After months of planning, our Egypt adventure officially kicked off on Wednesday, May 21. We left Orlando International and flew through Toronto and Frankfurt before landing in Cairo late Thursday. The connections were smooth, and despite the long haul, the travel experience went off without a hitch.

On arrival, we were met by Avalon’s transfer team, who handed us our visa stamps and got us through immigration with zero stress. From there, it was a quick ride to the Fairmont Nile City—our home base for the next few nights. The hotel is perched right on the Nile with incredible views and a room that hit all the right notes after a full day of travel.

Dinner that night was at the hotel’s Saigon Restaurant & Lounge. We shared fried prawns as a starter and toasted the start of the trip with champagne. Chris went with the Peking duck and Jen the lamb chops—both dishes were excellent. The atmosphere was just the right blend of modern and relaxed, with soft music and riverside views to ease us into the Cairo pace.

Full, happy, and ready to reset our internal clocks, we wrapped the night early. Tomorrow we officially meet the group and begin exploring.