Author Archives: Stefan Lomas

The Valley of the Nobles might not be quite as impressive as the Valley of the Kings, where the detail and finish on each of the mausoleums are truly remarkable, but it offers a unique and fascinating experience of its own. Situated on the other side of the same limestone mountains as the Valley ofContinue reading “The Valley of the Nobles and Medinet Hubu Temple”

On our way to dinner at one of Mohammed’s top recommendations, we had the opportunity to buy tickets for the evening’s light show at the Temple of Karnak, which included a narrative of the temple’s history a show that Mohammed highly recommended. So, after a delicious early dinner at a popular restaurant, we made ourContinue reading “Night and day at the Temple of Karnak”

We were up early for a 04:15 AM rendezvous with the “Royal Air” ballooning team at the hotel. From there, we headed downtown to the dock to catch a water taxi, which felt a bit like an assault course. We clambered across and through several boats before finally settling into one with ornate decorations andContinue reading “Sunrise Flight Above Luxor’s Tombs and the Nile”

Mum and I had been wanting to visit Egypt for quite some time after reading a fictional Nile based series, by Wilbur Smith, that we both really enjoyed. Since then, we’ve been trying to make the trip work. We had also planned to spend a few days in Cairo to visit the new museum, butContinue reading “Luxor – The worlds greatest open air museum”

The flight leaving Cape Town was an overnight one back to London, so we started the day as we had throughout our stay—by taking a long walk along Britannia Beach one last time. Afterward, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch back at the cottage before gathering our things and loading up the car for the finalContinue reading “A trip to the Cotswolds”

After a good breakfast and a final stroll through the vineyard, we were ready to embark on the next leg of our journey. We had booked our next destination the night before, quite by chance. Rachel had painted me a picture of what she envisioned for our final stop, and since these adventures are allContinue reading “St Helena Bay”

We couldn’t resist one more beach walk before starting our drive back west. We traveled from east to west along the N2, the main route through the Garden Route. But, instead of taking the same route back to Cape Town, we decided to take the much longer, yet more scenic, R62. This road winds andContinue reading “A road trip – Oudtshoorn, Montagu & Franschhoek”

We had tentatively planned to visit Addo Elephant Park, but after speaking to several amazing people we’d met along the way, our plans were solidified. By sheer fluke, I managed to secure a last-minute cancellation within the park, and as a surprise for Rachel, I booked it for the night before her birthday. The ideaContinue reading “The incredible Addo Elephant Park”

We ended up staying an extra day on Leisure Isle—it was such a nice spot, and we were at risk of growing roots! But after packing up and visiting the “Food Lovers Market” to stock up on provisions, we got back on the N2 and drove just under 200 km, crossing from the Western toContinue reading “Jeffries Bay & Tsitsikamma National Park”

We left Mossel Bay after lunch and made our way back onto the N2, heading further east. The weather had been more unsettled the further east we traveled, and this continued as we drove the 100 km to Knysna. Along the way, we stopped at the “Food Lovers Market,” which always has a great selectionContinue reading “Knysna and Plettenberg Bay”