Ten years ago....

I was thinking about what I was doing ten years ago, I had just returned from a trip overseas. The trip took me from Queensland, Australia straight to Egypt, then Amsterdam, then Prague, then Austria...around Europe (including Eastern Europe again), the UK and home after three months. Most of the travel was solo except for Egypt. I believe I was so lucky to be able to travel there with such freedom, you'd not catch me going there these days even if I was lucky enough to win an all expenses paid trip. Noooo way. I'm afraid I just wouldn't feel safe, it probably wasn't then but since I was naive to terrorist attacks I'll just keep how scared my Father was as a memory. As a parent now I cannot imagine how traumatised he was over my country selection for a holiday destination.

When my fellow female (and cute, curly blonde might I add for extra danger) travel partner and I were in Aswan we stayed at the Old Cataract Hotel which inspired the novel Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie. What a glamorous and historical building it is. This part of the trip was a highlight for me, some of the world's highest celebrities from days of old and new had stayed here. Maybe even in my room! I have never seen such perfect architecture since, take a look at the restaurant photo on their site. How regal.

We set sail onboard a luxury vessel across the southern waters (yes quite brown but somewhat cleaner than the Brisbane River at the time I thought) of the River Nile on the Sun Boat IV, owned and operated by Abercrombie & Kent or A&K as they are known in the industry. Luxury travel specialists, what the hell was I doing with them at 24 years of age?! We were amongst a horde of semi-retired travellers and mostly Americans. However I spotted a young lady around my age as we assembled for our welcome on the first day. We are still friends now, she is living in Bangkok with her husband so closer than when she was in the US but still so far. She has come to visit me twice in ten years and whenever we converse it seems like only yesterday when we last met, that is a sign of true friendship to me.

What an experience, I must pull all my old photo albums out soon and re-arrange them since I am embarassed to say they are still in a mess ten years on.