Day 15 — Cairo Airport Tried to Break Us Before Jordan Could Welcome Us
There are airports that feel organized. There are airports that feel busy. And then there is Cairo Airport, which felt…
Twenty years of family adventures
Teyauna
Day 14 — Sixty Balloons, One Sunrise, and the Karnak Temple That Would Not Stop Being Huge
There are mornings when waking up at 4:30 a.m. feels like punishment. This morning felt like punishment with potential. We…
Day 13 — The Valley of the Kings, King Tut, and the Horse Cart That Took Us to the Wrong Market
There are places in Egypt where the ancient world feels far away. The Valley of the Kings is not one…
Day 12 — The Nile Gave Us Blankets, a Singing Paddleboarder, and Crocodile Mummies
After several days of alarms that felt personally hostile, the morning in Aswan began with something gentler. We were still…
Day 11 — Abu Simbel Was Worth the 3:45 A.M. Wakeup, But the Driver’s Phone Was Not
There are wakeup times that feel adventurous. There are wakeup times that feel unpleasant. And then there is 3:45 a.m.,…
Day 10 — Aswan Welcomed Us With Island Temples, Market Haggling, and a Man Who Remembered My Name
There is something disorienting about waking up on a sleeper train and realizing the day has already started without asking…
Day 9 — Cairo Gave Us Pyramids, Police Whistles, and a Sleeper Train With Character
There are mornings when a 6:15 a.m. alarm feels like a suggestion. This was not one of those mornings. This…
Day 8 — Grandma Got Into the Balloon, and Morocco Looked Better From the Sky
There are certain moments when you look at your elderly mother, look at the side of a hot air balloon…
Day 7 — Marrakech Gave Us Tombs, Markets, and the Great Moroccan Laundry Mission
There is a point in every long family trip when clean laundry becomes more exciting than historic monuments. I am…
Day 6 — Ait Ben Haddou Looked Like a Movie Set Because It Basically Was
There are some places that feel ancient. There are some places that feel cinematic. And then there is Ait Ben…