Egypt Recap: High Points

Best adventure: Being alone in the Great Pyramid.

Best tomb: Nefartari, in the Valley of the Queens.

Best temple: Tough call, but we'd go with the Temple of Hathor in Dendara.

Best statue: The four Ramses II at Abu Simbel.

Best god: Horus (the falcon god).

Best goddess: Hathor (the goddess with cow ears)

Best creature: A monitor lizard swimming in the Nile (which set off a brief, vigorous debate on whether crocodiles might still exist north of Aswan).

Best plant: Papyrus.

Best food: Sweet potato with cream, coconut, and caramel (dessert served at a private home in Cairo).

Best Arabic expression: Yalla beena, which means hurry up. A typical usage would be "Yalla beena Esther." (This item added February 28.)

Best guide: Hala

Best co-travelers: Joe and Bette, Michael and Mary Ann, Gene and Linda, Jim and Martha, Robert and Jenny

(Obviously, the Cairo bombing stands alone at the top of the list of low points.)