Yeah! Hooray! I've finally arrived!!!
EGYPT - the ancient civilization which I've seen (on TV) & read so much about. A civilization that's as powerful & as enticing as China's. Thanks to Hollywood & Liz Taylor, I've long had this image of Cleopatra & the elaborate sets that made up Egypt! It's one of those things in life where you'd carry a larger than life picture of the unreachable destination & unphantomable lifestyle...
Egypt is in Africa, a continent that as a single traveler, deemed to be unsafe. But, in 1998, the cartoon movie 'Prince of Egypt' impressed me so much with its many beautiful scenes & passionate songs; all this built up to a crescendo! I simply have to visit this foreign land soon, very soon... (counting the days & nights :-))
After having been to the Grand Canyon (so far, my most favorite wonder), Niagara Falls, Borobudur Temple, Pisa Tower; Egypt where the Sphinx & Great Pyramids are located naturally were on my list my next destination.
And, am I glad that I came. It was GREAT! Not so much the Sphinx itself but rather the civilization that built it. More than 4000 years ago (40 is way too long for me to phantom as it is...) with no machinery. Those people were actually building them manually. Imagine that!!!!!
Facts about Egypt
Capital: Cairo.
Area: 1,001,450 sq km.
Population: 68.36 million.
Language: Arabic.
National Holiday: Anniversary of Revolution, Jul. 23 (1952).
GDP Per Capita: US$3000.
Currency: Egyptian Pound = 100 piasters.
Web Resources
National Anthem: BILADI
Country Code: 20
Yellow Pages: EgyptYellow Pages.com.eg
Newspaper: Middle East Times
CIA World Factbook: Year 2002
Online Travel Guide: WorldTravelGuide.Net
Online World Guide: LonelyPlanet.com
Map: Lonely Planet Map