Well, congratulations Chair....I'm excited for ya.
I spent most of the summer of '93 in Egypt and Israel, attending the American University in Cairo and the Hebrew University in Israel. We arrived in June, so the night time temperatures weren't bad at all...and I don't remember any problems with bugs. I will recommend that you take a hat....for there's nothing to shade you from the sun, although the outside temperatures should be rather pleasant. Cairo's climate felt much like Arkansas' for the time of year that we were there....just drier. Don't wear any expensive shoes, for the streets in Cairo are filthy.
Crime shouldn't be a problem except for the pickpockets and juvenile scam artists. Because of that, don't try to exchange money anywhere except in your hotel or a bank....cause there's a lot of old, useless currency floating around, and some low-life will try to hood-wink you into a "sweet exchange deal."
Oh, the stories about the pestilential water are no joke. Drink only bottled water, and don't eat any food that has been washed. I caught Pharaoh's revenge, and over the course of a month, although I was eating like a horse, lost twenty pounds. Carry plenty of Lomotil, or something even stronger.
Dress conservatively: you won't completely blend in with the locals, but you'll draw fewer stares if you don't look so much like a tourist.
All of this advice came from frequent visitors to Egypt and Egyptians that we studies with at the Universities.
Oh, and the Pyramids are just big piles of dusty rock.
Regards, Shuckins
