Submarines and Snorkling

The last two excursions were half days, so I figured it would be best to connect them in one post.  On one of the trips, I got MANY photos and the other literally zero photos. Granted this is because one of them I was in a submarine and the other I was under water.

Out of both trips I have to say the Submarine was my favourite, this was the trip I was looking forward to the most. I had never been inside of a Submarine up until this point so I was more than eager for the experience. This post mainly pictures, there really isn't much to say.

 I was so impressed with the Submarine, I did feel a little sick by the end of it though. I am not a good traveller it seems. SO many fish were seen, I mean I cannot tell you what types of fish or names but they were all really pretty. It was also cool being underwater, in a machine and still being able to see the sea life.

 Snorkeling was something I had never done before, I had given it a go. It was cool seeing turtles but I just didn't enjoy the snorkeling all that much. I am glad I tried it though, something to tick off the list!
The place we did the snorkeling 'Turtle Bay' was so pretty, it had cool huts and an ice cream place which had the cutest decor.






You're probably glad that this is the last time I'll go on about Egypt, my regular posts should start up again. I might try to post two days a week but we shall see! Thank you for reading, and have you been anywhere cool this Summer? Leave a picture below of your favourite Summer memory!

Submarines and Snorkling

Tuesday 2 October 2018

A day in Cairo

This was my favourite photo from the day, this was taking at the Pyramids of Giza. Right here, I am playfully (pretending) kissing the Sphinx.

Cairo was quite far out from our hotel in Hurghada, much further than Luxor. This time for our second excursion I became prepared with motion sickness tablets. Thank god they had worked! 

The first place in Cairo that we visited was The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. The history within this museum as insane. From royal chairs and beds to ancient statues. And even a mummy or two.  There was a bit of a culture shock (I think that's the right wording) before we entered the museum. When going to the toilets. which were located around the side and behind the museum building,  there was a lady who holds all the loo roll, and you have to pay her if you're wanting to use some. There was no toilet paper in the stalls (due to her having them all) so if you weren't prepared you best have had some money on you! Naturally, as a woman (who needs toilet roll every time they pee) and a tourist you're a captive audience for this woman. So, if you're headed to Cairo anytime soon, bring some money or some loo roll of your own. 

Back to the tour of the museum, the Egyptian artifacts were amazing to see. There was something intriguing in every corner. The one problem I had with the tour, no fault of the city or museum at all, is that I did not get to explore much at my own accord. In fact, this was true of the entire day. Our guide pretty much just showed us a bunch of stuff that he personally thought was the most important. Which looked to be the 'generic' type of things to show people as there were many other guides showing the exact same artifacts. Granted, the things were intriguing and important- he wasn't wrong. I personally prefer to do my own thing in museums. Look at things that catch my eye and learn about them myself at my own accord.

The day seemed very short overall, the most fun was had at the second and final place visited. I suppose the things that Egypt is famous for...

It was very surreal, a place I had heard so much about and then finally visiting. I still cannot get my head around it. The Pyramids were beautiful, and it was such a lovely visit. There was a chance to go inside of a few, I didn't due to my anxiety and panic attacks but I sure as hell enjoyed looking at the outside of them.

We took a carriage ride to a beautiful spot in the desert, where you can all of the Pyramids together. Despite the anxious bumpy ride, it was close to being one of my favourite parts of the day. I adore the funny photos that were taken. 

In the above photo, the man who took us to the spot insisted we wore the headwear. He was a lovely bloke and it was a pleasant way to end the day, sort of. After this we visited Sphinx, where we all took funny photos and had a laugh, like you can see in the very first photo I posted at the beginning of this post. 

 It seemed we spent most of our time traveling than anything else, but it was all worth it.  Memories were made and my Instagram looks snazzy because of it. A

The final blog post about my holiday will be posted either tomorrow night or Sunday night. Things have been hectic with moving back to Brighton... expect a blog post on this too!

A day in Cairo

Friday 28 September 2018

I was almost sold for a Camel

On the 10th of September, we flew from Manchester airport to Hurghada, Egypt. I say we I mean my best friend and I. My sister and her fiancé. For an 11 day all inclusive holiday. We did not stay in the hotel for the entire 11 days, we went out on excursions and saw a lot of cool things. I hope to post three blog posts, due to very poor WiFi I have had to wait until I have arrived back home. I could have done one massive one, but I figure long posts can be annoying and different things happened on the trips and many photos were captured. In this post, I will be sharing pictures and anecdotes from our first trip. Also, the title is NOT clickbait. Let's get started...

We spent the first two days adjusting to the hotel and the climate, during this time I got heat stroke and badly burnt despite being the person who had least contact with the sun and the most lathered in sun cream. Our first excursion was to Luxor. We visited the  Valley of Kings, Karnak Temple and the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. As well a lovely boat trip along the Nile to a plantation where we eat freshly picked fruit. 

The journey was a couple hours, and we made a stop at a little market/cafe place. Here I had a panic attack due to a man hassling me in a shop, and he and the owner started fighting. So the day did not start off well. I did learn that you have to be stern with the men in the markets, they will hassle you and you just need to say no. Don’t be sucked in, I made that mistake. During a vulnerable moment after having a panic attack I was persuaded into buying stuff I didn't want. I just wanted to leave and it was the only way the man would leave me alone. Despite the journey ahead I was eager to get on the bus.

 After this we started travelling again, the roads in Egypt are something else. The speed bumps and pot holes, the lack of (none that I saw) traffic lights. It was a bumpy ride... which made me sick. Twice. I haven’t been travel sick since I was a young child, but this rough journey sure brought it back. Naturally, after this journey I bought travel tablets for the next Excursion. I also discovered that you don’t really need a driver’s licensee in Egypt, which is terrifying. Thankfully, our driver did.  

We first visited the Valley of Kings, an impressive sight. Our guide Ash was more than informative, he shared Egyptian stories with us and the myths keeping us entertained the whole time. We went into three temples, the insides of were stunning. 

You aren’t supposed to take pictures inside the tombs but my sister’s fiancé did. He foolishly got caught and had to pay a bribe to a guard. In English money, it was only £2.50. Turns out Egypt you can get away with pretty much most things if you bribe. That’s norm which I found a little shocking. The tombs were so impressive, I had never seen anything like it before. 

Karnak Temple was next on the list, this is the place I probably took the best pictures. It was big and beautiful. I loved exploring the temple of my own accord. Also, whilst talking to the tour guide we discovered that our favourite Mummy films were not actually filmed in Egypt. It was in fact filmed in Morrocco. The Egyptian government doesn't really allow filming in the country (with the exception of geographical), mainly because there is rarely an accurate portrayal of the history being shown. They would not allow the producers of the Mummy film in Egypt because of the amount of inaccuracy the films portrayed... plus it is very expensive to film if you're allowed to.

Looking back onto my holiday, I feel as though this was one of my favourite sites to see. It was impressive and just historically stunning. I took some of my best pictures here too, this place was so calming compared to everywhere else we had been. Not many people were around and we were not rushed for time. The freedom to explore was needed, on the other trips, we did not really have much time to do our own thing.

Before our next stop, we visited an Alabaster factory, men who worked there chiseling stone, gems, and statues as such by hand. It was a beautiful shop. Here was where I met a man named Ramon II (yes like the king) he had taken a liken to me. First, he followed around the shop and then insisted on getting a photograph with me on both our phones. 

Quality is awful- I do apologise!

Olivia was present through this, he didn’t really bother with her. Not until he asked her if we looked good together, which then he told me he was single... and then he asked her how many camels she would sell me for...  All and all I was almost sold for a camel or two, she even contemplated taking him up on the offer.
 I ended up getting discount on a cool marble swan and we left. Not all bad then.  Never to see my potential husband again... he was lovely but I just don’t think marriage is my thing. 

Last but not least we visited the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. Here, I befriended a cat and saw the ancient ruins of the temple. The cat made me miss my own little Willow back home... This site was very picturesque. One woman stopped me to take a photo of her, and then continued to make me do it whilst almost lying on the floor so she could be captured from a low angle... I suppose it's for the gram so I completely understand.

I had learned briefly about the Egyptian period back in GCSE history when we did Medicine Through Time. I was intrigued then and more so now actually being in the city and seeing history before me. It was crazy seeing how perfectly things were made, and yet we still have no fixed explanation on how they were made or how they were moved. The Egyptians were definitely ahead of their time.  This lead up to the end of the day, thankfully I was fine on the way home. Eager to sleep and spend the following day near the pool with a book!

If you wish to see more photographs from my Egyptian holiday follow my Instagram WritingMyHeart. You’ll see them first there before I post them here. As there is a delay with the blog posts. I'll try not to post them too close together or too far apart! Keep an eye out for my next post about visiting Cairo. 

I was almost sold for a Camel

Sunday 23 September 2018

Summer Update

This Summer has been weird. So far, at least. I have been anticipating results day which is exactly 5 days away. It is difficult to enjoy your time off when you have the nagging worried feeling in your chest that you may have messed up your chance to go to Uni in September - fun right? Despite my wonderful friends and family showing me their endless support I of course still have plenty of doubt.

At the beginning of Summer, I roughly had a plan of things to do, which is still coming along nicely. I have been to gigs, nights out, seeing friends, even did a photo shoot (will post pictures later in the week) and I have been writing a novel. It is early days but I am quite happy with how it is coming along nicely-  I will post more details in the months to come. I have also been obsessed with Celebrity Big  Brother this year. I never watch it but as soon as I heard that Trisha Paytas (my favourite Youtuber) was going on, I have not missed an episode. I am living for her and the show.

Despite, results day dawning upon us next week I am still excited for the weeks ahead. My last shift at work is in 17 days and in 18 days I am away to Spain for two weeks. And then, hopefully, results day goes well I will be moving to Brighton in 43 days.

This Summer me and my best friend Olivia have put down a deposit for a holiday next Summer - eleven days in EGPYT!! Excited would be an understatement. I will be blogging both on my holidays Spain this year and Egypt next year, may even do some video stuff - so keep eyes peeled. 

There will be more Uni content after results day so hacks and advice and naturally my experiences to come! 

#SUMMERBLOGGIN

Summer Update

Friday 11 August 2017