Abd El Hady speaks six different languages and lives a nomadic lifestyle in the desert with his camel. After a restful conversation with Nikki, he grabbed his staff and said "ok, I have to go do business now." To the left of this frame is a landscape view of The Great Pyramids of Giza, where people sell camel, donkey, and horse rides.

Taking off on the Red Sea from a Hurghada port to Paradise Island.

Conversation sparked in the back of the bus between part-time family-man, part-time tour guide, Adaam and I. As politics inevitably creeped into the conversation, Adaam expressed his distaste for the militarization of his country under the current regime. He believed increased military training promoted further division among Egyptian citizens.

The Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III was renamed Colossi of Memnon after the Romans arrived and heard whistles blowing through the stone; they believed it was Memnon, King of the Ethiopians, communicating with his mother, Eos, goddess of the dawn. Both figures came from ancient mythology.

Queen Hatshepsut's temple sits to the side of the frame in a nook of tall, chiseled rock. What we see is the foundation of the archaeological site, where a clandestine figure walks across the left wall. This image looks out from Hatshepsut's temple, because there are enough photographs of the temple itself online.

The Red Sea awaiting inevitable admiration. Is that Sinai I see?

The burial ground of pharaohs from the 16th to 11th century BC. Tunnels were dug from the compact rock. Leading to the tombs were immaculate stories carved and painted across the tomb walls.

Taking a memorable photograph of the Nile River was an important mission in Cairo, acknowledging the rich history held by the body of water. “Nile Angel” conveniently drifted in my frame of sight and shot. The labeled sail offers a built-in caption for understanding, an objective truth, an index for my memory.

The everlasting sea of sand surrounds the white Toyota Safari Landcruiser speeding into the desert. We're gradually encompassed by large masses of sand and rock that were at one point solely a mirage in the distance. We were on our way to learn about the Bedouin people, nomadic people who trade commodities like minerals and migrate in order to do so. They prefer to live a self-sufficient lifestyle far away from Egyptian society. Bedouin children grow up studying the Quran.

Relishing in the Red Sea's wind becomes a sort of meditation among the dry heat of North Africa. Nikki's Windy City roots don't mind a break from the humidity of Chicago summers.

The abundance of gold found in the young King Tutankhamun's tomb had been relocated to a security-intensive exhibit in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. His tomb is in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt.