Memnon

Charging Alison's camera phone here in the internet cafe outside the Memnon and just over from the Corniche and Mr. Hagab's small house from the shop. Egypt has required some cultural adaptation, a bit more disparity between economies and so a bit more hustle and offering of services (carriage? five!) and making the shopping an ordeal. But it will be a long time before you forget the site of the piles of dusty letters and guest books on the old desk in Mr. Hagab's place "beside the Mosque" and the unbelievable shisha transaction story. Going to be difficult to explain in facebook captions, to be sure. Just came from Elephantine island, guided to the gates of the ruins by Mustafa, and the return on the ferry next to the high school science teacher. There is a sense that you'll return here, when and how remains unknown, but certainly this trip - above others - has provided some background for future stories that need telling. There have been many lessons of coarse travel learned as preparation for the broader adventure, some captured in writing and some that still need to be distilled and turned over in the mind. The bottles of wine tonight should be wondrous, and then Luxor for the grand finale. Epic is most definitely the word. Hard to believe that tomorrow you'll have been one week in Egypt after the crossing. My oh my.