Believe it or not today is actually only day 2 of the actual tour! What we have done so far will be remember for a lifetime and there is more to go, much more. Today dawns early, and I do mean early, 4AM. Our wakeup call was a little off kilter at 4:45 AM but this is Egypt and no one is on time or in a hurry. Why so early? Well today we catch a flight from Cairo to Luxor at 8: AM so we can visit Karnak and begin the next aspect of the tour, the Nile Cruise. So we head to Cairo in very early morning traffic and arrive on 45 minutes later. We head to a private terminal where we prepare to board our charter flight for the 1 hour trip to ... read more

Wednesday April 21, 2010, the actual first day of the tour begins. This morning was the first time we were to become a “family” for the next 10 days. We got the wakeup call at 6:30 AM, prearranged by our tour guide Mohammed. A quick shower and down we go to breakfast and the first meeting of the gang. Now Cathy and the boys know from experience that this first meeting leaves a lasting impression and true to form several people “left their impression” immediately. The first interaction was with the 6 people who felt they were the only ones on the tour. This group consisted of and oriental woman and her husband (late 20’s), a middle aged man and his wife, and a slightly older husband and wife (Aussies All). Rick and I sat down ... read more

Tuesday morning dawned bright and early, 7:30 AM. It was bright dry and already about 79 degrees with a light breeze. Speaking of breezes…. Remember the tea from yesterday? Well as you may recall I was concerned that I may have made a mistake drinking even this little amount of local water as my stomach was a bit rebellious last night. Let’s just say there was an ill breeze blowing all evening that contributed to the smog and the ….well you know. Anyway by the morning the winds of change have died down and the tea brought no further ill will and we headed down for a hearty and free breakfast. With the Chan mystery behind us we settle in for a typical European/Egyptian breakfast. The selection was enormous. First there were breads of every kind, ... read more

Day 1 CAIRO We have all seen Cairo on TV, in the movies and in books. Crowded, dirty, noisy and impoverished. Nothing can prepare you for the real CAIRO. Let’s back up a bit to arrival shall we? We set down on schedule at Cairo International Airport at 11:00 AM Monday April 19, 2010. The weather is a balmy 90 degrees and climbing. The sky is a blue dusty red as there is red dust in the sky hanging low overhead. Not a cloud in the sky and nothing but sand everywhere. We deplane and walk about ½ mile through the terminal to the first checkpoint. We have to buy a VISA at the bank and 2 minutes and $15 USD each we have our VISA and are in a very short line for passport control. ... read more

For a journey of this magnitude planning in advance is critical. Plan everything in advance, check the plan and modify the plan as necessary. Write it down and keep notes of what has been done and what is left to do. Believe me it is worth the trouble. To insure the safety and security of the experience plan to learn about the culture. Do not show the bottom of your foot it is an insult. Do not touch someone with your left hand, it is a curse. Plan for the weather, Cairo will be 93 - 98 degrees in the day and 65 - 75 at night. Remember this is the desert so it is a dry heat but it is still hot. Men should not wear shorts, it is an insult. Drink bottled water as ... read more