When I decided to rediscover Egypt, I spent the last 10 years of my life in travelling all around Egypt and the world. The first time I traveled alone was different; especially it was the first time I got on a plane and fly outside Egypt.
When I was a child, my dad brought me a very big map and put it on the wall in front of my bed; he gave me a blue pen and asked me to write something on the map, and as any little kid dreaming to travel the whole world, that was my sentence.
I was a volunteer in an organization that helps foreigners to learn the Arabic language, and in return, these foreigners teach their own languages to us the Egyptians. A girl in one of these groups in Cairo asked me about interesting places that she could visit in Egypt I replied with the fact that we’ve got lots of places to visit like the Pyramids, the Sphinx, Luxor & Aswan, but she interrupted me, saying that Egypt is not about the Pyramids and the Nile. “I want to discover the real Egypt, I want to know about its treasures”, she said.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to provide her with an answer because I didn’t know my own country that well, and I certainly wasn’t familiar with Egypt’s treasures. On that same day, I decided to change my dream from concentrating on travelling around the world as a whole, into focusing on travelling around Egypt. And indeed, I discovered Egypt’s treasures and I realized how beautiful our country really is. I visited every place, every city and every governorate all around Egypt.
Since then, every 3 months, I discover a new place. I moved around all kinds of places like North Egypt and Alexandria until I reachedSaloum. Also I moved from Egypt’s North to its Southern part like Neweeba and reached the borders of Sudan.
The closest place to my heart is Dahab. I spent a part of my life there and I’ve visited it more than 70 times till now. I’ve also got the chance to visit the Western Desert, which is definitely one of Egypt’s great treasures. Imagine yourself in a 10-day trip, where you ride camels and camp under the light of the stars & every day you’re camping in a different place. Imagine ending your day with the sight of the stars in the sky, not your bedroom ceiling which became boring, but it’s the actual sky that you’re looking at.
Travelling has truly changed me a lot. This experience gave me self-confidence and total independence. I’ve tried new things for the first time in my life, like sleeping in the train stations or in the house of the mayor in one of the villages in Upper Egypt, along with the amazing school guard who invited me for a cup of tea in the winter, I even rested near the fire in Bani Sweef.
I encountered some unbelievable adventures that -I myself- would not believe if someone told me about them. I try to consider myself as one of the voyagers in Egypt, I learned how to travel with the least amount of money you could possibly have. If I’d live for ages, I wouldn’t have gained as much experience as I gained in this adventure.
My grandfather, -may God have mercy upon him- has taught me something that is unforgettable; “We only live once, try hard to fill it up with experiences, if you won’t go through them by yourself, hear them from someone else.” that’s why I know a story from each district in Egypt. Egypt’s people are a treasure among Egypt’s many treasures. They add a fruitful taste to life.
We should really take the decision of discovering our country & the many treasures it has, and to recognize the huge influence that travelling can have on us. Travelling will change you, a lot.
Also I already started a new challenge which is visiting the cities of the 7 wonders of the world, and my score now is 4 out of 7 plus adding morocco to them. Pray for me that one day, I’ll get to travel around the whole world.
very good