The tale of Cleo and Marc A begins.

Yesterday was foreboding. Marc A comes down with anticipatory head cold and is not worth a plug nickel. My hard drive starts to get whacky. This morning, my sent mail folder contents had blasted itself into cyberspace. Unfortunately, I am my own help desk .. NOT. But .. I am persistent. Yea! Finally got the e-mail straightened out.

Marc A awakes at 6:59 since the cleaning crew is coming at 7. Much noise & fuss; he decides we are only taking carry-on luggage. I finally go through my stuff one last time at noon, and he agrees to cross-pack in case we have to check stuff in Rome. I leave him to it. He is not-so-secretly convinced I cannot pack. I am not-so-secretly convinced it's in my best interest if he thinks it.

Suitcases come out. Much muttering and fluttering from the resident pet population. Mix food for next 14 days, and give them fresh food. My~no muss, no fuss. I must remember that strategy next time we go.

We rolled at 3:30 pm. Rain, two traffic lanes out of commission on the Garden State Parkway and a great limo driver means we arrive right on time. My laptop is quietly residing in a drawer at home, along with my cell phone, wedding rings (I wear a fake away from home) and my purse. I start to shake violently.

We fly Alitalia via Rome to Cairo. We step up to check in. The agent expects paper tickets ????. Fortunately, the agent summons the maestro of the reservation system immediately. Maestro coaxes our boarding passes out of the machine AND our Continental mileage numbers into the machine lickety-split. Bravo!

The big bonus? Virgin Club lounge access. Champagne. Computer terminal calling to me. Oh yea, baby.

I amuse myself by looking at the hotels' websites. My god! The first one, Mena House, has a stellar view of the Pyramids. It's part of the Oberoi group, whose hotels in India and Bali were simply fantastic. Cleo will have the option of riding sidesaddle on a horse or majestically sauntering in by camel. After Cleo's public appearance, she can stop by the spa for a rejuvenating treatment. I am liking this trip already.

The Old Cataract House in Aswan is where Agatha Christie penned "Death on the Nile". It's part of the Sofitel chain, so food will be sublime.

Boarding is in twenty minutes. Looking forward to lots of sleep, Marc A's cold subsiding and a magical visit to the land of Cleo and Marc A. Now where do I get a litter to carry me around?

Cheers, Cleo