traveling to EGYPT

I plan to travel to Egypt for a 2-3 week trip. Looking for resources, comments, thoughts, and travel partner or partners. Mine main goals are to view the total eclipse of the sun on March 29, and to explore the best of Egypt.

Not wanting to join a tour group, how is it to travel alone there? Where might I find a listing of people wanting to travel there?

I probably will not be traveling with large format on this trip, wanting to be light and flexible. I will most likely travel with medium format Fuji 6x9 rangefinder and a 120 Noblex. (how about availability of film (120 BW)? Are the pyramids closed off to toursits now? Can I climb to the top? :-)

Thanks for your replies.

Kreig, Lonely Planet Guidebooks has a travel forum, Thorntree, where you can get up to date information and perhaps find a travel partner. This is the link to the Africa subforum, in which Egypt is listed. Search for Egypt in this forum.

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/categories.cfm?catid=9

Make sure your will is up to date.

Oh, and don't take a ferry

Don't forget to check if there is a risk of malaria in certain parts of the country, and if so bring malaria prophylaxis with you.

My Mom went on a tour in November when they bombed the American hotel in next door Jordan. The Egyptian guides didn't tell the group until they were departing. On the other hand, the tourists numbers are so low that my Mom and her friend had a tour guide to themselves for the first week, wheras normally they would service a 20 person group. Egyptians need the tourism money...

Find a good guide.

I traveled with a tour group in December and had a great time. I posted some comments on my trip here on this site. We went inside the Red Pyramid but it was down not up. I also took my speed graphic for most of my shots. It was welcomed with no problems. Your film will be x-rayed, though I had no problems with fogging.
The people are friendly though they want to be payed to have their picture taken.