By popular demand...

Several people (more than 2) have said they expected more photos from my trip to the Land of the Pharoahs.

I went back and correlated what was available and added a few more.

Voici! (practicing for my trip to Paris, Apr '09)

Incidently my favorite photo series was Sunrise at Mt. Sinai, and it had broken links which are now repaired. Check it out.

Then go!. Anywhere! Now!

Have I mentioned you only get 84.6 years?

This is my most enduring memory of Egypt.
Standing in front of the King Tut Hostel,
Talat Harb st., Cairo.

Feel the love.
Everywhere people were touching.
Thier joy is infectious.
After 7pm Cairo comes out to celebrate life and each other.

Cairo traffic is unregulated.
No rules. Just go!
Watch the pedestrians.
It's like Pong, Centipede, and Space Invaders
in real time, and extra points if ya hit the kid...




From Cairo I flew all the way south to Abu Simbel.
Ramses southern gateway to Egypt.





Took a few photos
and then started my journey north by heading to Aswan.

And from Aswan I sailed the Nile to Luxor.

After Luxor I spent a week in Dahab, chilling and diving.

I met many interesting people during my journey. It's the prime reason I travel. I never got photo's of half of them, and I regret it now.

In Karnak, the temple city, I was leaning up against a column taking in the majesty, and became surrounded by about 50 Egyptian 10 year olds. One of them waved at me. I waved back. They all waved at me. I waved back. One of them said "hello". I said "hello". They all said "hello".... You get the point. After a couple minutes one of them said "sing". I laughed and said "you sing". They all said "you sing!" They stared me down. I wavered.... "A...B...C...", and they all sang the rest of the song. Much clapping. Much waving. They all huddled around and we took a picture with their camera, but like a goober I didn't get a picture with my camera. Would 50 children surround a stranger and strike up a conversation here in Canada?

The pyramid and the Sphinx are huge.
Even larger than my forehead!



For $4 I bought all the hand made necklaces and
bracelets in the picture, and made 2 friends for life.
I still have the necklaces. Anyone want one? :)
As odd as it looks > they wanted the damn picture <.



Squat like an Egyptian.
In the tombs of the Nobles. Luxor.



Fishawi's is a cafe in the Khan El Khalili bazaar,
that brags it has been open 24 hours a day for
over 200 years. I met my Jordanian friends there.
Each seperately insisted I came and say with them
when I visit Jordan.



In Aswan I spent time hanging out as a tout.
They are much better salesmen.



The manager of the above mentioned bazaar makes
150 Egyptian Pounds per month for 6 days a week,
and 15 hours a day. He was well groomed, intelligent,
multi-lingual, and could probably come to Canada
and do my job. I make the equivilant of 150 EP in one hour.



I spent parts of everyday for a week in the Sinai
with Pam and Rachel. Good people.


Now it's time to start practicing my Spanish.

Buenvenido a Cuba!

At - 40 degrees fahrenheit

with a windchill to - 50, your face burns within a block. After 2 blocks your are earnestly looking for shelter. After 4 blocks you are popping into the nearest open door regardless of who is on the otherside.

At - 28 I can make it 50 yards to the lunchshack with my jacket open and no toque. I use this discomfort to help me focus on my mission. I would so hate to squander my time in this place.

Having said that, Ft. McMurray is a pleasant surprise. It is a thriving boomtown, not just a camp for wayward contruction workers. Most of the camps are as nice as a good 4 star hotel.

The test on whether taking this risk, and coming to a place where my social life is for all intents and purposes, on hold, will be in my networth.

Since last May when I closed on my rental unit in Edmonton, I have not made any forward progress toward financial soveignty. In fact I have been losing ground. This year I will do better, in fact, this is the sole motivation for coming to the Alberta Gold Rush.

Egypt. Confirmed all my biases about backpacking. I can't imagine ever travelling without staying in hostels with a loose intinerary. It forces you to explore, interact, and smell the roses. I loved Egypt. The culture is better suited to me than Canada's in many ways. One thing: bring toilet paper! It's the one thought that entered my mind more than any other. This year I'm thinking Cuba or Brazil. Hola! Saving Europe for when I move to the bonus round. 1640 days. Although I may pop over to Paris for a weekend getaway this year. Bonjour Madamoiselle!

My Irish passport application is in the mail. Dream. Plan. Live. You only have 84.6 years to do all that you ever hope to do.

The camp I am in shows no love for vegetarians. I will have to turn up the heat. I have somehow managed to gain at least 10 pounds in a week, though. My pants say so. Stress, I guess. No more bread and potato salad for me.

On my todo list is fixing all the pictures and videos from Egypt. Getting down to 180 lbs. Getting an accountant (have one in the works). The perennial debt freedom. Buying a cash flow positive rental property. And if I have enough left over, I want a used BMW.

Emma Stodart. This is a page ranking test. It would give me joy to have someone googling Emma to end up here. I'm easily amused :)

Haven't practiced guitar or worked out much since before my holiday. I'll do better.

Don't just color outside the lines, draw new lines. I just googled that line and it din't show up. As I say... easily amused.