Where do I even begin? Egypt has always been one of those places that I just accept I would never go to; but also somewhere I thought I knew so much about already, which I feel like was why I was content not going. I thought I knew it all. There is only one HUGE pyramid called the Great Pyramid of Giza, a Sphinx and the Nile which is a river surrounded by reed where baby Moses was found in a basket. Laugh all you want, but tell me if you’re knowledge of Egypt is really that different. I spent 10 days in Cairo and did a day trip to Alexandria. This trip was full of firsts. It was my first time in Africa first time seeing the Mediterranean Sea, a first time seeing an ancient wonder of the world (even though it is technically the only one still around), first time staying at a hostel, first time hiring a tour guide… the list goes on.
We landed in Cairo Airport and immediately realized how different of a city Cairo is compared to Amman. Just figuring out how to purchase a visa and go through passport control was a ridiculous process. We were then greeted by our tour guide Ramez Salama who picked us up and completely saved us from being eaten alive and lost in Cairo. The next four days were packed with long days and wealth of Egyptian history.
Here was out itinerary:
Day 1 : Arrive to Cairo Airport
Day 2 : Visit Saqqara, Memphis, Dahshur and textile school
Day 3 : Visit the Giza pyramids and the Egyptian Museum.
Day 3 : Visit The Citadel and Islamic Cairo
Day 4 : Visit the Coptic Churches and the cave church.
Day 5 : Falucca ride and Zamalek
Day 6 : Rest Day
Day 7 : Day trip to Alexandria
Day 8 : Hang around Cairo Tour, explore Zamalek and Islamic Cairo part 2
There was so much I learned about on this trip and could not have had such an amazing trip without Ramez. He is a new friend for life and I would highly recommend him to everyone.
Yes there were things that I did not necessarily appreciate and wish happened less, but overall Egypt is safe and should be a place everyone see. If you think any American historical monument or just anything man-made in America is old, wait until you go to Egypt. Everything in Egypt is centuries if not thousands of years older. I still have to pinch myself when I think about all of the incredible things that I experience but also random things that happened. I mean, I saw the President of Egypt Sisi! That’s absolutely INSANE. Or the call to prayer man of Al-Azhar Mosque did the call to prayer for us in person. He is considered to have one of the most beautiful voices in the whole world… and they are sure right about that! It is these experiences that remind me how important traveling is and experience different cultures is.
Two completely random thoughts:
I am a very specific traveler
Palm trees. Dates come from Palm trees. Coconuts come from Palm trees. But they’re not the same type of palm tree. Also coconuts are basically nuts you can plant to grow trees. That’s crazy.
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