Days 1-2 (7-8 May 2010)
Cairo, Giza
It's a frantic finish at work on Friday evening ahead of my overnight flight. Before I know it, I'm waking up in Egypt and hurtling through the empty streets of Cairo in a taxi that seems determined to break its record time (as well as trying to completely rip me off).
At about 08.00, Susanne and I arrive at the Oberi Mena House hotel, which is just a stone throw away from the pyramids. After a prolonged argument with the reception, we get the room we booked and although the accommodation is nothing to rave about, the view is simply sublime. The pyramids...
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13th October 2007 - Marrakech
The echoes of horns and scooters are ringing in my head and the scents of spices and petrol still linger on my clothes. I've returned to Africa and this time I'm in Morocco. More precisely, I'm in a small riad just off Djemaa el-Fna in the central medina of Marrakech.
The accommodation is not quite what I expected, with no towels or toilet paper being the obvious missing items. There's also no lock on the door, but the 'hotel' does have security in the form of an 80-year-old man who sits on the floor at the entrance of the building.
The huge square in the centre...
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31st January 2007 - Nairobi
Finally! I'm south of the equator! However, I need proof! So I head straight for the wash basin and with a big grin on my face, I watch a litre of water spin down the plug hole in the "wrong" direction!
I thought that was going to be the biggest culture shock of the day, but I was immediately proved wrong. I'm in Nairobi for just one night and staying in a modest 3* hotel (which has enough staff for a place four times the size). The hotel is surrounded by an electric fence and barbed wire, but it's great inside; in particular the outdoor bar area. It's a quick...
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