I’ve been a huge fan of Dahab since my first trip to Egypt in 2002. It was my last stop, and all during my trip I kept meeting other travelers who spoke highly of it. I met some Japanese-Brazilians in the desert, and their daughter, the only one who could speak English, said, “For me, it was the best.” So I made it a point to get there, and it lived up to expectations. more»

In this mega episode, we cover our last two weeks in Egypt. We visit Alexandria, Egypt’s window on the Med; the remote and different Siwa Oasis; give you a backseat view of a safari in the Great Sand Sea; and take you around one of the idleness capitals of the world, Dahab.

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We booked an overnight safari into the desert from our hotel, the Keylani. Our driver was Hamada, a quiet and friendly Bedouin man. We left at about 2PM in his early 90’s 4×4 and headed out of the lush greenery of the Siwa Oasis. Just before the road ended, Hamada let half of the air out of each of the tires. more»

Traveling, although awesome almost 99% of the time, does have the occasional drawback. Getting sick by accidentally ingesting some tap water, eating something off, or by some other unknown method, is a constant threat. This finally caught up with us (me) when we arrived in the much-anticipated Siwa Oasis. more»

In this sickness-delayed (much better now, thanks!) episode: beautiful Aswan and the massive complex of Abu Simbel; the land of the dead in Luxor explored; and the gargantuan Temples of Karnak. After all that if you’re still hungry for more Egyptology, check out the article on Wikipedia.

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After a long stay in the south of Egypt seeing the ancient sights, we spent about a day and a half in Alexandria to rest up before our journey out to the Siwa Oasis, far into the desert to the west towards Libya. Besides a little sightseeing, we took the opportunity to take a little break from Egyptian culture. more»

We arrived in Alexandria after a short two and a half hour train ride from Cairo. We were completely exhausted and spent after a long and interesting train ride from Luxor to Cairo the night before. We had bought our first class tickets with our friends Alex and Rose that morning, and the man in the booth gave us a piece of paper with some writing on it instead of regular tickets . Since he worked there, we just assumed it was fine. Yeah…not so much! more»

There are few places in the world like Luxor. Its Nile setting gives it the potential to be an idyllic spot, surrounded by ancient history and beauty. It is possible to find quiet places in which to enjoy the views of the surrounding desert and the famous river that gives this country life, but they are few and far between. The truth of modern Luxor is that it is the “hassle capital of Egypt.” more»

Egypt, as you probably know from elementary school, is dominated by the Nile. This means that there is an even more than normally well-developed tourist trail. There are just only so many places you could go, and most of them are somewhere along the Nile. So we left Cairo and went down to Aswan, which is about as far south as you can get. more»

In this episode: the old Islamic quarter of Cairo; a lesson in pyramid building; an Egyptian coffeehouse and the first question from the mailbag answered. Music by Shafeek Kabha and edgen.

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