Walk like an Egyptian
- Ian Sharp
- Jan 5
- 8 min read
Egypt has represented a significant step change in our travel - from the relative ease of independent travel around Europe to a place presenting significant language, cultural and logistical complexities. The pay off for the extra effort is to have experiences and see sights that amazed us. The best part was that we were joined by Grannie Annie (Erin’s Mom) and Lito (her partner Miguel, who we call Lito - a short form of grandpa in spanish) for the adventure.
Cairo
We arrived on December 26th and from there the entirety of our journey was managed by a local tour operator. Coordinators met us at the airport to help us through customs, drove us whenever we left the hotel (which we were advised not to leave without an escort), helped arrange many of our meals, logistics and we had guides with us to educate us about the sights. Thanks to this orchestration, we managed to see so much, and would not advise others to visit without similar assistance. Seeing the added layer of security that appears necessary was a wake up call for us.
Our first three days were spent exploring Cairo, the largest metropolitan area of the African continent with a population of over 22 million people. We stayed in downtown Cairo with a view of the River Nile and Tahrir Square - a significant site for the Arab Spring protests in 2011 and then the Egyptian revolution of 2013. Cairo is an impossibly endless sprawl of dust covered, semi-finished apartment buildings - our guide told us that buildings are not taxed fully until they are finished, meaning MOST buildings in Cairo appear incomplete-however they still have lots of laundry hanging on the balconies next to beige dusty A/C units meaning many buildings are still mostly occupied despite looking semi habitable.
Our first stop was the Pyramids of Giza - the only remaining 7 wonders of the ancient world. This is a series of 3 pyramids (tombs) and the Great Sphinx (a monument). The pyramids were built in the 4th dynasty between ~ 2600 - 2490 BCE; the largest was built for King Khufu (which was the tallest structure in the world for ~3800 years!!!), the other two for his son Khafre and grandson Menkaure. Seeing these incredible structures - both from afar and up close - blew our minds - for the magnitude of the effort required to build them - and for the quality that remains for us to see. The boys filled a major bucket list item riding a camel for the truly best way to see the pyramids! The government of Egypt is investing significantly in infrastructure around sights - a family we met while travelling told us access used to be unmanaged and so much worse - just get dropped off “at the Pizza Hut by the Pyramids”. The Egyptian authorities are still figuring out the kinks in their newer system because it was still pretty chaotic. It was very nice to have a guide help us navigate.
Next, we were awed by the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) that just opened in November, housing over 100,000 artifacts from ancient Egypt. This museum took almost 20 years to build (the joke is that it took almost as long as the pyramids) at a cost of $1.2 billion, almost entirely funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (a very interesting example of soft power?). Highlights include the giant statue of Ramses II that greets you in the main atrium, and the complete King Tutankhamun (Tut) collection from his tomb (over 20,000 objects). Interestingly, King Tut was not famous for his exploits in Ancient Egypt: his reign lasted for only 10 years (when he was 9-19 years old), with many other Pharaohs accomplishing much greater feats. What makes King Tut notable was that his tomb is the only one to have been discovered undisturbed - all others had been robbed or otherwise vandalized. His treasure is on full display at the GEM and helped us connect to the opulence, sophistication and beauty of this civilization that was at its peak three to five thousand years ago (!!!).
The following day we explored Coptic Cairo, home to some of the earliest Christian settlements in the area, the Al-Alzhar Mosque also known as the the alabaster mosque due to its usage of the stone giving it a white almost translucent look to many of the carvings and stonework. This important mosque is the resting place of Muhammad Ali (not the boxer) who is the father of modern Egypt having ruled after the split from the Ottoman empire. Stopping for lunch we had a taste of local street food called hawawshi - a flatbread fried and filled with seasoned beef, served with tahini YUM!. Finally we visited Khan el-Khalili bazaar-a sprawling street market with thousands of shops selling clothing, jewelry, spices and an endless array of small ceramic pyramids. Finlay was wearing his newly acquired Liverpool soccer jersey through the winding streets, and for those who may not know, Liverpool's star player (Mohamed Salah) is of Egyptian descent so there were A LOT of vendors who took that as an opportunity to make an introduction. Driving in Egypt and particularly Cairo is not for the faint of heart - we felt lucky to be chauffeured around town, this really allowed us to take in the sights of this bustling metropolis, with its varied history across different religious and cultural eras. We figure that there must be a very busy horn repair business somewhere in the city, because everyone uses their horns so much that they must eventually wear out? Many roads even if they have 2 lanes painted on them often hold up to six busy lanes of traffic, with cars passing anywhere they can and motorbikes weaving and squeezing through any free space irregardless of available asphalt. Given that the roads are so busy you would grow old trying to cross leading to pedestrians crisscrossing the streets wherever and whenever they see fit, oftentimes slowly walking across the aforementioned 6-lane roads. This street crossing sport makes crossing Yonge street in Toronto look like amateur hour.
Luxor to Aswan on the Nile
We flew to Luxor and spent the next four nights aboard a cruise down the River Nile. The cruise ship itself was a bit aged and cheezy, but gave us the ability to see many things while staying in the same bed each night. It had a great sun deck to admire the views. We learned quickly that Nile cruises are very popular - with as many as 160 of these boats moving between Luxor and Aswan on any given day. They sometimes have to double or triple park when in dock which means sometimes our view and balcony were inches from another boat instead of staring at the wide open river. The Nile is the lifeblood of this area - with green along its banks - beyond nothing but the vast sand of the Sahara.
We were able to celebrate a very special milestone for Miguel - his 75th birthday - while on the cruise. We thought maybe our request for a small birthday cake had been lost in translation until all the lights went out in the dining room, followed by drums and singing, parading Miguel around the whole room to shouts, clapping and songs in 4 languages to celebrate him. Such a fun memory! The other event - New Year’s Eve - saw us in bed early after a tiring day of sightseeing and the prospect of an early wake up the next day.
When we debriefed as a group on our final night, it was amazing to hear that a different sight was the favourite for each of us - a testament to how well preserved and stunning each temple, tomb or monument is. You can still read the hieroglyphics, see the colour in the paint and stand under the towering pillars - we all agreed this level of preservation exceeded anything else we had seen elsewhere in the world by miles - largely thanks to these things being buried by the floods and silt for thousands of years only to be excavated and restored in the 19th and 20th centuries. None of us really understood how much MORE there was to see of significance related to ancient Egypt beyond the Pyramids. It is hard to understand until you are looking up in awe at what we saw.
We were lucky to have an excellent guide with us for our whole cruise. Hamada adeptly helped us navigate line ups, crowds (with his bellowing yells of “Habibi Yalla Yalla” meaning “Let’s Go My Darlings”) and came equipped with great knowledge he passionately shared. The six of us were paired with a lovely couple from India on vacation away from their family - but they had to endure ours and were wonderful companions. Ancient Egypt focused on preparing its kings and disciples for the afterlife. Honouring the gods with offerings and good behaviour through the short journey of this life would assure one is met with blessings in the afterlife.
Along the Nile we saw so many sights, here is a brief summary:
The Karnak Temples in Luxor at sunset
The colossi of Memnon with hot air balloons in the background at sunrise
The Valley of the Kings - where 62 tombs of ancient Pharaohs rest - we explored the tombs of Ramses III, Ramses IX and Merenptah. We learned the tomb of Ramses IIX is out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered. These tombs are amazing feats of engineering and art - huge, sometimes deep, tunnels that stun. The government is rotating opening ten tombs each year to ensure they are preserved for all to see for generations to come.
The sprawling funerary temple for Queen Hatshepsut - the one female ruler in ancient Egypt who ruled between the death of her brother until her nephew aged enough to take over, which he did and then punished her.
Rode horse drawn carriages to Edfu Temple
Visited Kom Ombo temple in the dark so it glowed against the night sky - honouring the crocodile gods - that included a visit to a museum that exhibits crocodile mummies
The temple of Philae on Isis Island - a tomb that was moved by UNESCO prior to the flooding caused by the new dam as Aswan.
The Unfinished Obelisk still in the ground with excavations nearby
We sailed on a felucca (ancient sailboat down the Nile)
Annie & Lito also visited a Nubian village on our final afternoon, the Sharps stayed back to rest.
We all returned to Cairo for one final night together before setting off in opposite directions for more travel adventures. Ann and Lito heading for a week in Portugal before returning to Canada, and the Sharps heading further south to sub-saharan East Africa.
We are so grateful to Annie & Lito for travelling so far to meet us for a truly once in a lifetime adventure.
Jasper
My two favourite things were Miguel getting danced around the buffet and the camel ride. My favourite site was the crocodile temple. I found it hard that there were so many poor people asking for money. I was surprised that all the sights were thousands of years old.
Finlay
I really enjoyed spending those 8 days in Egypt even though at the end I ended up being pretty sick (but I am better now). In my opinion the temples that we saw were some of my favorite sites even though we did see a lot of them. My two favourite ones were the Karnak temples and seeing the pyramids of Giza which had been a bucket list item for me for as long as I can remember. I think everybody who hasn't seen them would say the same thing. While we were visiting the pyramids we also went on a camel ride which was also something I really wanted to do in Egypt. The same day that we went to the pyramids we also went to the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum. We learned a lot about King Tut there. A really cool thing about King Tut was that his tomb was the only one found with all of his things inside. I also wish everybody a Happy New Year!!!!!!!
Love reading all about your adventures! Your horns experience in Egypt is the equivalent to mine in India! No lanes, too many cars, and honking on and on............
Loved the details on Egypt - its now on my travel list! Big hugs
Well, you really do have to stay sharp, when you travel to the places your have gone.
Egypt looked amazing and the pictures are wonderful.
When you see such sophisticated monuments and artifacts, some from 4000 BC (I think?). and to think that they didn't have Google, Chat GPT, AI or even a TI 84 calculator!! Keep on traveling and learning. What an adventure you are all having.
Amazing pictures! What a fantastic adventure!!
Amazing, Sharps! Always wanted to go to Egypt, looks beautiful. Happy 2026 :)