What a flight! Almost 24 hours since departure from Baltimore-Washington International Airport, I am finally here in Cairo. I am confused and exhausted, yet, I am excited. I still can't believe I am actually on the other side of the world! This is the land I have been dreaming of for years...

It is 1am whn I land. After a bit of hassle at the custom, fighting through the crowd of taxi drivers trying to get me into their taxi, and much MUCH confusion telling my driver where I want to go, I am finally in this taxi heading downtown to Midan Tahrir, where I would find my hotel.

Even at 2am, Cairo is still wild awake! It seems to me that the town only begins its daily life then. Travelling the highway is a life time experience. Five cars are somehow squeezed parallel into a three-lane road. No head lights, a lot of horn. Not sure what the speed limitis, but certainly we are traveling much faster than whatever that might be.

After 45 minutes of excitement on the road, the taxi dropped me off at the Midan Tahrir, the biggest square in Cairo. So many people, so much traffic, so much noise, yet so interesting, so foreign to me.

I checked into the Sun Hotel. Nothing fancy about this place... But it has hot water. The dorm room holds eight beds. At the time six of them were occupied. I got myself a bed next to the window. I lay there and closed my eyes. So this is Cairo, this is the place I've dreamed of... all of a sudden, I feel so lonely. My watch shows it is 4:23am.

What a day!