There are some images that stay with you since school days. For me, it was the pyramids—majestic, mysterious, and looking like someone gave a kid infinite Lego blocks and said, “Build something eternal.” I remember wondering how these colossal structures came up without cranes, bulldozers, or WhatsApp groups. That curiosity quietly simmered through years of travel—Kenya, Tanzania, Everest Base Camp, Mauritius, Vietnam… but Egypt stayed patiently in the corner, like an unread book you know is going to be good.
What fascinated me was how civilizations chose to express themselves. Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were clearly made for people—clean streets, drainage, urban planning. Egypt? Egypt was like, “We’ll just build a giant triangle in the desert for one guy and hope it confuses everyone for 5,000 years.”
Cairo: Where Chaos and Charm Go on Double Dates
Landing in Cairo felt oddly familiar. The airport had that relaxed energy you find in Indian government offices—plenty of people, unclear directions, and a general belief that time is a suggestion.
The city was alive in the best kind of way. If you’ve survived Indian roads, Cairo won’t scare you—it’ll just make you feel right at home. Buses racing tuk-tuks, last-minute lane changes that defy physics, and honking that felt more like a musical score than a warning.
But the chaos had character. Street food stalls, chai shops (well, the Egyptian version), shopkeepers who could sell you a carpet, a camel, or a cousin—it was beautiful madness.
We ended the evening with a cultural performance—dancers twirling in bright skirts, music echoing through the courtyard, and tourists from every continent clapping off-beat. It was chaotic, colorful, and deeply Egyptian.
The Pyramids: Just Triangles? Try Again.
We stayed in Giza, which meant waking up and seeing the Pyramids before breakfast. Highly recommended. (I mean, how often do you sip coffee while staring at something older than most religions?)
Standing in front of the Great Pyramid, you don’t say much. You just blink and whisper things like, “Wait… how?” Entering the pyramid is a sweaty, cramped, uphill tunnel of questionable ventilation—but absolutely worth it.
Inside, it’s silent. Not the “no one’s talking” kind—more like the stone itself has gone quiet for 4,500 years and doesn’t feel like chatting now.
Outside, the street life brings you back fast: donkeys, camels, honking, haggling—essentially, Delhi with more sand and fewer cows.
Alexandria: By the Sea, with History for Dessert
Driving to Alexandria was surprisingly smooth—like a well-behaved Mumbai–Pune Expressway. But the city had a very different vibe. More Mediterranean, more laid back, and slightly less dusty.
We visited catacombs, ancient ports, and stood on the site of the once-mythical Library of Alexandria. I tried to imagine thousands of scrolls, scholars debating under candlelight… and then remembered I still haven’t finished that book from 2012.
Our overnight train back was humble but functional. Think Indian Railways, but with more Arabic, fewer samosas, and surprisingly clean sheets. It wasn’t luxury, but it was honest—and that made it memorable.
Aswan, Abu Simbel & the Smoothest Cruise Ever
From Aswan, we visited Abu Simbel, where statues the size of apartment buildings stare down at you like they know your search history. The fact that the entire temple was moved, block by block, to save it from rising waters is a masterclass in engineering—and stubbornness.
Then came the Nile cruise. Not your Titanic-sized floating mall, but a charming, compact ship where every sunset felt like it was staged by the Tourism Board.
We floated by temples, disembarked at ancient sites, and wandered tombs filled with stories from people who really, really wanted their lives remembered.
And after all that grandeur, a few days in Hurghada by the Red Sea felt like Egypt saying, “Okay, you’ve earned some hammocks and hibiscus tea.”
Egypt & India: Long-Lost Cousins?
The more I travelled, the more I felt it—Egypt and India could be cousins. Maybe not first cousins, but definitely from the same chaotic, philosophical family.
The Nile is their Ganga. Cairo traffic? Our Mumbai on a Monday. Bazaars, bargaining, aunties giving unsolicited advice (in Arabic)—it all felt… familiar.
But the difference was profound too. India planned for people. Egypt planned for gods. We built cities. They built eternity.
Still, the similarities were everywhere—hospitality, history, heat, and humanity.
Final Thoughts: Egypt, You Were Worth the Wait
Egypt wasn’t just about seeing the pyramids—it was about conversations with strangers, laughter over language barriers, tea sipped slowly as the sun turned the desert gold.
It reminded me that history isn’t just about what’s written in books. Sometimes, it’s about standing where someone stood 4,000 years ago and realizing… we’re not so different.
And if nothing else, it taught me that humans will go to great lengths for two things: the afterlife, and good lighting for their statues.
If you’d like to take a glimpse of our customized Egypt tour, click here and start planning your own journey through time.
If you’d love to peek into our Egypt adventure from last year, click here and relive the magic through our travelers’ eyes.
[Rahul Bhusari is the Director of Infinite Journeys, a passionate explorer with two decades of experience in curating offbeat experiences. Curated and led by him, this Egypt experience blends history, culture, and comfort into one unforgettable adventure.]