This series of Travel Tales from resident and travel enthusiast WILMER NICHOLS will take us to the mysterious land of Egypt and the Red Sea.  Come along with us each month – first stop, Cairo!

In the summer of 2022, I took my daughter, Cami, on a five-week tour of Western Europe. Our final destination was Pamplona, Spain, to attend the Festival de San Fermin. We stopped in Barcelona, one of my favorite European cities, and took the Port Cable Car from Mont Juic to Barcelona Beach. Cami found a nice table for two overlooking the topless beach. We sat next to a young couple enjoying a snack and wine. And, of course, I said, "where y’all from?" in my best Southern accent. They were from Cairo, Egypt, and on their honeymoon.  We had a couple of drinks and chatted for hours. We promised to stay in touch, and I decided it was time to plan a trip to Egypt.

First, I found the country on the map, and I was surprised that it was located at about the same latitude as Gainesville and had similar weather. The recommended best time to visit Egypt is from October to April, so I planned our trip for March 05-21, 2024.  I chose the “King Ramses” tour because it included all the popular tourist sites and attractions plus a few days on the Red Sea. After selecting the tour, we gathered the items that were recommended for the trip: a towel for the felucca (small sailboat), lightweight cotton garments, comfortable walking shoes, flip flops or sandals to wear aboard the felucca, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and a first aid kit, including antihistamine cream and band-aids.

I invited my lady friend and traveling companion, Janie Chambers, from Rome, Georgia, to accompany me. She had never been to Europe, and the flight from Gainesville to Cairo went through beautiful Rome, Italy, so I decided we would stop there for a few days. Rome was awesome, and we saw almost everything, including a day trip to Florence.

We were delayed to Cairo, arriving late that night.  Cairo International Airport was a bit chaotic, so we followed the crowd to customs, showing our passports and presenting our visas. We looked for the tour representative, but due to the delay, no one was there to greet us. I was beginning to think the tour may be a scam. However, we were in Cairo, and I planned to see Egypt regardless. So, we took a taxi to the Sonesta Hotel Tower and Casino. With luck on our side, we arrived at the beautiful hotel at about 1:30 AM; our tour guide had preregistered us, so we went directly to our room and went to bed.

At 7:00 AM, we arose, had a cup of coffee, and enjoyed the room before breakfast. The Egyptian breakfast was surprisingly good, with “Baladi Flatbread” and eggs cooked to order.

After breakfast, we met our tour guide, Ahmed Helal, and the small group of people we would be traveling with. The group included nine individuals from four different countries; Janie and I were the only Americans. After the introductions, we all talked in the lobby. That evening, we had an excellent dinner but no alcoholic drinks since Ramadan had started a few days earlier. Most places in the country did not serve alcohol during Ramadan. However, a few places did, and Ahmed took us to one near our hotel. Janie, our new friends Alan and Roel, and I ordered a beer, and to our surprise, it was Stella. After a few drinks, we returned to the hotel to relax and hit the sack early because the next day’s activities would begin and last all day.

 

In next month’s Stroll Town of Tioga, Wilmer takes us to the Pyramids of Giza on Day 2 of his Egypt adventure!  Don’t miss it!