Egypt 2001

Egypt 2001

The winter of early 2001 seemed a good time for me to realize a lifelong dream, to go to Egypt. My family was in good health, able to care for themselves were I to disappear for a couple of weeks, New England weather was terrible and the warmth of a winter in Egypt beckoned; and the Muslim world was temporarily quiet. After Christmas I began reading guide books from the library, doing web-based research, and making sure my travel clothes fit.

Traveling completely alone in Egypt didn't seem to be worth the energy to plan it, but I found a tour company new in the United States but established in the Netherlands, with which to arrange my tour. Djoser-USA promised the combination of scheduled accommodations and travel within the country, with freedom to choose some of the areas I wished to visit, at a reasonable price for a "two week" tour. I left Rhode Island on January 28.

A year later, the world had changed, and I know I wouldn't be able to make the same trip today with the same confidence that we were welcome in Egypt that I had a year ago. But posting this website reminds me of the remarkable heritage of that remarkable country, and I hope the situation of today is temporary and that the world in general - even Americans! - will be welcome there again.