My last stop in Egypt was Thebes (now modern-day Luxor) which ended up being my favorite city in Egypt that we toured. I had no idea this was the location of the Valley of the Kings where tombs of multiple pharaohs and noble figures (from the 16th to 11th century BC) have been excavated and…
My night on the Nile
When our time in Aswan came to an end we boarded a felucca (traditional wooden sailboat used in the eastern Mediterranean) to spend 24 hours sailing the Nile river between Aswan and Luxor. We sailed until sunset, docked, and then slept overnight on the boat. It was a really fun experience and it turned out…
Aswan, Egypt
Next up… Aswan! We took a 13-hour overnight sleeper train from Cairo to Aswan which is always an experience in itself to say the least. I’ve ridden on a few overnight sleepers in the past couple of years while traveling abroad and the experience is always about the same for me. I’m a light sleeper…
Cairo, Egypt
Hello! I know I’m very late in sharing my photos from the Middle East trip that I took in December, but I didn’t bring my laptop with me on that trip so I wasn’t able to post in real-time like I did while I was in Japan. Then I got home and needed some time…
Universal Studios Japan
For our second day in Osaka, we headed to Universal Studios to check out the new Super Nintendo World theme park they opened in 2020. Since this park opened during the COVID pandemic we are some of the first foreigners to enter the park which is cool. Joe and I played the Super Mario Bros…
Osaka, Japan
We spent three days in Osaka (the second largest city in Japan) after our time in Kyoto. One day at the aquarium, one day at Universal Studios, and our last day was spent doing some shopping before we headed home. Accommodation We stayed at the Cross Hotel in Osaka, I booked this with Booking.com. I…
Nara, Japan
During one of our days in Kyoto, we ventured to the city of Nara to visit the famous deer park. It took about an hour by train to get there. I’d heard about this deer park where hundreds of deer roam freely. Joe visited here when he studied abroad in Japan 13 years ago. It…
Kyoto, Japan (Part two)
More from our time in Kyoto. Our tour guide recommended a tea ceremony/baking class in Kyoto so we participated in that one morning. We made two Japanese sweets and some matcha tea. Nishiki Market Kansai Gaidai Unversity Joe studied abroad in this area 13 years ago at Kansai Gaidai University which is located between Kyoto…
Kyoto, Japan (Part one)
Accommodation Our guided tour with Intrepid Travel ended this week and we are staying in Kyoto for the next 5 days to explore on our own. I booked the Good Nature Hotel for our stay on Booking.com. I love this hotel! It has nice big beds, a table/seating area to eat, a spacious bathroom with…
Fushimi Inari Shrine
My favorite shrine in all of Japan would have to be Fushimi Inari. I’ve heard Joe talk about this shrine since he studied abroad here 13 years ago and now I understand what all the hype is about. It’s famous for its thousands (10,000+) torii gates that span the trails leading up Mount Inari. The…