"Combining the ancient mystic of the Pyramids at Giza with modern, entertainment technology, Egypt hosted an estimated 50,000 revelers at its New Year's millennium celebration on the outskirts of Cairo.
Fireworks and a dazzling, state of the art light show illuminated the pyramids - the backdrop for French multi-media artist Jean Michel Jarre, who serenaded the crowd with a blend of traditional, oriental music and his own compositions.
Finally at stroke of midnight, columns of fire and pyrotechnics burst forth from behind the stage as celebrants hugged and kissed one another.
Caught in the middle of this swarming melee, I somehow managed to wiggle my way through the masses, reaching the closest possible vantage to the stage.
From there I witnessed Jarre, bedecked in a white suit and a multicolored scarf, conduct his horde of musicians while playing a keyboard synthesizer. Two symphony orchestras played at opposite ends of the stage while Egyptian musicians playing the nay (Egyptian flute), qanuus (similar to the dulcimer) and oud (oriental guitar) chimed in, creating a cacophony of sound and sites.
I spent the rest of the evening mingling with the crowd, meeting a variety of people from the four-corners of the globe. Croatians interlaced with Aussies; a Japanese couple introduced me to their newfound, Bulgarian friends.
At last, when the first thin wisps of sunlight streamed into the sky, a morning Ramadan prayer followed by Jarre's last song, marked the end of the evening's festivities.
Tired and bleary-eyed, I returned home wondering if Y2K has struck the nation while during the evening's celebration. Much to my surprise (and obvious relief), there has been nary a sign of any "millennium bug" glitches in Cairo."
