As we’re about to disconnect from stable Internet for nearly the next month, we figured that now would be a most opportune time to give a quick travel update since our last not-so-monthly update from back in August having just left the Philippines!
Now we’ve been roaming around the world on this non-stop adventure for the past 21 ½ months and we marked a milestone this month by visiting our 50th country!
But enough with the pleasantries. This is a big fat update covering our travels through the Middle East and our return to Europe, so lets get to it!
Dubai & Egypt at a Glance:
- Time Period: 19 days
- Countries: 2
- United Arab Emirates, Oman (transit only), Egypt
- Number of beds slept in: 6
- Distance: 2,858 miles
- Place-to-place transport segments: 6
- Planes: 2
- Boats: 1
- Trains: 2
- Busses: 1
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites Visited: 3
- Historic Cairo, The Pyramid Fields, Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis
Route & Highlights of Roaming Around Middle East
Our Middle East adventures began after a nine-hour flight from Manila to Dubai. The UAE was never initially on our itinerary but a series of cheap flights made for a nice fit into our ever-evolving route. Ultimately we enjoyed our stay in this ultramodern city, far more than we expected! We managed to really pack in a few days of fun here and were pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t as hard on the budget as we anticipated.
Oh My, Check Out Dubai!
Upon arriving, we immediately realized how much we missed Middle Eastern food. After months gorging on different Asian cuisine, all of those delicious olives and fresh cheeses were such a welcomed return to our diet that was a pleasant shock to our tastebuds. Yum!
After filling our bellies with as much hummus as possible, we set out to explore the vast open desert that encompasses the area, so we set off on 4x4s to check it out and revisit our camel friends.
That moment when you notice a camel is eating your hair.
Racing around a new city for a day of DIY sightseeing is becoming a favorite pastime for us and Dubai was no exception. We quickly understood that everything is Dubai is done big and to excess, from the crazy skyscrapers lining the marina to the pounds of gold being sold at the souks. Of course, we had to make a pit stop at the largest mall in the world (Dubai Mall) and the tallest building in the world (Burj Kalifa). We were simply fascinated by the grandiosity of everything! 
Yet perhaps our favorite activity in Dubai was our skiing experience. With temps hovering in excess of 110 (F), what better way to cool off than in the winter wonderland of Ski Dubai to try out their indoor ski runs? It was awesome! Well, perhaps it wasn’t quite as much fun for Heather. #Fail.