Salām Egypt

Yours truly is heading to Egypt for the first time on a tour guided by my friend Doug Baum of Texas Camel Corps. Doug's trips are sort of a total immersion program; we live with his friends in Giza. We will begin with the camel market at Birqash, then on to the pyramids, the multi-religious compound in Cairo, Alexandria, a camel trek in Sinai, Saint Catherine's Monastery (among many many other things), and end with the 45th Cairo International Book Fair where I have been asked to provide a photo essay "through the eyes of an American attending for the first time" for the folks at Arabic Literature (in English).

I am excited beyond belief. In preparation for this trip, Doug assigned some homework for me, including The Cairo Trilogy (a lyrical delight) by Naguib Mahfouz, Egypt's Nobel Laureate in Literature, and The Yacoubian Building (fabulous!) by Alaa Al Aswany. I will be reading Where Mountains Roar: A Personal Report from the Sinai and Negev Desert by Lesley Hazelton on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic. Stay tuned; I'll check in regularly, sorta taking y'all with me, inshallah.