A Different Egypt Trip
The 2019 Spring Festival holiday was very unforgettable for me. Because that holiday was a perfect embodiment of the pre-pandemic era, I went to a place I had always dreamed of—Egypt—and completed my first solo long-distance journey. Even now, I savor the beauty of that time, and also the loneliness and isolation that came two years later.
Egypt has always been a fascinating country because of its mummies, pyramids, and countless myths and legends. At the Egyptian Museum, I felt like I wasn't an earthling but a time traveler from another planet. I was deeply shocked, because I saw a civilization that I considered very mysterious and ancient—yet it was not born out of primitive ignorance due to lack of technology, but represented a more advanced progression. The mystery of such a civilization feels even more out of reach to us, who are swept along by modern culture. So when I saw this golden land, my heart was filled with reverence.
Just before the plane landed, through the window I saw strings of golden gemstone necklaces. As I looked out, I silently felt that this trip would be wonderful, because this was Egypt, the land of the Nile and the Sahara Desert.
However, as soon as we landed and were about to transfer to Luxor—since the planned itinerary was to first visit Luxor, then the Red Sea, then Cairo, and finally fly back home—things changed. That day, Egypt encountered a rainstorm that happens only once in a century. Normally, this season has little rain, but we met with rain. Due to the fog caused by the rain, the airport in Luxor could not perform a blind landing, so our flight was repeatedly delayed. As we waited at the airport, we started discussing possibly changing the itinerary. Since we were already here, we might as well go with the flow—let's start exploring Egypt from Cairo. Our tour guide's intention was good; she wanted us to begin with the oldest history of Egypt. But since the weather had other plans, we followed nature's lead. So we temporarily arranged a hotel and a new schedule for the next day: we would visit the Egyptian Museum.
As for the museum's content, I think it deserves a separate travelogue. For now, you can get a glimpse of Egypt's treasure trove of historical civilization from the pictures.
However, what I want to talk about is the overall feeling of this trip. After experiencing Egypt's perfect history, when we stepped into its other regions, we discovered a completely new Egypt—for example, its streets, Cairo's streets without traffic lights, the crystal-clear Red Sea, the warm and hospitable Egyptian people, the gentlemanly hotel staff, the unique and delicious Egyptian coffee, the beautiful sunset over the Nile, and the enthusiasm of the Sahara Desert. All of this filled my devout heart with awe. Standing under the massive pillars in front of the temples, in front of the countless oil paintings and stories covering the walls, and in front of the ocher-colored Pharaoh tombs, I felt very small, and felt the wonder of this world and the包容 (inclusiveness) of the universe. At that moment, I loved myself and this world even more.
