It is known as the "Gift of the Nile." A country, a land, a civilization that has existed for more than five millennia. A place where many great discoveries and inventions have taken place. The equinoxes, pi, the pulley, and the first writing system, among thousands of other things, were either discovered or invented in Egypt. Many stories and books have been written and many films have been made about a land where the world's longest river slices through the Sahara like a hot knife through butter. All of these great things wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the Nile. For years and years I've wanted to visit Egypt, and I'm finally here in Hurghada.
Greece, Malta, and Turkey are in the books and, whilst my time was short in those places, I have more than two weeks in one of the world's oldest civilizations. My original plan for this journey was to start in Athens and finish in Moscow but due to the war in Ukraine my flight from Moscow to LA was cancelled, and I ended up planning Egypt instead. My flight from Istanbul to Hurghada, on the Red Sea coast, set me back only about $60. Last night I was super excited, and I was chatting and laughing on the plane with an Egyptian man who lived in London for 17 years, so he understood and laughed when I shared some of my stand-up comedy. A couple was annoyed when they said they had been trying to sleep (on a 2-hour flight) and so, like a smart ass, I said "you can get to your hotel and sleep like a Chevy Suburban...like a rock." Signs all over the arrival hall state "visa $25" but touts were there trying to offer $70 US and I thought "I don't think so." The cost of the visa is cash only so I had to surrender most of my US dollars for the visa fee. From there I had to wait in a long line and just after I thought everything was over I had to put my bag through an X-ray machine. I was called back and an official said "camera drone" and I explained that I had one. They said they're not allowed in Egypt. The officials said I could store it at the airport and then pick it up when I leave the country but the dilemma I was in is that I flew into Hurghada but I'm flying out of Cairo. They said I'd have to pay for an official to take the drone to Cairo Airport for me, and then I'd pick it up there. For more than two hours I tried to talk to them but the officials wouldn't budge. My CouchSurfing host, Hassan, was waiting for me outside even though it was 2 AM. He said if he knew the issue, he would have given me some advice. Leaving the airport I was really damn annoyed! I'll have to come back in a couple of days to sort this matter out but I just wanted to enjoy Egypt. Hassan would cook some tahine with spices to dip in bread. Classical Egyptian cuisine.
After a few hours of sleep I was ready to get out there. Hurghada is by no means a pretty town. There aren't any spectacular temples or any real stand-out sights, but instead it's a shabby tourist town filled with half-finished buildings, piles of rubbish, street vendors selling plastic trinkets, and desperate hustlers struggling at the tail-end of a pandemic to get people into their shop, taxi, or restaurant. People sleep in the shells of buildings that were designed to be 5-star hotels and there's a very dusty air to Hurghada. On my first day in Egypt I've accomplished two big goals: I signed a geocache today, my first in Africa, meaning I've found geocaches on all seven continents, and I have stamps from all seven continents in one passport. A nice lunch with pizza and a virgin pina colada was in order, along with a dessert of chocolate pudding and a view of the Red Sea.
Geocaching is one activity I won't be doing much of in Egypt because there really aren't many. On a walk this evening I had a glass of tea with locals whilst they were smoking shisha.
On my first day in Egypt I've discovered that people can be really clever in finding ways to steer you into their shop. As I was changing money earlier, the shopkeeper kept having me sample all these different colognes. Whilst I don't want to be rude, I have to be firm when I'm not interested. One thing I am interested in is a dive into the Red Sea. I would meet with another CSer named Luka, who is a dive instructor. Over a few glasses of tea, we discussed our options, and a two-tank dive is only 60 euros. At 8 AM tomorrow morning, I'll be donning an air tank, mask, and fins and heading into the deep blue.
Egypt hasn't given me the overall best first impression but this is a deeply fascinating land with a lot that's been discovered and a lot more to discover. All I can do is hope my drone, whom I call Juliett, is safe. Herodotus enjoyed Egypt, so I should too. Colourful fish, a coral reef, and the deep blue await.
