I woke up on November 2nd with the kind of excitement that warms your whole body from the inside out. This was the day I reunited with my wonderful guide and friend, Dalia Dod. Seeing her again felt like seeing a family member — a burst of familiarity and kindness in the middle of a trip already overflowing with unforgettable moments. Hearing her familiar voice was really comforting for some reason.

We headed straight to Saqqara, and from the moment we stepped out of the car, the wind was whipping around us like it had a personality of its own — playful, insistent, determined to be part of the day’s story. And honestly? It added to the magic.

Our first stop was the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest pyramid in the world and the first monumental stone building in human history. To stand in front of something that old — something that shifted the direction of architecture forever — is almost too much for the mind to handle. Dalia reminded me that this incredible structure began as a simple mastaba, just a rectangular tomb. Then another mastaba was built on top of it, and then another… until Imhotep, Djoser’s brilliant architect, realized that he had invented something entirely new. A staircase to eternity. A concept humanity had never seen. But still, just a prototype.

I then entered the Pyramid of Unas, which contains the oldest religious writings ever discovered—the Pyramid Texts—carved across the burial chambers in thousands of hieroglyphs. These spells were meant to guide the king’s spirit safely into the afterlife, and they transformed how Egyptians understood life, death, and rebirth for centuries to come. It was amazing to see the alabaster walls glow under bright light!!

From there, we wandered through the vast enclosure surrounding Djoser’s complex — colonnaded halls, ceremonial courts, walls that once echoed with ritual and royal pride. The whole place feels like it’s still whispering.

Then we drove south to Dahshur, home of the pyramids that represent Egypt’s architectural learning curve in real time.

The Bent Pyramid was especially fascinating. It’s the world’s first attempt at a true smooth-sided pyramid — the missing link between the Step Pyramid and all the perfect pyramids that came after it. The bottom angle is too steep, and halfway up, the builders realized the structure might collapse. So they adjusted the angle mid-construction, giving the pyramid its iconic, almost bashful shape. It’s like watching ancient engineers think out loud in stone.

And right there beside it stands the Red Pyramid, the first successfulsmooth-sided pyramid in history — perfectly angled, beautifully balanced, and still magnificent in the desert light.

I wanted to see the interior and Dalia waited as I climbed the daunting staircase to the pyramid’s entrance. Sweaty and sucking air, I was laughing the entire way as it kept hitting me where I was and what I was doing. It was really hard for me to be upset about anything during this trip. Huffing and puffing, they applauded for me as I exited, calling "Yalla Bena" and "Ramses!!" because of my white goatee.

We even glimpsed the dark silhouette of the Black Pyramid, haunting and almost shy in the distance.

The wind, the sand, the sun — they all felt like part of a grand classroom without walls. And with Dalia beside me, explaining, laughing, sharing stories and insights with that bright spark she carries, the day became one of the highlights of my journey.

It wasn’t just informative.
It was joyful.
It was full.
It was ancient Egypt unfolding, one revelation at a time.

And it felt so good — so grounding and comforting — to share it with my pal Dalia again.

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