England

What to say?
I arrived at Heathrow and had no problems going through. I had to go up and ask if I was allowed to bring in dates and other organic material that you could never get into Australia, but unless you've got too many kilogrammes of cigarettes or too much alcohol they don't care and waved me through. I met Polly who is really nice. We then took the Tube into London. As soon as we got out of the station you knew you were in London - everything about the place screams ENGLAND! The funny houses, the people running around in big coats, the 'Tube' and even the stop signs are English. The weather where everyone said it was lovely, sunny and mild, but I still had on 3 jumpers. (I am actually getting used to the climate and am only wearing one jumper). Polly's family are so lovely. The next day Polly helped me open up bank accounts and do all the paperwork that needed doing. We also just 'walk(ed) the streets of London'. We went to Hamleys toy shop which was so cool. People were paid to play with toys all day and there was like six floors each one for a different kind of toy - "Boys", "Girls", "Soft Toys", "Games" etc...
We also went to Libertys (Maddy you may have to come to London for the fashion).
We went to Piccadilly Circus and saw Eros. Then to Kings Cross railway station and St Pancras which Polly is very proud of. It is a lovely station and a real effort was put into restoring it - it does look really lovely. We had quite a busy day and got lots done.
That night we had some more family over for dinner - more lovely people. And, as it is the show to watch here, Polly, Jamie and I watched "The Apprentice" the first bit of TV I have watched since leaving Australia.

On Thursday I caught a train up to Skegness to see Grandma and Grandpa Burden. That is where I am now just looking around the local towns. Today we are going off to Lincoln if the weather will let us.

I really like it here - everything is just so different. And it is great to just hang out with Grandma and Grandpa.
Love you all lots,
Acushla

Egyptian Deserts

I have so much to catch up with..... where to start? I left you on the shores of the Mediterranean in Alexandria. From there I travelled all day by public bus (it was fine - clean and not too crowded) heading out to Siwa Oasis in the Sahara Desert. I haven't told you about Kasia, a wonderful girl who is in the group that joined us in Cairo, she is sooo nice we get on so well. In fact all the people in my group are just lovely, absolutely marvellous people. We went out for dinner to a restaurant that was on the second floor of the building so we were eating amongst the tops of palm trees -I had the most beautiful vegetable stew. Esam was telling us about the Siwan people and their traditions and their way of living.

The next day Katherine, Kasia and I took a donkey cart out to Cleopatra's Bath. When the main form of transport is donkey there is a whole new concept of time - everything happens at a slower pace and to the clip clop of donkeys' hooves. Cleopatra's Bath is not as romantic as it sounds - it is a hot pool in the middle of the road and it is as if you are swimming in the middle of a roundabout. As it was early morning we were the only ones which was great fun as I just love water and swimming. At midday we headed back into town to go on a jeep safari into the desert.

The desert is absolutely amazing so vast and beautiful. A very deep beauty, nothing to do with typical beauty or what we are told is beautiful, just sheer brilliance. It is all created by Nature alone - Man had nothing to do with it.... only the force of Nature itself. The part of the desert we were in was once, a very long time ago, a sea so you can find seashells in the middle of the desert.

We went sand boarding which was good fun and then watched the sunset which was just a beautiful experience. So many emotions wash over you as you watch the sunset in such an amazing place; sadness, joy, happiness, contentment, loneliness, love.
We went back to Siwa where we had dinner and then some of us went shopping. When we went back to the hotel we all ended up in Meg and Belles' room showing off our goods and chatting until midnight. Once again I have to repeat how wonderful my group is!

The next morning I woke up early enough to hear the call to morning prayers (around 4 :30 am) then watched the sunrise from the roof. It was beautiful watching the world slowly wake and the sun push itself over the tops of the palm trees. All the roosters were out trying to out crow one another. Solitary people walk the streets, women fully covered, men with their donkeys and there I was at the top of the hotel wrapped up in my blanket gazing over the village.
That day was a huge travel day - we went from Siwa to Bawity stopping along the way to see some amazing things . We saw what must have been a reef when the desert was covered with water and a helicopter that had crashed during the war (just like the plane in the"English Patient" - I have just started reading that book on the aeroplane... it is interesting to read about the people and the places you have just been visiting).

The next day we travelled further into the desert visiting the Black Desert, the Crystal Mountain, and then on to an amazing spot that looked out over all these hills. It was so amazing it looked like the landscape from some sci-fi movie. The colours were fantastic, pale yellows and peach and a wash of different blues. When we got back in the car it wouldn't start.....
we had got bogged in the sand before but after getting out and giving it a push the car would be on it's way again, but not this time! The battery was flat and no one had brought the jumper leads. You feel so alone in the middle of the desert with a car that won't start! Don't worry.... we swapped the battery from the other car started our car and then swapped them back. It really did feel like we were in an episode of "Bush Mechanics" (if you remember that show) where they make brakes out of wood and use whatever they can find to fix their car. We stopped at a oasis to watch the sunset then drove into the White Desert to camp the night.


The White Desert is amazing!!!!! Tall pillars of white rock reflect the light and as it was a full moon that night they were all lit up and you could wander through the desert by moonlight. It was fantastic to stroll by yourself in such a vast place. The desert stretched as far as you could see on every side.
I woke the next morning and me and my sleeping bag went and watched the sunrise. I will never get sick of watching sunrises - they are so amazing every single one. It is such a great time to have by yourself or to share with loved ones. We explored the White Desert and then headed back to Bawity.

When we got to Bawity we were meant to travel on to Cairo that day but Esam told us that there had been a massive protest see this news paper and no one was allowed in or out of the town. All the tourists in the town who had tried to leave the day before couldn't get out. So what we did was we hired three jeeps, one was a scout and the rest of us were in the other two, and then we passed around the blockade by crossing the desert! In fact we were smuggled out of Bawity! It was quite exciting. We finally made it to Cairo in the afternoon.

It was our last night together so Esam took most of us out into Islamic Cairo where they do the Sufi dancing. It was fantastic - the music was great. I was sitting there with a massive grin on my face. I can't believe that they can spin for that long - it is amazing. And the other dancers were so light on their feet they really did seem to glide across the stage.

That night we said our goodbyes which was really sad. But luckily most of us saw each other over the next two days. A small group of us went to the citadel and also back to Islamic Cairo to try out our haggling skills at the market. That was great fun. It is such a game and quite fun to play once you know that it's ok to do so. (I felt so embarrassed at first). I had to change hotels that night.

Next day, my last in Cairo, I spent wandering around. I strolled along the Nile then did some sketching in the museum hanging out there for a couple of hours. I then went back to the market for some very last minute buys and then went out to dinner one last time with Kasia. The last dinner I had in Cairo was almost the same as the first, a strange mixture of pasta noodles, beans, lentils, tomato sauce and fried onions. Very nice.

I flew out of Cairo on Tuesday - a great flight. It was great to know that the last Egyptian I met - a steward on the plane- thought that my smile was so sweet that that was why he came over and talked to me (he was actually very nice and gave me a handful of chocolates - mummy-shaped and specially made for Egypt Air). I arrived in London safely but will have to tell you all about that later because I have been typing for over 2 hours now.

I love you lots. Please keep sending me emails I want to know what you're all up to!!
Love Acushla.

PS: Has anybody heard from Erik? Is he ok? I haven't heard from him in ages. Please let me know if he is ok, thanks.
Peace...over and out, Cush.

Alexandria

Hi all long time no type.
So much to tell but only 15 minutes until my time runs out so here I go. Deep breath....
Right now I am back in Cairo - this is my last day and I intend to wander around the Egyptian Museum again in the afternoon. A massive thanks to all for the lovely emails I got, it makes me so happy to read about what you are all doing. When I last wrote I was on my way to Alexandria which was loads of fun. I wandered around the streets and hung out in the great library for the whole afternoon. The library just opened in 2006 - it is huge, so full of knowledge and potential. It was great to sit down and watch all the students studying and learning things I know nothing about chatting away to each other, just being normal people, doing everyday things. The hotel we stayed at was right next to the Mediterranean Sea. It gave me a thrill just being near a sea that has so many stories to tell. From the great voyages of the Greeks and Romans, to the civilisations that have lived by it. And just on the other side of that great expanse of water is Greece, Italy, Turkey, France and Spain.
It is interesting, Alexandria is more famous for its people and stories then the monuments that are still standing today. It is a new city with a great shadow.. everything seems to echo the past. The ancient light house and the great library are both gone, buried under the new city. Even the great writers, poets and artists that were all to drawn to Alexandria are gone, but yet their spirits linger. I can see even now, why they were pulled here. It is hard to explain but being in Alexandria makes me want to read great works and to write poetry, to "learn and keep on learning". To absorb the beauty of things to be creative. I don't know why.. if it is the sea that is still the center of life. Not only does it feed us fresh and beautiful sea food, but it has it's own life force. Everybody is drawn to it. To walk, sit, fish, chat by the sea. 'Lovers hand in hand' stroll down the lane of oblivion, their eyes reflecting the moon.'
TTFN (ta, ta, for now)
Cush

Luxor and the Valley of the Kings

I'm now in Luxor.

This morning I woke up at 3:30am to go hot air ballooning.. it was fantastic. Floating through the air as the sun rose, looking out over the Valley of the Kings. A couple of us got a guide for the day to show us around the Valley of the Kings and to tell us about the pictures on the walls of the tombs. I'm so glad that we did as she was fantastic and it was great to go into a temple and look at a picture and hear that the lotus represents love, life and happiness - so these two people must be getting married if they're giving each other a lotus flower. Things like that are so much fun to know, even a little bit, being able to understand and figure out the meaning of things increases your appreciation of what's around you.

The colours are amazing as well. To think that they have survived so many years - all the tombs date from BC so they are far over 2000 years old.
It's crazy here - money seems to slip through your fingers and everything sounds outrageously expensive until you convert it back to Australian currency. For instance I spent 100 le (local Egyptian pounds) on tomb entrance fees today which feels like a lot but is only $A 20and that was to go into 5 tombs.


We have spent the last couple of days sailing down the Nile on a felucca which was so much fun! Just sitting and lazing around. I SWUM IN THE NILE!! it was freezing but so nice. As always I was the first one in and the last one out - are you sure I'm not a Pisces? I just love rivers. Swimming in them, living by them, floating down them.
The best bit was that in our first night we made anchor near a Nubian village and all the little children came out to sell us things. I had so much energy left over (all I had done all day was sit on a boat) I asked if they had a foot ball. They did and so we played football (soccer) until there was no more light to see by. Then the girls taught me how to play hand games like clapping and I taught the little girls to play "Ring a Ring a Rosies" (which they loved) and the game where you put one hand over the other and make a big tower of hands. That is the best part of travelling meeting people and just talking and playing with them. I have met a lot of people and so many of then are lovely. It is great to find out things about their family and the education system - just anything.

Got to go.... ran out of time.... love you all loads and really, extremely love hearing from you all.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE send me some emails I never find them boring and even though I don't get to respond to them all I appreciate all the kind words and love to know that people are thinking of me. For i think of you all.
All my love as ever, Acushla

Aswan and beyond

Hi guys,

Once again I hope you are all well and looking after each other. I am good and having a great time exploring Egypt.

On Monday we caught the over night train to Aswan. I spent 16 hours on the train most of which I spent sleeping. We got off the train at 2pm and went straight to the hotel. At 3:30pm we went on a boat over to Elephantine Island where there is a Nubian village. Our tour leader Asam took us there and showed us around even though it was his day off and he didn't have too. He told us many stories about the Nubian people. He knows everybody in the village so there were men coming up to hug him and little children that he would play with. Our boat driver was a Nubian man and he invited us all into his house and gave us drinks. It was so so nice of him to let strangers into his house. We are so lucky that we have Asam as a tour leader as he is so passionate about what he does and because he is Egyptian he is able to talk to everybody and tell us what's going on. He also knows so much about Egyptian history and how the people live, their culture.

We then got back on the boat and saw hieroglyphs on the side of rocks by the river, it is amazing that they are just everywhere. We went to another island where we rode camels into the sunset. It was so peaceful the rhythmic motion of the camel the cool breeze flowing around you and the quiet. Just being part of nature, no cars honking, no need to rush anywhere just being. We then got back on the boat where Kasha and I ("Kash" is a lovely 22 year old girl from Sydney) went on the roof and watched the stars. We saw a shooting star, a satellite and what we are going to say was a comet (we're not sure what it was as it was more yellow then white). The strange thing is that with the moon here in Egypt the crescent is shaped like a "U" instead of a "(" shape as it is in Australia. This a question for all of you out there, especially Juha, why is that so? Is it because of the latitude that we are at? Something to do with the curve of the earth? Let me know if you have any ideas. It would probably be the same reason that Orion is the right way up in the Northern hemisphere.

So we were watching the stars when all of a sudden.... BANG.... we hit a rock. We all fell to the deck and it took a minute or so to get us unstuck from the rock. It was ok - no body fell into the Nile!

We then went to another Nubian village where we had dinner and danced to music. It was so much fun! The boys in the village were playing drums and singing and got us all up to dance. It was really great. I started dancing with this really sweet little boy, he must have been only four or five. He was so excited to be dancing with someone. The music was great with a very strong rhythm. Some of the singing was call and response so we were able to join in. WHAT A GREAT DAY!!!
We went back to the East bank and Sue (Sue is really my big sister, she is so nice) and I walked around the markets to buy food for the next day. It was 12:30 am by the time we got back to the hotel and there were still lots of people up and about wandering around the markets or sitting in the park. Egypt comes alive at night - when it is cool everyone comes out with their families to shop and socalize.

The next day we had to get up at 3 am to catch the convoy to Abu Simbel that left at 3:30 am. We got to the temples at 7:30 am. We had two and a half hours at the temples to wander around - we had a guide but she wasn't allowed in to the temples so she had to tell us about them before hand. The temples are just amazing! Just overpowering in their size and also in the very fine detail. Every wall was covered in hieroglyphs telling tales about Ramses the Second and the Egyptian gods. In some way it was more amazing than the pyramids because the pyramids are bare inside but the temples are so colouful and inspiring. The temple dedicated to Nefertiti was amazing as well.
We then got back on the bus and drove the three hours back to Aswan stopping at the High Dam to take a look. I'll have to speed up now as I am about to get on a felucca to sail down the Nile for the next two days. We also went to Philae Island which was full of more amazing sights - walls covered in stories and halls that echo with history.

While in Aswan we have kept running into another Intrepid group so we have more people to chat with. I haven't told you yet but I'm sure you will all find this amusing. I have a small toy wombat attached to the back of my bag so he is able to see everything that I see.

Sue and I went to the Nubia Museum which was great because it actually told you what was what so that you could understand what was the meaning behind the exhibits.
I now have a very great respect for all of the people that helped to save the temples at Abu Simbel that were going to be submerged in water following the construction of the High Dam. It took years and years and they saved and preserved so much for everybody. It is incredible to see such amazing sights. I am so thankful to them! What a tremendous effort.

Just one last note before I go.
I nearly got married yesterday! Yes, married! I was talking to a man who worked in the museum chatting about his family and so on when he started talking about going to see his family. I thought he was inviting Sue and I out for dinner. Then he was talking about a wedding which I thought he was going to. So there I was trying to understand what he was saying smiling and nodding along. When all of a sudden Sue is telling me that what he is talking about is a marriage proposal! She was tuned in to HOW he was talking to me and not WHAT he was saying. As you can imagine the conversation quickly stopped. He said that we would get married "Inshalla" ("God willing" .... not I'm pretty sure "Acushla willing" and I was SOOO not willing!!! ) We got out of there pretty quickly and as soon as he was out of hearing we cracked up laughing!!! I'm now a laughing stock. But seriously WHO goes around proposing to foreign women? He was already married and almost thirty five years OLD!!

So all in all it has been a VERY eventful couple of days!!

Love you all.

Thanks so much for the emails I love to know what you're up to!
All my love, your nearly married Acushla 'Muhmed'.

Giza

Hi all,
Guess what i did today???
I saw the Pyramids of Giza! And I went in to the Great Pyramid!! I climbed all the way inside bent double. Up and up I went until I finally emerged in the tomb. It is so still the air doesn't even dare to move. I let the others (some other people in my group) go down first so I was left alone in the middle of the Great Pyramid! Such an amazing experience!! So still there, just so massive, just another example of how amazing people are, to build, even to imagine, that they could build such amazing things.
There are not enough exclamation marks in the World to express the wonders I get to see every day. From the ancient monuments to the people on the streets, the great food and cacophony of sounds.

(This is for Sasha)
Cairo
It smells like perfume after one step then the next step is sewerage then another step and it's exotic spices all wrapped up in cigarette smoke
It tastes like cardamon coffee, and tahini and falafel.
It looks like chaos, cars, people, buses, bikes, people everywhere doing everything, sleeping laughing smoking, selling.
It sounds like music, cars honking, blaring, beeping. The call to prayer five times a day. Men laughing, women chatting. "Welcome!" "Where you from?" "Very beautiful, beautiful lady" "Come look at my shop" "Salaam" "Hello" "La lal la" "For you I give you 2000 camels" (that was a man trying to buy me from my 'husband' Grant).
It feels like paper money, dry heat, sweat. Cool nights, fresh breeze, sand in your hair.
It is wonderful.


So I went to the Pyramids today which was fantastic! Also to the Egyptian Museum where I think I got only a quarter of the way through. It was amazing seeing Tutankhamen's head mask and all the treasures he had with him in his tomb.

Because I have not been able to get onto the internet for a while I'll have to get you up to date.


From Petra we went out into the desert to Wadi Rum four-wheel driving. Sliding down sand dunes, following in the footsteps of 'el Lawrence'. We stayed in a Bedouin camp where I slept out under a million stars. It was so good to see Orion a familiar constellation in a different sky. We then caught a ferry to Egypt and then spent 2 lovely days sitting on a beach. I went scuba diving in the Red Sea which was so much fun. We then went inland to Mount Sinai where we walked around Saint Katharine's monastery and saw the "descendants" of Moses' burning bush. In the afternoon we climbed the 3780 Stairs of Repentance to the top of Mount Sinai . That was crazy - very hard on the legs but the view was spectacular. It took us two and a half hours to walk up then we watched the sun set and then took two hours to walk back down in the dark (we walked down a camel trail so it was easier).
The next day we drove the 6 hour trip to Cairo where I went walking around Coptic Cairo . I caught the Metro which was an experience within itself (a good one). That night we all went out to dinner where I met the new people joining our group and the new leader. He is really nice, an Egyptian man, who took us around the Giza Plateau even though he doesn't get paid for it. I have to go now as we have to catch an overnight train to Aswan - I think it takes 13 hours.

I love the emails - please send more.
Congratulations to Michelle about getting her licence.
All my love, Acushla xoxoxoxoxoxox

Petra

Hi guys. I am now in a town just 3 minutes walk from Petra. It is absolutely amazing! Everything you could imagine and more. Just wonderful. My feet are now aching from all the walking I have done over the last two days. We went up to the monastery where I got a scarf from "The Last Shop In Petra" - because it is on the very edge of a cliff. Here we met Artuf a Bedouin who is friends with Jony (our group leader) he gave us Bedouin tea and we chatted with him for over a hour. That was yesterday(we also had a 2 hour guided tour around Petra with our Jordanian guide Audi) and today we got up early and did the 3 hour walk up to the high place of sacrifice. Then chilled for a while then walked up to a lookout over the Treasury (the main sight) where Meg and Grant and I just sat and hungout in one of the most amazing places. I filled my memory card so that's 440 photos in 6 days! Ill try and upload some. Last night we went to the Cave Bar and learnt to dance Bedouin style which is lots of fun but can get quite difficult!

Thanks for all your responses they have been great! Keep them coming!! PLEASE

If you would like a post card please send me your address and where you would like a card from as there are so many of you and it would take me forever to send everyone a post card every time.

The group is fantastic it feels like we have known each other for a long time not just 2 1/2 days. Sue my room mate is lovely, she is my "yeonni", my big sister in Korean. There are the two Australian guys that are great and love to drink (how odd as they are Australian) but being in a Muslim country finding alcohol can be hard. Then there's Grant who has an Indiana Jones costume and has being wearing it for the last two days. Then there is Katharine and Jason who are cousins traveling together - they are so nice and happy. Then there's Bell who is an artist from CollingwoodMelbourne. Then there's Emmy a woman from England and Gina. And of course there's me......

Love to all, Acushla.