When you think of Egypt – um, pre-2011 – what do you conjure up? Yom Kippur? A stone cat? Food-borne parasites?
As expected, you didn’t mention the word nature. Sure, the stones of the Sphinx and the Pyramids aren’t human-made, and parasites are…my point is that you likely aren’t expressly visiting for its clean air or palm-covered landscape. Unless you’re Russian.
My trips for the most part have involved massive cities. That’s changing – my inner organs are thankful – and an excursion from Egypt’s superlatively busy capital, Cairo, to Giza, Dashur and Saqqara was one reason why. Strolling around a desert, mostly by myself, then stumbling upon a structure built thousands of years prior- definitely worth the escape. Beyond sampling ancient history and experiencing death-defying (though not life-altering) stunts the driver pulled, it was a also treat to finally check out a national park:
This guy’s determined to reduce his carbon footprint. Based on his camouflage, he’s just as determined to reduce yours too.
Traffic obstacles aside, the quality of the road still looks heaps better than anything in New York City.
buildingmybento 
What kind of vehicle is this guy moving about in? Tricycle? Motorbike? Some sort of rickshaw? I’d love to see the front-view picture. That said, I also like imagining that it’s just a guy absolutely covered in palm fronds hiking up the middle of the road.
There’s no front-view! Keep your imagination running amok… for all we know it’s a Smart car or Ed Begley Jr.
When i hear about Egypt, i used to think of the pyramids – when i went there, i found out that’s the least if what you can see there. I took a Nile cruise and went down all the way to Aswan (near to Sudanese border) – loved it! I definitely want to do it again – but maybe i’ll wait…
What you say about nature – i noticed it too. A local friend actually told me that while only 3% of the land is cultivated, agriculture has a leading position in Egyptian economy… Hard to believe, huh? 😀
Diana
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