Egypt
In order to break up the journey from Sri Lanka to the UK I decided to stop in Egypt just over a year ago when booking my ticket. There is a distinct lack of surf here but with over 6,000 years of recorded history and all the current upheaval it is bound to be an interesting place to visit.
Any country whose neighbours are Israel, Libya, the Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia and the Sudan should certainly be eventful.
I have seen the western end of the Sahara dessert previously so thought checking out the eastern side would neatly bookend my North African experiences.
I am only visiting Cairo because my time in Egypt is limited, so will just be skirting along the edges off it this time. However that is probably for the best because my last visit to the Sahara resulted in digging a Peugeot out of a sand dune and getting nibbled by jackals!
A bit like the Korean peninsular all we really see in the news about Egypt of late is negative press so I am keen to make my own mind up about the country whilst here.
There are so many things to see and do here, but of course I need to be mindful that there are quite a few unhappy people at the moment and I don’t really want my trip to fall at the final hurdle. However I also have not lived this year in fear, and don’t intend to start now so will not be holding back as usual.