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Dear Friends, We just returned from Egypt and thought you might be interested in our experience, given the monumental changes happening right now. First, we had a fabulous trip-visiting the pyramids of Giza as well as the ancient pharaonic cities of Memphis and Sakkara. We loved our 4 days in the Western Desert oases, including camping out in the surreal White Desert under a full moon that reflected off the eerie sandstone sculptures, and touring the mud-brick villages, Roman and Greek temples, and charming resorts of this little-visited area. Our trip down the Nile was superb and fascinating, as we enjoyed the enormous temples along the River and the fabulous, 4000-year-old tombs of the pharaohs, with their gorgeously painted walls and ceilings. We stayed on a wonderful Oberoi boat, owned by our favorite hotelier in the world, the famous Oberoi Group of India. As we departed for Egypt, there were stirrings of civil unrest in Cairo which followed closely on the uprising in Tunisia. We have visited Tunisia and experienced the repressed society there and noted the similarities to Egypt. Our first two days in Egypt produced no protests, but vivid discontent was in the air and on the news. Being in the remote desert, we were not close to the protest movement, but when we reached our Nile cruise boat in Aswan, and TV coverage, its momentum became clear. By that time, we, along with all other tourists, were caught up in the historic demonstrations for freedom and democracy that began in Cairo on January 25 and rapidly spread throughout Egypt. As soon as we saw the first protests on al-Jazeera TV (which did a superb job of reporting the events until the government shut them down) and BBC, we went on the Internet and checked out our options for avoiding Cairo, where we had planned to spend our last two days. By the time we reached Luxor, the Cairo, Alexandria and Suez protests had escalated and looked potentially explosive. The robust and intense demonstrations following Friday prayers convinced us to follow our typically paranoid inclinations and create our escape route. At first we planned to drive across the Eastern Desert to an Oberoi resort on the Red Sea, flying from there to Cairo and on to the USA on Monday, January 31. But, no sooner had we made those reservations than huge protests exploded in Cairo and other cities and the government blocked all communications. Fortunately, we had still another backup plan in mind. On Friday afternoon, as we were leaving the boat to tour the immense Karnak Temple, the police turned us back and advised us to stay on the boat for our own safety. We hustled to the top deck to see what was going on in Luxor, but tear gas quickly encouraged us to head back inside. That sent us scurrying to secure our already-researched escape plans for leaving Egypt directly from Luxor, skipping the Red Sea Oberoi resort (much whining from Don-trading off an Oberoi resort for a budding revolution). Gail's occasional good judgment prevailed. Having our options already in mind proved to be prescient, particularly with the government shutdown of communications. We could still catch glimpses of all that was going on as TV came on sporadically for a few minutes at a time, bolstering Don's reluctant acquiescence to choosing safety over an Oberoi. Fortunately, US cell phones still worked. So, even though we couldn't book flights on the internet, we already knew how to leave Egypt from Luxor and could use our phones to do just that. Gail called her son in Denver, waking him up, to get his help in booking our flights from Luxor to Kuwait. We also called United and changed our return flights from a Cairo departure to a Kuwait departure. We exchanged our final 2 days in Cairo for the flight to Kuwait through Doha and a day of visiting Kuwait (completely devoid of alcohol, by the way, so no wine to celebrate our arrival there-people gaped at us when we asked for a wine list), and a very early morning return to the U.S. Our flight from Luxor to Doha was about one third full. Within 24 hours there were thousands looking for flights out of Egypt. We made it out just in time. Throughout our trip, we talked to Egyptians about their lives and the politics of their country. Since most of them were in the tourist industry and their livelihoods depend on political stability and tourists, the protests were a huge concern. As the protests progressed, our guides, hotel personnel, and drivers became increasingly upset. On the other hand, all expressed their dislike of the virtual dictatorship they live under and their deep concern for Egypt's endemic poverty and misery. We hope that stability will return soon to this lovely country and that we will be able to offer a trip there in the next couple of years. There is such an enormity of magnificent and historical places to see, with such intelligent and interesting people to show off their country to us. Meanwhile, we will watch the rapidly unfolding events with the hope that Egyptians will get the government they deserve; a government that will help them move out of poverty and corruption into a time of opportunity and democracy. Best wishes,
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