Egypt Alone

---

So this was truly an adventure of a lifetime and tested me in every way. I know I am very independent but I have to say this put me on an extreme level. I must admit leaving Roma I was scared-shit-less (excuse my french). At times my hearts was pounding and I kept thinking what am I doing? But I knew there was no turning back now. I held my head high and did as my momma always taught me; walked like a man.

I had arranged for a tour in Cairo and they were to pick me up at the airport, but of course I had horrible thoughts going through my head, like what if it was a scam and no one is here to meet me, what will I do? I had ideas for plan B racing in my mind. After landing I was pleasantly surprised by the Cairo airport as it was very clean and looked brand new. Once I purchased my visa and went through customs I was pleased to see a man holding a sign with my name on it near baggage claim. This is where I just had to trust that the people of 'Your Egypt Tours' were good people, but at the same time I was very aware and had my guard up.

This man escorted me outside to meet my driver and tour guide. They all seemed very nice as we drove to my hotel near the pyramids. I soon found out that the day before it had poured rain in Cairo which is very uncommon. My guide said it was the hardest he'd seen it rain in 28 years (all his life). The streets of Cairo do not have a drainage system, so some areas of the roads were very flooded. This made the traffic be worse than usual, which they seem to always have bumper to bumper traffic since they are the 2nd largest city in the World with over 24 million people (Mexico City is the largest with 26 million).

When we arrived to my hotel they were working on the generators, due to all the rain, so it was quite dark. Once I got my room I left my belongings and was off for a late night Egyptian cultural dinner-and-show cruise on the Nile river. Also, on my boat was an engagement party that was interesting to see as it was rather elaborate. The women all made loud screeching noises to show their excitement for the bride-to-be and once the boat departed you could hear them all dancing. Anyways, I enjoyed some traditional Egyptian food and watched several traditional dances, such as belly dancing. They pulled me up there to dance and would not let me go sit down. We hurried back to the hotel after the cruise so I could sleep for a few hours, I had to be up at 5 am.

At 5:30 am my guide and driver picked me up and we headed towards the pyramids in the dark. We met up with this young boy and his camel, named Banana. Again with my nerves quite high I climbed right on to the camel and they told me to hold on tight and lean back as the camel gets up by going onto his back knees then front knees then up to his back legs and then front legs. I couldn't believe how high-up I was once the camel was on all four feet. I did not want to fall off! We headed up this dark path which was really muddy from the rain. I thought, oh no what if the camel slips and falls? - lol! We headed up through the desert beside the gates of the pyramids as the sun began to rise. The camel boy realized the sun was rising quickly as the camel was just meandering through the sand, so he asked if it was alright if he got on the camel with me to make him go faster since the sun was going to be up soon.

We made it to the top of a sand hill just in time to see the sunrise to the east with a view of the pyramids to the north. It was absolutely amazing; surreal really! I took tons of photos and just enjoyed the moment. Their were little huts up on this hill with several young Egyptians just hanging out and occasionally racing their horses through the desert. Then the boy decided to dress me in a traditional Egyptian outfit (with my permission of course) and we had quite the photo shoot. Once the sun was fairly high in the sky we headed back down on Banana!

After this epic morning I was eager to start my day of other tours in Cairo...

As my guide liked to say, "we stepped back in time to the days of ancient Egypt" on my tour of the three Pyramids of Giza plateau (Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus), the Sphinx and Granite Temple, Memphis, and the Step Pyramids of Sakkara. The pyramids of Giza (these include the Great Pyramid) were just as spectacular and breathtaking as I'd always imagined them to be. My guide gave me a brief history of the pyramids with all of the facts and statistics and then I had free time. I really enjoyed just roaming around taking pictures of the pyramids, the locals, the animals and view of the city. I went into the second pyramid to see the tomb of King Chephren. It was wild; you had to hunch over and crawl down and then crawl up in the tunnel. Once inside, the room really wasn't that big with the tomb at the far end, which was open. After crawling out I meandered some more and then we headed up to the lookout that is a panoramic view of the pyramids. We then visited the Sphinx and Granite Temple of King Chephren and I gave the Sphinx a big kiss.

Now it was time for the 'catch' of the tour (common in most countries I have been to) to go "shopping". Really it's just so they can get commission. I enjoyed this one more than any other I've ever done though; it was to a Papyrus Institute. They showed me the steps in which to make papyrus paper and explained some of the most famous paintings on the papyrus. But then they wanted me to buy something, I felt bad and refused. It was all really beautiful but a bit pricey, of course.

For lunch we went out in the country side and had a traditional Egyptian meal of fresh flat bread, about 5 sauces (including bubaganosh and yogurt), eggplant with garlic, pickled vegetables, wild rice, mixed grill of shushkabobs and fries. It was really good! I even got to watch the lady making the bread in the open oven and try doing it myself.

We then drove to Memphis, which was the very first capital of the Ancient Kingdom of Lower and Upper Egypt by King Menes. Here were several statues such as the Alabaster Sphinx (2nd biggest) and the remaining two colossal statutes of Ramses II. Thereafter we went to Sakkara, one of the most exciting historical and archaeological areas in all of Egypt. It's home to the Step Pyramid, the world's oldest major stone structure, and to the recently discovered entrance to a tunnel that connects all of the pyramids of Cairo, which is a lot (more than 10). It was all truly amazing!

After a nice nap I went back to the Sphinx and Pyramids to watch the sound and light show, which was pretty entertaining. It was a laser and light show on the ancient structures, while playing music and a narration of the history. Then it was time for bed...Yes, I was exhausted!

The next day started much later, which was so nice. We visited areas for all of the religions in Cairo: Coptic Christians' Abu Serga; Ben Ezra, the oldest synagogue in Cairo; and the Citadel of Salah el Din where Mohamed Ali Alabaster Mosque is. Then went to the famous Egyptian Museum, the house of over 200,000 artifacts. My favorite was the room with the treasures of King Tutankhamen's tomb (he was King for only 10 years, 9 years old to 19 years old, as the youngest King). His six gilded coffins and death mask (you would all recognize it) were remarkable! Then we headed to the Nile river for a sunset felucca (sailboat) ride. I was nervous for this as I have this thing with sailboats, but it was really enjoyable and quite beautiful. After we hurried to the Khan el Khalili Bazaars (market) and strolled the narrow alleys for souvenir type things that you definitely have to bargain for. I sat at a cafe to enjoy a soda with the full moon shining bright over a mosque onto the square. Then it was time to go to the airport. Whoa - what a whirl wind of a tour!

I really enjoyed Egypt and was sad to leave, especially my new Egyptian friends (my driver and guide(s)) who were so sweet to me the whole time and took extra good care of me because I was a young girl traveling solo. Egypt is definitely an experience as it is an African country and part of the Middle East. It sort of reminded me of India, but didn't seem as impoverished. It is quite dirty, however, it is very accommodating to tourists. I would recommend anyone to go here; a large majority of the tourist that I saw were retirees in their 60s to 80s. I am so happy I went to Egypt and am really glad it all turned out so well, with my tour and everything!

Laugh Often. Love Much. Miss you all like mad!

---