August 29

Brussel to Bangkok.
Because Syd and I had successfully shifted our time to "Egyptian time" we met our taxi driver at 2 am with no problem (and no sleep). We went to the airport where we were screened (along with everyone else) about five times (no kidding, maybe that's what flying out of the Middle East has to be). We both stayed up most of the flight, but we arrived in Amsterdam ready to go! We had a 12-hour layover this time, and we decided to take a train down to Brussle, Belguim. It is a great town! Very chic, clean, friendly, and French without the snobbery.
While there, I had the best (Belgian) waffle of my life (sorry to say, mom). It was pretty cold and a little rainy, but Syd and I did our best to still enjoy the city. We didn't even feel the effect of our sleepless night. Syd finally found a signature scent in this great "Cosmeticary". I also found one I liked but I didn't buy it (...yet). We even went to see this fountain you may recognize. I'd rather not dexcribe it, so I'll let the picture do the talking (when I put it up). There were a million (Belgian) chocolate places, but we found "the best" one, Pierre Marcolini Chocolatier. We sampled a few very inventive chocolates (mango-caramel, balsamic vinagrette, violet, earl grey).
We both were really glad we went to Brussel and think it is a great town. When we got back to the airport to leave for Bangkok, Sydnee started feeling really sick. I won't go into details, but she had food poisoning, even though we ate the exact same thing all day, except she drank some tap water in Brussels that she was warned not to drink (we both thought that was rediculous that we couldn't drink tap water in Western Europe after having drank the water in Cairo)- the waiter told her it would make her sick and sure enough it actually did. We both thought he was just trying to make us buy bottled water, I just happened not to drink any because I had gotten a latte.
She had a miserable flight to Bangkok, but because the flight wasn't full they were able to give her a row to herself (and that meant they HAD to move me to another row all to myself- I'm not complaining!)