Strictly speaking my visit to Cairo and my cruise of the Nile had nothing to do with my dancing. However on a Nile dinner cruise in Cairo, we were entertained by belly dancers.  And as well this trip was not in the last decade but actually was in 1997 when I was invited to speak at a conference in Beirut, and visited an ex-student and her family, in Cairo after the conference.

I was actually in a travel agency in Cairo, planning a  tour to Luxor, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings, when news of the death of Princess Diana was announced on the television.  I was amazed to see tears streaming down the cheeks of people who would never have met her.

Over my first few days in Cairo, I visited the Egyptian Museum - and there is a funny story about how I got there. But not for this post.  My friend took me out to Giza to see the Pyramids, and that evening  her parents invited me to the dinner cruise on the Nile.

My tour to Luxor, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings was an amazing experience. It was just two months later that terrorists massacred a group of tourists at the archeological site. Scary and so sad.

On my Luxor cruise I spent one night at the Old Cataract Hotel. A remodelled 19th century Victorian Palace, it was built in 1899 on the bank of the Nile. It has since been renovated and  is now a 5 star Sofitel luxury hotel. 

Trying to remember details of this incredible trip, reminded me of why I began writing my travelblogues, and digging the picTures out of my old phot oalbum reminded me of how far our phone cameras have come. My next project, or may be the next next project, is to learn to take better photographs.

And no, I did not ride the camel.

Next up: K is for …?