The 9 & 1/2 best places to visit in Cairo - and one to avoid!

You arrive in Egypt, surviving a long haul flight in the process.  If, like us, you have come from Australia you were in the air for 20 hours or more - half that time if you are lucky enough to live on the east coast of the United States. You spent interminable hours hanging around airports, lining up to check-in, lining up to go through security, lining up to board the plane. You waited while your fellow passengers boarded, stowed their over-size cabin baggage and took their seats, then you waited while the pilot 'just waited on paperwork' (does anyone know what that paperwork they wait for is - couldn't they stay back at the office the night before and clear it up like everyone

A complete guide to visiting the Pyramids of Giza and my tips to avoid the scams.

There is nothing in the world quite like the Pyramids of Giza. Built more than 4,500 years ago, they are the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world in existence today. To say the feeling of standing in front of them and looking up is awesome doesn't come anywhere near to describing it. Sadly however, the one thing most difficult to do at the pyramids is to stand back and soak in the atmosphere.

Lonely Planet describes it as 'the pyramids hustle'. There is no getting around it - once you set your sights on visiting the pyramids you might as well put a target on your back because you will be fair game for every tout, shonky tourist guide, cheap trinket seller

A guide to visiting the Tomb of Mehu: Egypt's NEW 4,000 year-old tomb

In September 2018 Egypt opened to the public the 4,000 year old Tomb of Mehu. Discovered at Saqqara in 1940 the tomb has never before been open to visitors. Situated at the Saqqara Necropolis, only a short distance from Cairo, the tomb is maddeningly difficult to locate once you are there. In typical Egyptian fashion the Ministry of Antiquities publicised the opening of the tomb with much fanfare around the world then neglected to post a single sign to help visitors find it.   In late November 2018 David and I found the tomb and explored it. After reading reviews on Trip Advisor by disappointed tourists who either couldn't find the tomb or couldn't gain access once they found it, I decided to write this post. If you are planning a trip to Egypt and you would like to see something few other people on the planet have seen (so far) then scroll down to 'How to Find the Tomb of Mehu' and follow my directions.

How NOT to buy a souvenir: 8 tips on avoiding that piece of useless junk.

It was the first day of our travels in Mexico. It was hot, we were jet-lagged and we were awed by the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula - one of the new seven wonders of the world. There was a long line of eager souvenir sellers, all with wide grins, and near-identical trinkets. I was on a quest for something to remember our trip by. David was on a quest to do anything to make me happy. I had recently been ill, very ill, and he was being even more caring and generous than usual. All this amounted to a  perfect recipe to get taken advantage of, mercilessly, - and the Mexican souvenir sellers were happy to oblige.

Watch out for topes! And other life saving tips for driving in Mexico.

Driving in Mexico is stressful - I just want to get that out of the way to start with. The traffic is awful, the other drivers operate in a different universe of road rules (who am I kidding - what road rules), the road signs are someone's idea of a bad joke (when they exist at all), the frequent potholes are yawning caverns with 'journey to the centre of the earth' like proportions and don't get me started on the speed bumps.

Uxmal: Mayan ruins on a grand scale in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula

For sheer size and grandeur the Mayan ruins of Uxmal and their imposing Pyramid of the Magician are hard to beat. Four hours by road from the beach resorts of Playa del Carmen, Uxmal's relative isolation means that like the pyramids and temples at Mayapan it doesn't suffer from the crowds which flock to Chichen Itza and Tulum. Our road trip through the Yucatan Peninsula took us to Merida, to see the flamingos of Celestun and from Merida it was an easy one hour's drive south to Uxmal.

Uxmal has the most impressive pyramid we saw in all of Yucatan. Rising up on a massive elliptical base The Pyramid of the Magician is reminiscent of a fortified European castle standing in silent defence of the city's long dead inhabitants.

The Mayan Ruins of Coba: Pyramids in Mexico

We are in Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo, and it is HOT! What is it about the most interesting places in the world - they are either unbearably hot or freezing cold. Well into our second week of exploring the pyramids and ruins left on the Yucatan Peninsula by Mexico's Mayan Civilisation I am over the heat - which is partly why I nominate Coba as my favourite Mayan ruin. Coba is in the jungle (more of a forest really), nestled unpretentiously amongst a cool umbrella of trees with its pyramids and temples connected along timeworn shaded pathways.

35J and 35K on a Qantas A380: The Best Economy Seats in the Sky!

Source: Qantas

What if I told you it is possible to book an airline seat with unlimited leg room, in a row of two seats (no middle seat), in a cabin of just 30 seats with its own toilet and great service, all for the cost of an economy fare plus an exit row surcharge. Would you believe me? Stuck in the 7th level of Dante's Hell downstairs on a long haul flight passengers can only dream of such luxury but for a lucky few life in the stratosphere between continents can be almost bearable. I am talking about one of the best kept secrets in the sky - seats 35J and 35K in the upstairs cabin on a Qantas A380.

Mayapan Archaeological Zone: Chichen Itza without the crowds!

Mayapan Archaeological Zone in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico has everything which Chichen Itza has - except on a smaller scale and without the bus tours and crowds. If you like Chichen Itza but wish you could wander through the ruins quietly with the place to yourself then you will love Mayapan.

Mayapan was the last great Mayan capital before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors. Founded in AD 1000 it dominated northern Yucatan politically and culturally until the mid-15th Century. One of the only Mayan capitals to be surrounded by walls, Mayapan had 12,000 inhabitants within a city centre of 6.5 square kilometres (4 square miles) and a further 5,000 outside the walls.

The flamingos of Celestun, Mexico: Everything you need to know before you go.

Have you ever seen a flamingo in flight? They take to the air in great clouds of pink, their long, elegant necks stretched out in front trailing a wing span tipped with a broad slash of inky black feathers. Am I the only one who didn't know flamingos have black feathers on their wings? When you see them in captivity their wings are always tucked neatly away with the beautiful ebony feathers hidden from sight.

Next to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza seeing flamingos in the wild was at the top of my wish list for our trip to Mexico.  Surprisingly, when I went in search of information about how, when and where to see them I came up with mostly blanks and conflicting information.  Hence this blog post. I have tried to include everything you need to know so you don't end up just blundering into town as we did hoping for the best.