The New Plan

Well, Merry Christmas to all of you guys. Ours was not very exciting, we just slept all day or sat around as is the usual for us here in Cairo. I've been sick lately and if fact most of us have not been feeling all that well. Maybe it's the sudden drop in (relative) temperature, but my guess is that it has to do with the going home theory of mine. I almost always get sick shortly after going home from traveling because the body and mind suddenly relax and the bugs can get you. Being back in Cairo really did feel like going home and was much less stressful than all the hectic speed travelling of late, hence being ill.
I guess I've been here about 3 weeks now already. Wow, time flies here. Cairo has a strange affect on us because after months of going to bed at sunset or shortly thereafter, suddenly we find ourselves up until 3am again. I spent the first two weeks living on the computer here in the hotel trying to upload photos and sort out the plans for the next leg of the journey. Nothing like the total freedom of saying "Where shall I fly to next week?" and totally being able to do it. In the end I think've I've come up with something that should keep you guys interested.
Ok, so the plan is this, we are going to quickly visit Israel before leaving the region since we no longer need to worry about the stamp in our passport getting us refused to the neighbouring Arab countries. We actually should be over there now except for the filming that mom and dad will do on the 27th at the pyramids. The money was too good to refuse so we've postponed a few days and now we'll have to see Israel in a rush.
From Israel we come back to Cairo and then fly to Manila in the Philippines! We found a great price on a flight and we'd love to get back to Asia again. We'll be in the Philippines for about 5 weeks before flying to Malaysian Borneo for 3 weeks and then we're off to Jakarta, Indonesia. Those flights are booked (really cheap, gotta love Airasia.com) and we'll start making it up from there. At some point, somewhere on Borneo, our friend Jake (who travelled with us briefly in Morocco and Mauritania) will meet up with us again and we will continue together as much as possible. It sounds like fun and I am honestly very excited for this next stretch. The parents are too as it keeps them in the sun a little longer!
Ammon