In Teremar Travel’s latest adventure, we head off to Egypt to catch up with our friend and colleague, Ibrahim Morgan, and tour the new Grand Egyptian Museum recently opened in Cairo.
February 24, 2026
I woke up. It was bright and sunny outside. “I’ve overslept”, I thought in a panic. “What time is it?” I looked at my watch and realized it was the beginning of the eighth decade. It didn’t seem that late.
Outside the window seven miles below was Le Havre, France’s famous port at the mouth of the Seine River, one hundred miles west of Paris. Its white cliffs, still darkened in the morning shadows, facing towards England. This area of Normandy has seen a lot of history. Especially for Americans in the last ten decades.
To celebrate all this history and more, Teresa is flying me to Egypt, to celebrate my seventieth birthday. But first, we have to change planes in Paris. And we have five hours of history to burn before our next flight leaves for Cairo.
The clock is ticking.
February 25, 2026
We arrived in Cairo in the middle of rush hour. It was 2 AM.
Flying over the city as we landed, you could see the chaos of lights and traffic below divided by the wide black gap of the Nile. It’s Ramadan and Cairo is a mostly Muslim city of 23 million people. The month-long holiday requires fasting from dawn to dusk so after sunset is when the city comes to life.
Teresa and I gathered our luggage and headed outside the airport terminal in search of Ibrahim, our longtime friend and business associate who is an acclaimed expert in Egyptology.
Outside, in the brightly lit dust and continuously horn honking moving mayhem, Ibrahim guided us to his location by voice in a call on WhatsApp. We hugged briefly and made a dash to his SUV and driver. No one is allowed to park at the airport and all vehicles must keep moving while picking up passengers. It’s quite a scene.
All aboard, we took off and made our way out of the airport. We headed west on the expressway towards our hotel on the other side of the river. The roads were filled with fast moving vehicles whizzing past or being whizzed past in the brightly lit but vision obscuring dust. Some brightly lit and decorated like moving Christmas trees, others driving without any lights whatsoever in the dark. There were giant trucks, old smoke spewing Mercedes, motorcycles filled with people. Everything except donkey-pulled carts and elephants. That’s saved for countries further east.
But first, a few rules of the Egyptian road. One – lane markings are decorations only intended to indicate the general and suggested direction of travel. Any road can be 12 lanes wide or more as needed. Two – horn honking is required etiquette and it is considered rude not to honk your horn constantly. Three – While there are no speed limits, maximum OR minimum, it is highly advisable to slow down for the shoulder-to-shoulder speed bumps that can suddenly appear on the freeways without advanced notification.
We arrived at our hotel, the historic Mena House, at the foot of the Giza plateau. In the background, the pyramids stood guard in the dark. Unlit. Their hulking shapes at first invisible yet felt. Like someone staring at you from a distance.
After sleeping to get in sync with the locals, we will spend the day relaxing and awaiting the arrival of Teresa’s sister, Cheryl, who will join us in our journey.
February 25, 2026
“What do you mean I can’t enter the Pyramid Complex wearing sunglasses?”, I asked the security guard. The Riddle of the Sphinx had just begun.
EARLIER: Teresa and I decided to walk around the Sphinx and Pyramids before grabbing lunch back at our hotel. Once inside the compound, there is an exit next to our hotel. It should be an easy and quiet half hour walk past the Sphinx and Great Pyramid.
I hailed an Uber to pick us up inside our walled hotel compound to drive us the mile to the main ticket entrance in front of the Sphinx. The driver showed up quickly, but was outside the hotel walls.
I asked the driver where he was on Uber and he texted back in Arabic. The conversation went something like this. “Where are you <in English> I’m here <in Arabic> Where are you now? <in English> I am here <in Arabic>. Eventually, with the help of Google Translate, we figured things out and were on our way. It’s clear now that I need to learn how to say more than, “I am a Canadian”, in Arabic as no one here speaks English.
Back on the busy streets of daytime Cairo I realized that my theory from last night was incorrect. It’s crazy busy all the time here, Ramadan or not.
In half an hour we were dropped off at the main ticket office for the Pyramids but not before learning a new driver hand sign and a few new curse words in Arabic. “At least I’m learning some more Arabic”, I thought to myself. Our young driver was a very good teacher. And who knew that you could do that with a car horn.
Exiting the Uber, Teresa and I were immediately swallowed up in a crowd of the friendliest smiling people we had ever met. It seems they were all selling something. Teresa and I stared blankly back. We were like two contented milk cows trying to swim across the piranha filled Amazon River. The only thing left was a few bubbles.
We finally found the ticket counter in a side alley wall and purchased two general admission tickets for $15 each. We went back to the main entrance gate, overlooked by the smiling Sphinx, and started our riddle.
Teresa entered the security gates first and I followed. I dropped my bag with cameras on the x-ray belt and walked through the metal detector. The guard stopped me and looked at and took my Ray Ban sunglasses that Teresa gave me several years ago. They are Meta glasses with a camera but I wear them now as my daily wear. The batteries for the internal camera no longer hold a decent charge so I rarely keep them turned on.
The guard refused to let me enter with them and said I would have to get rid of them even though everyone else was entering with all sorts of cameras. So capricious. After a little useless arguing, Teresa and I left. “Rules are rules”, is another thing I just learned to say in Arabic.
Disappointed, we left and wandered the adjoining neighborhood filled with souvenir shops, bakeries and food vendors. We met more friendly people offering taxi rides. We saw herds of camels and horses. And we found a nice rooftop restaurant for dinner tonight overlooking the Sphinx.
Tonight we will return. And I will stare back at the Sphinx wearing my fully charged Ray Bans and smile.
February 25, 2026
Teresa and I had dinner at the restaurant, “Rooftop 7000”, we passed earlier after our unsuccessful visit with the Sphinx.
Our Uber driver got us there without too much sturm and drang, excluding the fender bender. A car in front of us suddenly stopped, turned and started going in reverse as if he was parallel parking. He would have succeeded if not for the tuktuk there beeping furiously. Many hand signs were exchanged along with yelling and screaming. Around here it’s called a “Cairo Kiss” and it seems to be very popular.
At the restaurant, we took the elevator to the fifth-floor rooftop and we were seated “ringside” with a view of the pyramids and Sphinx, the setting sun turning the sky red behind them.
After the sun set, the air grew cold. A mild blowing breeze made it feel even colder. In the background, I could hear a squeaking, scratching sound and I turned around to find a wait staff pulling a glass firebox over to our table. They placed it right next to us and we were briefly concerned we might catch fire. But at least we were warm now.
I smiled at the Sphinx. The Sphinx smiled back. Somewhere off in the distance a dog barked.
February 26, 2026
A very long day at the Great Egyptian Museum. Nine hours. Six miles. Tens of thousands of years of history. And millions of artifacts. This is the world’s largest museum. And this is just a little bit of what we saw and did.
EARLIER: Ibrahim asked us to meet him early in the morning before the museum opened. He has been working with GEM for more than a decade as construction was underway, which started in 2005. He knows what to expect and what to do.
We arrived at 8:15 in the morning to find Ibrahim. He placed us first in a line of visitors already over 100. The museum opens at 9 and the crowds show up early before the doors close when the maximum capacity of 20,000 visitors is reached. Which happens early every day.
At 8:30, the ticket gates were opened and we rushed to get inside the main museum hall and climb the 4 floors to the exhibit spaces. First in line again at the entrance doors, Ibrahim instructed us to run to the Tutankhamun exhibit space to get to the “mask”, the museum’s equivalent of the Mona Lisa. “At 9:00 o’clock, when these doors open”, he said, “RUN! Run like the wind. There will be thousands behind you running to pass you!”.
A bell rang. The doors opened. It was 9. And we ran.
Ibrahim was first out of the gate followed by Teresa on the inside track with Cheryl (she joined us late last night) and me following closely a few lengths back. Behind us and gaining quickly was a pack of feral Japanese teenagers a couple of furlongs back.
At the first intersection, we turned left and ran across a bridge. The museum was empty with the lights still off and we were like thieves running for the immense treasures in the dark.
Off the bridge, we turned left again and ran up a flight of stairs. Just as we turned, the teenagers passed us but went straight. “Haha”, I thought, “Ibrahim tricked them and took a shortcut.”
Another turn to the right and then to the left and just as we could see the mask in its glass case in a spotlight beam ahead in the distance, the teens passed us again, coming in first down the roped off queue to Tutenkhamun’s frozen golden gaze.
Still, not a bad race time given the collective age of our pack.
We pushed and muscled the Japanese teens out of the way and enjoyed our brief solitude with the priceless treasure, leisurely taking pictures as more of the pursuing crowd arrived.
After enjoying our successful race we headed off to see the 15 other galleries with artifacts dating from 70,000 BC to 432 AD and covering ancient Egyptian history from the early dynasty to the middle and late kingdoms.
Ibrahim, being a lifelong expert in this subject matter, brought everything to life, reading and explaining the hieroglyphics and sharing the historical stories that simply boggle the mind.
History is always stranger than fiction.
February 26, 2026
An early dinner after a long day at the museum. The alarm clock is set for 2:30 for a 6 AM flight to Luxor. We are on the trail of Tutenkhamun.
We plan on visiting Tutenkhamun’s tomb later this week. It’s amazing how many artifacts were found in his tomb 100 years ago. Tens of thousands of items all crammed into the small tomb now occupying a couple of hundred thousand square feet at the new museum.
Tutenkhamun was only king for 10 years until he died at 18 from malaria. I asked Ibrahim if Tutenkhamun was exceptional for the treasures found in his tomb and was told that other tombs were even more incredible.
Wow!
February 26, 2026
More pics and thoughts from yesterday’s visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum while waiting for our flight south to Luxor. The museum is new and the thing to see in Cairo. To quote Yogi Berra, “no one goes there anymore because it’s so crowded”.
Following Ibrahim’s advice worked out perfectly. We were able to see the most popular exhibits unrushed and uncrowded. By the time we returned in the afternoon, the Tutankhamun exhibit halls were mobbed with no way to move around and no way to see the artifacts.
The sheer amount of antiquities is stunning. And the details of the life of a god king are amazing in both their luxuriousness and commonality. Tut had it all and, contrary to popular belief, he took it with him. Furniture, beds, lamps, chariots, jewelry, shoes, games, boomerangs, musical instruments. All of it. Everything a boy king would need on the west bank of the Nile before his resurrection on the right.
And then the history as captured by the hieroglyphics. Each symbol, full of meaning. The language flowing from the view of the observer. Left to right. Right to left. Top down and bottom up. And the way the basics of the stories are repurposed through time. A symbol showing a long necked string instrument looking like a lute was actually indicative of a set of lungs, wind pipe and vocal cords according to Ibrahim. Its literal meaning and who or what it represents, already forgotten in 24 hours due to the information overload. And that symbol, looking like the lute, now represents the Christian cross. I saw several lit up this morning on the ride to the airport. The same shape as the hieroglyph.
The history, so similar to today’s stories. The king who was a woman but who also had to appear like a man. Hatshepsut. And she also was the result of a virgin birth. Another king outlawed the religion of the day and created his own. THAT didn’t last long. His oldest surviving son, 8 year old Tutenkhamun, corrected that mistake. The king who killed his brother, now told in the Bible as the story of Cain and Abel.
And the Horus story, the bird headed god, a pre-telling of the modern stories of Moses and Jesus and more. All played out thousands of years before the time of Christ.
All of this human drama from thousands of years ago gets refreshed and retold. It’s Judaism. Then Christianity. Then Islam. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could connect it to Hinduism and elsewhere. It turns out that the Japanese see themselves as Egyptians because their emperor comes from the sun god, Ra. In fact, it’s the Japanese government that was the largest financial contributor to the construction of GEM.
It just seems that what we think of society, our modern society, really all flows back to Egypt and keeps getting recycled, or more aptly, reborn. Everything old is new again.
That earliest human culture formed on the right bank of the thousand mile long Nile River.
The left bank, however, is saved for the Dead, grateful or not.
February 27, 2026
Packed and ready for our next stop, Teresa and I headed to the lobby of the Mena House Hotel. It was 3:30 AM and the hotel was fully staffed and doing business. Early morning in this part of the world is just another hour of the day. No sleeping clerk behind the counter that you have to awaken.
Cheryl met us in a short while and our driver, Keero (who picked us up when we arrived in Cairo), was outside waiting in his SUV.
We arrived in Luxor at 8 AM after a one-and-a-half-hour flight from Cairo on Egypt Air. The flight and process of getting through the Cairo Airport was uneventful but involved the double security checks (X-rays, pat downs, let up, leg down) that seem to be normal for many international airports.
The “uneventfulness” ended, however, once we got our luggage in Luxor and headed out of the new airport terminal to find a ride to our hotel.
Teresa downloaded an app called “inDrive” that is used in Luxor since Uber is not available. She found a driver (driving a Chinese EV manufactured by BYD) and scheduled a pickup outside the airport. And by “outside”, I mean “completely outside”, as in, a mile “outside” the airport.
There was a lot of, “where are you?” and “I’m over here” texting back and forth before a taxi driver standing next to us explained that “only official taxis” are allowed in the airport gates.
So, we took a taxi.
February 27, 2026
We arrived at our hotel, the AraCan Eatabe, located directly on the Nile River, east side of course (for the living). A nice 4-star hotel centrally located halfway between the Karnak Temple and the Luxor Temple and across the street from the boat docks and river walk, which is below street level and filled with restaurants and shops.
We enjoyed an open buffet lunch (with excellent wait staff and service) and headed to our rooms for an early (AKA “normal”) nap before venturing back out to visit the nearby ancient sites.
Waking up at 2:30 in the morning takes its toll.
February 27, 2026
We spent the afternoon exploring the Temple of Luxor.
Luxor, formerly known as Thebes, was the most important city in Egypt 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. The temple we visited today is the southernmost portion of a multi-mile long government complex overseeing the functions of a large, unified kingdom. Like Washington DC, today, the temples and other structures housed bureaucrats, judges, accountants and a host of other apparatchiks that made the society operate smoothly while simultaneously chewing up the economy with taxes. Like I said, Washington, DC.
Famous kings during this period included Ramesses, Hatshepsut and the boy King Tut. I don’t know where they lived or if there was a White House (sans East Wing) of sorts but I do know that the northern complex, called the Temple of Karnak, was connected to the southern complex by a two mile long boulevard lined by creatures like Ram statues, Criosphinxes and Androsphinxes.
It is today completely uncovered after being buried in the sand until the middle 1900s. And the city of Luxor treats it with all the respect that most southern cities treat abandoned rail lines through their centers. Throw a bridge over it and mostly ignore it.
Tomorrow, we head west to the Valley of the Apes where I hope to find some version of Charlton Heston overacting. And since this is on the side of the river that houses all the dead people, and having recently turned 70, I think it’s a good time and place to start shopping for a senior center. Or maybe a pyramid with a view.
February 27, 2026
Our first evening in Luxor and we headed back down towards the Luxor Temple, following the road along the river. As the sun set, traditional Egyptian boats (feluccas) sailed by, their distinctive triangular shaped sails fluttering in the strong breeze.
We passed several holiday decorations and displays noting, “Happy New Year” and “2026”. A big LED snowman glittered on a sidewalk overlook. We couldn’t figure out why the decorations were out two months after Christmas. Was it something to do with Ramadan?
The Luxor Temple, about a mile from our hotel, was bright with lights shining up on the lotus leaf columns from below. The minaret, from an active mosque built on top of the temple, was brightly lit too but in the distinctive and traditional white and Kelly-green colors.
Once past the temple, we found stairs leading down to the river walk that follows the bank of the river. There were plenty of restaurants, all very active now after sunset, and we stopped at one called “The Fish House”.
After dinner, we followed the river walk back to the AraCan Hotel, passing several river cruise ships docked for the night.
February 28, 2026
WE’RE AT WAR. With ISLAM. And we’re stuck in a strange and foreign country that only uses worthless cash with all banking services disabled. What will we do? What WILL we do? We should have never left home without our American Express Card as Karl Malden warned us about so many decades ago.
At sunset after a full day in the Valley of the Kings, Queens, Nobles, Accountants and Apes, Teresa, after telling me we have no money after paying tips and buying trinkets, told me we need to go to an ATM machine at the bank around the corner from our hotel.
We walked around the corner from our hotel and followed the higgledy-piggledy sidewalk to a wall of ATM machines at the local bank in downtown Luxor. The only problem? It’s across six lanes of insane traffic, non-stop insane traffic. Like I-285 insane, roaring, honking, smoke belching vehicles of all kinds INCLUDING donkey carts. Did I mention the honking?
So we stood on the side of the highway and waited for a gap. Half a gap appeared and we “froggered” our way to the middle lane of the road before a giant bus roared past and then ran the rest of the way to the opposite shore.
Finally, we reached our destination where several people were trying to get cash out of the wall of ATM machines. An empty machine opened up and Teresa jumped on one pushing her debit card in the reader slot. She entered her PIN and then the amount of cash and waited.
And waited.
The ATM machine rumbled and shook but nothing. Then it rumbled again. And shook. Nothing. Teresa pressed cancel and the machine rumbled and shook. But nothing.
A door opened next to the ATM and an Uzi bearing guard appeared, smartly dressed I must say. He stood there staring at me in silence. I silently stared back at him. Somewhere off in the distance an ATM machine rumbled.
“One minute”, he said in broken English. “Restarting”.
Teresa pressed “CANCEL” again and the machine rumbled. But it wouldn’t eject her debit card. It’s the only one we have.
I started up with my Arabic charm offensive. I used the only Arabic I knew starting with, “I’m a Canadian”, followed by “Thank you” and “Please” and “Rules are rules”. Hey, not bad for a couple of days of exposure. Sure, it’s not Rosetta Stone level of local literacy but at least it’s a start. And at least I didn’t use that taxi driver hand sign. That didn’t seem prudent to me.
The Uzi bearing guard laughed and soon we were best friends. He, telling me stories in Arabic I don’t understand and me, telling him Emo Phillips jokes that I don’t think he got. But at least we had a good time while Teresa cursed at the stubborn ATM machine rumbling in the background.
In 30 minutes, the ATM machine finally stopped rumbling and spit out her card. No cash. But at least a card. And more locals started lining up trying to get cash when it appears the entire financial network is down here.
“Let’s head back to the hotel bar”, I urged Teresa. “At least we can charge it to the room”.
February 28, 2026
Tourism is a dodgy business, especially for those in the Middle East. The pictures below show our visit to the Valley of the Kings in 2017 and last week. The first picture shows an empty scene following political chaos in the region 10 years ago. Last week’s picture and it’s packed.
Today? Or soon? Likely empty again. The travel industry here is feast or famine, like the real estate industry in America. Enjoy the good times because, as I warned Ibrahim last week, the bad times will be back soon enough.
March 1, 2026
WE’RE AT WAR (PART 2)
We got up this morning and saw more incredible war news. Fortunately, so far, Egypt is far away and not connected to the geopolitics of the Middle East. Sure, they may be next door neighbors, but they don’t want anything to do with all that craziness. Which is a big reason they don’t want Palestinians relocating here from Palestine on their northeastern border.
However, Teresa and I braced for the worst regarding our cash situation. Last night, none of the bank ATMs were working so we made a plan to go inside the bank since today, Sunday, is the start of their work week.
We went to the front desk and asked where the closest open bank was and the clerk pointed to an ATM machine next to the check-in desk. “OH! That one!”, I said incredulously. “I wondered what those big letters ‘ATM’ meant”, trying to save face.
We have been walking past it every time we entered the hotel.
Teresa put in her card and in seconds got out thousands of pounds. And, this machine didn’t have a $20 limit like all the others, which BTW, have an additional $5 service fee from Wells Fargo for every ATM transaction.
It always helps to pay attention to your surroundings. Never leave home without it.
But for now, we’re in the money.
March 1, 2026
With yesterday’s big but not necessarily surprising news, I was not able to post pics or my daily journal. So, here are some from our visit to the Valley of the Kings and later the Valley of the Queens.
Both historical sites are close to Luxor. A 15 minute drive from the river. And, of course, on the west side of the river known as the necropolis.
They are the counterpoint to the Grand Egyptian Museum and the source of the treasures of King Tut.
The Valley of the Kings is the home of dozens of tombs with more yet discovered. The most famous being those of Tut and Ramses.
Ibrahim warned us to show up early around 6 AM to avoid the crowds. We, of course, didn’t follow his advice and showed up around 9, which must be the time all the river cruise ship passengers show up. All at once. And from a dozen or more ships docked in Luxor. So, a few thousand people at the same time. On dozens of megabuses.
Once again, Ibrahim was right.
When Teresa and I first visited 10 years ago, Egypt was just coming out of the very turbulent period of “Arab Spring” and following the Tahrir Square demonstrations. Al-Sisi had just taken over the control of the government. So tourism was dead. And all these sites were empty and our visit was incredible and easy to enjoy.
Today, it was like Disneyland on Spring Break. Packed. And with no Fast Pass, every tomb had long waiting lines.
Our guide, Mariam, who is Ibrahim’s team member in Luxor, led the way. She is incredibly knowledgeable about Egyptology having studied the subject for years in the university in Cairo.
At our first tomb, Ramses, we sat down outside and she explained in detail the hieroglyphics we would be seeing since guides are not allowed to enter and explain things in person. All the moisture from human breath is destructive to the fragile artworks and limiting talking in the tombs is an attempt at controlling the damage.
Given the crowds now showing up, I would expect sometime in the near future that the number of visitors allowed will be strictly controlled and reduced. At least hopefully. But since tourism is the only local industry, it may be resisted.
Marium pulled out her photographic notes and explained what we would see in the tomb.
The dead Pharaoh would be transported to the afterlife on a boat with his body double. A guardian angel of sorts. Then, a trial would be held in front of a judge with a jury (like today’s court system). However, unlike today, the verdict would be decided by another god holding a balance. On one side of the balance would be a feather. On the other side, the heart, which was one of the four organs preserved during mummification. If the heart was lighter than the feather, then the Pharaoh (or deceased) would be allowed into the afterlife. OTOH, if the heart was heavier than the feather, then a dog nearby would eat it thus ending your trip to a pleasant eternity. URP! Better luck next time.
After visiting several other tombs, Marium took us back to our new SUV with our driver, Mr. Khaled, waiting. It was now after 12 and the horde of tourists and their mega-buses were gone. Ships have a limited amount of time so their passengers all arrive at the same time and, after a couple of hours, leave. So, lesson learned. Show up early like Ibrahim instructed or show up in the afternoon.
Following our visit at the Valley of the Kings, we headed to our next stop, the Valley of the Queens, passing the Valley of the Nobles on the way. And we never got to the Valley of the Apes where last month, a completely intact tomb was discovered. The first since King Tut’s in 1922. Marium said the Valley is now closed to visitors.
The Valley of the Queens was empty. And quiet. And the weather, 72 degrees with a cool breeze and hot sunshine, was perfect.
Again, Marium sat us down outside and explained the scenes in the tombs. We visited three as the site is smaller than the Valley of the Kings and the most notable tomb, that of Queen Nefertari, was closed (for repairs? updates? cleaning? I don’t know). Which was a disappointment since it’s supposed to be the most preserved tomb in the valley.
The three that we saw were all for male children of the queens so, even then, whether today or thousands of years ago, whether in this life or the afterlife, women are just not considered as important as men. Some things sadly never change.
Oh well, tut-tut!
March 1, 2026
After lunch yesterday, following our visit to the Valley of the Queens, Mariam took us to the nearby Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III on the west bank of the Nile River built between 1186–1155 BC. Here, Marium explains the meanings of and stories behind the scenes shown in the wall reliefs.
March 1, 2026
A lazy late morning, highlighted by the successful discovery of ATM pounds, was followed by a visit to our final temple site while in Luxor, the Temple of Karnak. Tomorrow we leave for parts unknown.
Teresa and I decided to heed our advice from yesterday and avoid the crowds from the morning that flood in by buses from the cruise ships. And it didn’t work.
At noon we left the hotel and, for once, talked with the first local salesman selling taxi services. No, “go away” or “leave us alone” necessary. Baha approached Teresa with the usual spiel. “Taxi”, he said while standing outside the hotel door. At least he was creative and didn’t use the old canards of, “Hello” or, “Where are you from?”.
Teresa quickly drove a hard bargain and in seconds, Baha was headed to pick up his blue and white 1981 Hyundai to ferry us to the Karnak Temple, a mile north of our hotel located halfway between Temples Karnak and Luxor.
We were confident that yesterday’s lessons learned would be greatly appreciated today but as we pulled into the temple parking lot, it was apparent that we overestimated our brilliance. The lot was full of mega-buses and ship tourists. Be careful what you wish for.
Rushing through the first layer of x-ray machines, we scrambled to the automated ticket machines. Teresa hopped on a kiosk and jammed her card in the slot. She negotiated several screens and got to the end to pay, but the machine, after thinking for several minutes, rejected the credit card. A second card then a third credit card was tried but with no success. Finally, a local tour guide at an adjacent machine waved his hands indicating he knew the magic incantation to make the ticket machine work. Apparently, you had to press a button with a hieroglyphic symbol of a circle followed by removal and reinsertion of the credit card, chant a few mystic phrases and wave your hands again and, voila, the transaction was completed. We thanked our friendly “priest” and were on our way again on our journey to the Temple of Karnak.
Completing the last of four security checkpoints and putting bags thru nonstop beeping and squawking x-ray machines (security guards seem oblivious to the warnings), we stepped outside in front of the temple and entered a crowd of German tourists, chain smoking and flicking their cigarette butts on the ground as smoking is “verboten” in the temple proper.
Soon we were in the courtyard of the magnificent temple, its lotus topped columns rising high above us, covered in hieroglyphics and some still showing signs of painted colors. “This must be the tax offices”, I thought reverently. The sky, deep blue with golden sunlight streaming between the columns.
In the side chambers, photographers jockeyed for position to get the perfect spots for their client’s glamor shots. Fewer places allow selfie-sticks so carrying a photographer with you is a must.
Walking further south we headed towards the start of the Boulevard of Sphinxes that connects this temple to the Luxor Temple, passing between two obelisks.
Outside of the main temple structure and now away from the crowds of tourists, we entered a mostly ruined section of rubble and statue parts covered with sand. A berobed Egyptian man appeared before us and signaled for us to follow. He led us to a small structure where, inside inscribed on the wall, was an array of seven carved Ankh symbols.
On our way again, we finally found an oasis next to a pool of water. Chairs were positioned under a canopy of bougainvillea with palm trees swaying overhead in the breeze. Cats meandered beneath our feet meowing loudly.
We rested before leaving the temple complex and following the Boulevard of Sphinxes further south.
Up ahead, a knot of yelling boys stood upon a high wall adjacent to our path. Their soccer ball lay on the trail below them and they were attempting to get someone to throw it back. I picked up the ball and walked to the base of the wall they stood upon and tossed it up to them. They cheered. I think that’s the only time I have been cheered by fans during a sporting event.
In an hour and a mile, we were back at our hotel having survived the final quarter mile dodging traffic on Luxor’s busy streets.
The day was increasingly warm so we headed to the bar.
March 2, 2026
Mariam met us in the hotel lobby at 7 in the morning and we checked out of the hotel.
We left Luxor and headed to the Red Sea 200 miles to the northeast. But first, we visited the Temple of Dendera in the city of Qena along the way.
Outside, our driver Beshram was waiting in a large white supersized minivan bus. It seats 12.
The roads outside of Luxor were new. Wide freeways with the occasional speed bump every mile or two. Part of a large infrastructure building program since the current government came to power 10 years ago.
Traffic was light and we made quick progress as, in Egypt, there are only two speed limits: Unlimited and Surprise Speedbump.
Between Luxor and Qena the landscape was otherworldly looking like Mars or west Texas. Same difference, I know. They are converting the desert to farmland by flattening everything, bringing in lots of bags of topsoil and building irrigation lines from the Nile River. Occasionally, the Martian landscape turned bright green.
Another project is New Qena. A government backed city still under construction where large blocks of 8 floor apartments are rising in an attempt to address the housing crisis for Egypt’s exploding population.
At least their government is trying.
Once in Qena, we headed west to cross over the Nile to the ancient necropolis.
The Dendera Temple was built in the first century AD by the Romans. Having previously fallen to the Greeks, the Egyptian franchise had grown stale. And weak. Then the Romans took over. I think this is the part of history where Julius Caesar conquers Elizabeth Taylor and she falls in love with him and goes on to create a famous salad in his name. But I’m a little uncertain about all of that.
The Temple was in great shape since it’s relatively brand new. The painted lotus columns still have color and the bas-relief artworks look fresh where they have not been destroyed by invading Arabs.
Marium showed us around, pointing out details and explaining the history. It is dedicated to Hathor, goddess of love, joy, and music.
She took us to the back of the temple where ancient vaults were located underground. Mariam asked us to look for a strange image showing several people holding what appears to be a giant glass light bulb. “In it”, Mariam explained, “there appears to be an eel. An electric eel. It appears the item being held is a large light bulb. No one knows.”
We climbed down a ladder and crawled through a small opening. Standing back up, there was a hallway with carvings. At the end, we found the light bulb.
One of the things Marium explained after exiting the main temple was that the surrounding structures were sanitariums used for the sick, like a hospital. “When the ancient Egyptians got sick, they came to the temple where priests could perform magic and (maybe) cure them.” Priests were very knowledgeable back then since t
They performed mummifications. And “Chemistry” derives its name from the ancient Egyptian name for their homeland called “Kemet” of which is now called Egypt.
So, temples served as both churches and hospitals. To get access to medical care, all you had to do was to make an “offering”. Today, they call that “health insurance” and in America it still functions like magic. Sometimes.
Finished with our tour of the Dendera Temple, we left and crossed the Nile River bridge into downtown Qena. There, we dropped off Marium to catch a bus back to Luxor.
Outside of Qena we entered a new freeway with almost no trucks or vehicles, climbing the brightly lit rocky Martian mountains.
We zoomed on, briefly stopping to buy a kilo of bananas and an hour later stopping at an Al-Buc-ee’s at the halfway point in the mountains for a toilet break.
It was busy.
A robed statue of a beaver greeted us as we went inside to find the restrooms, clean and spacious and something Al-Buc-ee’s is known for. An attendant sat outside collecting 20 bucks (EGP) per patron.
We grabbed some cold refreshments and said our goodbyes to the grinning buck tooth beaver and continued our journey.
At one point we passed a small Chevrolet open bed pickup truck struggling to climb up the mountain with a black and white dairy cow squeezed sideways behind the truck’s cab. The cow’s body, so large that it hung off both sides of the truck. Elsie looked uncomfortable. Still not as bad, though, as flying Super Economy Coach Class on Delta. Just sayin’.
Once across the mountains, we caught our first view of the Red Sea.
In another half hour we arrived at our hotel on the beachfront, the Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh, with its many white domes silouhetted against the dark navy blue sea in the background.
Teresa and I have enjoyed the Oberoi properties in Asia and Africa for many years. They are all over-the-top five star hotels with the services, amenities, architecture and features one would expect for this class of hotel. Oberoi also operates a Nile River cruise ship, 5-star as well, that we enjoyed 10 years ago.
We were met and greeted by one of the concierge staff. A young, very formal and polite young man who spent half an hour explaining the amenities and showing us around the property before “golf-carting” us to our beachside mini Taj-Mahal.
The air was cold but the hot sun along with the beach view provided warmth.
March 3, 2026
A nice couple of days on the Red Sea beach after long and intense days viewing the museums and ancient sites of Egypt. Sometimes it can be overwhelming. So breaking things up with some downtime is important. It’s back to Cairo for a few days tomorrow before heading home.
But, first things first. Teresa and I and Cheryl greatly appreciate the concern and love for us from everyone regarding our current situation. While the US Department of State is advising Americans to leave, Egypt is the farthest country listed from the ongoing conflict. We feel very safe and the Egyptians have made it clear they will do everything possible to provide security for their American guests. Since the last statement advising Americans to leave was issued, no further guidance or updates have been given.
The distance from Cairo to Tehran is the same from Atlanta to Mexico City. Over 1,100 miles. I use this comparison because a couple of weeks ago fighting broke out in Mexico and life continued as normal in Atlanta. It’s a long way aways.
Iran is Shia Muslim and, except for Yemen, the entire Saudi peninsula is Sunni Muslim along with the Muslim countries of northern Africa. Shia and Sunni Muslims have been in conflict for over 1,400 years. A tiny percentage of Muslims here in Egypt are Shia.
Egypt has made it very clear that they will not join in or allow any Muslim conflicts to create instability in their country. It’s part of the reason they are not allowing Palestinians to relocate into Egypt.
While Egypt has been the target of terrorist attacks before, it is extremely rare if you look at the last 50 years of history. Europe and America have seen more terrorist attacks in that same time period. I think everyone here has reason to feel safe given that history.
Of course, war is unpredictable and things can change very quickly so we are keeping an eye on the situation hour by hour. We have great friends, contacts and resources here and Teresa and I have faced international conflicts before with the most notable being the 9-11 attacks while in Belgium for a AAA Travel Conference in 2001.
Tomorrow is a new day. And a new adventure. Let’s all hope and work for peace for all those involved in this conflict.
The most important thing travel teaches you is that people are good everywhere.
March 3, 2026
A final day enjoying this incredible property before our flight back to Cairo tomorrow morning.
We spent the day relaxing, quietly (except for the camel ride), at the beach. The Oberoi Sal Hasheesh is mostly empty. Maybe due to the current conflicts nearby, or maybe because of the Ramadan holiday season. Regardless, it’s always nice to have a beautiful property like this to yourselves.
Hope we can return some future time when the region is back to normal.
March 4, 2026
The bus pulled up to the 737, painted all white with no livery. We stepped out onto the tarmac and I asked the Air Egypt attendant why the plane was a blank slate. “Don’t worry”, he assured me in an unreassuring tone of voice. I climbed the stairs to the plane’s open door.
An hour later we arrived at the domestic terminal in Cairo. With claimed luggage in hand, Teresa, Cheryl and I stepped out of Exit 1 and quickly found Ihab, Ibrahim’s driver sent to pick us up.
Ihab walked us to his mid-size SUV a short distance away. It was a brand new Chery Tiggo, dark blue. Ihab loaded the luggage in the back and we were on our way to downtown Cairo.
Sitting in the passenger seat I looked around at his car. It’s Chinese built with all the bells and whistles, multiple touch screens and buttons for critical controls. The retail price of this Chinese built car is the equivalent of $17,000. A similar US or European built car would easily cost $50,000 or more. No wonder Detroit doesn’t want these to be allowed into the US. “Nice car”, I told Ihab.
We entered the freeway from the airport and the road was uncrowded and looked new. Everyone stayed in their marked lanes and behaved.
That didn’t last long.
In a short while we exited onto an older expressway. It was crowded and cars started to jam together. Horns started to scream. On both sides of the road were electronic billboards, stacked double high. Ted Turner’s father would be proud. They flashed ads mostly for instant coffee and new luxury residential multi-family properties. Will Smith seemed to appear on several billboards hawking a variety of products. I always wondered what had happened to him.
The road started to get really jammed. Three lanes were now five. Vehicles were side by side with only an inch between them. On the rare occasion that vehicles spread apart, let’s say, two inches from each other, streams of motorcycles started to squeeze through and roar past.
We were approaching that critical point where, as we learned in Hanoi, two vehicles could occupy the same space at the same time without colliding with each other. But, this being Cairo, that’s never possible thus the creation of the phrase, “Cairo Kiss”. A state of vehicular matter that approaches singularity but decoheres at the last moment thus producing numerous dings, dents and Egyptian hand signs.
At one point, we passed a late model orange colored Mercedes Benz sedan, smoke pouring from its tail pipe. It was covered with dents and dings and its original smart shiny chrome trim now appeared wobbly and sadly misshapen. Its classical circular logo on the trunk twisted and distorted, rotated to some nightmarish angle. All signs of a long life in this endless battle for singular spatial existence.
“Too much kissing”, I told myself.
Closer to the Nile River a lone street sweeper stood his ground on the two foot wide black and white median. Sisyphus with a straw broom attempting, forever, to clean the expressway’s gutter of dirt and trash. Sad and scary. What a life.
We crossed the river and exited the expressway. In a block, we pulled up to two large green iron gates of the Marriott Cairo, a large hotel complex spanning acres on the Gezira Island in the middle of the Nile River just west of downtown Cairo.
Our home for the next two days is on the 16th floor of the north tower with great views up and down the Nile River, the old Egyptian Museum on famous Tahrir Square visible in the background.
Tomorrow, we reunite with Ibrahim and head south to Saqqara.
March 5, 2026
We agreed to meet Ibrahim at 7 in the morning to get to Saqqara before the crowds arrived.
Ibrahim showed up with his driver, Adl, in a new MG (Chinese not British) SUV. Again, I was impressed by the car’s features and apparent quality.
We found them outside the gates of our hotel and headed south. We crossed the Nile River in rush hour traffic and enjoyed the view. The air was thick with pollution and so visibility was limited.
We followed a canal south. It was filled with plastic bags and garbage. Terrible! Where’s Lady Bird Johnson when you need her?
In 45 minutes, we pulled into the parking lot where one bus was already waiting. Ibrahim told us to go to the brown wooden doors and wait for him. We were first in line again.
In 15 minutes, the doors opened and we rushed to the ticket windows and bought our tickets. Behind us now were several busloads of other visitors.
Adl drove through the now opened gates and picked us up and drove us into the complex to our first site, the famous Stepped Pyramid of Djoser. “Hurry”, Ibrahim urged.
Saqqara is a large necropolis of hundreds of acres in the desert filled with tombs and pyramids on the west bank of the Nile. It served as the main burial site for nearby Memphis when it was the Capitol of the ancient Egyptian empires.
Ibrahim led the way and we were the first to enter the pyramid. He explained its history and significance in terms of architecture. The angles and steps of the pyramid sides were experiments as the ancient builders and architects learned what works.
They eventually found that pyramids with sides angled at 51 degrees were the most stable, allowing the construction of the three large pyramids at Giza.
After viewing the public sites now crowded with buses of visitors, Ibrahim walked us out into the surrounding desert to private tombs available only to expert guides.
He took us to several with the most notable and well preserved being that of the chief of the treasury for the Pharaohs. The hieroglyphics were still covered in golden paint and carvings showed his incredible wealth waiting for him “on the other side”.
Later, after lunch, we visited Memphis, now covered by the current Cairo suburbs. What’s left is basically one small dirt patch with fragments of statues. Artifacts on the east side of the Nile have been buried now by today’s world. It is, after all, the side of the river for the living.
While disappointing, it still contains an incredible statue of Ramses found recently by a farmer.
Ramses was found face down in the mud, likely following a wild evening with the Pharaohs. Some things never change.
March 6, 2026
A late morning in Cairo. Our last before our flight leaves tomorrow morning at 3 AM back to the US meaning we have to leave by midnight. At least Ibrahim arranged for his driver, Maged, to pick us up at the hotel. No midnight taxi haggling.
We visited Garbage City, a Christian neighborhood (slum) where the residents recycle Cairo’s garbage. This area has become quite the tourist destination and is packed with traffic this Friday morning. Friday is now Egypt’s official religious service day for all faiths since Anwar Sadat outlawed Sunday worship activities 50 years ago. And, coincidentally, the Islamic holy day is Friday and the country is 90% Islamic. Go figure.
The neighborhood is filled with mid-rise brick and block buildings. On the rooftops are pigeon lofts where the residents keep, breed and race pigeons. I don’t know about messaging, but I would prefer homing pigeons to today’s electronic, inconsistent and sometimes dangerous internet babel.
At the top end of Garbage city is a Coptic Christian Church (“the cave church”) and a separate 20,000 seat auditorium built in another cave where Christian carvings from the first century AD were discovered. It’s also the location of a zip line and, seriously, what church couldn’t be improved by adding thrill rides. Zip lining for Jesus. Only a $10 donation.
And all the famous people have been here including the Pope and Mother Teresa. It’s a real hotspot for the holiest of the holies. And of course, the air smells of fresh garbage. Heavenly!
After our Sunday, errr, Friday Church services, we went, of course, shopping at Garbage City Mall and Outlet Center. Cheryl and Teresa bought handbags made from beer can pop tops and recycled Keurig Cups. There, I met a handsome young couple from London and convinced them I was from Canada. Eh?
Afterwards, we headed to lunch and MORE shopping at Cairo’s Old Bazaar. Its narrow maze of alleys filled with vendors hawking Middle Eastern motif stuff and hookahs. It was packed with the crowds spilling out into the adjoining vehicular traffic. The scratched and dented ocean of honking cars intertwined with shoppers.
Bizarre!
March 6, 2026
It’s midnight and we’re on the way to the airport here in Cairo for our return flight. Here are a few thoughts and observations on our visit :
1. Egypt is an amazing place and probably the most foreign country I’ve been to. It’s 90% Western; 90% Islamic; and 90% Ancient Egypt. All of these opposing forces somehow mesh together without causing conflicts. It’s a bit of an enigma. Like freeways with speed bumps. It makes no sense but it works.
2. I will never complain about traffic in Atlanta again. Well, at least for a day or two. In Egypt, it’s a chaotic storm yet, mostly, there are no accidents, only bumps and scrapes. In two weeks, hundreds of miles and plenty of time in motion, we’ve not seen one police car or firetruck roaring by, lights flashing, to the scene of a horrible accident. People here have some sort of psychic situational awareness that keeps them from serious harm. And all without troubling St. Christopher. And it helps that they are paying attention to the road instead of their cell phones when driving.
3. Egyptian people are almost all extroverted. They will talk with anyone anywhere even if everyone speaks a different language. They are all on the verge of laughing all the time, even when yelling at each other. We saw almost no homeless people. They all look out for each other.
4. The downside of this gregariousness is the Egyptian hustler. You cannot step out of a hotel or tourist site without being mobbed. Everyone wants to sell you something. And by “sell”, I mean negotiate. And negotiate. The motto on the national flag must read “Always Be Closing” or “Never Take No For an Answer”. Wish I could read Arabic.
5. Fun fact: English and western cultures use Arabic numerals. Arabic cultures use Indian numbers. As the old saying goes, “the sand is always browner on the other side of the pyramid”. Lesson learned: Don’t use hand signs to indicate numbers if you don’t know what you are doing. A peace sign is a 7, not an 8. Apparently, everyone in Egypt told me I looked great because I was using the hand sign for “80” to indicate my age. Once I finally discovered my mistake and used the proper hand sign, everyone was like, “oh”. So sad.
6. Speaking of lessons learned, be careful with what you say in Arabic. All week long I’ve been telling everyone that “I am Canadian” in Arabic. It turns out what I WAS saying was that “I’m a Canadian woman”. That may have been why I was getting so many smiles from the local dudes.
7. Egypt is and feels incredibly safe. No one except the police or military have guns. Which is a good thing around here given the traffic. Road rage with guns would be a mess here. OTOH, Egypt is located at the edge of the precipice. The Middle East wars are too close for comfort but Egypt has managed to keep that sort of chaos away. So far.
March 7, 2026
We completed our flight from Cairo to Paris. The first of three segments. Arriving at Cairo’s international airport at midnight (the busy time in Cairo), I was convinced we would face enormous crowds at the multiple security checkpoints. But, we got lucky, and there were few people in line. Getting through was easy.
Now we wait again. At least six hours’ worth.
These layovers are killers. Especially if you got up at 10 o’clock the previous evening to catch the first flight on time.
Next stop: Cincinnati. But not before visiting our future 51st state, Greenland. From 8 miles overhead.
Aloha, Nuuk!
March 7, 2026
Back in the US after a series of uneventful events. Things are going too smoothly after last week’s start of the Middle East war.
One more hop to Atlanta and I just read that last night 200 plus Delta flights were canceled due to weather. Our final flight is now delayed an hour.
If we get home as scheduled, it will be a 30 hour trip door to door and boy are my eyes feeling it.
March 8, 2026
Finally home with the usual hangovers. Exhaustion and time zone fog.
It’s great to be back home but, as any traveler will tell you, we look forward to our next adventure.
Until then, “Habibi, Baby!”
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