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Exploring Ancient Petra, Jordan
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To show due respect to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, I decided to spend three days exploring ancient Petra. And I’m here to tell you, they were three fascinating days.
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A Chance Meeting in Wadi Rum, Jordan
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When I pulled up to help a bloke in a broken down vehicle in Wadi Rum, Jordan, I had no idea it would lead to an amazing night as a guest of the Bedouin.
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Wadi Rum, Jordan
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Wadi Rum is a 720 square kilometre protected area a little over an hour’s drive from Aqaba. it was definitely one of Jordan’s biggest drawcards for me, and I was excited to have four days to explore the place.
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Questions from the locals, Egypt
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‘Where are you from, my friend?’ Travelling in Egypt, this is one question from the locals you hear all the time.
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Diving the S.S. Thistlegorm, Egypt
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The wind was gusting over 20 knots, and the dive boat lurched in the choppy seas. Geared-up and ready, I have to admit I was feeling nervous. It didn’t seem all that long ago that I had done my first scuba dive, and now I was waiting to descend to…
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The S.S. Thistlegorm, Egypt
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Merchant seaman are arguably the forgotten heroes of World War II. Sailing the unarmed, or lightly armed, cargo ships that delivered troops and vital supplies was a dangerous game.
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The Minibuses of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
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I had been too nervous to jump on the taxi minibuses in Egypt’s heaving cities, but figured I couldn’t go too far wrong in the beachside resort town of Sharm El Sheik. Riding the minibuses turned out to be a really enjoyable local experience.
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‘Take away this ball and chain…’
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Mike Ness of Social Distortion wrote ‘Ball and Chain’ in 1987, and has described the song as a ‘hard luck story’. For Ness, his ‘ball and chain’ was addition; mine is living in the past.
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Under the Red Sea, Egypt
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When you’re middle-aged, and you experience something that blows your mind kid-style, it’s something to celebrate. I did something last week that left me yelling with pure joy and wonder. I went scuba diving under the Red Sea.
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Siwa Oasis, Egypt
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Although I had spent over a month in Egypt, and had visited a few places on the arid edge of the Nile Valley, I hadn’t gone deep into the desert. Having spent many years living in Central Australia, I was keen to see the country’s dry interior.