Whatever gave me the impression that Egypt would be a hot desert country ... gave me the wrong impression.
Not that it's been lush and green and leafy. But it has been cold. That kind of dry cold that makes the inside of your nose crack and makes you wish you were one of those people that carries Vaseline around with them everywhere (*cough* you know who you are...).
At least we were not thrown into the full on body attack that is 
Cairo too quickly - my nostrils had time to acclimatize for a few days first in a more tranquil Egyptian setting. For 5 days we were treated to the peaceful life at a "retreat farm" associated with the Coptic Church. Our days were spent learning how to study and appreciate the intricate masterpiece that is the Bible and at night we would wrap ourselves in thick blankets and try not to fall off the
roof of our rooms (which some were not 100% successful at), while marvelling at the upside-downness of the Orion constellation.
Meals were a marvel - the table would be set with an array of dishes (rice, pasta, cheese, bread, halawa, jams, tomatoes, cucumber, homemade pesto, carrots, potatoes and a number of other items that one is not 100% sure what it was, but that was invariably tried and enjoyed by me). No matter how resolved I was to only eat a small portion (still actually being full from the previous meal) I would, without fail, walk away with a plate piled yummifully high - a feat that was very easy to accomplish by taking even just a little taster from each of the gazillion dishes on the table.
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