a few weeks into the adventure and a Swine Flu scare..

So it seems like a lot longer than this, but around 3 weeks ago my plane set down in Cairo, Egypt.  On August 28th after a year of planning and deep anticipation, I found myself headed towards the airport in Dallas and what's becoming the adventure of a lifetime.  I exchanged goodbyes with the folks (Mom cried, of course) and boarded the plane bound for London.  Two good meals and little red wine later, I was landing in Great Britain.  My friend Rachel and I spent the day eating fish and chips, taking cliche tourist pics, searching for pubs, and enjoying the relief from our hot Texas weather.  But after a nice afternoon, it was time to head back to the airport and our flight to my new home.  Flash forward a few weeks and a thousand stories, and I'm sitting in my apartment in Cairo with my 5 roommates.  We're 12 floors up and a block from the Nile River.  Over the next months I'll keep everyone updated on my times, travels, and trials in the Middle East and re-tell the last few exciting weeks of my life.

But on a completely different note, 2 interesting things happened today.

1. I finalized my tickets for my trip tomorrow.  For the Eid el Fitr holiday, me and 4 buddies are heading 13 hours south by train (first class for 65 LE, about $11 or $12) to Aswan.  We're meeting our guide in Aswan and then boarding our ship for the Nile Cruise.  We're going to spend 4 days traveling up the Nile through the Valley of the Kings, stopping along the way each day to visit various ancient Egyptian temples and markets.  With 3 buffet style meals a day included and 150 tourists on board (that means the opportunity to meet girls) it promises to be a good time.

2. The Egyptian government intervened and because of Swine Flu fears, canceled classes at all universities across Egypt through October 3.  That means we have almost 3 weeks to travel this awesome Middle East.  It is worth noting that there are currently 0 students at my school with Swine Flu.  Oh well, I'm not complaining.

-Brett

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson