If you have ever wanted to place your hand on a wall and brush fingertips with a 3000 year old craftsman or walk in the sandy footsteps of people like Caesar, Cleopatra and even Napoleon then Egypt is the place. The sense of history is palpable throughout the country and to someone like me, who comes from a country where human history is measured in hundreds of years, the ability to reach out and bridge that 3000 year gap is awe inspiring.

But enough waxing lyrical, I’m liable to do enough of that when I write about watching the sun set over the Nile or standing in front of Tutankhamen’s golden mask. This is a travelogue, not a tourist brochure.

The tour I chose was “Egypt Encompassed” with Geckos Adventures. A grassroots travel company they promised a comprehensive look at Egypt and the 19 day itinerary certainly seemed to deliver. Not being one to travel that far and not see all that I could I booked an extra couple of nights before the tour and an extra couple afterwards. It’s always good to be able to spend some time on my own exploring a new city and Cairo was not one that I planned to let get away. Being a major history and archaeology buff I knew that the Museum alone was going to take up a day. This is where the Lonely Planet guides are invaluable. Pore over them before you go and you should know what you want to see and how to get there from the moment you step off the plane.

Having chosen the tour, paid for it and arranged all the visas it was just a matter of waiting that interminable period of time until getting on the plane. Sure anticipation is good but anyone who says that they enjoy it more than actually getting on the plane is a masochist in the extreme.

I’m a masochist. No, not anticipation; I enjoy flying and airports. Even at my height and size I enjoy being cramped in the seat and spending hours waiting in a departure lounge for yet another flight. It’s exciting and sleeping on a floor somewhere while waiting 12 hours between flights is all part of the trip. Enjoy it all because who knows if it may the last time you get to do it. I had to fly from Brisbane to Sydney to Singapore to Dubai to Cairo arriving about 6am and I loved every moment of it.

Somehow the Geckos guy managed to meet me before I had even cleared customs at Cairo airport. He must have noticed the Geckos luggage tag hanging from my pack and he corralled me towards the baggage claim area along with a young guy who was looking a little dazed. Grabbing our bags the young guy and I were hustled into a mini bus and whisked off to our hotel. I always like to pre-book my transport to the hotel like this. It saves an awful lot of hassle at the airport, especially if you’re not at the top of your game after some many-houred flight and the usual confusion of the arrival area of any airport. Robbie and I introduced ourselves as we were the only two passengers and then spent the rest of the trip staring out the window at our first glimpse of Cairo and Egypt.

Our first taste of Cairo traffic was a little nerve wracking. Apart from being on the wrong side of the road it really seemed to be a free for all with lane markings the barest suggestion rather than a rule.

The Hotel (the good old St George) was basic but, hey, its grassroots and the room had a bed, a flush toilet, fridge and air conditioner. So what if the fridge and the air-con couldn’t be run at the same time. Hardly had we checked in before the concierge was asking if we wanted to do a tour. He knew a taxi driver that we could hire for the day and he would take us anywhere we wanted to go for a really good price. Robbie and I looked at each other and I think we both thought ‘what the hell’. The price was only ₤200 (rapid mental calculation made that a little under $20 each), the drivers name was Kamahl (why are people so unkind) and we had the whole day to fill. Ditching our bags in our rooms we came back down to find that Kamahl’s car was an ancient black Mercedes. Robbie went into raptures over it but not having any interest in cars I was just concerned that we didn’t have to push it at any point. We were off in a cloud of smoke.

Both Robbie and I were keen to see the Pyramids (what else) and I wanted to go to the museum. Kamahl seemed to have other ideas however. He suggested visiting the Step Pyramid at Saqqara and then the markets. Yes, we could see the pyramids as well and yes there would also be plenty of time to go to the museum. Okay, Saqqara it was then, and we settled in for the drive.