ASWAN, EGYPT – We dart across the gangplank and through the reception area of our Sonesta cruise ship looking for the main lounge.

Our rush is not because the ship is about to sail – the Nile cruise ships leave Aswan en route to Luxor late each night – but we don’t want to miss the nightly belly dance show.

CAIRO – That magical moment – right out of The English Patient - when I saw the shadow of our Qatar Airline’s flight floating across the sand dunes leading to Cairo International Airport is quickly forgotten as our Soviet-era Lada taxi comes to a full stop on the traffic-clogged streets of Egypt’s chaotic capital.

AMMAN, JORDAN – Our morning wakeup call came unexpectedly at 4:30 a.m. when we were stirred by the amplified voice of a Muslim holy man calling worshippers to first prayer at a local mosque.

DEAD SEA, ISRAEL - I had finally reached the lowest point in my life, and it had nothing to do with the fact I was floating 412 metres below sea level – the lowest point on Earth - in the salty waters of the Dead Sea.

CAESAREA, ISRAEL - An elderly man peered into the “looking glass of history” and began to ask a ghostly figure questions.  The figure, dressed as King Herod, said nothing.  Frustrated, the man asked his question in a louder voice, thus attracting the attention of a guide named Vered Bavli.

JERUSALEM - It’s a story that’s been told many times and one well worth repeating, because its shows the power this city has on even the most famous of people who visit it.