The Countdown

In five days from today, I will be sitting in my hotel room in Aswan, Egypt. The sense of anticipation is mounting. Four more work days, five more sleeps in my bed, and I'm off to a destination I have been wanting to visit for the last four years. Ten days, with seven in Egypt and three in Jordan. The Pyramids and Petra ... these two words were the genesis of this trip, although I've since come to learn that, not surprisingly, Egypt is much more than the pyramids, and that Jordan has so much more to offer than the facade of the treasury shown in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

For a number of years, the thought of travel to this part of the world was cause for intimidation and I never could just take the plunge and buy my ticket. This year, the stars finally aligned to enable me to do just that, for which I am grateful. Past travels to countries such as India and Peru certainly were preparation, but more so was the feeling of wanting to expand my horizons. The more I read about the places I could go and the history that I could see first hand in these two countries, the more excited I became to actually do that. What a wealth of past knowledge and current events! One could easily spend years in the region, but unfortunately all I have "five business days" ... as I've justified my ten days away to the powers that be at work. I am fortunate to have understanding managers.

So the countdown is on ... four sleeps, and I'm off! I hope you'll accompany me on my trip, and will enjoy it as much as I undoubtedly will.