Why Egypt?

In some ways, we're simply following in the footsteps of Herodotus who in the 5th century BCE might have been considered the first world traveler who ventured into Egypt. As we have joked with many friends when asked this question, we've simply replied that it's on our Bucket List. In many respects it's true that we do want to see the pyramids as one of those must see wonders of the ancient world. However, it's a bit closer to the truth to say that we haven't yet had our fill of traveling and that there are far too many other interesting places out there to see (at least once). In recent years, we've made numerous trips to Mexico where we do plan on ultimately retiring. But, in the meantime, we need to head in a few directions other than south to make sure that we experience all that we can and taste the riches of other parts of the world.

Egypt happened to end up at the top of our list this year. On that list with it were considerations like India and Nepal, Machu Picchu, the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Bali, Vietnam, the Great Wall of China, Istanbul, dove hunting in Argentina (no, this wasn't really one of Nancy's picks), and the list could go on and on. So, the decision was as simple as, where do we want to go first?

Just a few short years ago, our oldest son and I traveled in Morocco. It was my first taste of North Africa and I loved it! The food, the people, the culture and history consumed us as we traveled by train and bus from Tangier to Fez to Marrakesh (yes, I couldn't help but think about the Crosby, Stills and Nash song while on that express train). Ten years later, I'm looking forward to another visit back to the Islamic world.

If you're a fan of The Travel Channel's No Reservations, you might remember Tony Bourdain's episode on Egypt. His dilemma was whether or not he was going to visit the pyramids (you know, all those damn tourists!). Well, no question for us. It's probably our main activity for day two of our stay in Cairo. Yes, there will be all those @%#&^* tour buses parked near the Sphinx, but going to Cairo and not visiting the Giza would be like going to Paris and not viewing the Mona Lisa or visiting Rome and passing up the Sistine Chapel because of the crowds. Sure, it'll be disappointing not to have the pyramids all to ourselves, but that's just not the way it is going to be. We'll have plenty of chances to visit less well know sites such as the Step Pyramid  at Saqqara or the Mastaba of Ti where the quite mystery of the past still surrounds all those who visit.

Following the paths less taken will be how we experience the people and culture of Egypt.