She Wants Her Mummy

Jillian Verrillo of McLean is the latest contributor to our Your Vacation in Lights feature, in which we invite Travel section readers to share the dish about their recent trips. It's a big, confusing travel world out there, and you can help your fellow travelers navigate it. Your hot tip can be the next guy's day-maker; your rip-off restaurant, the next family's near miss. To file your own trip report -- and become eligible to win a digital camera -- see the fine print below.

THE TRIP: A week in Cairo.

WHEN: Spring 2006.

WHO WENT: My friend Jennifer and I.

BIGGEST SPLURGE: A gold cartouche with my name in hieroglyphics -- although I also dropped some money on decorated papyrus and lotus blossom perfume. It was all worth it. I wish I could go back and spend more.

BIGGEST WORRY: I had heard beforehand that the men were . . . interested . . . in hitting on foreign women. That was true only of my first cabdriver, who took the 40 minutes from the airport to simultaneously flirt outrageously and give a rundown of all the buildings we were passing. He also mentioned that he had two wives and eight children, but I'm fairly certain he was lying.

FAVORITE MEAL: Pigeon. It was pretty tasty, possibly because of the large quantity of spicy rice stuffed inside. But the fact that it still looked like pigeon was a little hard to take. For dessert: um ali, layers of pastry with nuts and raisins, soaked in sweet milk.

IMPORTANT TIP: Don't underestimate the ubiquity of tipping. You will be asked to tip for seemingly insignificant actions, such as someone's recommending a shop. One policeman snapped a picture of me, then asked for my watch as payment.

COOLEST SURPRISE: The free Sufi dances at the Al-Ghouri complex. They last about two hours. Musicians produce a rhythmic, hypnotic beat, and men in brightly colored outfits dance and spin like tops. It was breathtaking.

COOLEST ATTRACTION: The pyramids, hands down. Magnificent, and you can actually go inside one -- a tight fit and not for the claustrophobic, but it's fascinating to think about who else has crept inside. The Egyptian Museum is amazing as well, the Royal Mummy Room in particular. You get a sense of what an Egyptian pharaoh looked like (black-haired and short), and one of the mummies looks as if he died laughing.

WHY THIS WAS MY FAVORITE VACATION: Mummies. You really can't beat mummies. Also, I got to float down the Nile in a felucca, peer at King Tut's jewelry, eat lunch on top of the revolving Cairo Tower and ride a camel. This one will be hard to top.

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Want to see your own vacation in lights? We'll highlight one report, along with a photo from the trip, on the last Sunday of the month. To enter, use the categories above as a guide (use as many as you wish, or add your own; for a complete list, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/vacationinlights) and send your report to Your Vacation in Lights, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071; fax it to 202- 912-3609; or e-mail vacationinlights@washpost.com.

Entries chosen for publication become eligible to receive a Canon PowerShot A610 (or equivalent) digital camera at the end of the year. Entries will be chosen on the basis of humor, originality and usefulness; are subject to editing for space and clarity; and become property of The Post, which may edit, publish, distribute or republish them in any form. Employees of The Post and their immediate families are not eligible. No purchase necessary.