Egypt is a place of irresistible wonder and I fell victim to it’s charms.

When I told everyone about my upcoming trip to Egypt, the resounding question that came back in response was “WHY??”. After hearing that response multiple times, I really had to sit and think about it. Why? Why am I doing this? Why am I going there? And the answer…? It’s intriguing! Terrifying! Exhilarating! Why would I NOT take advantage of this opportunity?

And so…. I Went!

From the moment I stepped off the plane, I was mesmerized by the sensations. Beautiful landscape, scorching heat, mysterious eyes hiding behind hijabs. It was a completely new world.

The people of Egypt greeted me with warm smiles and excitement. They are passionate and kind. They love to educate visitors about their customs and cultures and they especially love to show off their national pride. The ancient Egyptian landmarks that have stood for thousands of years are no doubt the reason for which many travelers set their sights on this fascinating country, but after seeing it all first-hand, I believe that few travelers are ever really prepared for what they are about to experience.

Here are a few of my most memorable moments from the trip:

• The Giza Plateau and the Great Pyramids – Ok, this is basically a rite of passage when you visit Egypt. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting to find, but I’m pretty sure I found it. The Pyramids were unlike anything I had imagined. They were majestic and crazy and HUGE! But also nothing like what I thought they would look like. And they were so close to the road! I mean, I understand that at one time, Cairo was much farther away, but as the city grew and spilled out into the desert, it came closer and closer to these ancient wonders! I was so interested in the history and how they were built and staring at the Sphinx, but oddly enough, when I returned to the states, do you want to know the first thing people asked me? “Did you ride a camel??”. Come on, seriously? I just saw some of the most fascinating places on Earth and YOU want to know whether or not I rode a camel? (for the record, yes I did).
• The Valley of the Kings – For this one, I had to get up at an UNRULY hour… like 4am or something ridiculous. We drove out into the middle of nowhere and watched as our hot-air balloons were inflated. Then we climbed into the baskets and away we drifted… up into a dark sky, with the slightest hint of sunlight starting to break. For the next few hours the sun climbed higher into the sky, spilling light into every corner of the landscape. Below us, the ruins of temples and the tombs of Pharoahs and their queens. It was literally the most breathtaking thing! The Nile was flowing along its path as far as the eye could see, but the interesting part was how green everything was around the water and how abruptly the green turned into nothing but sand. Truly an experience you should not miss if you ever find yourself in Egypt.
• Queen Nefertari’s Tomb – I consider her to be the badass queen. She was beautiful, fashionable and the favorite wife of Ramses II, the greatest Pharoah of the new kingdom. Together, they were an unstoppable, ancient power couple. She was highly educated and able to both read and write heiroglyphics (not normal for a female at the time – hence her badassery). Her tomb left nothing to be desired. Upon entering, you feel almost captivated by the color and the designs… like they were painted yesterday, but in fact they were painted in 1255BC! There were people who were actually brought to tears by the depictions in this tomb.
• The Village of Esna – For me, this was a humbling experience. Esna is one of the poorest villages in Egypt (i’m not sure how you measure that, but it is what it is). The people dug holes in the sides of the walls and lived in them. Houses had no floors and some had no walls. There were children and elderly people sitting on the ground in the streets and all around. Just as poor as it could possibly have been. And yet the smiles were the same warm, vibrant smiles that I experienced in other, more developed areas of Egypt. The people radiated humility and togetherness. It was like one big family of people caring for one another and doing life together because they inherently knew that it’s better to live life in harmony than conflict. We could all stand to learn something from them.
• Avenue of the Sphinxes – Short history lesson here. The avenue of the Sphinxes is located in modern-day Luxor, which used to be the religious capital of Egypt, known as Thebes. The Avenue of the Sphinxes is a 2.7 kilometer road, flanked on both sides by hundreds of sphinx statues, some with human heads and some with the heads of Rams. The avenue runs from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple. Some of the sphinxes have been destroyed, but almost all of the pedestals remain in place. The avenue was used once per year for the Opet festival. Egyptians celebrated by carrying statues of Amun and Mut, reenacting their marriage.
• Azan: The Call to Prayer – This has got to be the most haunting and incredible thing that I’ve ever heard. The call to prayer happened five times per day and took my breath almost every time. The call is projected through loudspeakers at the tops of the minarets and can be heard all along the Nile and throughout the villages and towns. We were on a Viking ship on the Nile for much of our trip and as we drifted away from one village and the sound began to fade, the speakers from the next town would come into earshot. I couldn’t help but freeze where I stood when it came on. It’s beautiful and haunting and amazing.
• Nubian Village – We visited the home of a Nubian family, during which time we drank hibiscus tea and I held a baby crocodile.  Their children were friendly and excited to meet me and we played with toys and balls and all sorts of things, without even ONE WORD in the same language.  Of course, they spoke Arabic. I speak English. We were COMPLETELY unable to communicate via spoken word, but somehow the smiles and kindness between us were understood and appreciated.  And I died a little inside.  Because it seems so difficult at home to have this sort of experience with someone whose upbringing was so blatantly different from my own. Notice that I didn’t say “with someone who IS so different than me”.  We are not as different as the world would have us believe. We simply have a different upbringing and a different culture. But we are the same. We are people; with emotions and thoughts and dreams and fears… just… people.

There are obviously hundreds more places to visit in Egypt that are spectacular and breathtaking. But should you ever have the chance to go, I encourage you to interact as much as possible with the locals in various towns and villages. The human connection is strong and real and that’s what the world needs a little more of.