Time to get packed

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OK, only about 10 days before we fly to Cairo, and I am doing an entry into the blog mainly so I can be sure I know how to work this thing (the blog).

Maybe a couple of things will interest those following along.

We will be traveling in a truck, modified to become sort of a bus. The website for the "tour" company, Oasisoverland.co.uk posts the still available number of seats, and it currently says "6+" seats available. The truck holds 20, so we may only have 10-14 people. That would be good for us and bad for the tour operator!

The truck carries 400 gal of water but I am taking a filter anyway. I use a filter made by the "First Need" company. It will purify almost anything, and I have used it for years and never gotten sick, but it requires some work to operate. It is easier to "trust" the local water. My buddy Dennis does this a lot, and he usually gets sick. I also plan on drinking a lot of beer; fortunately Egypt sells alcoholic beverages (unlike Iran, which only has non alcoholic beer), even though both are Muslim countries.

We will be camping out about 8-10 nights or so and the tour company provides tents, but I am taking my own tent too. Just like the privacy and I know how to erect it, and it has good mosquito netting. I don't much like suffering through bugs. Also taking a can of outdoor bug spray--this is great for killing all the bugs INSIDE the tent so you can sleep.

We will be spending from the 27th to thet 29th on our own in Cairo, getting rid of jet lag and so forth, and seeing the sights before the "Truck Expedition" begins. Then we catch the overnight train to Aswan where we pick up the truck. Only problem is, I saw the weather report and Aswan was 108 degrees the other day. wow. that is hot.

Ok, not going to bore you all yet; will start the real blog in Cairo; we fly on the 25th but don't actually get there until the 27th.

Bill

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