Eternal. Enduring. Egypt.
Egypt — to me, the most beloved and beautiful of things. ~ Salah Jahin, Egyptian poet
A few months ago, I was fortunate to explore Egypt, the country that poet Salah Jahin said was the most beloved and beautiful of things for him. As I sky fared above Luxor at sunrise in a hot air balloon, rode a dirt bike at a blistering top speed of 10 kilometers an hour (eye roll) in Hurghada, and visited the largest library in the world on the shores of the Mediterranean in Alexandria, I was smitten by the enduring spirit of the country.
Egypt also reminded me that, in the grand scheme of things, we are all merely specks of dust on the vast expanse of the Sahara. During my time there, I fell hopelessly in love with a tall, handsome Egyptian scribe. But I quickly came to my senses and instead wrote a love letter to the Nile, surrendering myself to its still waters and lush landscapes.
Unforgettable Travel Essays That Reveal Art, Belonging & Humanity Beyond Any Map
I am writing to introduce you to my travel essays because these are pieces I'm most proud of. I'm attaching a few lines from some essays here. Hope you enjoy them and visit the place vicariously through my words. "I still get goosebumps when I think about the...
Sunset at the Library of the World: Where a World of Words Meets the Mediterranean
I still get goosebumps when I think about the wonderous gigantic library I recently visited in Alexandria, Egypt. This modern library built in 2002, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, can accommodate 2000 readers in its main reading hall on any given day. It's located on...
Skyfaring In Luxor, Egypt: A Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride Over the Valley of the Kings
At 5am, we got ready for our sunrise hot air balloon ride. We were each handed a small bag of breakfast items to take with us at the lobby of our cruise. A few of us ate a muffin or a slice of bread but were mostly not hungry at that early. We were then picked up by a...
A Speck on the Sahara – Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/ob4pSskh2pg Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - Sipping Tea In The Sahara One early morning in late December, we set off on a three hour journey from Cairo to Dahshur. As we passed village after village, lush green fields...
Kagemni Slayed Me With a Reed Pen: A Love Affair With Ancient Egyptian Scribes and Tombs
Falling Into A Saqqara Tomb Silly me, when I visited the Djoser Step Pyramid complex of the Saqqara necropolis (ancient Egyptian burial ground city), I was worried I would fall into a catacomb, one of those recesses between the ancient Egyptian tombs. Little...
A Speck on the Sahara: Sipping Tea Above Egypt’s Bent and Red Pyramids
Listen to the audio version of this poem on HERE. One early morning in late December, we set off on a three hour journey from Cairo to Dahshur. As we passed village after village, lush green fields dotted with beautiful villas belonging to farmers, we...
The Abu Simbel Temple: Egypt’s Timeless Wonder and a Tribute To Global Heritage Preservation
These Words Won't Be Enough Abu Simbel is located in a remote town three hours away from Aswan. Our cab driver picked us up from our cruise boat on the Nile that was stationed at the Aswan harbor. Our cab was flying at 140 kilometers an hour as I fell in and...
Lessons in Effortless Living from the Nile: How Flow, Impermanence, and Surrender Shape a Meaningful Life
Certain experiences sharpen our sense of being alive, like revisiting our day while journaling at night, the fleeting jolt when a stranger’s gaze catches yours across the room, or wandering cobblestone streets in a new city. The Nile, too, is such an...
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