Hey Everyone! Welcome to my trip journal! Hopefully here you'll be able to keep updated on the trip to Egypt (providing I do my part and actually update it on a regular basis!) Which I really will try to do! A previous couchsurfer recommended I contact a former host of his who had been to Egypt so when I did she gave me access to her trip journal, I got to look at her pictures and thought to myself this would pry be a really good idea for those of you back home to have that same opportunity. Plus we wont be taking cell phones or laptops with us so I imagine this will be easier to go to a cyber cafe or coffee house and just log in, update, and go!

There's only 13 more days till we leave to Egypt! So Excited and incredibly nervous as well. Thankfully I'm taking this trip with Lisa and she has tons of experience in the "world travel" department so I'm very lucky to have her with me and will be learning as much as possible from her! Also like I said early this other host I contacted has given me SO MANY pointers and tips and thank goodness for that! She had great ideas I wouldn't have ever thought of!

I've got lots of "lists" for those last minute items I need: money belt, better shoes, few articles of clothing, etc...which I will pry take care of this weekend. And of course a new camera since mine is just not going to cut it! I'm really hoping I can find a cheapo digital camera that has panoramic options but we'll see what I manage to find. I also need to still arrange all of my bill payments and get my last round of Hep A shots, which I will get the week before we leave. Then all my travel immunizations are done and I'm ready to go! I have my will all done and need to get it signed off on and sent to my foster parents (hopefully it'll never be needed but as he said "better safe than sorry"), I also have yet to call my bank and let them know I'll be out of the country so I'll get that taken care of this week, man it would be so bad to forget that one!

And I of course decided to host the August CS potluck (after some previous reservations due to time and $$$ and planning this trip) but you know me, I just couldn't say no! :P So that potluck will be two days before we leave and I will be taking LOTS of pictures of everyone to take with me and hopefully alleviate some of the homesickness I'm sure I'll experience. I've definitely winded down a lot with hosting in order to get ready for my trip, I have a band coming in this Friday who I've hosted before and then no one else (but we'll see how long that lasts!)

I'm so excited to start this journey and I'm sure after having this experience I will definitely want to get right back out there and see more of what this world has to offer! The travel bug will take over, no doubt about that! But I'm going to miss everyone back home and I will take lots of pictures and be safe! I can't wait to get on that plane and make new friends, see new sights, taste new foods and just experience what will be an awe-inspiring trip!!