I had a hard time thinking on where to go after Antarctica since I knew anywhere it'd be would most certainly be a let down. Only three places came to mind as I debated. They were China, Peru and...

Egypt was a really interesting country and not totally what I had expected. But, when only seeing Discovery Channel specials and reading about it in magazines and books, I had a very narrow view of the country and wasn't totally sure as to what I should expect.

I knew I'd see amazing things like the Pyramids of Giza and the Cairo Museum, which holds so many relics from the time of the pharaohs, including all of the famous King Tut treasures, that I'd be overwhelmed with all of it. But, could what man made live up to the natural beauty of Antarctica?

Well, in a word, no. But, it was also quite fun.

Egypt was amazing in it's own right, but I truly think, looking back, that I should've done Antarctica after all of the other trips I've recently done. Seeing the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Wall of China, the Sydney Opera House, and so forth and so on, just hasn't had the same effect on me, as it probably would other people, after seeing Antarctica.

I love every minute of my trip...well, that's not entirely true I guess. I did quite hate the camel I rode at Giza, particularly thanks to the saddle sore I had for much of the rest of my trip. But, that's besides the point. Generally speaking I had a blast and loved it.

Hunting for a shot glass for my sister-in-law's father, something I do on every international trip, was a fun prospect since the country is essentiall dry. But, on the other hand, easily relaxing in the hotel bar with a beer, brewed in Egypt of all places, and later playing cards in the hotel's casino, was also quite enjoyable.

It was really the little things that seemed to make this trip memorable for me, opposed to the big things like the pyramids.

For instance, while I may not necessarily remember standing at the foot of the pyramids and looking up, I will remember checking out some hieroglyphics at the Temple of Hatsepshut in Luxor, only to have a local come up, point out the same hieroglyphics to me and then ask for baksheesh, or tips.

Tips are a prevalent transaction in Egyptian society, and expected for most tasks, particularly from American tourists, that you are approached from everyone everywhere willing to show you things you could easily find on your own...or have already found on your own.

Another item I'll certainly remember is my stuffed pigeon meal on the banks of the Nile in Luxor.

The whole trip we hadn't really dined at any local restaurants since they weren't the easiest things to find. I mean, it's not like there were signs hanging out front that advertised them like McDonald's or Burger King in the States. You really had to know where the restaurants were in Cairo to get to them.

So, when we were in Luxor on our last day of the trip, we finally found a restaurant. It was right along the banks of the Nile by the bridge leading across to Thebes, so it was obviously going to be a highly touristy restaurant, and the spaghetti on the menu affirmed my assumption.

But, when I saw the stuffed pigeon right next to it, I had to give it a try. With such an exchange rate, why not?!? Well, I'll tell you why not...it's absolutely disgusting! When I cut into the breast, where I figured the most meat would be, trying not to look at it's little beedy black eyes, out oozed this orange rice looking stuff. It quickly reminded me of the scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Han Solo cuts open the tauntaun on the Hoth planet to put look inside so he doesn't die from exposure.

Since I had ordered though, and was earnestly interested in trying it, I'll be damned if a bad appearance could deter me. So I dug in determinedly hoping to find some lovely delicacy, but it was absolutely horrid.

Then again, could it have really been that bad?

Well, yes. And the second, and third tries for that matter, affirmed my initial response of revulsion.

To be perfectly honest here though, I'm not sure if I was 100% open to this experience since, after all, I did order that spaghetti as a safety net just in case the pigeon turned out to be as horrible as it was. And man, let me tell you, that spaghetti, with french fries, was one of the best meals I ever enjoyed.

All of that aside though, Egypt was a wonderful experience. I saw and did some pretty amazing things, like climbing down inside the Red Pyramid (my friend Brian Frederick climbing down into the stuffy interior of the Red Pyramid, left), and an absolutely phenomenal time seeing things I had never heard of before I started looking into the trip, like the Citadel and the Coptic district of Cairo.

And while there are certainly things I won't miss, stuffed pigeon, I'll certainly remember everything as a great experience...even if it happened to be a mad cabbie chasing us down the street outside the Citadel as we tried to find a different, more safe, drive than someone whose life's ambition was to use his cab like a bumper car as much as humanly possible.

But, that's another story for another time.