Woke up and realized it was the last full day of the tour. Today we would be visiting the Egyptian museum followed by a mosque and church and ending with a market visit. After breakfast we gathered in the lobby and boarded the bus for one final ride. First stop was the Egyptian museum and the first thing you noticed was the level of security. There were soldiers, machine gun posts and tanks protecting the building. Zizo did explain there had been a few successful break ins at the museum including one where the thief was trapped by the police on a bridge and proceeded to throw the artifacts into the Nile where they were subsequently lost in the water :(. We paid the final fee 85 EGP to enter the museum. Security was also heavy ... read more

I woke up to my bed swaying back and forth and I was disoriented. I looked around and remembered I was on a Felucca in the Nile. I was covered with bug bites and the bug spray I had covered myself with last night did no good. I am fairly certain they were drawn to the bug spray. The crew made breakfast for us which included eggs and bread. We had some time before the boat left so everyone swam in the Nile to clean up and cool off. I watched everyone for a bit before deciding I was in the Nile and couldn't pass up the opportunity. After telling everyone what I was doing and getting some help from Josh and Carey I jumped in. I must admit it was scary but I just had ... read more

Woke up at 3:20AM for the hot air balloon. I managed to shower and brush my teeth before heading down to reception. 17 of us would be on this hot air balloon ride. The few of us who opted out had already taken a balloon ride at other places such as Turkey. We piled into a van and took it down to the river where we boarded a boat that took us to the west side of the Nile. A fun fact, all the temples and tombs are on the west bank of the Nile as it symbolizes the end of life because the sun sets in the west. We boarded another van on the west side of the Nile and made our way to a field where 5 or 6 balloons were being inflated. Our ... read more

I set my alarm to wake me up at 6:30AM so I would have time to shower and eat breakfast before our bus left at 7:30AM. Unfortunately the alarm didn't work and I ended waking at 7:15AM and quickly getting dressing and rushing to reception. I settled my bill with hotel reception and dropped off my luggage in the one room they had arranged to store our luggage. Everyone gathered at reception including 2 people who had arrived the previous night. So we were a full 20 people now. We left at 7:30AM for the pyramids. There are 4 pyramids that we would visit that day. The steppe pyramid and than the 3 great pyramids at Giza. The cost of entry was 160 Egyptian pounds and you pay that in cash to the tour leader. He ... read more

Woke up one more time in confusion I listened for a room full of people snoring but heard nothing. I looked around and oriented myself again in Kelsey's apartment. Kelsey woke up not long after I did and I opted to skip breakfast because I wanted to get a few hours on the road before eating. We headed out together and after a hug goodbye our paths diverged again but I told her I have a spare mattress in my studio apartment that she is more than welcome to crash on if she is ever in Toronto. I want to take a moment to thank Kelsey. She is one of the nicest people I met traveling and I am so grateful for being able to sleep in apartment. I hope I didn't cause you too much ... read more