The Falcon God Horus, pictured behind the Pharaoh’s head, acts as the God of Protection for Ancient Egyptians.

Arriving in Cairo

This was it. We were ready. As soon as we touched down in Cairo at Midnight, we were going to hit the ground running. Don’t give your passport to anyone posing as security because they’ll just turn around and ask for $20 usd to get your passport back. Hurry to the immigration counter, purchase a visa with exactly $25 USD, run to the immigration line, get stamped through, collect luggage, find our hotel rep, and get to our hotel to sleep. We’re seeing the famous pyramids the very next morning!

Drive to our Hotel (20 mi away)

Our driver, Mohammed or Mo, seemed to be late 20s, or early 30s. He was friendly and responded to our questions.

Eventually we get around to his opinion on the Arab Spring. We were curious to find out how things were going always been curious what the status is like today with the people that live in Egypt. He said things were good now Egypt was getting better each year.

As we approached crossing the Nile, we asked Mo if he’s ever heard of the Mississippi River. “Yes, of course,” he responded. “That’s where we grew up!” Mo laughed and we shared fishing stories back and forth. He has a cousin that has a boat on the Red Sea, and that’s where the big fish are, Mo says.

Our Hotel In Giza

When we were booking our hotel, we figured since we got in so late, we would get a hotel in Giza to wake up with the Great pyramids in our backyard. Literally…

Giza

After getting off the interstate, the streets were quiet, and lonely dogs were searching for food. One pregnant, tan, short-haired dog looked into our headlights skeptically. She moved along and there seemed to be enough trash dispersed about something was bound to turn up.

The local streets were in pretty good shape. There are no lane lines, and I think we saw one stoplight our entire time we toured the area, but I never felt unsafe.

We approached our first barricade/checkpoint and this sparked my interest. I hadn’t read about checkpoints before coming, and was a little surprised to see them.

Sitting atop an armored vehicle, a man behind a machine gun stared down to us as we approached. I gave a quick glance to our driver and he seemed unfazed. Other armed guards noticed the driver and waved him through. Nothing to it.

Security

Throughout our stay in Egypt, we passed many checkpoints. Armed guards would ask the driver what nationality they were transporting and most of the time we just drove through. Occasionally, we’d have to open the trunk, someone would walk around with a mirror looking for bombs under the car, or a dog would walk around sniffing for explosives(??).

We never felt unsafe, but I was beginning to feel a little skeptical. Police in Cairo were driving around with machine guns out windows, and the sheer number of military vehicles I saw placed around the country made me feel the country might be a little on edge.

Explosion

And then it came.

Breanne received it first. “Oh my God. A bomb went off in Giza.”

We were in Cairo at the time. We had debated going back to Giza that very day, and some friends we had met were currently there, so it felt a little close to home. Giza is about 20 minutes from Cairo. The bomb reportedly struck a tourist bus and there were fatalities.

I was sitting at the hotel desk uploading pictures to the computer when Breanne got the message on her phone and told me.

Alright, let’s figure this out.

I turned the TV to BBC, jumped on Twitter, and began searching the web for local news.

Thoughts

Many thoughts go through your head when something like this occurs.

Could this be the beginning of something? An escalation type incident? Copy cat bombers? Was this the beginning of an already planned out mission targeting tourists? What’s Cairo like when there’s chaos?

Four people died in the incident, including a local tour guide. The explosive was an IED placed along a main road near the pyramids.

The Egyptian military went out the next day and reportedly killed 40 militants in response. But there are conflicting reports on whether or not that was actually true.

We ended up calling the airline and they switched our flights to the next morning at no charge because of the situation. We didn’t know whether we’d take it or not. We played out the odds and decided to take the early flight. We loved Egypt and we know we’ll be back. There’s no need to rush.

Why Visit Egypt

Egypt absolutely is one of the top places to see some of the best landmarks in the world. They even have the last standing ancient wonder of the world, Khufu Pyramid.

The history of Egypt is so unbelievably accessible, and you really get a sense of what it was like back in 2550 BCE. Not many places can offer this experience.

Egypt has wonderful people and very dedicated tour guides that know and understand an unbelievable amount of their history. Egypt is a must visit destination for anyone.

Leaving Egypt

We were flying Egypt Air from Cairo to Denmark, Denmark to the US.

The man that sat next to me on the plane was an Egyptian neural surgeon that has been living in Denmark for the last twenty five years. He has two kids currently living in Portland, US.

The explosion was brought up and he shook his head. He said, “It’s too bad,” with a look of sadness. He hesitated, and said, “Most Egyptians are good. But a few ruin it for all of us.”

As Egypt continues to seek out its new identity from the Arab Spring, we must be patient and not rush to judgement too soon. Most of the Egyptians we spoke with have a positive viewpoint on the future.

Before the Doctor left the plane, he gave me his card and said anytime we visit Denmark and need a place to stay, he’s got a place for us.

Typical. Egyptians are very nice people .

Extras: What Traveling Offers

Traveling offers so much in personal return. As much as you learn about a new destination, you also learn a great deal about yourself.

How humble can you become when placed into different environments that don’t speak your language? Everyone can improve on listening, as well as budgeting, organizing, and planning a travel itinerary. Travel helps you better yourself.

I find this especially true with awkward travel moments and the ability to think and react on your feet.

Crowded buses, missing flights, crossing borders, checkpoints, missing luggage, bartering in a foreign language for a ride, getting lost in souks, and even explosions happening close by, are all events that will help you grow as a person.

Travel more. Cheers!