Cheeky Qantas

I saw this cheeky video a few days ago and wanted to share it with you!

So to fill you in, Qantas has dumped British Airways for Emirates and moves its main hub from Singapore to Dubai. Qantas and Emirates have joined together to produce this beautifully captured ad that hit YouTube on the 2^nd of April 2013. The magical footage and hyperlapse photography is unmistakably beckoning my presence, and I am sure, many of you too!

An article in Mubrella noted that the film was shot in locations including Istanbul, Bath, Texas, London, Singapore and New York. Oh, cheeky, cheeky Qantas! You can’t have accidently selected Singapore as one of the locations of footage promoting your new transit airport without being a bit of a pot stirrer.

History of Karnak

So I realised I never actually finished telling you about my Egypt adventure – let alone Denmark and Ireland! I was going through old photos this morning and thought I would start blogging about a few of my stories.


 Starting with one of my favourite photos from the trip: Introducing Karnak Temple. Comprised of three main temples and numerous smaller prayer rooms, Karnak is it is the largest temple complex built by man. It is located about 15 minutes away from Luxor (previously known as the city of Thebes) on the east bank on the Nile. According to Wilkinson (2000), Karnak Temples ancient name was ‘Ipet-isut’ meaning ‘The Most Sacred of Places’.  

So imagine we are in the Eleventh Dynasty around 2000 BC (a period also known as Middle Kingdom) in the ancient city of Thebes.  The Old Kingdom has collapsed and Thebes is under the reign of Sesostris I. He began the initial construction of Karnak with small shrines dedicated to the Earth goddess Mut and Montu (the early deities of Thebes). Stories suggest the shrines were destroyed by invaders and the ancient city was deserted until the New Kingdom.

In the Eighteenth Dynasty, the city of Thebes was named as the capital city of Egypt. Construction commenced again resurrecting the great Karnak temple.  Many pharaohs such as Thutmose I, Seti I and Ramesses II contributed to the complex, dedicated to the god Amum-Re.

According to our tour guide at Karnak temple, Amum-Re kicked started Theocracy and led the Egyptians to follow one of the earliest forms of Monotheism.  In the new Kingdom Amun-Re was regarded so highly the other gods became a symbol of this power; so essentially he the Egyptian equivalent to Zeus! Amun-Re was identified as the one and only supreme deity.

The Changing Wind

Hello all,

So don’t ask me why I decided to write a blog post today; nor why I have left you idle for so long. But on the weekend I fell in love with the idea of constantly being obsessed with adventure and travel again! So here I am. I am not too sure the direction this blog will take, but if you can put up with reading my ramblings, I am positive we will both enjoy it.

So my plan has always been to backpack around South America. And for my family, that normally means they have the pleasure of listening to my every nonsensical thought about my grandest of grand trip. My first plan was to travel there at the end of 2012 but ended up going to England, Egypt, Denmark and Ireland – as most of you already read my stories! The then plan was to go at the end of this year but I realised backpacking around South America may need some more experience and certainly a lot more money. Sad face. So a few mornings ago I decided to opt for a spectacular Asia adventure! Introducing the ‘trip to celebrate my graduation’ (draft one). Bring on

Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

 

So before you judge me, I am just disclosing that I may or may not plan to climb the Mount Everest Base Camp. Phew, well now we have that out of the way, let’s discuss the plan. So essentially I want to travel for a few months and thought there is no better way to start than in Kathmandu, Nepal. I know my smelly, old granny (that will be reading this – I love you!) has done a few ventures to Nepal. So I need to hit you up for some advice! Then I am departing to Thailand. Dad said the best place to learn how to backpack is in Thailand; so, why not? Then I want to make my way across to Cambodia and then to Vietnam. If anyone has any recommendations, advice or thought, feel free to comment. Thank you the whole six of you who are reading this! There may be more… but I will never know.

Lots of love,

Sam x