Windows Live Writer – Blogging Software

Installed this at the beginning of the trip, and, as promised I’d inform you about it usefulness how much I hated it, why you should buy it etc.

Windows Live Writer- for Blogger

You install the software and give it the URL for your blog.

Your Google ID and password. The wizard then goes off and takes an imprint of your blog and stylesheet.

Also included is the bits and pieces for formatting and reviewing without a connection, providing previews on WYSIWYG, always handy for previewing those images, tables, maps or videos.

This has been vital in that without a connection, usually you’re limited to a Microsoft document and having to do the CSS styles, guess at previews of images tables, CSS conflicts all the rest of it, it’s pretty much guesswork until you get online.

With the live writer, this trip, I’ve not had the normal pressure of finding good connections at every stop, the workload has been dished out in a regular fashion.

It’s like a desktop publishing software for blogs. Save your documents and publish when you’ve got a better connection.

Advantages

The Live Writer has a couple of advantages over the Google platform alone.

I can’t say whether I’d use it as much at home but on the road the answer to the Question: – Are Americans clever?

In this case has to be: Yes.

http://www.download.com/Windows-Live-Writer/3000-2068_4-10572482.html

Best and Worst – Hotels in Egypt

Having travelled the length and width of Egypt roughly 7,000km, I feel I’m in a position to give information on what I found to be the best and the worst hotels in Egypt.

Best hotel in Egypt
Iberhotel – Luxor: $100 per night. View over the Nile. 10 minute walk into town, what more could you ask for?

luxor iberhotels view
Shot of the Iberhotel Luxor

Book Here:-  Iberhotel Luxor

Worst hotel in Egypt
Hyatt – Cairo: $400 per night. Rude service. Domineering attitude. Made life difficult at every opportunity. A poor choice for any non-arab staying in Cairo. 

Shit
Hyatt Cairo

Book Here:-

Religious sites in Egypt/Jordan/Israel

I intend to keep this up to date; giving clear GPS fixes of the most important religious sites in Egypt.

Mount Sinai
Where Moses received the ten Commandments.

mount sinai @ dawn

Located: 28.539 33.975

Monastery of St. Anthony
The oldest surviving monastery.

church-of-st-anthony

Located: 28.936 32.352

Towns of Sodom & Gomorrah
God’s destruction upon early buggers.

View Larger Map

Dead Sea Scrolls
Testament by the Essenes to the Second Coming of Christ. 
israel-IMG_1090.JPG

Located: 31.77369 35.2039

Church of the Nativity
Site of the Birth of Christ

jerusalem-IMG_1133.JPG

Located: 31.70431 35.20736

Church of the Holy Sepulcher
Site of the death of Christ

jerusalem-IMG_1117.JPG

Located: 31.77802 35.22980

Mark a Miracle

Yes that’s right, Mark a miracle.

I’ve seen this one before.

St. Helier 1999, the Total Solar Ecilpse. A true miracle, a perfect circle of pure blue sky appeared cutting through the clouds obscuring the eclipse from our view.

Anyone on Jersey that day can testify to the event.

Cloud or Trial?

This one looks almost as bombastic and almost as well timed. Amazing.

I’ll let you make up your own minds.

jerusalem-IMG_1136.JPG
Wow – Is it a Miracle!!

Mark a miracle, find it on the map!

Church of the Nativity – Bethlehem

KML 31.70431 35.20736

Or Bet Lehem if you are catching a bus.

This is one of the most sacred cites for X-tians as it represents the spot where Jesus was brought into this world through the virgin Mary.

I travelled up here by taxi which cost 60Nsi.

jerusalem-IMG_1133.JPG

There are no buses all the way and the taxi driver tells me it’s violent compared with Jerusalem a 10 minute journey away.

History

Again, like the Church of the Sepulcher, this was built in the rule of Constantine.

The site demarks some caves on which the initial basilica was built and further expanded and embellished at the time of the crusades.

Again, like the Sepulcher, it is divided up and in generally poor condition.

jerusalem-IMG_1131.JPG

Doesn’t stop the tourists.

Downstairs you have a star demarking the actual site of Christ’s birth, then you have a marble shelf right representing the manger where the child was situated.

It’s all very interesting and touching, and after a while of reflection, I make my way upstairs.

The church is situated in the West Bank and is Palestinian.

You will need a passport if you want to travel here.