Ok, excited rambling about holiday to follow, feel free to ignore: Egypt!!

[ithika]

Ok. So I looked up the tour we're going on in Egypt (because I'm bored and procrastinating, ok?), and now I'm actually excited about it because it finally feels like it's going to happen. I haven't really been that excited yet for some reason. It doesn't seem like a real thing. I guess because for most of it I don't have a clear idea of where we're going in Europe. BUT, EGYPT:

Ok. So we're going on Top Decks' Ultimate Egypt Tour.
And this is where we're going:
(The more emphasis the text has on it, the more excited about going here)

1. Land in Cairo, go to the Egyptian Museum and the Giza Plateau. That means the Great Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure! (Proper Egyptian names for Pharaohs kthx. No Hellenised names, damn it! Also, wow I remembered how to spell Menkaure. Nice job, brain.) And of course the Great Sphinx. *hyperventilates*
    
2. Aswan! Felucca sail to the Elephantine and Kitchener Islands. See the Nilometer, Aga Khan Mausoleum, Toumbs of the Nobles, and a Nubian Village.
3. Abu Simbel!!! Also Temple of Hathor (Queen Nefertari's temple), and the Temple of Isis at Philae. And the High Dam.
4. Kom Ombo (Sobek, by Thuthmosis III)
5. Edfu - Temple of Horus (Heru-ur)
6. Luxor - KARNAK
7. The Valley of the Kings - Tutankhamun, SETI I, RAMESSES II!! The Ramesseum Temple. The Temple of Hatchepsut! The Colossi of Memnon
8. Dandara - ABYDOS!
9. Hurghada
10. Sinai
11. Dahab

Mmm and all of that spread out over 21 days. God, yes.

I wish there were more temples to Sekhmet. Such an awesome goddess. Before Whom Evil Trembles.

So yeah. Things. One of these days I'll upload my underwater photos from February.

So I was thinking I might buy a secondhand Digital SLR for the trip. But I'm torn. They are a lot of money, and I will need a lot of money to last me for over 6 months of souveneiring, even without accomodation and food. I don't know how cheaply I could get one worth having, but I'm willing to bet I wouldn't get one that works for under $600, and think of all the things I could use that $500 on!
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND
I am going to amazing places. I'd like a camera that can actually do them justice. My camera can take nice photos but I want awesome photos. I guess I could buy prints or postcards but I don't really want to do that, I'd rather have my own pictures of my own memories. I can get photos of the pyramids from a store here, for example. So it's a tricky situation.

What do you guys think?

[] Do it
[] Don't do it
[] Ticky

OK SO I DON'T HAVE A PAID ACCOUNT AND CAN'T REMEMBER THE HTML FOR TICKY BOX. :'( :'(

Oh also I don't currently have a thousand dollars. So I'd need to sell something/get money and therefore have EVEN LESS money for the trip. My concern is that if I buy a swanky camera I will be even more of a terrible leach-girlfriend-who-is-making-boyfriend-pay-for-everything because I'll run out of money even sooner.

BUT on the other hand maybe I won't want to buy as many things because maybe I'll be super happy with all my awesome photos? 
 

GOD.

Oh yeah and the other thing is my Dad was going to buy my laptop from me so I can have more money (and then when I get back I can "borrow" it until I can buy a new laptop. My parent's don't have a mortgage any more (yay for them!) and it makes them do somewhat crazy things.
So it's a :
2.4 Ghz Dual Core processor, Intel or Pentium or whatever tf they are calling themselves these days
Vista Home Premium
250GB HDD
4GB RAM
Nvidia GeForce 8600 gfx caard
It's green
15.4" monitor
It's a Deeeeelll.
er, it's from 2007.

If I ask him to give me $1000 for it, is that ridiculous? I mean I know I'm selling it to my Dad essentially for lols and all, and that Dads always pay too much when buying stuff from their kids, but is it TOO too much? It's suffered no structural damage.
 

YES, I do worry too much.

Errrrrgh.

*dances*

Comments

[mpfl.livejournal.com]

I think $1000 is a perfectly reasonable price to charge your own father.

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

That's good. :)
(muahahah)

[greyreviews.livejournal.com]

SLRs are awesome, but they are heavy and they also are like a massive neon sign screaming "TOURIST"

After 6 months you will be hating lugging all the extra lenses and weight around with you. It may be a drop in image quality, but unless you are a fanatical photographer getting something you can fit in your pocket is going to be a much better option. I like blending with the locals, on quite a few occasions i have been asked for directions by people who lived in the city I have been visiting (at this point my appalling language skills gave me away)

For smaller cameras which maintain a high quality of images I personally recommend the Nikkon Coolpix series.

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

Ah! Sorry I didn't get back to you about your bonfire thingy, I was sick terrible on saturday and forgot. When I did remember at about 5 o'clock I realised I don't actually have a real phone number to contact you with. :( Sorry.

That's a good point. I was only planning on having one, simple lens to cut down on weight and I guess cost. I suppose a bunch of phrasebooks would be a better way to spend my carrying... quota.

Nikkon Coolpix hey? Do you mean the small skinny cameras still, or the non-slr but slightly larger than other cameras type..? I have an Olympus Mju 760 which I've been reasonably happy with. I guess I should stop whinging. Hah.

Haha, that made me imagine this:

"Quelle manière est le musée ?" (Where is the museum?)
"Je suis un canard portant cinq chaussures. Prenez-vous du fromage?" (I am a duck taking five shoes. Do you carry any cheese?)
"....Droite." (...Right.)

Babelfish is fun! I should probably expand my knowledge of languages before I go, though.

[mpfl.livejournal.com]

"Quelle manière est le musée ?" means "How is the museum?"

"Où est le musée ?" is "Where is the museum?"

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

Babelfish betrays me again! Curses.
Thanks! :)

[mpfl.livejournal.com]

And droite means the direction, not the usage that you were thinking of.

Francais, c'est facile!

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks.
I think I should definately pick up a French phrasebook. And secretly memorise it.

[mpfl.livejournal.com]

The pronunciation's a killer :-P

Get the Lonely Planet one. It tells you how to tell the French guy you're having sex with that you're coming.

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

That's hilarious! And terrifying.
Lonely planet seem to make pretty nice looking books, too. :)

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

imo break up with Gavin five seconds after you get back to Australia so you won't feel guilty about the money

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

That would make me feel more guilty! :P

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

doin' it wrong!

[v01d3d.livejournal.com]

Talk to me about Egypt sometime.

[bloodied-aura.livejournal.com]

I'd be delighted to. :)

[tattered-pinion.livejournal.com]

This one time I went to Egypt

[v01d3d.livejournal.com]

Me too, hence my comment :P