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Leaving Cairo behind, we had a colorful train ride sharing a car with a few Egyptians and a mother and son duo from China. Getting any sleep on this journy proved futile, as the conditions of the train, were, well, take a look. Yes, this is often the brutal reality, the sleepless nights of a budget traveler.

In Luxor we were anxious to discover the once capital of Egypt under the rule of the great Egyptian Pharaohs. Today it’s said to be an open air museum of Egypt’s Golden Age, and we had a long list of sites we were excited to check out while discovering the desert oasis built along the palm-fringed Nile.

Arriving in Luxor, we got a far different welcome. While Western culture seems to be making its way to the streets of Cairo, in Luxor, this is how we were greeted.

Temple of Karnak

Our first stop in Luxor was a visit to the Temple of Karnak, a city of temples just north of Luxor covering almost a mile by two miles in area. A little old man standing out front of the temple promised he held all the hidden secrets to the ancient temples so we hired him as our dutiful guide. Winding through the 25 temples and chapels we passed sanctuaries, obelisks and shrines covered in hieroglyphs, telling the stories of the ancient Pharaohs. Awestruck, we walked through the Hypostyle hall, which turns out to be the largest room of any religious building in the world. Watching the morning light fill up the hall of 134 columns, we began to imagine the grandeur of these temples thousands of years ago.

We learned that approximately 30 pharaohs contributed to the buildings over thousand of years, enabling it to reach the complexity and diversity not seen elsewhere. The sheer size and number of temples makes this one of the most impressive religious sites we’ve seen to date.

Valley of the Kings

Facing the 115 degree temperatures, we headed out to the West Bank of the Nile to the Valley of the Kings. Among the rugged, arid landscape of the mountainous terrain some of Egypt’s most important rulers were buried here in tombs that were elaborate undertakings. Most of the tombs were buried deep into the earth, hidden in the limestone mountains.

Pictured above is what the scene looks like, but it’s what you find inside the mountainside that makes the valley so remarkable. Entering through the doors, it’s like you’re walking inside a mountain to a hidden world. Here we found the walls covered in colorful frescoes and hieroglyphs, depicting the life of the Pharaohs buried there. Each of the tombs contained three corridors, with the final room the location of the tomb of the Pharaoh.

While the iconic pyramids have come to symbolize Egypt, it was here at the Valley of the Kings we got a real picture of ancient Egypt.

Traveling the Nile River by Felucca

We were bombarded with touts to take a felucca ride the moment we stepped off our train, and this was one experience we’re glad we didn’t miss. A felucca is traditional Nile sailing boat that has been the main mode of transport on the Nile since the days of the Pharaohs. The felucca doesn’t have any form of engine and relies entirely on the wind. The sails are seriously low-tech, made of native cotton and other natural fibres.

We embarked on our own felucca ride at sunset on our last night in Luxor. What we weren’t told upon boarding this traditional ship was that the wind, which builds during the day, usually subsides dramatically at night. There was only a gentle breeze, which didn’t turnout to be quite enough to carry us very far down the river. Quite a memorable experience, however, was docking up our boat on the shores of the Nile, enjoying a hot cup of mint tea while watching the sun set behind the swelling dunes and feluccuas in the distance. This was the Egypt we were searching for.

No glossy spread in my elementary school textbook or Discovery Channel special could have prepared me for our visit to the Great Pyramids of Giza. Anticipating a remarkably awe-inspiring experience relishing one of the world’s most outstanding historical sites, we had another thing coming.

Contrary to what most people think the pyramids aren’t in the middle of the desert. Quite the contrary. They are located in the trashy suburb of Giza, 20 minutes outside of Cairo. Yep, Egypt’s three crowned jewels stand guarded behind a wired fence overlooking sprawling Cairo’s polluted skyline.

Hopping in an early morning taxi north to Giza, we arrived just before sunrise. Trash covered the streets and exhaust filled the air as we were greeted by money-hungry Egyptians touting rides on their rib-bearing horses and colorfully ornamented, cheeky camels. Making our way through the congested streets and fighting off the army of aggressive scammers who stood in our way, we caught our first sight of the ancient site. There before us, in the soft light of early morning, the peaks of the Great Pyramids of Giza peeped out behind a massive billboard and skyline dotted with KFC’s and Pizza Huts.

The morning would get worse before it got better. After arguing our way out of a shady scam involving our taxi driver and a stable owner, we found ourselves on the backs of two horses bound for the foothills of the pyramids…or so we thought. Our hour-long, sunrise horseback journey first lead us down littered alleyways teeming with traffic. Hummers, horse-drawn carriages, camels and Range Rovers zig-zagged through the lane-less streets in all directions. People hung out of SUV’s and off the backs of horses spraying hot pink silly string at each other while blaring rap music from their bass-heavy sound systems. The complete chaos had our horses bucking out of control, so bad in fact Ryan was knocked off his horse.

Where the hell were we? Was this really Giza? Or had we wandered onto the set of a Mexican gangster movie? Wherever we were, it was total anarchy and it was only 6 a.m.

Here’s a glimpse at the early morning scene caught on video while holding on to dear life on horseback.

We did arrive to the pyramids and for a brief few minutes enjoyed the views. This was soon interrupted by our guide hounding us for backsheesh (tips) and sending us on our merry way back to the thuggish streets of Giza.

Off the back of the horses and back on our own two feet, we spent a few somewhat peaceful hours walking the grounds of the pyramids. It was here, standing at the base of the ancient monstrosities close enough to touch them, that we really took in their beauty and significance. Looking out across the swelling dunes lined with caravans of camels under a blue sky and puffy white clouds, we began to feel the history and uncover the draw of the Great Pyramids of Giza.

Seeing the ancient pyramids and the wealth of sights that Egypt offers should be an experience you’ll never forget, right? More like something you’re hoping to forget. The touts are ruthless and the experience borders on the traumatic. Yet, still they photograph well with the backdrop the Cairenes have not yet developed.

All that being said, aren’t these photos fantastic? Hopefully not good enough to get you here.

I can’t say we weren’t forewarned by other travelers who’d gone before us, but Egypt is, in a word, intense. It is the single place on our journey I have no desire to return to, and with my thirst for adventure, that’s saying a lot.

They say first impressions are often the truest. Nowhere did this ring more true than in Egypt. On our first day in Cairo I arrived curious, excited and intrigued. I went to bed angry, bitter and distressed. All we needed was one day in the sprawling metropolis of Cairo to realize Egypt was not for us.

Our Arrival

Landing in one of the world’s oldest cities we found ourselves standing for the first time on African soil yet entrenched in the Arabic culture of the Middle East. I could hardly believe we were here, that our journey had brought us all this way from Argentina to Egypt.

From our first steps on the streets of Cairo, I could tell we’d left Asia behind. Sandstone minarets, domed-mosques and satellite dishes dominated the hazy skyline. We passed restaurants touting shawarma and koshari while the smell of mint tea, apple sheesha and exhaust fumes enveloped the air. We passed bakeries selling salty pretzels and cookies and eyed pastry-filled windows with puddings and cakes dripping in honey syrup.

Traffic-choked street corners were lined with tea vendors dressed in what looked like knee-high, rubber rain boots. They clung to massive silver urns slung around their shoulders while doling out cups of sweetness for pennies. And then there was the army of young boys winding through the labyrinth of tight alleyways balancing enormous, wooden break baskets on their heads while carpet sellers sunk their teeth into the morning stream of tourists passing by their storefronts. Yes, this was Cairo.

What was most noteworthy was our first introduction to the Muslim world. We’d visited Muslim Quarters in a handful of cities in Asia, however, here we experienced Islam in full-throttle. The entire city of 20 million seems to beat to an Islamic drum, and the myriad of cultural differences stemming from this were innumerable.

The Dress

First there was the dress. For Egyptian women revealing skin is taboo. Here women still dress in the traditional, black burqua covering, in many cases, every square inch of their bodies, often with only slits of their eyes revealed. Even at meal time women don’t remove the black cloth covering their faces, and witnessing them spoon food behind the black drape was fascinating.

While Western clothing has become a part of the Egyptian male identity, many still dress in traditional garb. They wear long, flowy robes that reach down to their ankles. In most cases they are white but always a mute tone. Some men even wear a kind of headdress with their robe, usually red and white checkered and stretching from their forehead to the back of their neck.

What I found most fascinating was seeing the two worlds collide. While the culture remains predominantly conservative, you can see some people are pushing the limits. Many women simply wear head scarves with Western clothes on bottom. What really caught my attention was seeing a woman wearing a full, black burqua yet rocking a pair of fire engine red, four-inch heels, peeping out the bottom. So fierce, in fact, even Tim Gun would be proud.

The Religion

Islam takes center stage in Cairo and all over Egypt. Five times a day, Muslims are required to bow down in prayer. Whether walking the streets or tending their shop, they stop everything they’re doing to lay down their mat and face Mecca. From the guy working the reception desk at our hotel to the tea vendor working the corner, they bowed their heads, prostrated their bodies to Allah.

The distinctive adhan, or call to prayer, was the soundtrack of our time in Cairo. Each day, yes five times a day, the melodic sound boomed across the sprawling city calling the faithful to prayer. The wildly chaotic cacophony of voices resounded through the city over loud speakers attached to the sides of minarets and mosques. Witnessing a tradition perhaps as old as Islam itself in one of the world’s ancient cities, was pretty surreal (except maybe when it woke us up each morning at sunrise!).

The Scene

Reflecting on the extreme cultural difference and sensory overload we were experiencing in our first steps in Cairo, we set out to explore the Old City, known as Islamic Cairo. Our first stop was the main bazaar known Khan al-Khalili, or simply known as The Khan. Amidst the hustle and bustle of one of the Middle East’s most famous bazaars, we wound down the tight alleyways lined with vendors hawking all sorts of metallic treasures. There were brass lamps, copper pots and silver antiques sold along side spice stands and perfumes sold out of delicate, glass bottles. This was Egypt at its most intoxicating.

Late afternoon brought us to al-Azhar Park, an expansive green space perched high above the city. The park offered a peaceful, green respite from the chaos and congestion of Cairo and turned out to be a spectacular place to watch sunset. With a 360 degree view over the city we watched the sun drop behind towering minarets and as the sky turned orange we could hear the call to prayer reverberating in the distance.

The Reality

What could have been a captivating experience soaking up the sights and sounds of one of the world’s ancient cities turned sour quickly. More than anywhere else on our travels, we were treated as walking dollar signs, and Egyptians go to extremes to get into your pockets. Wherever we went, we couldn’t walk more than five steps without being hounded, hassled and downright harassed. What started out as a mild annoyance soon turned aggressive. Hellos and where are you from became handshakes and violent tugs physically pulling you into a storefronts. Making eye contact with a stranger turned into being followed and hunted down for five blocks.

Most alarming was experiencing first-hand being a woman in the Arabic world. You are property and truly a second-class citizen. Every conversation was directed to Ryan, even if I was the one asking the question. It was almost as if I didn’t exist. But when it came to stares, they were all over me. Unlike India where the staring seemed to stem from a genuine curiosity, here it felt more like an attack. Bare skin, and I’m talking even just from the elbow down to the wrist, was eye candy for every man in town. Trying to cover my body in the 110 degree heat was exhausting and didn’t seem to curb any attention coming my way anyway.

On a visit to a local teahouse known as an awa, I realized I was losing the battle. Briefly stepping behind a tall bar and out of Ryan’s sight, I found myself being physically attacked. Our waiter held me tightly behind the bar out of Ryan’s view as he fondled me and ran his hands all over my body.

Needless to say I was quite shaken up and equally enraged. It certainly wasn’t the best introduction to Egypt or the Arab world.

I know what you are thinking. How can you generalize an entire country after a few isolated experiences? It’s just that we continued to experience the aggression and hostility of the people throughout our week-long stay in Egypt. This was just the beginning…

A week in Egypt would change me. It would take away that innocent, possibly naïve, outlook I suppose I bring to the table. I’d start questioning my innate trust in others and my desire to befriend total strangers. I learned that here, especially in the Arab world friendliness can be read the wrong way, and that it was time I toughened up. One thing was sure, Egypt was going to leave me hardened.