Going Big

I have a birthday coming up on Sunday, and a rule about birthdays: never spend them alone at home. Especially birthdays that are divisible by 5, and even more so for the decade markers, which I may or may not be celebrating this year. :)

With hubby away in Afghanistan, there was only one option for this year: go big. Very big. This big.

11 days on the ship in the Baltic Sea, with 7 ports of call, not including the embarkation in Copenhagen. This is a big of a life-long dream being fulfilled, as I am partially of Finnish ancestry, and that area of the world has always fascinated me. Icing on the cake: meeting some of my Finnish relatives in Helsinki on the 12th.

Or is the icing on the cake the fact that the girlfriend I'm travelling with got us upgraded to Executive First class on the Toronto-Copenhagen flight? Champagne and beds on a plane... now *that's* travelling.

Somehow, with all this excitement, 40 doesn't seem so bad. Who can be depressed about another decade when one's in Oslo, Norway? Not me! :)

Follow me here on the ship's bridge-cam, and I'll try to post when I have time.

Looking Ahead

The end of my second work-term is coming up very quickly. It's funny how the first term seemed like it was a year long, 'cause I was kinda bored and frankly under-utilized. This second term I had a super-cool development project to work on that immersed me completely every day... it seems like I've only been there a couple of weeks but sure enough, they were both four-month terms. I leave my current employer with regret, but enough seeds have been planted that I can reasonably hope to find employment there again after graduation.

My semester this fall looks pretty dreamy... I don't have classes on Mondays or Wednesdays, I only have classes Tues and Fri morning and Thurs afternoon. Although on paper that time looks "free" I know I'll be working my tail off: this is our project semester and it might get very hairy. However, I've been hand-picked as a member of a coding "dream team", so that might soften the blow a little... having skilled coders at your side is always a plus for the project.

Aside from the project course, I have Data Communications and Networking, C++ and Advanced Database Topics. I ordered my textbooks already and can't wait to dive in. Is it wrong to love school this much?

It is my intent to take a couple of months off after grad, particularly if I nail down a job early. I'd love to take a month and rent an apartment in some warm (Mediterranean?) country, and soak in the local ambiance, eat myself silly and bask in the non-freezing weather. I'm undecided as to where I might travel, and I throw this out to my wise readers. Where might be a great place to bide a month in the middle of the brutal Canadian winter? Does anyone know anyone who has a cheap apartment/timeshare/condo somewhere warm and not American?

Sunday Outing in the Park

A couple of years ago I made a promise to myself to get out more and explore. Ottawa and area is huge and diverse and I've only seen the smallest fraction of what it has to offer. Strangely, though, the Plan Fairy didn't come and hand me a schedule of events, so I never did do much. After some time spent thinking this over, I began to realize that if anything was to happen, I needed to make it happen. Accordingly, I informed my husband that we were going to go hiking in Gatineau Park on the weekend. (Four years in the NCR and I've never been there. That's flippin' shameful.)

My stepdaughters were with us that weekend, and they were less than impressed when my husband shared my big plans with them. Nonplussed, I went to the store the evening before and bought the makings of deli bun-wiches and a box of Pop-Tarts. (I love 'em but I only eat one every half a year or so on Special Occasions. Everyone in the house loves them, too, and was completely freaked out that I love them too and bought them. Also surprising is the fact that all four of us adore strawberry... I think this is the only thing that all four of us agree on.) We made our sandwiches after breakfast on Sunday, packed a couple of backpacks with munchies and thermoses of hot tea, and set out for our big adventure.

The park wasn't as green as I thought it might be, and was a little disappointed at first, but careful attention revealed signs of spring everywhere.

We also had the pleasure of watching a lovely red-headed woodpecker rat-a-tat-tat on a tree for a spell...

We were searching for the Waterfall Trail, but due in part to The World's Worst Trail Map (that we actually paid $5 for at the visitor's center) and the complete lack of signage in the area we were at, we didn't find a waterfall at all. However, we did run across the ruins in the Mackenzie King estate... which were really just as picturesque.

We walked for hours, poked around the woods, admired flowers and kidded around. We sat on a toppled birch tree and ate when we were hungry, enjoying our lunch and its treats, and the hot tea warmed our cold fingers. We got lost a little, thanks again to the utterly useless map, but found our way to the car eventually, tired, wind-burnt and happy. The girls talked eagerly of future trips camping and canoeing, and my husband and I smiled at each other, remembering the surly attitude with which they greeted our trip. The day was a total success.

Spa Searching

Now that I know I'll soon be solvent again, I'm starting to look at my upcoming holidays in August. I have three (!) weeks off between my second and third semesters. Mum and Grandma are flying out for a week, but I also want to take a few days at a spa as I did after the first two semester.

Wakefield Mill was lovely, but I am open to new experiences. I'd love to do Ste. Anne's but I'm not quite *that* wealthy. (They have a pretty good package on for the summer, but it ends right as I'd be available to go.) Do you have anything you could suggest to me, within perhaps a three hour drive from Ottawa, or accessible by Via rail?

Regretfully Back

I planned my trip so that I could spend the day at Le Nordik on my way to Wakefield... it was nearly 30 degrees that day so the spa was crowded and festive. It took me a good couple of hours to immerse myself in the peace and relaxation I sought, but after the second hot-cold-relax cycle I began to let my stress go.

About 1600 I headed up to Wakefield and checked into the Mill Inn. The handsome young man at the front desk upgraded my "basic" room to a divine suite overlooking the falls. I dropped off my luggage and went exploring...

A road out back led me to a cemetery where I had the opportunity to pay my respects at the grave of Lester B. Pearson. After prowling the small area, I allowed a trail that led to Gatineau Park entice me into the woods, where I climbed a nearby summit and enjoyed the hot breeze.

Descending the trail after a period spent spellbound in the woods (and very homesick for my lost house in the country) , I was charmed anew to see the inn and waterfall from the back-side. It looked very European and reminded me of my country walks around Bosnia. I went up to my room, grabbed my book, and wandered down to the lounge to sit outside, sip a local micro-brewery beer, and immerse myself in the book.

This set the pace for the weekend... it was rainy the next day so I read and nibbled all day long. The book was my constant companion for the two days... by the time I left yesterday I had read almost 700 pages. What an intriguing read... but I *am* a huge fan of Neal Stephenson to begin with. He's certainly not for everyone, though.

I enjoyed an outrageously beautiful and wonderfully delicious table d'hote meal the last night I was there... the food was presented so beautifully I wish I had my camera to capture every course before I destroyed it before eating. (Exhibiting signs of complete blogger idiocy, I completely neglected to bring my camera on my little get-away.)

All in all... a fabulous trip to a fabulous place. I will absolutely be returning there. I am still enjoying a few more days off before I return to school on Tuesday, and waiting with baited breath for my final marks from this semester. They ought to be published tomorrow... (I have four out of six (and they are very, very good) but it's the two I don't have that are the ones I worry about.

I'm Ready

I'm ready for the beginning of the new semester next week.
I think the coloured pens will make the course load just that much easier.

More importantly, I am ready for a couple of days of rampant hedonism.
My spa pack is all ready to go, (and yes, it includes chocolate and knitting) and so am I. A day at Le Nordik and two nights at the Wakefield Inn. I'll see you later! :)

Gotta Get Away

I wrote my last exam today, and feel like pooling into a small blob of ooze on the floor. Oh, the sudden relief of pressure! (Not for long, though. I'm in school all summer, and classes resume 5 May.)

Smart girl that I am, I just realized I have a week off and not much to do with it. The first thing that crossed my mind was to dust off my passport and go south. However, there was no packages available to Mexico at all (what's with that?) (and I don't care about swine flu, before you say it.) The best offer I could find was a two-star hotel in Cuba, six nights for around $600.

I thought about it hard. Money's at a bit of a premium right now, what with not having a job and all, but a week off and exams finished required some sort of celebration. But do I really want to hang around an airport for two days to get there?

I "settled" for this instead. Two nights and two spa treatments at the Wakefield Inn in Quebec. It's almost as much as a week in Cuba, but there will assuredly be no cockroaches and it's only an hour's drive away.

I can't wait. :)

PS... I am TOTALLY not bringing my laptop.

Postcard From The West Edge

(Written on Saturday but not posted until today due to a lack of time to get collaborating pictures downloaded)

It was impossible to just go away and leave it all behind… there are mid-terms coming up in college, studying to be done, projects to work on. As if that wasn’t enough pressure, I had additional goals. Get some gloves started, make a pouch for my Zen MP3 player. Finish Eye of the North, and finish mapping Elona. Cheer mum up.

I’m on the plane back, and I got every single one of those goals done, yet I still feel as if I had a holiday. I spent hours tinkering with Oracle, made study notes for Computer Fundamentals, wrote two pages for English, and put together some info for Success Skills.

Here’s the gloves that I started.



(Recognize that scrumptious yarn, V? )

Here’s the MP3 cozy, prior to felting. Love that applied I-cord. God bless Elizabeth Zimmerman.



The Guild Wars goals… well… a little harder to show you, but I now have mapped all of Cantha and Elona and am beginning Tyria. It’ll be a nightmare, to be sure… it’s HUGE, but when I get the Tyrian Grandmaster Cartographer title, I will also max the Legendary Cartographer title, for obtaining all three campaigns… and then I shall be Kind Of A Big Deal. No, really. I’m not just saying that. (I bet no-one has a clue what I’m going on about, but dudes, I did it, I’m proud of it, and you’re gonna hear about it.)

As for mum. Well. That’s not so straight forward. I don’t think she and I are quite polar opposites, but pretty darned close. I’m adventurous; she won’t drive a new way to the store. I take charge of a situation; she lets the situation take charge of her. She is letting her fears and anxieties run her over, and it’s taking the inevitable toll on her health. She needs me, or some other personal cheer-leader, there every day… I did what I could but I hate to leave her to her own devices. Reason 4,744 why being in Ottawa SUCKS.

You want to see Reason 4,741-4,743? Here ya go.







(That's a caterpillar on that leaf. A live one. In the middle of freakin' February.)

As demoralizing as it is to be on this metal tube which is hurtling me back to the land where winter still holds sway, my soul is refreshed. Perhaps I can make it through to our own spring. Sure, it’ll be in April… but it will be worth the wait.

In Short...

I have an hour between when school is done and when I have to be at the airport.... I'm flying out to Nanaimo (BC) for reading week. Although I take with me massive amounts of homework, both projects and reading, I feel this break is due and deserved.

Last night's dance went amazingly well, and the video looks great. However, the file is 151 Mb and Flickr only accepts videos 150 Mb and under. Of course. So, until I figure out the mysteries of AVI compression, you cannot share our moment of glory. (Is there anyone wise in the ways of this that can throw me a tip?)

(I emailed a link to the photo of the outfit I made for dance class to Linda MacPhee, the designer. She wants to use the photo and my email in her next newsletter! *squee!*)

I'll blog as I can and as I feel like it from the West Coast. I can feel something easing in me already, just knowing I'm going back to the place I love so well. Have a fabulous week.

Creativ Festival (Day 2)

Today wasn't nearly as intimidating; we had a good feel for what was there, and we had made our purchases (for the most part!) so we didn't have to worry about the goodies being picked clean. One thing we both wanted to do was to have some hands-on spinning experience, so Gemini Fibers was our first stop of the day.

You could tell that the staff were there out of a sincere love of what they did. As soon as Kate and I betrayed the slightest interest, I had a spindle in my hand before I could say "sheep!", and Kate was seated at a lovely wheel for some drafting lessons. The two Judy's were extremely friendly and helpful, and fueled our burgeoning interest in learning to spin.





I caught Linda MacPhee's Slinky fashion show after that. I've always loved the drape and look of slinky, and Linda's patterns make it quick, easy and lovely to sew. Seeing great potential in the swing and drape of the fabric, I fell down hard in her booth and got several meters of fabric and a couple of patterns.



The gorgeous red fabric turned into this shirt the next day... it was like magic. I, who am so afraid of sewing garments (and making mistakes!) turned out this classy little number in two hours. (Looks much more appealing on. Just ask my husband!)



I can see a lot of slinky in my future.

The Oakville Spinners and Weavers Guild had a gorgeous tapestry that was being hand-woven at the festival. It was amazing to watch. The woman working on it, Ixchel Suarez, is quite a famed textile artist in her own right, and had some amazing work displayed there. I also learned about the World of Threads Festival at this booth, which looks like an amazing show.



(Speaking of amazing shows- don't forget the Ottawa Valley Weaver's and Spinners Guild exhibition and sale next weekend (Oct 31-Nov 2). This is always a treat for the fibre inclined.)

Rounding out our amazing weekend at the Creativ Festival was the Vogue gala dinner and fashion show. We sat with some engaging women, had a nice dinner, and got all inspired again when we watched the latest Vogue/Butterick/McCalls patterns sewn up and strutting the runway.

It was a grand weekend; I'm so glad I went. I don't know if I'll make a point of attending annually, but what a fabulous treat this was.

Creativ Festival (Day 1)

Kate and I got back Sunday from Toronto's Creativ Festival; the first time I'd had a chance to attend since my first time in 1997 (back when it was still the CSNF.) It's a bit of a pricey proposition, after transportation, hotel and event tickets are summed, but after all was said and done, I reckon it worth every penny.

We got there on Friday about noon, and were immediately overwhelmed by the size and variety of exhibitors. We walked around in a daze, until we ran into Joe. His friendly patter brought us into his booth to see what was going on.



Joe is the husband of Jonelle Raffino, the creative force behind SWTC, the alt fiber yarn maker. Joe gets thrown to the wolves at festivals all over North America at the SWTC booth, and encouraged us to touch and stroke the new offerings (have you seen Therapi??? It's 30% Jade. I kid you not.) Nice guy. Nice yarn.

We took a break mid-afternoon, completely overwhelmed. A sit and knit, a cup of tea, and I for one felt ready to go back in.

There were free workshops going on all day long in different venues on different topics. We attended one on garment embellishments- fairly low on information but long on beautiful examples. The workshop on "Knitting Without Patterns" turned out to be inspirational gold... Nina opened our eyes and made us feel much more confident with ad-libbing our own patterns. Mistakes can turn into design features, and nothing needs to be made as written. What a startling yet obvious truth.

I had a little bit of serendipity at Mary's Yarns. A couple of years ago I ran into some simply divine yarn at a shop in L.A.... I don't know what I was thinking when I failed to come back with a single skein. They had a small selection at Mary's booth... I scooped up a single perfect skein as a momento of both L.A. and the festival. This will be something luscious... I'm thinking a cowl.


Mountain Colors "Twizzle", 85% merino/15 % silk in Wild Raspberry.

I picked up a nice ball of bamboo/nylon sock yarn at the Mary Maxim booth.



The surprise purchase of the day was yarn for a cardigan. Kate and I both bought four balls of this, because we fell in love with this cardigan after trying it on at the Adirondack Yarns booth. It's a surprise purchase because it's an acrylic yarn. I've always considered myself above acrylic yarn (preferring natural fibers) but the beauty and softness of this yarn could not be denied.



I had a comprehensive serger lesson at the Baby Lock booth; I made the error of asking one of the reps there "what's the point of having a serger?" He took 45 minutes and 15 sewing samples to deliver his answer, and thoroughly convinced me. I'm not sure how I ever got along without one now! :)

Day Two will be a separate post, lest this one become too long.

Fun Stuff in the Mail

It was a fun mail day. Aside from my confirmation letter from the college I will be attending in January, I received these:



These are two day-passes to the Creativ Festival in Toronto (formerly the CSNF). This can only mean one thing: ROAD TRIP!!!

Kate and I have train tickets booked, hotel arranged, and tickets in hand for next weekend's all-you-can-handle fibre festival. I haven't attended for years, and am very much looking forward to the festival itself, and a road trip with a dear friend who I don't see nearly enough of.

I got a retirement card in the mail today as well. Velda, who has noted my pouting and stomping about with regards to the lack of ceremony when I left work, has taken matters into her own hands and sent a thoughtful card.



She also is an enabler extraordinaire. One of the reasons I'm rejoicing in my new freedom is that I now have greater control over what I look like. Civilian clothes all the time, painted nails, hair dyed unnatural colours... it's all available to me now. I even confessed to her that I was thinking of getting my nose pierced; I like the look, and it is now lawful for me to do so. Her reply:



Do ya think she's trying to tell me something? :)

A Hero You Never Knew

DH, my mum Linda and I vacationed in Dubrovnik last spring. DH and I had spent six months in BiH in 2001 and had briefly holidayed (and fell in love) in Dubrovnik, and knew we had to return.

While there, I prowled the streets alone one day, and found my way to War Photo Unlimited, a gallery that focused on stories of conflict. Being deeply interested in the subject matter, I bought a ticket to the exhibition. The main exhibition was by a Canadian photographer with Croat roots, a young woman called Lana Šlezić. Her exhibition, titled Forsaken, dealt with the subject of women in Afghanistan. The photos are provocative, sad, hopeful, horrifying; powerful in every dimension. Deeply moved, I brought my mother and husband back to see the exhibit the next day.

One photo in particular struck me. A robin's egg blue burqa shrouded a woman; from beneath the fabric her arm is raised, pointing a pistol.



This is Malalai Kakar, one of the few incredibly brave women who serve on Afghanistan's police force. Death threats from the Taliban were the stuff of her daily life, but she was a woman who knew she was doing what needed to be done and making other women's lives better by her actions. She did not let fear stop her.

The Taliban shot this amazing woman in the head this morning. She was killed instantly.

The only consolation I can take from this (inevitable?) tragedy is that upon hearing of her death, over 20 women today alone joined the Kandahar police force.

Summer in the City, Part 2

DH and I drive up Prince of Wales drive and past Dow's Lake every Wednesday as we drive to our dance lesson. It looks so pretty and I always have wanted to rent a kayak and explore the area. I've explored it once on ice-skates a couple of years back, but the extreme discomfort from ill-fitting skates and freezing my ass off made me unwilling or unable to enjoy the scenery. Not to mention in the winter, there is no scenery, as far as I'm concerned.

Kayaking- now that's more my sport. As a displaced and desperately homesick transplant from Vancouver, I have had the obligatory sea kayaking lessons, and consider myself rather good at it. If I was still blessed enough to live in the Emerald City, I'd have a kayak by now, and would have camped all over the Gulf shores. Seeing the small craft all over Dow's Lake makes my fingers itchy and my heart yearn. I've pestered DH all summer to take me kayaking, to no avail.

Yesterday he announced that he and the girls had been invited to go on a boat ride. One of the girls' little chums from school has a single mother who has nicely inserted herself into my husband's life, and they plan all sorts of activities for themselves and their gaggle of girls. As I'm allergic to children, especially my own, I excuse myself from most all of these plans. I'm not sure how convenient this works out for the single mother, but it's an arrangement that causes me some unease. I trust my husband absolutely but I do not trust these other women who seem to attach themselves to him.

Anyhow. Neither here nor there. Long story short- they were going on a boat ride and I was not invited. I felt hurt and miffed and pissed, and decided to treat myself to my own watery fun. I packed a picnic lunch, a good book and some knitting in a drybag, and set off for Dow's Lake this morning.

I went from one set of locks to the other- I think this is around 10, 12 kms? I put my headphones in and listened to my favourite CBC Sunday afternoon programming as I paddled along. Stuart McLean and Mary Hynes are my favourite kind of company.













What a great way to spend the afternoon. I paddled and picnicked for three hours, completely content and pleased as heck that I had finally done this instead of wishing and thinking about it.

I got home after a quick stop at LCBO for some Leffe and had a lovely quiet afternoon in the grass with the kitties. DH and the girls still aren't home, actually, but that suits me just fine. I still may be a little pissed at him, despite my efforts to mollify myself.

Once again, I owe Ottawa an apology. Thanks for showing me another good time, you grand old dame, you! I suspect you have a few more tricks up your sleeve.

For my Ottawa readers- what else should I experience in this city? Is there a certain festival or fixture that you consider "must see"?

Close Enough?

We were walking down the street in the Old City in Montreal, when I saw a woman with simply amazing hair. It was iron-grey, fell to her lower back, and was beautifully braided in hundreds of cornrows. It looked lovely. I always try to pass along compliments where due; my French is poor but I thought it up to the challenge. I thought a minute, confirmed a word with my husband, and approached the woman as we were stopped at a light. "Your hair is very pretty!" I said in my best grade-school French.

Turns out it was a wasted effort- she was a visitor in town too and spoke not a word of French. I laughed in relief and repeated my compliment in English. She smiled, thanked me and we turned different directions at the street corner and parted ways.

I turned to find my husband killing himself with laughter. My poor grasp of French made my compliment to translate "Yous has a pretty horse."

Chevaux, cheveux. Whatever. :)

Just as well she didn't speak French. Just as well I don't try more often.

Field Trip!

On Friday, my boss came by my office and was chatting with my subordinates and I. He asked what my plans were for the weekend, and I talked excitedly about the Ottawa Knitting Guild field trip coming up on Sunday. I told him how we'd travel to Perth to see a yarn store I hadn't seen before, how there would be reps there from two different yarn companies and a trunk shop of their latest wares, how there would be alpacas from Victory Alpaca to feed and adore, and how we'd cap the day off at a local organic bakery. I could see his face grow increasingly disbelieving as I talked, so I injected more and more detail about the fun we'd have and the fiber we'd find.

Strangely, the more animated I got in trying to get across to him that this was for me a really cool day and a big adventure, the more he got "that look" on his face. You know the look. The "holy crap, I didn't realize you utterly had no life" look. The "so that's how the other half lives" look. The "you're much stranger and less interesting than I thought" look.

Eventually, much later than I should have, I realized I simply wouldn't convince him, and just shut up and bore the mocking with a smile.

It was indeed as cool as I thought it would be. Kate and I showed up at the meeting place, a Tim Horton's in Stittsville, defiantly brandishing our Starbucks lattes. There were a good 20 women with their needles and elbows at the ready. We drove, more or less in convoy, to Perth and turned off onto Glen Tay road to visit Janie H Knits. More guildies were already at Janie's, presumably to buy the good stuff before the rest of us had a chance.

Her shop is simply amazing and absolutely worth the drive. She has friendly, helpful staff, boatloads of exciting fiber, all sorts of interesting tools and accessories, a sizable library of books, baskets of on-sale sock yarn, and a lovely serene swing, overlooking a river out back... perfect to curl up with a good book on. The baby alpacas and their endearing little hums charmed me utterly, and I bet I wasn't the only one.


It was acceptable in the 80's... these charming young lads do a mean Bowie impersonation.


Kate, looking very glam, blowing kisses to the curious lads.

I spent my "allowance" and more, having fallen hard for a pretty little vest knit of Freedom Spirit wool and somehow acquired the yarn and booklet with which to make it. Also falling into my basket was a skein of Prairie Fibre sock yarn (which I think is made in Saskatchewan), some Handmaiden Casbah wool/cashmere sock yarn (to be made into a pair of socks for my Grandma, whose feet won't know what hit them), and some bargain-bin yet lovely and soft wool/bamboo sock yarn.

Even though Janie gave us Guildies a nice discount on our loot, I'm pretty sure she made a killing on us. Some ladies filled bags with yarn, went outside, fed the alpacas, remembered "just one more thing" that they needed, and came out with another full bag and a dazed look on their faces. It was like a feeding frenzy.

Afterwards, we drove to Perth and had lunch at Fiddleheads, as the bakery was closed. Good yarn, good food and good company made the day an utter pleasure from beginning to end.


A hard day all round: Ginger crashed in my pile of handbags. She's still in quarantine until this weekend.

What's to See in Montreal?

My mum and grandma are coming out for their first time ever this July. Neither of them have been this far east; mum's on Vancouver Island and grandma's in central Alberta, so this trip is A Big Deal for all of us.

Mum had the excellent idea of taking the train to Montreal for the day. This sounds like a lot of fun! I've never been there, so I don't really know the lay of the land. Do you have any suggestions of sights that we could go see? (Keep in mind we'll be restricted largely to walking, though a taxi here and there might be okay, too.)

Are there any yarn stores in the downtown core I should be aware of, so I can "accidentally" trip into one or two?

Day 7: Abu Simbal

Christmas Day.

A side-trip via airplane to Abu Simbal. This tour was an add-on, since it encompassed an hour's flight south of Aswan to nearly the Sudan border. That being said, I don't think you've properly seen Egypt without seeing this site. "Amazing" doesn't begin to cover it.









The sheer scale of these monuments boggles. The faces of the Pharaoh are 4 meters broad. In a couple of the shots, you can see an Egyptian man with white robes near the bottom left... that might give you a sense of scale.

This was another massive UNESCO rescue site. They essentially cut the mountain into pieces, moved it and rebuilt it outside of the flood zone.

The most amazing thing about this place was the amazing motifs and paintings inside the temples. Never before had we seen such colour, detail, relief and artistry. Unfortunately, photography was forbidden inside.

A truly exhausting day. So much transportation- ship to bus to bus to plane to bus to bus and reverse that for the trip home. Anything less spectacular than Abu Simbal and the day would have been a total disaster. However, when your ultimate destination is this amazing, it kind makes all the crazy travel worth it. Not that I wasn't exhausted, dehydrated and travel sick by the end of it; just happy to be back on the boat and have nothing to do the next day but sail.