Could you tell that NILE actually got started, yesterday? Suddenly our lives are lived on the tour bus, and when we get back to the hotel, the bed beckons. What an incredible bunch of sensations and sights!


Yesterday, the Highlights group (we have agreed among ourselves that we are the smart group) left the hotel at 8:30 and headed for the desert. Our guide is Henry, he has a masters degree in Egyptologist and plans to study for his PhD in the near future. He has incredible skill in getting us as close as possible to the sights we want to look at, and making it so easy for us to walk the distances that we have to walk. We saw the Step Pyramid, the Great Pyramid, another one or two, and the Sphinx (which is about half the size I expected it to be). Traffic is absolutely horrendous, so we spend a lot of quality time together sitting in traffic. All the sites are mob scenes, so accomplishing a few sights takes a great deal of time. We had lunch at a restaurant which specializes in barbeque/roasted chicken. They have an enormous grill set up, and must roast 100 or so chickens at a time.

We came back to the hotel for a little while, then at 7:00 we left for Mr. Antoine's house. Mr. Antoine is the president of South Sanai Touring Company, and is the person who has accomplished all these miraculous things for us. His home is amazing, and his gardens have to be seen to be believed; it takes two gardeners to keep them up, and you can tell why. It took us two hours to get to his house, so we had our garden tour in the dark. There is a gorgeous tile walkway with a full arbor that leads to a gazebo. A bride would feel like Princess Diana if she could get married in Mr. Antoine's garden.

Dinner was set up buffet style outside beside the pool, where several tables were also set up. There was seating for 18 (!!!) inside, in the dining room. I couldn't get enough of the little pita sandwiches that were served with drinks before dinner (I'm probably butchering the spelling, but it sounds very much like schwarma). I know it's roasted beef and some spices, but they were so delicious. The rest of dinner was great, too, and there was a lot of lively conversation. Several of his employees were there, and I ate beside the wife of one of them; she was so full of Egyptian knowledge, and so much fun to talk to.

We reluctantly tore ourselves away at 10:30, because we knew we had that long trip back.

Let me give you one example of how this company is pampering us, even after making us feel like celebrities at the airport. We went to dinner on a large bus. Sitting in the never-ending traffic, I glanced out of the window and our mini-bus was beside us. I mentioned it to Ken; he said that bus was going along in case somebody wanted or needed to come back to the hotel earlier than the big group. Everything we could possibly think of needing, they have already thought of and taken care of. I just know they have crystal balls hidden somewhere.

This morning, we again met downstairs at 9:00. Our group went to the Egyptian Museum, where the crowds were already horrible. Henry zipped us past all those crowds and through the entrance. Somebody tried to join our group, since we were apparently managing to get past some of the lines, but our tiny dynamo leader gently inserted herself in their path and stood there until all our stragglers made it through.

We went to the mummy room first; instead of having to climb several sets of stairs, Henry said the magic words and got the elevator to work just for our group. Then we dodged people and managed to see the Tut treasures. Words can't describe that museum, and I'd like to spend several, several days there. They are building a new one and if/when it gets completed, I'd love to come back and tour it. Then we had lunch in the depths of the famous bazaar, and toured some more of Cairo by bus.

We had our very own police escort, apparently. None of us were aware of them until we decided to deviate in our schedule and go for lunch before our driving tour. The police siren beside us started squawking, telling us we weren't keeping to our plans. Henry swore he didn't get into trouble, we chose to believe him.

This sounds like not much, but trust me, we all know how much we've been walking. We leave again at 4:30, to special lights and sounds show at the pyramids, then dinner on a yacht.

Tomorrow we fly to Aswan.