September (Egypt, Jordan, Dubai and Melbourne)

September 30, 2026

^Fun in the Dead Sea, Jordan

What a month of incredible experiences and immersion in history, ingenuity and architectural and engineering brilliance!

We started the month by joining a Uniworld mega famil of travel industry people (mainly travel agents) from Australia and NZ. Uniworld chartered both their ships and 140 odd people gathered in Cairo for our 11 day trip. After that, just Andrew and I went on to Jordan and did the Uniworld extension. We then flew to Dubai for three full days of R&R but that didn’t quite work to plan (you’ll have to read on to see why!)

Home very early on AFL Grand Final Eve, we had a nap then had a lovely catch up with all our kiddies, grandie and doggies.

Next day, we swapped our summer clothes for winter woollies and headed into the MCG for the AFL Grand Final between Fremantle (who had never won) and Brisbane (attempting three wins in a row from four GFs in a row). Kylie Minogue was the pre-game entertainment and the game was very tight right to the end so a bit of rain was a small inconvenience during a really fun day.

Firstly, back to Egypt. We had known about this trip since February but I wasn’t sure that it would go ahead given the trouble in the Middle East. The experience – a mega famil as I mentioned – was really fun. We met some lovely people, most of whom are involved in the travel industry and we enjoyed the social side of the trip. We mostly travel by ourselves these days so to have a chance to travel as a large group was a fun change.

The trip itself was amazing in and of itself. Cairo for two nights and a day (The Pyramids of Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum [GEM], a week cruising the Nile then another night in Cairo). On that last night, we headed back to The Pyramids for drinks and dinner with a backdrop of sunset over The Sphinx and The Pyramids – wow!

We had been to Cairo once before in 2010 with our kids. Seeing The Pyramids again was a treat but the rest of the trip was even better as it was all new. Well, it was ancient but it was new to us!!!

The one thing that was actually new was the GEM. Only opened last November, this was colossal and needs a full day to really explore. We had a guided visit through some highlights including Tutankhamen’s Galleries. Seeing the artefacts from his Tomb and then visiting his Tomb a few days later was one of the thrills of this trip.

In Cairo, we stayed at the Nile Ritz-Carlton, the first time we have stayed at a RitzCarlton property. With a view out over Cairo, it was an amazing place to call home for two nights.

We flew as a group from Cairo to Luxor and joined our ship the River Tosca. This is an all-suite ship with generous sized rooms and a bathtub in the bathroom (a first for us cruising). It was a week of unforgettable sights – from the Karnak Temples to Abu Simbel (we flew in and out from Aswan) to high tea at the Old Cataract Hotel where Agatha Christie was inspired to write “Death on the Nile,” this was a week which had so many highlights it was difficult to absorb. It was also 40 degrees most days so that was a challenge too ha ha!!

We had our own Egyptologist with us and he taught us so much. Learning history whilst seeing it is a unique experience.

From our Egyptian adventure, we flew to Amman for a Uniworld tour of Jordan. This was just Andrew and me plus a guide and a driver. We stayed at the St Regis in Amman for the first two nights and the last night. This was our first St Regis stay and we had big windows overlooking Amman both times. How will we ever go back to a Holiday Inn again??!!

Highlights of these few days included the Roman city of Jerash, ancient mosaics, floating in the Dead Sea and lolling in the Red Sea (on the same day!), a luxury desert safari stay at Wadi Rum and magnificent Petra. We tried some terrific Jordanian food too. It was an amazing few days.

We finished with three full days in Dubai, another place we had never visited. The idea was some R&R after a busy two and a bit weeks but also some sightseeing. We didn’t end up doing too much sightseeing as Andrew got sick (a tummy virus that started when we were in Jordan). Once we arrived in Dubai and he felt he was getting worse rather than better, we called a doctor and had excellent medical care over the next three days where Andrew was given fluids and antibiotics, all in the comfort of our hotel room. A nasty experience to be ill overseas but terrific care and attention. Luckily, Andrew was back to 100% by the time we arrived home.

Dubai sights will have to wait for another time!!

Straight back into Melbourne life, seeing family and the AFL Grand Final was a great long weekend. Add in the Cartier Exhibition at the NGV and a dinner at the only Maltese restaurant in Victoria - a VisitMalta x Emirates dinner. My mum is Maltese but I had no idea we had a Maltese restaurant in Melbourne.

We’re home for a few weeks now as our second son is getting married in October. Looking forward to all the parties!!!!

Writing Wins:

I had a few travel stories published this month but most are only able to be (fully) read via a pdf:

• “On the Convict Trail” (Tasmania) in The Wanderer - https://wanderer.cmca.au/destinations/port-arthur-richmond-tasmania?utm_source=The+Wanderer&utm_campaign=e12ce1aa35-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_05_24_11_56_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-a5e78a9982-382697294 Love me a glossy magazine!

• “The Tasmanian food and wine stops worth making” in the NZ papers - https://www.thepress.co.nz/travel/361070324/tasmanian-food-and-wine-stops-worth-making

• “From kayak to glacier: Exploring Alaska’s Inside Passage” in the NZ papers - https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/sunday-star-times-travel/20260920/281676851808442

• “Passage to India” in MiNDFOOD magazine – love me a glossy magazine x 2!

PS I finished last month saying I haven’t forgotten about those Panache projects…still in the planning stages. Watch this space! I now know some more but not quite enough to reveal…YET!!

Scenes from Egypt: