Wait, I’m in Egypt?! If you’ve memorized my itinerary (I mean of course you have) then I know what you’re thinking: how was the ferry across the Black Sea to the Ukraine? And Transnistria and Romania?
One of the joys of backpacking is never quite knowing exactly where it will take me, and this time it did not take me to Ukraine. Because apparently there are problems there and getting the ferry to Odessa wasn’t an option anymore? Maybe you’ve heard about it.
So instead I took a three-week backpacking break in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which has been my home base for the past two years, to celebrate Songkran.
And then what better way to get over the pain of missing out on Ukraine than a trip to the Egyptian pyramids with one of my favorite people in the world?
Alicia and I became besties when we were in the same Irish dance company in college, and ever since she’s let me drag her around the world, probably to the chagrin of her family and boyfriend (sorry, Bryce, I’ll return her soon!). We were also both huge nerds in elementary school, so the pyramids have been on our bucket lists for ages. In fact, I think learning about the pyramids in third grade was probably when I decided to make a bucket list in the first place.
You guys, the pyramids did not disappoint! Not only are they iconic and crazy ancient, but because of a strong travel advisory against Egypt (we’ve been here for five days now and are still safe and sound, just saying) we basically had them to ourselves.
When we arrived at the Giza Pyramids, huge shocker, our taxi driver took us straight to a tour company to book a camel or horse tour around the area. When he quoted us $80 each we rolled our eyes and tried to be on our way, but when he went down to $52 we caved (I blame the jetlag!).
We easily could have done the trip on foot and I don’t think it was necessarily worth the money EXCEPT that our guide Balluza was amazing. Not only was he super entertaining and hilarious, but he also seemed to fancy himself a photographer, so the tour quickly turned into a pyramid photo shoot.
I hadn’t been too excited about riding a camel, as my last experience on a camel in Tunisia was less than pleasant (camels can be mean!), but these camels were super sweet! I had no idea camels could be so good natured.
I had been recovering from a sore back, so after lots of whining from me the guide eventually relegated me to the horse instead. But he was also nice!
What to pack as a female traveler to Egypt
Here are some of my favorites that I packed for this trip to Egypt:
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Catherine says
What an amazing place to have a little photo shoot! I love all the photos, so fun and personal! The pyramids look so perfect that it almost looks fake, pretty surreal!
Silvia says
Right? We were saying it looks like a fake backdrop, or like we had to wait in line at a roped off area for photos but no, we pretty much hopped off our camels wherever we wanted and it was a perfect photo op. Definitely surreal!
Harald Thune Larsen says
Great trip. Amazong pictures. Carry on writing. Its the kind of backpacing alle drømmer om å gjøre en gang!
Silvia says
Thanks Harald, it definitely feels like a dream!
yosemite says
Um, this dude is pretty good at these optical illusion-y photos. Everything is so well lined up. I am impressed.
Silvia says
I think my new career dream is to become a tour guide at the pyramids and take ridiculous photos.
Dave says
I have really enjoyed reading about your travels. I can’t believe how adventurous and brave you are. You rock! I look forward to your next post. Thanks for sharing. Safe travels.
Dave
Silvia says
Thanks so much, that’s really encouraging to hear! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed reading.
Corinne says
Silvia, Come on..you whine! I don’t believe it. Your posts are always so upbeat. Lucky you that there was hardly anyone at the pyramids. The day we visited there were hordes, hordes I tell you, of tourists, and because of them I didn’t go up into Cheops’. I hung out in the bottom….crying. No kidding. I was having a bad case of claustrophobia. Hilarious photo shoot!
Silvia says
Haha pretty much anytime the camel started to walk a bit briskly I would yell to the guide “Nooo my back! Nooo stop!” But wow, I guess we were incredibly lucky to be on our own! I can imagine having a similar reaction to intense crowds… It was almost eery how empty the pyramids were though, and obviously sad for tourism in Egypt.
Vanessa @ The Travelling Colognian says
What a nice alternative to the Ukraine, it is such a shame what’s going on there right now. I haven’t been to Egypt yet, but I have seen many pictures. On all of them there have been crowds of tourists. Apparently it is a good time to go there now. Also, I haven’t ridden a camel yet, but fingers crossed, I hope, I get the chance to later that year! Where are you heading next, or do you keep it secret?
Silvia says
I hope your camel will be as nice as ours were! Next up is Jordan! I’m actually already in Jordan- arrived last night. I’ll only be here a few days and then I’ll go to Israel for a few weeks.
Vanessa @ The Travelling Colognian says
Jordan must be amazing, this is a country which is on my bucket list, too. I hope, I will get a nice camel. And I also hope that the one in front of mine is not going to fart. This has happened to someone I met on my travels. 😉
Stefania @The Italian Backpacker says
It looks like you had fun during your trip to Egypt. Many tourists have been avoiding Egypt because of the unstable political situation, so it was certainly not crowded. Once you have learned to keep the touts at bay, I guess it’s an incredible experience, such a fascinating country!
Silvia says
Yeah, we had a really great experience in Egypt without the crowds, though it’s sad to think that tourism there is suffering so much. I hope things can stabilize soon!
Shauntrell Johnson says
How can I book with Balluza???
Linda says
We were there a year ago and had the same wonderful experiences. Thanks for posting fantastic pics!
Silvia says
Nice to hear you also enjoyed your time in Egypt! Seeing the pyramids in person really is a magical experience.
Zenny Morag says
Wonderful blog.I have really enjoyed reading about your travel. I guess it looks like you had an amazing trip. As Egypt is such a fascinating country. It is famous for its ancient culture and pyramids.I had also incredible trip in there and got knowledge about the ancient pyramids and many more and explored with Ask-Aladdin. Thanks for sharing with us and I look forward to your next adventure blog.
Shauntrell Johnson says
How can I book with Balluza???