Egypt: Crazy, Chaotic and Steeped in History

I am home almost a week from my trip to Egypt, as I write this post. I still haven’t wrapped my head entirely around the trip or the country. I can say it was not what I expected. When I think of the Egypt in my mind - many of them cast from photos I had seen or stories I had heard from the 70’s and 80’s - the Cairo I landed in looked nothing like what I had imagined.

To start, the Cairo of the 1970’s had a population of approximately 6 million people. Today, it has grown to about 22 million. Wow! That kind of rapid growth can be tough on any place. As it has been on Cairo.

Cairo is massive and crazy and chaotic and really loud. There are few street signs and they are all in Arabic. I only saw two red lights in my travels. Instead, at major intersections, they have people who step into the flow of traffic to stop it and let others go. Drivers are aggressive and no one pays any mind to the lane markers. And everyone is on their horn all the time. Interspersed with the cars are donkeys and carts carrying produce into the city. And people dart across the streets and highways constantly. A harrowing walk to work. Without public transportation (that I ever saw), everyone drives, walks or relies on small vans to transport them around town. This makes for one of the most chaotic street scenes I have ever encountered. Rivals Vietnam and Kampala. Thankfully, we had a skilled driver the entire time and I never felt unsafe. Somehow, it all works. And I am a city girl at heart so I love this sort of stuff.

The people of Egypt are their greatest asset, in my mind. I have heard often from other travelers how warm the Egyptian people are. But I got to see just how incredibly warm and welcoming they are for myself. And I can not even begin to describe their delicious sense of humor! Everywhere we went, people were making us laugh with good hearted jokes. We were three American women traveling together so we sort of stuck out. But everyone was so welcoming and truly excited and grateful to have visitors back to their country.

One of the first things we did after arriving is spend a day in Khan El Khalili, the largest and one of the oldest markets in the Middle East. Though there are stalls for souvenir tchotchkes, this market is more about every day life in Cairo. The market is a maze of alleys and shops and spices and restaurants and coffee houses and cats. Though not nearly as crowded because of the pandemic, it also had reduced crowds because we were there during both the Spring Feast and Ramadan. We had a guide with us and learned much about Egyptian customs and dress, their celebrations and their home life. The vast majority of vendors speak some English and it is tradition to barter. Though we had many shop keepers try to lure us with their wares, I was absolutely sucked into the one of the oldest spice shops. Three generations have owned this place and the gentleman took great care to describe what each spice was used for. Yes, I did bring some home for a lovely Egyptian dinner with friends! You can buy everything in this market from produce to clothing to sheets to motorcycles. If you ever find yourself in Cairo, it is a must see. Wandering here for a day was one of the best moments of the trip for me.

Our history lesson on Egypt started at the Egyptian Museum. The Grand Egyptian Museum will not open until sometime in 2022, we believe. If the Parade of the Mummies was a precursor, the opening of this much-anticipated museum should be fantastic! In the meantime, having to settle for the old museum is not such a bad thing. Though much has been moved, all the fabulous exhibits from King Tutankhamun (Tut) are still there, including the mask and all the jewelry. And there was so much more. This museum would take days to comprehensively cover. I can’t even imagine the 17-acre GEM. And you know why? There is So. Much. History. In. Egypt. My mind was blown away at every turn in this country. The Egyptian Museum seems like a child’s primer, in retrospective. And all starting from 5,000 years ago. Yes, folks, there is a comma in that. If you are a history buff, Egypt just MUST be on your list. There is no other place like it that I have seen.

We continued our learning and exploring in all the amazing sites you can visit near Cairo. The photograph above is one of my favorites. It was taken at Sakkara (Saqqara), the step pyramid. This was the first pyramid built in Egypt in 2750 BC. It was built for King Zoser by the architect Imhotep. This photo was taken where thousands usually stand. What an amazing experience. More on the advantages of traveling now later but this photo puts the experience in some perspective.

Sakkara was one of my favorite visits. It was stunningly empty and beautiful and done really well. The little museum is a beautiful display of so much that they found at this site. The craftsmanship and engineering of everything, small and large, here is amazing. Until recently, you were not able to go inside. The tomb inside was opened in February 2021 so we are one of the few people who has actually seen the inside. And we were alone. Just all the wows!

The Giza pyramids are a must see on any visit to Cairo. I mean, we have seen images of them our entire lives so everyone should go if in Cairo. But, honestly, I was a little underwhelmed. I found so many other parts of Egypt so fascinating that these iconic pyramids were not as exciting for me. But, I did get the cheesy photos and briefly rode a camel so all was not lost. I did not go all the way inside as it is quite claustrophobic in the short and narrow passage to the center. So, I made myself happy with my camera and admiring the sheer engineering marvel.

I also learned that these three pyramids were all built by sons, grandsons, and great grandsons of Imhotep, the guy who built Sakkara. Some strong engineering genes in that family!

My last night in Cairo, days later, were spent at the Sound & Light Show at the pyramids. Though very touristy, the pyramids and Sphinx at night are quite a sight!

Next we hopped on a flight to Luxor, the start of our Nile cruise and home to some of the most famous tombs in the world. We visited some in the Valley of the Queens, including the beautiful Nefertari. The colors that still exist centuries later is stunning.

Unfortunately, the unseasonably hot 111-degree temps kept some of us from the Valley of the Kings but friends went to the tombs of Ramses II, King Tut, and Seti. The hands down winner was Seti for them! The air conditioned van was the winner for the rest of us!

I won’t go into all the details of all the sites we saw but I will say that a cruise from Luxor to Aswan (or the reverse) is truly a must if you visit Egypt. There are simply no words to describe all of the history that has been preserved along this stretch of the Nile. I couldn’t help but think about the people who gave such a gift to the future. They documented every part of their lives. Their daily life, their beliefs, their Kings, their thoughts on Gods and offerings, and their funerals. And all the historical phases of their history is woven in as Christians took over the Sun God worshippers and then Muslims came along. They just added on and left their piece of history. It is stunning and indescribable in many ways.

I sometimes think I should take the entire trip again just to start connecting some dots and remembering a bit of the history. It is almost overwhelming.

I also highly recommend a Nile cruise for another reason. Egypt is a very beige country. Most of the buildings are constructed from Sandstone and everything is covered with a soft layer of sand. The Nile cruise gives your eyes some gorgeous green to view, which is rare in many parts of Egypt.

I learned something I never knew while there. Egyptians only live on 8% of their land. The other 92% is inhospitable to humans. So life is, and has always been, centered around the Nile. So much of this stretch is rich and fertile and green. You will see families living their traditional lives on the banks, boys swimming off the piers everywhere, row boats and the traditional sailboat, the Felucca, everywhere. And, for the first time in my life, I went through a loch! Quite exiting for me though my friends were unimpressed. Haha!

I was in Egypt during Ramadan. I personally am grateful to have been there during this time, though I would not really recommend it for my clients. It made for a very rushed schedule due to early closings of everything. There were also random closures of shops and sites due to the holiday. So, unless you are particularly interested in learning more about this holiday, it is best to avoid it.

I am grateful to have been there during this very holy time for Muslims. Egyptians generally do not mix their religion and politics and speaking of Jihad is strictly forbidden in this country. So, I was able to hear about their religion and beliefs, unadulterated by anything else. Spending days in that heat, I am in awe of those who don’t even take a sip of water from sun-up to sundown. All in their quest to get closer to God.

No, I was not able to participate in any of the daily rituals or prayers as I am a non-muslim. The only mosques I visited are ones that are primarily used as tourist sites. And I left the day that the fast was broken so I did not experience any of the celebrations of Eid. But my time during Ramadan helped me to learn more about the Muslim religion and gain respect for another culture. And, for that, I am always grateful.

I know this is a longer than normal post but it was a whole country to talk about! Just a few more points.

Egypt is not for everyone. As my post title says, it is crazy and chaotic. I would never recommend it for the first-time international traveler unless they were extreme history buffs. And, right now, they are not particularly good at following Covid protocols. I was vaxxed so I was comfortable but if this brings you anxiety, wait. And, if the Grand Egyptian Museum is on your radar, it will not be open for some time.

I absolutely do NOT recommend Egypt as a DIY destination. Go with good “boots on the ground”. That doesn’t mean a tour bus, if that is not your thing. Our time there was all customized to us. But the driving and navigation and lack of internet can get you in serious trouble in a land of 92% desert. We traveled with Abercrombie & Kent, one of the foremost companies on the ground in Egypt. They were fantastic from start to finish. I can not say enough good words about them and their staff.

There are lots of security things they do in Egypt and be prepared for that. Every site and hotel has x-ray machines. Vehicles are sniffed by dogs. And the Tourism Police review all itineraries and determine if you need additional security detail. We were provided that and we will never know why. Three Americans? All women? Travel Advisors? We will never know. But we had Uzi-toting men with us everywhere. It was disconcerting at first and then we got used to it. But I really want you to know - I NEVER felt unsafe at any time in the country. Ever.

I highly recommend a Nile cruise. It was one of the highlights of the trip. Again, we traveled with A&K on one of their Sanctuary vessels. The service was top-notch and we were able to see this land in a way we never would have. I have wonderful memories of time spent with the staff and other guests during that cruise and made friends to keep for my life.

And I can never. ever say enough about considering travel there now. If Egypt has been on your bucket list, please do consider it sooner rather than later. To experience these majestic sites almost always alone is simply an experience I will never be able to recreate again. The world will open back up and the rush to travel will happen. I travel quite a bit and I can’t tell you how grateful and happy I am to have traveled when I could experience Egypt in this raw and bare way. And everyone is so happy to welcome you!

I leave you with a little cheese! Yea, I did all of the things and I am glad I did. Riding camels, photos of the finger thing on the pyramids, walking like an Egyptian in some tombs, dancing with handsome Egyptian men in a gallibaya. All the things. Some really happy memories from this trip.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end. Maybe now I have wrapped my head around some of Egypt. She has left me with lots of questions so one day I will return.

As always, I would love to talk to you if you have any questions!