I'm Going to Ride a Camel, Even If I Have to Go Alone.

Before I knew it, I was travelling to one of history's greatest displays of time.

January 2024

Two nights before setting off on one of my favorite journeys this year and one I started to believe I would never get to see; my flight was cancelled. After hours on the phone and an 8-hour layover in Newark airport I was finally on my way to the only country that occupies North Africa, as well as the Middle East. Yes, this was not my first time travelling to Africa alone, but this was the first time that I knew when I landed, I was going to be completely on my own. You will notice in a lot of my posts I'm going to reference back to things we've been taught whether it be in school, the media, or wherever we might pick up the knowledge of our opinions I'm hoping that maybe a few of us might see things differently after reading about my adventures, I know I do. That doesn't mean that everyone's experience in all of these countries will always be the same. Egypt is a place I thought I would never get to see. I wanted to see the Pyramids of Giza, King Tutankhamen's Tomb, but for me all I ever heard of was how unsafe Egypt is, the middle east in general. I'm not in a relationship, and honestly this last year has given me so much room to truly focus on myself, but this was also why I felt defeated. All I heard from my peers was "It's not safe for me to go alone" "Egypt? you're crazy!" I thought to myself, what are the odds I might find a partner who would want to go to Egypt just as bad as I did? I didn't let my thoughts linger for very long... I began looking at flights and accidentally booked one after clicking the wrong button on a random Thursday. Well, Cairo here I come!

I landed in Cairo after 2 layovers. One at Newark Airport New Jersey (8 hours), and Vienna Austria (4 hours). I love my layovers! I see so much opportunity. I love to meet new people waiting around, freshen up, and if I have time, it's a great way to explore a new country for a bit, BONUS! My journey to Cairo was just as incredible. My flight from Austria took me over Greece and getting to see Mt. Olympus from the sky was something unexpected and incredible! I can only imagine what it's like seeing it on the ground. I guess Greece is going to be added to the bucket list. After landing

in Cairo this is when I had my first what the f**ck did I just do moment (remember, just because I travel to these places this doesn't mean that I'm fearless. I also get anxiety and scared before every trip. I'm still human and things can be overwhelming.) I walked into chaos outside the airport. Arabic being yelled around, hundreds of taxis, people waiting for family members. An entire new world with just the fears I've been told to believe in my mind and a phone that wasn't working. My Uber app logged me out and I needed a confirmation text to get logged in (remember that part where my phone wasn't working?) Oh, shit. It wasn't long before someone could see probably the petrified look on my face and they kneeled down and helped me get my uber app working, then proceeded to walk me to my ride and make sure that I felt safe and found my driver easily. The kind stranger made sure my driver knew where to take me before he left. My first interaction in Egypt already started to change my mindset. After arriving to my hostel there I was again. No phone, on the street, with a backpack and no idea where to go. I always love to go on google maps street view and check out the area of places I'm staying. Thank God because by memory I remembered seeing the hostel was a bit down an alley. I found it! Not going to lie walking into the hostel it looked like there was an earthquake. Construction happening all over. The hostel occupied the 4th floor and 6th floor of the building. After being in Egypt for a bit you come to realize businesses don't always occupy the whole building and can be a bit spread throughout. After settling into my hostel (Holy Sheet) in downtown Cairo I made a few new friends and it was a bit like a small house. This is one of my favorite places I've stayed, and you can't not laugh at the name of the place a little bit. It was quaint, centrally located, and it felt like we were all hanging out at home together. Two of the girls and I went to the Khan El Khalili market around 9:00 pm. My worries were still in the back of my mind and when I asked, "is it safe?" I got the response, "Yes, you're safe here in Egypt." Don't let these ideas cloud anything. Bad things happen all over the world it's good to always be aware of my surroundings, but that doesn't mean that the worst is always going to happen. I'm always aware of my surroundings, it's like I have eyes in the back of my head, but I felt very safe walking alone in Egypt and also at late hours of the night. Word of advice, go out

at night! Cairo and all parts of Egypt come to life at night! I have never seen a country, and city that is so alive after the sun goes down and I couldn't imagine if I had stayed in my room because of fear. I would have missed the beauty of Egyptian life. Cairo has stunning architecture hiding around every corner. To the food markets, and bazars there's so much to see, and smiling faces happy to always talk. After making a new friend from Ireland, Shannon. We decided to hit the ground running and go on a tour in the morning that we arranged at our hostel. We were off to see the last standing original wonder of the world. The Pyramids of Giza, and of course ride a camel. Another girl from our hostel joined our tour and we had a full-blown girl's day with our guide! For $55 we explored the Red Pyramid, Ziggurat of Ur, explored inside of the red pyramid, The Pyramids of Giza, and of course I got my head wrapped up and finally

experienced a dream that I thought was so far out of reach... I rode a camel at the Pyramids of Giza. I did it, and I made it there all by myself. I was on cloud nine! nothing could stop me. I've always been

independent, but the feeling in this moment, I knew I truly could take on the world. I spent my first three nights in Cairo and then went on to Luxor, Egypt. This was one learning curve that I had. If I had known that Cairo as great as it is, there’s not a lot to do. I would have spent less time in Cairo and more time exploring another city. I took advantage of my free time there walking and exploring the city, but if you are looking for adventure there’s not a lot of activities to do in the city besides the pyramids. If you have the time, I would definitely recommend exploring the south Sinai Peninsula, Alexandria, or make way further south to Siwa Oasis. A night spent with the girls on a rooftop overlooking the Nile River sipping wine to finish the night was exactly what we all needed. Sharing stories about life and enjoying the beauty that Cairo had to offer us. It was the perfect ending to an incredible day.

My new friend Shannon and I made the flight plan to head to Luxor. Up at 3 am and heading to the airport for the hour-long journey south Egypt to visit the city of Luxor (also known as the world's largest open-air museum.) A random thing that I always catch in other countries is the most random American music playing in the most random places. Grabbing a coffee, we decided to have a dance party with the guys working at the coffee shop. our jam session throughout the domestic departures consisted of Lil Wayne, and Biggie Smalls with no complaints from the other people waiting. Such a fun way to make an early morning start to the day and also easy-going vibes from everyone also waiting! Arriving in Luxor we were met by our AMAZING tour guide, I was set up with Abdalla. I had a guide that I originally booked on “Get your guide” a great source to hire locals to give you the best experience. My original guide Ahmed (the most generous, kind

person you can come into contact with) had a family emergency and had to take over another tour group. He kindly found me a new guide and also let my new friend come along for the journey. Once we got to the car immediately the fun started! After being in the hectic city, the first thing we noticed was the air. How fresh and clean the air was in Luxor. We went on our way to visit Karnak Temple. Karnak Temple was built during 2055 BC and 100 AD. This temple was originally built to worship the sun god “Amun-Ra”.

With pillars that stood so tall I was taken back even more than the pyramids. Once you start to see everything Egypt has to offer you start to realize that the pyramids are a little underwhelming to see. That doesn't mean skip them! Just make sure to explore more and not just go to Egypt to see Giza. The craftsmanship at the temple, and artwork done by hand blew me away. I had no idea what was going to be in store for me the rest of my days in Luxor. After waking up early needless to say my hair was a disaster. Abdalla kindly took me to a shop so I could buy a scarf, and they wrapped me up! I officially felt the Egyptian vibes and my terribly dirty hair was covered. Our last stop for the first day was at Luxor Temple right downtown next to the Nile River. The more south you travel down the Nile make sure to take note of the river. It gets much wider, and the water itself even looks clearer and more beautiful. Luxor Temple was built during 1392-1213 BCE. Luxor temple was known to be one of the largest and most significant religious centers in ancient Egypt. When visiting these sites there are small fees to access all of the historical sites. You can visit these areas with or without a tour guide, but I would highly recommend someone to take you around. The knowledge you can learn from a local Egyptian is amazing. The Egyptian people have so much pride and love for their culture and ancestors. In Luxor I used some of my trusty airline miles and got a nice little discount on my hotel so I decided to treat myself to a little more luxury. I stayed at the Jolie Ville Resort Kings Island. This is located on the East bank of the Nile River located a bit further outside of town, but right on the Nile. The hotel is great! I stayed there for two nights and paid only $20 after using some of my points. The hotel offers several restaurants, bars, and even a petting zoo! I was so excited that the zoo had little monkeys, and goats to play with. Shannon accompanied me at my hotel, and we got to relax our first night there. After getting some much-needed showers we were splendidly surprised with our complimentary slippers, and robes. We ordered a bottle of wine, got clean, cozy, and of course found a great opportunity for a photo op! After resting from an early morning, we grabbed

some food at the Italian restaurant at the resort. PSA: I wouldn't recommend eating pizza in Egypt… nothing against any Egyptians preferences, but I think pizza is one of those things that is a bit personal. I think we can all agree the best pizza in the world is usually where we’ve all grown up. I didn't find pizza anywhere in Egypt that I found was very spectacular. That doesn’t mean it's not out there, so if anybody finds a spot I would love to know for next time! My original guide Ahmed picked us up that evening after he finished with his tours so that he could be sure to finally meet me in person. He made sure to ask me how the tour had gone for the day and that we were happy with the guide he found for us. I responded with “I’m in awe that people built all of this. I just still can't wrap my brain around what’s in front of me before I see the next incredible thing. Men built all of this, and I can’t even get some damn flowers!” He walked with us around the downtown area of Luxor and was so excited to show us his new apartment so off we went! He has such a nice little spot with a balcony overlooking town. His brother was there doing some work on the place, and it was so nice to see inside, and they were doing such beautiful work to the place. We all sat around talked for a bit while a poor man who didn't speak English sat in the corner with the most terrified look on his face that two white ladies were in the apartment ha! Ahmed took us to try some fresh sugar cane juice and oh my gosh! This is now one of my favorite things to get in countries when I can find it. This is one of those things that you can’t compare. It tastes like a mixture of fruits, but I still can't figure out exactly what it might taste like. I love finding things that are different and incomparable. It’s a special treat when I travel and can experience those things again when I find them it takes me back to all the moments, I've had it before. After arriving back to the hotel, we got to bed and had another long day ahead of us. Back up at 3 a.m. to check off another major bucket list experience for me. We were up and on the move about 4 a.m. to meet our guide at the front desk of the hotel. We picked up a few other people along our way, took a nice little boat ride across the Nile, had some tea, and there we met another van that took us to a more remote area near the Valley of the Kings. Here is where the smile never left my face. As I stood, I saw hot air balloons all over as fire poured inside of them. We all loaded into the basket of the balloon and took flight as the sun rose. With us rising into the sky the mist of the morning disappeared and there we were balloons all over spread across the sky overlooking the beautiful Luxor Egypt. After taking a few photos, I took the time to embrace the moment. I still

was in shock over what was happening in front of me. Tears came to my eyes. This was one of the most magical moments I’ve had in my life. Luxor is one of the cheapest places to take hot air balloon rides and I would highly recommend the early start. It was more than worth it. I booked with Hod Hod Solimon balloon company, and they were wonderful. They also are one of the oldest companies in Luxor. The balloons take you over the Valley of the kings to see all of the tombs from above. Another reason I would say to do the early morning balloon ride is because after we landed, we met with Abdalla and from there we ventured into the valley of the kings by car. I felt like I had more appreciation for it all seeing it from the sky before exploring it on the ground. The tombs are so incredible to explore deep into the ground, all similar, but also different in their own little ways. We opted out of paying extra to go into King Tut’s tomb because like I said, they are all very similar and the extra cost wasn’t worth it to us, but I'm sure it would still be cool to say “Hey! I went and saw the youngest Egyptian king's tomb.” The artwork that's spread

through all of the tombs and the hieroglyphics has been restored by incredible lengths. My mind is still blown away when I look at my photos and see how perfect each carving is and how bright the colors still were after so many decades. On this day we explored the entirety of the Valley of the kings, Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple, and also the Medinet Habu Temple. We had a delicious lunch with a great rooftop view of the Nile at the Africa Restaurant. After lunch we took a stroll through town by donkey. We even convinced Abdalla to join us! Our evening was quickly coming to an end, but not before meeting up with Ahmed's cousin to take a sunset boat ride down the Nile River. Friends this might be the time it was officially confirmed that an African sunset no matter

the place are my favorites sunsets on this planet. Here is where Shannon and I parted ways, and I was back to the exploration of my solo journey. Before heading back to my hotel Ahmed met up with me and treated me to some delicious dinner and I tried an Egyptian delicacy pigeon! Now of course these aren’t just your typical street birds… a lot of people raise the birds and there are also places that raise them for food purposes. It surprisingly did taste like chicken which is the simple answer for most foods I know, but it did. Ahmed said he had to run a quick errand while I waited in the car. Remember that little comment I made to him the day before? Well, he did. I looked up and there was Ahmed walking towards me with a beautiful arrangement of flowers that he went and had made for me. This is Egypt. Kind, gentle, warm hearted, and welcoming. If Ahmed ever reads this, thank you. Truly he’s one of the kindest warm-hearted humans I have crossed paths within this life, and I'm truly blessed that I took this journey and was able to find this friendship with him.

After arriving back in Cairo I made it back to Holy Sheet. It was nice to get there and see some familiar faces of the people who work there and for them to also welcome me back. I didn't have any plans for my last night so the first thought that crossed my mind is what I went with. By this time Cairo was familiar and I felt safe in Egypt. I ordered an Uber and went 45 minutes to the New Cairo side of town which is much more modernized and more developed. After again having my

phone not working and getting lost, my uber driver refused to let me just wander about alone. He drove around all over until I could find phone service to meet up with the person I was looking for. After an extra 30 min of driving me around I had to force this man to take extra money for my appreciation of his kindness. This is Egypt friends; he expected nothing from me and also refused. He just wanted me to feel safe. There I met up with Antwan who I found on the internet and got a tattoo! Antwan is Jordanian and started a massive movement through the Middle East with tattooing. He has a shop in Jordan, and also Cairo, but spends majority of his time in Cairo where even he said, “that's where the party is!” After hanging out with him for several hours and learning about his life I was so inspired. He’s a Texas native that found himself in Jordan (his father's home country) and worked his way up to where he is now with tattooing. My final day in Cairo I made a new friend at my hostel from Poland. I had part of my day free before having to go to the airport. Since I had been to the Khan El Khalili market a few times already I walked with her there since it was her first time. We did a little last-minute shopping; I got my last juice and had a bit of lunch. Before heading off to the airport.

Shukran (thank you in Arabic) Egypt. I left with an experience I never thought I was going to get, and my personal view on so many aspects changed. My time in Egypt enlightened me. I learned to appreciate Islam, learn new skills, see history that is still indescribable when telling people about my journey, and I left with friends that have changed my life still to this day. Traveling to other countries that are Muslim, whenever I hear the prayer being echoed across the sky through the day, I always take a moment of silence for respect, and appreciation of where I'm at in life and fortunate for the places I've been. I don't need to understand the words being said, Egypt taught me that no matter the words the prayer is a reminder to stop and just appreciate the moment. Everyone will have their own experience in every country. Bad, good, it will all be different. I'm happy that I didn't let people's negative mindset on a place they've never been and might never get to see hold me back. I always say, “well I'm going to go anyways, and I'll see for myself.” Ask me about my Egypt and I will always respond "in my experience Egypt was welcoming, humorous, and filled with incredible people whose souls touch your heart. If you ever get the chance. Don't think twice."