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It was my first trip to Cairo. It was not exactly by choice- I was travelling for work and quite apprehensive as a quick Google search will reveal that Egypt tops a few lists as one of “the most dangerous places for female travellers”. I was ready though, I had had all my vaccinations done and, of course, my not to do’s list memorised: • Don’t eat outside of the hotel • Don’t have ice in your drinks • Don’t eat fruit you can’t peel yourself • Don’t forget your immodium • Don’t, under any circumstances, go exploring by yourself Simple enough rules. I broke each one on the first day. I arrived a day early and realised I would have to spend the entire day in the hotel room, trapped with only screaming Excel sheets to keep me company. I managed to sidestep them and opened up TripAdvisor instead, in search of interesting facts about my new surroundings. One click led to another and before I knew it I was in the hotel lobby waiting for a stranger to pick me up and drive away with him. Hosam and Abdo arrived on time, Abdo would be my driver for the day and Hosam my guide. The car was old and near collapse, like most of Cairo, with no signage as the company only hires freelancers so it must have been Abdo’s private car. We were off to the pyramids of Giza, one of the ancient 7 wonders of the world and the only that still exists today. Needless to say, the drive to Giza through chaotic Cairo was quite overwhelming yet fascinating. There are armed military personnel stationed everywhere but instead of making me feel safe it made me nervous. Hosam assured me I would get used to it and won’t even notice it after a while. He was right. The driving in Cairo is unlike anything I have ever experience - no lines, no rules, no worries. Everyone seems to understand the rhythm of the roads except me. My poor right leg was in spasm after slamming it continuously into an invisible break peddle every few seconds throughout the entire journey. At one point I looked out my window and saw a horse eat out of a rubbish dump and thought, “well, isn’t that bizarre” but after considering its surroundings I understood that it probably wasn’t bizarre after all. I realised then that I had leapt head first into this new adventure without informing anyone. I normally let someone know, I mean if I am going to disappear in a country with a population of close to 100 million people I’d like to think I had at least left some clues. After the initial culture shock I calmed down and got excited to finally experience the pyramids for myself. Once we got out Hosam started following me around with an umbrella. He insisted on holding it for me while we walk around the pyramids. I insisted that he didn’t. Now it is not easy to win an argument with a Middle Easterner, but after 5 years of living in Dubai I have mastered the look that means NO - he recognised the look and finally conceded. Hosam was also my self-appointed personal photographer for the day, this was not an argument I could have won. He was amusingly bossy so off I went, smiling, posing, moving a bit more to the left. It was not long before about 5 different Middle Eastern families got involved in the action. It happens to me every now and again - a tall, blonde woman in the Middle East. I think most of the time people ask for a photo just in case it turns out I’m actually famous. Either that or I am now the centre piece of quite a few Middle Eastern households. In between the posing, dodging tourists on camels, laughing at the donkeys and listening to Hosam sharing some of the pyramids’ history and secrets I stopped and appreciated the beautiful moment that I found myself in. Mind-blowing. I had made the right decision in coming here.