Elite Traveler Winter 2024/25

elite traveler WINTER 2024/25 159

dapper man who wins our hearts instantly. Within minutes he impresses us with his passion and expertise. He embodies the spirit of A&K’s Tailor Made trip itineraries, because of his vast body of knowledge and his peerless array of friends and colleagues to consult across Egypt. He can talk about the past as easily as the present. Deftly, he befriends us, discerning what interests us and wisely o ff ering his own suggestions. Today’s an easy day; we’re jet-lagged. We spend it at the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities (the original cache for Egyptian treasures), which remains open even as the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) — the largest archeological museum in the world — continues to launch piecemeal and, sadly, behind schedule. More on that later. (Spoiler alert: our guide has connections and we get a sneak peek!) We peruse mummies, curiosities and artifacts aplenty, then retire to a waterside cafe to lunch on hummus and falafel and drink sweet mint tea. Ramadan wants us to put four packets of sugar in our tea, but we just can’t make ourselves drink it that sweet. DAYTWO Today feels like a page from Agatha Christie’s Death on theNile — or any other book you’ve read that has characters cavorting around the pyramids and the Great Sphinx as if they were the only people in attendance. At these spectacular monuments, we aren’t alone, but Ramadan knows exactly when and how to approach each site to beat the crowds. He peppers the entire experience with fascinating stories. We’ve begun with a sneak peek at the not-quite open-yet GEM, allowed to visit sections that most visitors can’t see yet — all arranged by A&K. Housing the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, including treasures from the Tutankhamun tomb and items dating to 4000 BC, GEM represents an extraordinary cultural and architectural accomplishment. Perhaps the day’s masterstroke, however, is our lunch at an alfresco restaurant called 9 Pyramids Lounge, located on the same Giza plateau as the pyramids themselves. Seen with uninterrupted views, the pyramids seem just steps away. We pose for scores of photos, of course. It turns out Ramadan

Even as an inveterate traveler, I admit I’m a little rattled to arrive hours late to Cairo at 2am. My plane, half a day behind schedule from London, opens its doors to let fl iers rush across the threshold to their destination — Cairo, perhaps the most exotic destination on Earth. Even sleepwalking the word sounds like a poem. As I ponder when the hallways will end, I’m met by a man with kind eyes and a big grin. “We’ve been waiting for you for hours,” he says amiably, like an old friend, taking my suitcase. Following him, I feel transported even before I’ve left the building. My Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) Tailor Made trip to Egypt has begun at last. We head to Four Seasons Cairo at the First Residence, a splendid hotel in Giza in central Cairo on the west bank of the Nile. I’m expecting to sleep as we drive (read: dead tired), but I’m immediately enthralled by the bustle. I check my phone — what? Isn’t it the middle of the night? But, I’ll tell you this: No other city in the world is as alive as Cairo at this late hour. Motorcycles packed with revelers speed by. Carts drawn by mules roll along the roadside. Multistory buildings sparkle with illumination, as if everyone inside were awake. On the sidewalks men have pulled chairs out into semi-circles to gather for conversations and drink sweet mint tea. Solitary individuals sit, too, reading books as if the street were a living room. Women and children walk hand in hand. Laughter seasons the air. People rush with large things in hand: immense jars, stacks of newspapers, towers of boxes. One man pulls a wagon piled with carpets. Another pushes a cart of food he has for sale; a delicious aroma wafts from it. Lured by the buzzy life force, I want to leap from the car and join the party. DAYONE Having arrived so late, I don’t get much sleep. But I don’t need it. The thrill and anticipation drive me to the hotel’s Tea Lounge for an Egyptian breakfast of ful (a fava bean stew) and shakshuka. Then, I rush to the lobby to reconnect with my friend, Amanda (who arrived separately) and to meet our personal Egyptologist, Abercrombie & Kent guide Medhat Ramadan. It’s just the two of us and Ramadan, a

Photos Sanctuary Retreats, hemro/ Shutterstock.com, Dan Wiencek