I first wrote about the genesis of plans to visit Egypt about five years ago, after a trip to England rekindled our desire to see the world. The trip planned for 2019 was not to be, but perhaps 2021 will be the time.
I'm not sure when it was that I first realized I wanted to see Egypt. Maybe it was watching my childhood hero Indiana Jones hurtling through souqs chasing after ancient treasures and adventure, or seeing models and pictures of pyramids and rock-cut tombs in the museum. I can't remember ever not wanting to, and the more I learned about the country, the people past and present, the incredible heritage, the more I knew I must see it. I wanted to drink Arabian coffee in the Khan el-Khalili, shop for rugs and clever things made from brass, experience the remnants of a civilization so ancient it was as old to Julius Caesar as he is now to us.
And now, maybe, I finally can. It's a journey so long dreamt of, dwelt on in flights of fancy poring over maps or journals, it doesn't seem real that I and my wonderful, infinitely patient love and soulmate Jen, have taken the first real step to make happen. Today, just a short time ago, I was contacted by National Geographic's Expedition group to be informed that my application for a place in the April 2022 expedition had been accepted. Cairo (Giza, Dashur, Saqqara), Luxor, Lake Nasser, Aswan, Abu Simbel. Would 11 days be enough to see all of this? To process it and make the experience last a lifetime?
We opted to extend the tour to include a trip to Jordan, to see Petra; Dr. Jones again, maybe? A day at the Dead Sea, too. It's so much antiquity, history, to see and try to assimilate into our lives in a brief passing. It's almost overwhelming now; I wonder what it will be like when we are there?
A year to plan, hopefully not think about it so much that it wears a groove in my brain or becomes a set of unrealizable expectations. Jen is cautious. It's a big thing, and I think I've overwhelmed her a bit with it all. I hope she enjoys it, and that it doesn't discourage her from more adventures. I want to see the world with her!
Two dear friends, Eric and Dominae are along for the ride as well. The Reader might remember them from the Las Vegas trip 3 years(!) ago. We've talked about taking another larger trip together, and this would seem to be the one! I hope they too enjoy this experience and that it enriches all our lives.
Reader, it has been awhile since this blog has been updated. 2020 was a year that, for reasons likely to be well known to you, were not good for travel, or for writing about. A small, private retreat to the country was all we could justify, and its peacefulness, while good for the soul, is not for these pages. This journey, if all goes well, shall hopefully be a return to the bigger world and the wonderful culture and history it contains.
A year to wait, and dream.
