An Incredible 10 Days in Egypt!

Welcome to Egypt!

27 hours of traveling from the Western United States landed us in Cairo, Egypt. At the hotel, we were met with our tour company and given the rundown of our next 10 days in Africa. I was already in vacation mode and didn’t care what we did. I was just excited to finally be in Egypt after so much turmoil about getting to the land of mysteries. Traveling during a pandemic is not recommended, mostly because of all the hoops that are needed to jump through. But we did it!

Our hotel was very quaint and only occupied the fourth floor of an apartment building that overlooked the Giza Plateau. You wouldn’t have thought this hotel was very special but on the inside it was beautiful. Our first morning we left the room with enough time to have breakfast. As we walked into the common area we saw our first glimpse of the pyramids off the balcony. They were clothed in smog from the bustling city of 9 million people nearby. Still, they were breathtaking. Breakfast was delicious scrambled eggs and a plate of Egyptian flatbread with coffee. We were eager to see the pyramids closer but I had already put out of my mind what our plans were and left it as a surprise.

Promptly at the specified time, we had our driver from the night before, Islam, pick us up with our tour guide, Abdul. Both Egyptian men were tall and slender but with completely different personalities. Islam was very lighthearted and loved cracking jokes with everyone. It was almost as if he knew everyone. Abdul was older and more reserved. He seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, but that didn’t stop him from getting some good pranks on me like pretending to drop my camera!

My and Britton’s main concern in starting the tour was making sure we had money to get into the museums and pyramids. I had read that Egypt would take American dollars but for sure we needed Egyptian pounds to get started. The funny thing was our tour guides would talk about money and then say we could get it “later” always “later” no matter how hard you asked to be taken to an ATM they wanted you to just enjoy your time and relax.

Our first stop after leaving the hotel was to Saqqara, the home of the first step pyramid from King Djoser. A very unassuming area right on the edge of a lush neighborhood with date palms. We rounded a corner into the desert of the Saqqara necropolis. The first few structures seen are all crumbled down but behind them, we saw the sturdy step pyramid. The site is home to many different tombs of nobles and a beautiful temple with pillars representing all of the cities at the time of King Djoser. We made our way into the courtyard of the step pyramid taking in how big it is! Consisting of 6 mastabas stacked on top of each other to form one solid pyramid with tombs below ground. We followed a pathway to the South Tomb which is a smaller pyramid located next to the Step Pyramid. Here we headed underground. This tomb is a smaller version of what is found under the Step Pyramid. It is unknown what it was originally built for but Abdul said it was probably for King’s organ jars. The walkway down is difficult. Once you are down the stairs there is a main open room with short passages leading off to the left and right. The vaulted ceiling is adorned with a faintly colored blue sky and carved stars. The walls are covered with hieroglyphics. The room off to the right held a basalt sarcophagus surrounded by alabaster walls that glowed when a flashlight was held up against them. Back to the surface, we made our way into a few beautifully decorated mastabas, located in the outer Saqqara area. These tombs were built for princesses and high officials. This is where we learned about false doors in tombs that show the mummy’s soul the way into the afterlife. Since we were in a time crunch we headed out of the pyramid complex and down the road to Memphis.

Memphis is the ancient capital city of Upper and Lower Egypt. Built by Menes, the first king to join the ancient countries, there isn’t much of the city left to see. As we drove through town there were high fences along the road with what seemed to be excavations happening behind them. The main site worth seeing in Memphis is the large statue of Rameses II, in fact, this statue is so large they built an open-air museum around it. In the courtyard nearby is the second most well-known sphinx in Egypt. It is also the largest alabaster statue.

Abdul gave us the option of a buffet or food-to-go for lunch. We headed to get some fast food shawarmas, also known as sandwiches, for the road. Our next stop was a government-run papyrus shop. With very little explained to us, we went inside and found ourselves instantly in a showroom all about the making and selling of papyrus. Greeted with the welcome tea we started listening to a lady as she showed us the amazing qualities of the papyrus plant. After her very rehearsed show, we realized it was all just to sell us super expensive papyrus paintings! I loved the paintings, though, and couldn’t help myself. We ended up leaving with a couple of gorgeous pieces and some extra ‘gifts' for paying full price!

After the whirlwind of papyrus, we headed back to Giza for the main event. The traffic to get into the pyramids was pretty bad so we got out and walked to the entrance while Islam waited in line. This was our first time visiting a public restroom which was a little frightening at first because you get stopped on the way in by a man wanting money.

The pyramids are something. You can’t even wrap your head around them while you are standing in front of them! With so many people around it felt like an amusement park but we were actually at the only ancient wonder of the world that is still around today. Abdul sent us to climb up the Great Pyramid and to take a peek inside. We didn’t go into the pyramid because we were told it wasn’t worth the extra 300 Egyptian pounds. However, Britton and I took a moment to appreciate standing on the Great Pyramid of Giza. We touched the massive sandstone blocks and tried to imagine the pyramid being built. When Islam made it through traffic and found us, he asked us if we wanted a camel ride. Of course, he didn’t have to ask me twice! Off we headed behind the pyramids to the waiting camels. I loved the whole experience! Camels are the best! Once you sit down on the camel the caretaker tells it to stand up. It’s such a dramatic shift in the saddle, like a seesaw, that you almost fall off! It’s a bumpier ride than a horse but still enjoyable especially with the pyramids in the background. Our camel guy wore the traditional men’s dress of the desert with a snapback hat that said “big bad wolf”. He embodied the dichotomy that is Egypt today.

This was the best first day I could have asked for and we weren’t done yet. We still had the sphinx to visit! As we walked, Abdul explained the funeral buildings positioned by the three pyramids. The tour guide explained, Pharaohs spent their whole reign planning for their afterlife with beautiful temples built for the 70-day mummification process before being given to their final resting place inside the pyramid. The sphinx is situated in front of the middle pyramid and to the side of Khafre’s Valley Temple. This leads to the mortuary temple that is a part of Khafre’s funeral procession. To me, the Sphinx seemed so out of place and possibly not finished, at least in the shoulder area. It was larger than I had imagined and it also seemed like the bottom half of the Sphinx didn’t seem to match the top. Abdul told us a story of a papyrus letter written by one of Khafre’s daughters to a friend. She said that she couldn’t visit that friend because her father was restoring a lion-like statue. I surmised that Khafre could have been changing the Sphinx to look like him and Abdul said my theory sounded like a true archeologist! The mysteries of Egypt never end! We took a moment to gaze at the Giza Necropolis, no amount of time would have been sufficient but the tour must go on. At our last stop of the day, we headed to a perfume shop. I was already prepared to not get hoodwinked into buying perfumes so we enjoyed our time smelling all the beautiful fragrances, drinking the welcome tea, and kindly decided to not buy any essences.

What a day! We relaxed back at the hotel and ordered dinner to-go from one of the local restaurants. The next morning started the same with breakfast and a view of the pyramids. We headed this time into Cairo to visit the famous Coptic churches and mosques. Driving under the 600-year-old aqueducts that headed to the citadel was eye-opening. The layers of history that are represented in Cairo are incredible. Islam parked the car along a road barrier and we all jumped out. Abdul led us down a road to a passageway that had a large old door. He said the door itself was 600 years old! We kept walking and past a beautiful shop that held some of the best souvenir selections. Further down Abdul showed us the very first Coptic church in Egypt. He described the symbolic parts of the church that are found in every Coptic church. He sent us into the basement to see where they had protected the ancient home of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.

Abdul explained that in Egypt everyone lives in religious harmony and has for years. Right next to the Coptic church is a synagogue. Next, we headed around the citadel which is closed for restorations at the moment to the largest mosque in Cairo, the Mosque-Madressa of Sultan Hassan. This building’s sheer size alone dumbfounds you. We walked between two mosques with the citadel situated behind us. At the entrance, we dropped our shoes off and headed into the inner courtyards. The architecture is second to none. I couldn’t believe the size of the rooms we were walking through! Abdul left us to do his traditional Muslim prayer. It was beautiful to watch him. After he finished he started talking about the Quran and his love for it. He was incredible to learn the religion from because of his passion for it.

Our last stop of the day was the Egyptian Museum. This beautiful building is littered with Egyptian artifacts from all over Egypt. How anyone keeps them straight is beyond me! We walked in and would have resurfaced a week later if we didn’t have our tour guide leading us. Abdul showed us part of King Tut’s treasures and the only two mummies still housed in the museum. Soon the new Grand Egyptian Museum will be open and most of the prized artifacts are in storage until then. Seeing mummies in real life was like walking up to the pyramids. It just didn’t seem real. A person thousands of years old is laying in a painted wooden box right in front of me.

Day two came to a pretty interesting end as we left Abdul to catch a bus home and Islam took us to the train station three hours early. He said we could hang out at a cafe while we wait. It was funny because the outside sitting for this cafe was in the street. Britton was almost run over a few times! The train couldn’t have come fast enough for us after two long days of touring. Once the sleeper train came we jumped in and found our pillows! I explored the aged train car a bit before dinner and enjoyed the Agatha Christie vibes.

After about ten hours of travel, we arrived in Luxor. At this point, we had had a wonderful private tour but now we were to join another group for the cruise portion. We hopped off the train and into a small tour van with four other ladies. At first, we all didn’t know what to make of each other. The tour guide stepped into the back with us and introduced himself as Khaled. He was a very well-read Egyptologist and tour guide. It was a few minutes’ drive through downtown Luxor past the Luxor Temple to our cruise ship. We crossed the gangway into the most beautiful boat I had ever seen! A three-floor sweeping stairway with exquisite decorations greeted us. We walked very quickly with no time to admire. We headed into the lounge, more specifically called the “Disco”. I almost didn’t want to sit down because everything looked so nice! Since it was only eight in the morning we had a few hours to get to know each other before they let us into our rooms. A wonderful cup of hibiscus welcoming tea was given and we all started making friends… and talking money. Again our tour guide starts with a money talk and leaves us with no options on how to get it! Funnily the other ladies felt the same way and we all helped each other get to the bottom of what we needed to give Khaled to ensure the most relaxing version of our trip. He offered that we pay our necessary cruise tipping to him with the some of all the tour entrance fees and extra excursion fees at once! Khaled also offered the hot air balloon ride for the following morning and I was the only one who opted in for it. We all sat there knowing we needed to get to an ATM but Khaled refused to let us go find one. We gave up after a while and started chatting about how our stay in Egypt was going. I showed the ladies a picture of me on a camel in front of the pyramids and they, in turn, showed us their pictures of camping in the White and Black desert.

Noon finally arrived and we were given access to our rooms. We were amazed by the quality of our cruise! The room was spacious and decorated how I would have thought the Titanic was with no luxury left behind. We were given some of the prime rooms on the boat due to Khaled’s style of paying all the tips upfront.

After our yummy buffet lunch, we headed to our first temple, Karnak! It was incredible to see the mother of all temples for our first one. Khaled said that every Pharaoh would make a point to add on to this temple during their reign even if it was to deface a previous Pharoah’s artwork.

It was getting close to sunset and we were given our free time. We wandered back to the famous pillars of Karnak to take some pictures and then split up. Britton went to find a restroom and I found myself tipping security men to take photos of me! We had been warned by Khaled that nobody does anything for free so be prepared for people to be asking for money. It started with me walking and suddenly getting ushered behind a gate by a security guy. He said, “come here and look.” I followed him behind the gate and he made a camera gesture to take my photo. I gave him my camera and he placed me in front of a statue. He said, “cross your arms like a mummy!” I giggled and did so. He gave me back my camera and he pointed to an area farther down the path. He said I could go over there for one minute and then I would have to come back. He wasn’t kidding, a minute later I heard him yelling for me. He points for me to start following him again but this time he tells me it’s a secret. We head to a sandstone structure and walk up a set of steps. He gets me to the top and asks for my camera. I was so surprised at the lengths this kid was going to that I realized I needed to tip him! He crossed his lips as we headed back down the steps and said “secret photo!” I gave him a nice tip and went on my way towards the eternal lake. The colors of the sunset were gorgeous covering the temple and water. Beautiful purples and pinks. I knew I wanted more photos of Queen Hatshepsut’s obelisk and wandered over through the maze of miss-matched sandstone pieces. Rounding a corner I was stopped by another young man in a security uniform. He puts his finger to his lips to be quiet and motions me to step up on a piece of stone. With the obelisk peeking through behind me I thought he was an excellent photographer and tipped him well. Later when I looked through the photos I realized he wasn’t actually that good, it was just a photo of me on the sandstone! By this time our free time was coming to an end so I rushed to the exit to catch everyone at the directed time. Britton was waiting for me at the gate, happy that I hadn’t been abducted. I told him of my adventures and he was excited I had gotten so many “secret photos”.

One of the ladies had been complaining about not having the internet and Khaled offered to take her to get a sim card for her phone. Little did we know this was going to take an hour of paperwork. Khaled said that it took half the time it usually does because he knew the guy. We still had one more temple to see before we ended for the night. Off to the light show at Luxor Temple, we went. This is one of the smallest temples in Egypt and fits very nicely inside the city square. Unfortunately, it was under renovations and had debris everywhere! I was surprised there wasn’t any signage or barricade to protect people from hurting themselves. In some areas, there wasn’t even a clear walkway and this temple was open every night for a light show! (Upon further research I have discovered that a couple of days before we toured Luxor they had had the opening event for the solar road which was the reason for all the debris.) The interesting thing about this temple is the Avenue of Sphinxes that connects it to Karnak.

After another bit of free time, we all headed back to the boat for our buffet dinner. We enjoyed the assortment of food they had and the beautiful desserts! The ladies were very friendly with the staff and every meal was entertaining just by the chef and waiters joking with us! One of the ladies was given two offers of marriage during that first day on the cruise!

The next morning was an early one for us. We were given our wake-up call at 3:45 to be downstairs at 4:30. Our breakfast box was already sitting on the counter. Another morning of “breadfast”! This is what we ended up calling it because every breakfast was an assortment of different breads. Another couple we had run into a few times over the last day was joining us for the early morning hot air balloon ride. They were from Great Britain and looked like they were also straight out of the ’60s! We all boarded a small taxi boat on the edge of the Nile and waited for instructions. It was a beautiful time in the morning as we watched the sunrise. After a half-hour of doing paperwork on the boat, we journeyed across to the west side, hopped into a bus, and made our way to the balloons. We arrived just as the last balloon took off but nobody seemed worried. 5 minutes later a truck pulled around with a huge basket in the back and a group of men started unfolding the balloon at rapid speed. It was full morning daylight by this time and we were for sure on the last balloon up but I didn’t care. It was a dream come true to finally be in a hot air balloon with the bonus of it being flown over Luxor, Egypt! When the balloon before ours had been getting ready to lift off I noticed that they were almost throwing people into the basket and hoped that would not be the case for us! Britton was there for my ground support while I waited near the basket. I noticed a step ladder provided and was thankful to not be man-handled. Once in the basket, the English couple and I plus 20 of our closest strangers began our ascent! The loud fire blew a few times before our basket finally made it off the ground. As the land dropped away from us I was in awe of everything! The birds-eye view was something I had only seen from planes before and now I could take a long look straight down as we flew up and up! Of course, I brought out my camera and spent almost the whole time documenting through selfies and videos the beautiful experience. Watching the Nile take over the land that could be watered and then turn into a desolate desert where it couldn’t reach. The smog of Luxor was a lot less noticeable but still clouded the edges of our morning view. We ventured over enormous temples and peered at the Valley of the Kings and Queen’s mountainside. It was an amazing view to see Queen Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple carved into the mountain.

Our time came to an end and we started our descent. Below us, we saw a group of kids on donkeys come into view. They were cheering and laughing. They followed us on our way to the landing zone. A long bed truck was also headed towards our now becoming very obvious runway. I could see the bed of the truck was full of the men who helped us take off and they started singing a song to us and clapping! Our pilot changed his original landing instructions to let us know that we were coming in for such a light landing we didn’t need to do anything at all. The men huddled around us and helped us out of the basket. The kids attempted to help us out of our dollars but nobody was interested. Back in a van and rejoined with Britton we headed to find our tour guide.

Khaled met us near Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple with all the girls. He told us the stories of the Queen appearing as a man after her first year of being Pharaoh because she wanted to be more respected. She also reigned during Egypt’s golden age of expeditions into southern Africa and times of peace. She has pictures showing trees that were brought back to her and planted in front of her temple which still have roots there today!

Our next stop was the Valley of the Kings! The famous tombs of the pharaohs! We were given an entrance pass good for three tombs. Khaled picked out the best three out of the nine available to the public. All the tombs were impressive and carved deep into the mountainside. Inside were beautiful paintings of the Pharaoh being prepared for the afterlife. The ceiling was covered with the night sky and painted stars. One of the tombs had the outer sarcophagus of red granite still inside while another had an inner chamber carved out of the sandstone. All of them had multiple rooms carved out for servants and family members to be buried with the Pharaoh.

On our way back to the boat Khaled planned for a camel ride to take place on the side of the road. It was a surreal moment as the camel was led across just for our little tour group to have a roadside experience. Khaled said he picked this spot because of a new monument that had been discovered recently. It would soon be developed into an attraction to visit. For us, it was just a sandy field with a funny-sounding camel. The ladies took their turn jumping onto the beast and quickly dismounted because they were scared. It was a good laugh for everyone.

The boat was scheduled to set sail down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan so we headed back. We ate lunch and relaxed on the top deck of the ship while we floated downriver in a parade of other cruise ships. It was an incredible day with great weather! Hours passed while we relaxed watching the riverside. Another beautiful sunset ended our night on the top deck.

The next morning everyone was up for breakfast and ready for the morning tour of Edfu Temple. We walked with Khaled down the gangway right into another cruise ship! The cruise ships would dock off of each other if there was not enough space along the edge of the river. We quickly walked through this ship, onto the shore, up a flight of stairs directly into a waiting carriage! We had no idea what was going on but there was a hoard of old fashion one-horse carriages waiting for us. Off we went galloping down the road in what felt like a chariot race to the temple! We regrouped after the ride and walked down the shops where all the owners were yelling “cousin!” “friend!” “maybe later?” at us. One guy even shoved his business card into Britton’s hand that said “Tony’s Bazaar No. (15)”.

Edfu was a huge temple and one of the most complete ones in Egypt. We learned through the artwork how they would crown every Pharaoh. They would send the Pharaoh town to town to be recrowned in each village by the most beautiful women of that town. The ladies asked Khaled if he wanted to be crowned by them but instead, he had one of them demonstrate the ceremony and we all had a good laugh!

Britton and I enjoyed our free time at Edfu because of all the secret passageways hidden inside the temple. Every corner seemed to lead to a smaller inner chamber! When our time was up we headed back down the bazaar alley trying to avoid the salesman as much as we could. Then one of the ladies announced she would like to buy a dress so Khaled stepped up to be our liaison between the “Tony” and us. I took the opportunity to get a belly dancing skirt that caught my eye from a neighboring shop. We rushed through the haggling process so that I wouldn’t lose the group headed down the road. Once you stop though, they swarm you until you leave. It is a madhouse of salesmen all with the same merchandise. We quickly jumped back into the carriage headed back to the ship.

Once on the boat, we checked on our room to find a fun towel art piece on the bed! They had made an elephant with water bottle caps as the eyes! The boat set sail again down the Nile towards our next stop at Kom Ombo Temple. We relaxed on the top deck while the sun beat down on us. Lunch was a special barbeque buffet on the deck. I ordered a local Saqqara beer and enjoyed the view with Britton. After a bit, I decided I was too hot and took a dip in the rooftop pool. I was happy to be using all the fun amenities on the boat. Around sunset, we disembarked on foot down a dimly lit road. There weren’t many people around besides a group of kids selling tiny bracelets. During the day a couple had approached Khaled wondering if they could join our tour of Kom Ombo Temple and we all agreed they could tag along for the night. They were from Germany and wanted to have at least one temple tour before the cruise ended.

Kom Ombo was one of the more fascinating temples because of its story. It is two temples built identically up against each other. One temple to the crocodile god, Sobek, and the other to the god, Horus. Our guide told us this temple showed how the ancient Egyptian religions lived in harmony with each other. Even the Pharaoh had to denounce his religion to follow all the religions of his people. Khaled showed us two pictures on the wall of Cleopatra the IV and V who inspired the famous Cleopatra the VIII centuries later. This set of temples was also known for its medical school and has carvings in the wall of the ancient tools they used. Khaled pointed to each tool to show us how they are all the same medical instruments we use today. Back down the road, we passed the children but this time I bought a bracelet from one of them.

Khaled prepared us back on the ship for the following day in Aswan. He said it was going to be a 4:15 am meeting time down in the lobby with breakfast boxes. Little did we know that all of our extra excursions were going to be thrown into our last day together.

We stumbled out of our rooms bright and early the next morning with all our bags packed for the train we would catch later on. Abu Simbel was our first stop and farthest drive away from Aswan. After two and half hours of a long flat road, we finally arrived at the most incredible set of temples. I had no idea that back in the 1960’s they transported these temples from the mountainside they were carved to protect them from the dam being built. The reconstructed hillside is home to my favorite of all the temples, the Temple of Nefertari. This temple was made by Rameses II to honor his deceased wife and give her the title of Queen and goddess. I told Britton that this was the one I wanted to spend time inside so we examined the walls showing Nefertari being blessed by the gods. Before all our time was up we had to make sure to check out the larger of the two temples, The Great Temple. Once we were inside we realized we needed more time. The passageways and rooms were endless and very interestingly shaped. Some of the rooms were long and narrow almost like hallways. I was nervous, though, about being tardy and we sped walk back to the parking lot.

Another two and half hours later we arrived back in Aswan near the High Dam. We drove over the dam and headed to Philae Temple. This temple is perched up on an island in the middle of the Nile so we needed a little taxi boat to get there. Khaled picked out a boat and we all jumped in with two extra guys. All of a sudden I realized that our five-minute boat ride was actually an opportunity to buy jewelry. Handfuls of necklaces were being thrust at us to admire. I trusted Khaled to help us haggle so I picked out a few of my favorites. He said the ones I picked were made from camel bone. While in the midst of our sales I looked over to see the temple come into view. I gave my camera to Britton hoping for him to capture the moment. We docked the boat and walked up into the beautiful temple complex.

Khaled said this was a very historical temple because it was in fact the last temple built. Parts of it were not finished due to the Roman decree in 394 AD which stopped all use of hieroglyphics and put the Ancient Egyptian priests to death. Khaled showed us the place on the wall where the last hieroglyphics were carved. This temple had also been moved from its original home due to the construction of the High Dam. It is incredible to see the feats of modern engineering to preserve Egyptian history!

The last stop of our official tour with Khaled was down the river so we headed back to the van. On our short ride through town, we picked up a doctor who was to perform the ladies’ covid tests while we were driving. A hilarious moment that could only happen in Egypt! I felt for them as we bumped our way down the road and they had q-tips up their noses! Lunch was served on our last boat ride of the day. We ate as we headed to a beautiful Nubian village. Scampering up a steep embankment into a village street, we saw colorful brick buildings everywhere. Khaled led us inside one of the homes that were just as colorful inside as it was outside. Another batch of welcome tea was ordered and an amazing henna artist gave us all beautiful hand designs. She even gave Britton the eye of Horus on his forearm. Too quickly though we were ushered from the singing and dancing that had started in the house back down to our boat. Khaled said with a sigh of relief that our tour was over. I could tell he was exhausted after the last three days. On the train platform, he made sure we knew our train cars and beds for the night. He wished us farewell and we tipped him for the amazing experience. One of the ladies started to cry and we knew we had had a special trip together. Just like the last train ride, Britton and I were begging for our beds. Dinner was to be served about an hour into the fourteen-hour train ride and then we could hit the hay. This time it was not as smooth of a ride. After the car attendant had made all our beds the train lurched forward. I was thankfully burritoed into the top bunk but others didn’t seem so lucky! From a few rooms down I could hear the girls laughing hysterically at one of them having fallen out of her bed!

I slept through the crazy night of bouncing down the tracks but Britton didn’t sleep as well. We arrived at the Giza station right on time with a driver waiting to take us back to the Pyramids Planet Hotel. The ladies hoping for the same thing were in for a rude awakening because their tour wasn’t over yet. They had booked a day of visiting the churches and mosques for after the cruise. Thankfully we headed to the hotel for a full day of needed rest. We had a couple of things to figure out for our last days in Egypt including covid tests to get back into the United States and a last excursion for the following day. The original tour arranger, Peter, had everything booked for us within a few minutes of asking him. He was so good to us and wanted us to feel at home so he ordered a special to-go dinner to be brought to the hotel. Yummy fried quesadilla-like things with curry french fries!

The next day we relaxed and enjoyed the view of the pyramids from the hotel. The ladies’ tour guide from the day before became our tour guide for our last excursion. Sam was super knowledgeable and fun to listen to as we drove to the pyramid ATV tour. Peter had sold me on this tour because my other option of going to Alexandria would have been a full day of driving. He knew we needed something short and sweet to do on our last day. Freshly washed four-wheelers were brought out to us in the street when we arrived. They asked us if we needed any help but secretly I think they knew we were pros. A teenage boy was our guide and we headed through the back alleys near the pyramids. We weren’t the only ones trying to get to the desert and a group of trotting horses came up around us. It was hard to navigate with all the animals and carriages through the muddy streets. The Sahara desert surrounding the pyramids is beautiful. There were no plants and only small rolling hills. Our guide brought us to the top of some panoramic views for photos before taking us on the fun slopes. He was testing my abilities by driving hard up and down steep hills. Britton flipped his hat backward and looked very much in his element! I loved seeing the pyramids one last time and looking out into the great city of Cairo. This was the trip of a lifetime that I will cherish forever.

If you enjoyed this blog be sure to check out the vlog version over on YouTube!

Stay Curious,

Karli