kjp

I should be keeping an eye out on the following travel advices (especially Egypt):
Egypt
Jordan
Syria
Turkey
Israel Gaza Strip and West Bank

I'm not really a fan of making new year's resolutions: why wait for the new year to do something different. Anyhow, these are some things to do this year (hopefully):

* Travel overseas - Middle East trip
* Learn some Arabic (language) before I go.
* Try and exercise 5 times a week. Cycling, swimming, running (maybe a triathlon in a 2012/13???)
* Ride to the top of the new Gateway bridge and back
* Ride to Sandgate pool, do some laps, and ride back
* Do a drawing course
* Fix up emails / contacts / calendar. Get a new phone
* Get rid of Office XP - replace with Open Office
* Figure out what car I would buy if my car suddenly died
* Do croquet

Every once in a while, I try to add healthy foods to my diet. Blueberries, beetroots and hummus are "in".

Some notes from dinner with the W's a week or two ago regarding their Middle East trip:
* Syria - desert castles / forts - worth going to
* Turkey - Istanbul - is good. Stay in the old city. Gallipoli is good.
* Jordan - go to little Petra. Petra = 8hrs - long day of walking. Take plenty of water and sunburn cream. Petra by night is probably not really that good.
* Security - safe
* Internet cafes - easily available
* Fridays - markets close
* Take a Cat 5 cable if I take a laptop (probably won't)

Open Cycle Map seems to be very useful. There's info on it that's not on google maps for cycling routes.
This is Brisbane.