Visiting Egypt was like climbing into my old school textbooks. A dream come true to not only visit the pyramids but to climb inside the great one. To walk the same ground that the Goddesses and Queens did in ancient times. I did not have Egypt on my list of places to visit during this time of travel, even though it is a bucket list destination for me. The fear that we are fed in the US kept it off my list but after meeting several women along my journey who had traveled Egypt and said nothing but great things about their experiences changed my mind and I decided to go. 1 of the ladies booked a guided tour with the organization I ended up using, I invited a couple of friends to join me. I really did very little research after that knowing I was on a guided tour took the pressure off researching everything myself and creating an itinerary on my own. I knew it was a Muslim majority and it had a hot climate. What I learned whilst visiting was so much more. Not only about the sites but also about the people.
First let me share with you the tour itself. It was truly a sample of the country Egypt, we traveled from Cairo all the way down to Aswan to Abu Simbal close to the Sudan border, we went to the red sea in Hurghada and back up to Cairo, This took us on 1 flight (to avoid the 13 hours bus ride) and several long 5-6 hour bus rides. The tour schedule was intense with wake ups as early as 2am with long days going from sight to sight in each city. We had an Egyptologist that spent 4 years in college and then got certified as a guide. His name is Medhat (pictured below) and to be honest he really made the tour enjoyable and super educational. We had 29 people in our group and Medhat was the cat herder, making sure we all showed up and we all got to see and hear the highlights he showed us at each destination, gave us the history lessons and pointed out the special stories being told by the wall art. He kept us well informed and even taught us some Arabic.
The sights are unreal, 3500 year old history under my feet and filling my eyes, from tombs, to the pyramids, kings and gods alike. I felt like I had climbed into the books from school or the into the TV history shows I watched (even the Ancient Alien shows my husband and I would binge watch, learning about the Anunaki and the possible ways the pyramids where build.) It was as spiritual as it was educational. There where also sad parts of the history, like when the Christians hid inside of some of the ancient places and destroyed the beautiful artwork thru ignorance, thinking these pictures carved in to the walls would come to life, so many faces, feet and hands got destroyed leaving only the semblance of what was once there. Even black charred ceilings from the Arabs coming and trying to burn these sites down. The sad part of reality and human ignorance in more “modern times”.
My first time in a balloon ride, I have always wanted to go up in the hot air balloons I would see along the 5 freeway heading down to San Diego Ca. In Egypt I decided to take that ride and see the Valley of Kings and Queens from high above. It was a beautiful sunrise flight for 47 minutes going above 500 meters, brushing thru the tops of the corn as we took off and being absolutely awed by the scenery and stark contrast of the green agricultural land adjacent to the Nile and then the desert sands and mountains. This was an additional cost to the tour but worth every penny.
Most of all what I learned about the country is how absolutely friendly the people are, on one long drive as we drove thru a beautiful lush agricultural area, I looked out the bus window being waved at and waving back at all sorts of people, from the children getting out of school, to the many police and military that sat at the 100s of check points and gun towers we passed by. That is one thing, I did feel completely safe due to the amount of police and military we saw in almost every location and road we traveled on. Plenty of tanks, guns and bullet proof hide away barriers. You can tell some shit went down and this is how they now keep everyone safe. I do see that the people are poor and struggling to get by and all the vendors are aggressive to sell the trinkets, which are the same at every stop we made. Of course, if you really want to buy the fake papyrus or fake statues not made of Alabaster then make sure to stick with the price your willing to pay. I bought the fake and real papyrus, I paid far less for the fake one cus I knew it was fake, I heard banana leaf possibly, it was still art and can still be framed and look nice. The real one so that I had something custom (as they painted my name in hieroglyphics on it). If you know it is fake, then feel free to haggle your way down to a dollar or 2.
The tour itself provided most meals and the downside of an organized group is the food is catered toward the tourists and I didn’t feel I got a real taste of Egypt in the culinary sense. Out of the entire 10 days we had 1 meal that I felt was a good example of Egyptian food. The rest was a buffet of bad western foods, dry turkey, bland pasta and sauce, steamed plain vegetables. This was the most disappointing part of my visit. Thankfully the spirit of the people overshadowed the food experience and making friends and adding each other to social media means that upon my return I will have locals to visit and hopefully share true Egyptian meals with.
I met several shop keepers along the way that fancied me and tons of locals that took photos with me in almost every location both male and female, I am sure this is due to me being Goddess Hathor. I took that to my advantage and had great conversations with some of them and learned so much. For example, we had already learned that Egypt is about 70-75% Muslim and the balance Coptic Christians. But what I learned from one shopkeeper in Hurghada is that they are Suni Muslims and that they believe in all 3 books, Tora, Bible and Koran. That they respect all and believe it is a continued story with the Koran being the newest to the chapters. I also learned that Love has many words but that love itself can only exist between the couple as love is the gateway to sex, and that if a man does not satisfy the woman, she can file a complaint in court (this is for married couples). When I say satisfy, I was told that an hour and a half to 2 hours is what is expected of a man to perform. (this explains why one shopkeeper asked if I had 2 hours to spare). The men are very friendly and sweet and most of the men I encountered where already married with at least 1 wife. I had no intention on learning more about that but it was a very interesting and open conversation about the religion and love.
Egypt will forever be known to me as the country of bright smiles. As I mentioned before when we drove thru places and I waved at people, the most magnificent smiles would be returned, an almost glowing with vibrant energy transformation smile that sent a blast of high vibrations my way, in that quick split second they refilled my cup. The kids with their excitement to wave at me and see me wave back, the desert scenery and vibrant people. But just the sheer fact that we can easily brighten one another’s day with an acknowledgement. Yes, the sacred places, ancient tombs, hieroglyphics and being inside the pyramids, the temples and floating down the Nile will also be ingrained in me. However, the bright smile is what I see and remember when I close my eyes and think back to my journey in Egypt.