Egypt, Or Why I Went There In The First Place

Well, those of you who speculated in an African direction were correct; I went to Egypt. But why pick Egypt for a first trip outside North America, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. I caught up with an old army buddy by email recently, and he happened to be studying Arabic in Cairo, and as I happen to have a) not seen him in twelve years, and b) fly places very cheaply, I decided to see what sand tastes like over there. What follows is a slightly inaccurate and very long-winded account of my week in Egypt. Prepare yourselves.