Introduction - The pictures are laid out in four sections ->

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Cairo - Walking through the streets of Cairo was initially daunting, we were conscious of being stared and even followed at one point.(Military Establishment) The locals were friendly with many of them saying 'welcome' and asking where we were from. It didn't take long for us to feel quite comfortable and happy wandering around.

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The Pyramid Sound and Light Show was our first view of the pyramids Finally! They are as amazing as we always thought them to be, although it was quite a surprise that our first glimpses of the Great Pyramids were through a densely built up area of apartment blocks and shops! We arrived just on sunset and were shepherded through to the seating area in front of the 2nd pyramid with Sphinx to our right. The sound and light show was really interesting and informative telling about the buildng of the Pyramids, preparing the body for the afterlife and general life at the time.

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We went to visit to Coptic Christian Quarter in Old Cairo where we saw the Hanging Church (suspended) dating back to the 9th century, the monastery and Church of St George and the Curch of St Sergius with 3rd and 4th century pillars. It is said to be built over a cave where Joseph,Mary and baby Jesus sheltered after fleeing from King Herods decree that all first born children be killed. They are said to have stayed there for a month.

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Back to Giza for our camel ride. Youseff the driver left us in the care of Omar the camel jockey who's father owned 15 camels and bred Arabian horses. We were supposed to have a 5hr ride but our bums were not up to the torture of the saddles for that long! We rode out past a Muslim cemetery into the desert into the sunset. We stopped and had a cup of tea at a place set up with mats on the sand and looked at the Pyramids and in the distance, the earlier built Pyramids at Saqqara.

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The Citadel was home to Egypt's rulers for 700 years. Building commenced in 1176 and continued through various rulers up to the 1800's.There are 3 beautiful mosques (with strict dress rules), several palaces that now house museums and terraces with views over the city. They are still excavating and finding new buildings.

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The Military Museum was a surprise as it was at the Citadel which we thought was only a mosque. It had real jet fighters on sticsk, tanks and missiles displays but it covered from the Ottoman invasion through to showing the last British the exit door on 23rd December 1956. The indoor exhibits were housed in the very spectacular palace. We also drove past a military museum that honoured the 1967 war but we could not stop.

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We first meet the people on our tour on the 3rd January and were very pleased to find 5 couples, 2 from N.Z., 1 from Melbourne, 1 from Sydney and another couple like us from Brisbane. Everyone got on really well and we had lots of fun and laughs. Our guide Walid, was a really nice guy who was very well informed and determined to teach us as much as possible!

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People of Egypt bnmn bmnbmnb mbnmnbt

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Egypt is full of animals! Cats and dogs everywhere! They seem on the whole to be reasonably well fed, although no-one seems to own them. We saw cats, dogs, donkeys and birds rummaging through rubbish bags. We didn't see any rats-they were probably first course! Some horses at Giza had saddle sores and some of the camels had small wounds from their bridle and some of the animals were quite thin but overall, although they had a hard life, they weren't in a too bad condition.

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One of the basics we have read about good photography is recognising patterns, textures and shapes. After the first 500 photos of the 2200 taken I started to see some great patterns and textures and started focusing more on them. As you will see, the spice stalls in the markets were very fertile grounds.

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After Egypt we spent three nights in Singapore. The modern cars, clean streets, buildings and plants and the greenery where a stark contrast to Cairo. 23 years since our last visit meant there were lots of changes but you could still order an evening meal and drinks and be fully served in four minutes.

The Zoo was again visited and while it has changed it is still very good value. The next day we went to the Botanic Gardens with the Orchid Garden a must see.

The Singapore Zoo has changed in 23 years and is still very good. A good range of animals and most looked very content. Some animals are just not good in captivity.

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The Singapore Orchid Gardens Orchids are within their Botanic Gardens. The orchid natonal flower of Singapore. The lots of pictures of orchid flowers...

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