Egypt

I had nearly 3 weeks in Egypt around early 2005.   I decided against going on a tour and instead just winged it around on the public transport system.  A little unpredictable at times, but always an adventure ;-). I always figured that the photography of people (which is usually my favourite photographic subject) is a lot harder if a group of tourists all show up together, but when you're by yourself the locals will generally be far more candid with you. 

As much as I enjoyed all the main sites of Egypt like the Pyramids, the temples and Mt Sinai, my favourite part of the trip was the 3 nights I spent out in the Dahkla Oasis in the Western Desert - the small mud-walled and labyrinthine  towns of Al Qasr and Balat made me feel like I'd stepped into a different world completey, and the people in the small Oasis town were as friendly as I've met anywhere.