Hi All,
We've been home for almost a month now and have had time to digest at least some of what we experienced on our trip. One of the more obvious things is how lucky we are to live where we do. Not only in the US but also in Oregon - it is a great place to call home.
It seems that reflecting on our trips we tend to focus on the positive things and forget about the negative. I think that's a good thing. It's what keep us going back for more.
I also want to learn more about what we saw. There was so much to take in. Not being an Egyptologist, or really knowing much at all about Egyptian history other than what they taught us in school, I'm curious to read up and learn more about the rich history there. Not coincidentally, I got a couple of great books on the topic for xmas. so, I've got some great reading ahead of me.
I've also had thoughts about returning to Egypt someday. This is interesting, because I think we were all eager to come home at the time. The trip was among other things, fairly hectic, noisy and intense. Traveling the way we did, without a formal tour, or even a firm itinerary, adds to the adventure as well as the stress level. Just getting from one place to another requires constant attention and vigilance. Keeping your guard up constantly takes effort. It's not that we feared for our safety, we actually felt very safe there, it's just that you can't take anything for granted.
And I think that's one of the main reasons I enjoy traveling abroad. It's real easy for us to get real comfortable in our daily lives here in the US. Not much to worry about. Maybe we SHOULD be worrying a little more these days. I often think we as Americans are getting quite lazy and taking a lot of things for granted. Our freedoms, privacy, personal space, economic status - all precious. Unfortunately, I don't think characterizing certain groups of extremists as our nemesis (as our current leaders want to do) is the way to help us appreciate what we have. We need to appreciate it for the right reasons.
Enough preaching. Have a great 08.
Tom
p.s. We got a new puppy just before xmas. His name is Noah.
