk! There was a pull down sink and compact wardrobe, and a ...

A beach in Samoa

Bruce — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:19:38 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net doi:tSglPpAB7a8nfM :

Apia is 2892km closer to the equator than Auckland; that alone might be reason enough to choose Samoa for a winter break. We followed a personal recommendation to stay at Virgin Cove Resort on the south coast, near the village of Saanapu. Here we spent a week swimming, reading, eating and sleeping: it was just what the doctor ordered. Reaching the resort Polynesian Blue, with domestic flights between Wellington and Auckland on Air New Zealand, was cheaper than Air New Zealand alone. We arrived at around 2100h and the resort had organised a transfer for a very reasonable 80 tala. An hour from Apia on the south coast, our cross-island journey afforded us glimpses into the lives of the locals. Most were watching TV at this hour, seated on the floor of open fales. Children walking the road by starlight and packs of dogs would appear suddenly out of the darkness, our driver struggling to see them through the condensation on his windshield. The last 1.5km to Virgin Cove was a corrugated sand track, the lush vegetation on either side looking especially dense in the gloom of the taxi's headlamps. We were lying on our mattress by midnight, listening to the cacophony of lapping wavelets just metres from our fale, the far-off crashing of waves on the reef, and the play of the wind in the palms and woven blinds of our shelter. We felt secure under our mosquito net, although had they been buzzing we could not have heard them. We doused ...