Meroe rocks! Horse culture, powerful queens, tons of pyramids, unknown language. The 25th Dynasty, surging north to save Egypt from itself. Now threatened once again by construction of a dam.

When I was 20 (a LONG time ago) I hitchhiked 800 miles to Seattle to see the Meroe exhibit at the art museum there. Now I want to take a tour to northern Sudan early next year and see it myself. The firm, Italian Tourism Company, has good reviews. But most people who travel there are not American and I'm worried because the only language I speak (besides a little Spanish and a few words of Arabic) is English. Are there any Meroe buffs on the site? Anyone been to Sudan and can give tips? What should I be sure not to miss? Everyone here (San Francisco) thinks I am nuts.