In which Zach spends his second-to-last day in Cairo in two religions, by visiting the ancient mosques of Cairo in the morning, and then attending a Coptic Christian Easter church service in the evening. A visit to the ritzy Jezeera Tower fits somewhere in the middle.

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In which Zach returns to Cairo after a week in the south, and fills his first days back with Coptic historical culture, more pyramids (of the even MORE ancient variety), rides an “authentic” Egyptian felucca, and lies in a dead guy’s grave. Gritty AND religiously inappropriate!

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In which Zach gets to within 40 kilometers of the Sudanese border while visiting the majestic Abu Simbel ruins. He accidentally becomes a guide and translator to a busload of European and Asian tourists, but saves them a bit of money in the process. And really, a felucca ride in the Nile at sunset is the best way to finish off a visit to the south of Egypt.

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In which Zach leaves Cairo for the southern city of Luxor, home of the Valley of the Kings. Remember to leave your camera at the hotel though; they really take “please no photo” quite seriously. But between helpful Egyptian mountain guides and tour guides and a spectacular night stroll through an ancient temple, it was all worth it anyway.

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In which Zach visits picturesque Alexandria, the city that succeeds in blurring Egyptian and European culture better than anywhere else, and ventures off the beaten path…sometimes not by choice!

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In which Zach meets his new mum(mies) in the mind-blowing Egyptian Museum. He also somehow finds himself in what he thought was Istanbul, but actually was just ancient Islamic Cairo in a similar architectural style

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