Return to Cairo, Travel to London, and an ENGAGEMENT!

I woke up in the sleeper train refreshed about an hour outside of Cairo and I was greeted with the attendant giving me a tray for breakfast. I got changed and enjoyed four different servings of bread (It seems like this is the standard breakfast when it comes to Egypt!). We arrived a little late into Cairo due to another train on our track having some issues and having to switch tracks, so we waited a bit before we got underway. After arriving at the Giza train station  we took the metro to the hotel where it all started eight days ago, so we could go our separate ways. The three of us had already pre-booked an airport transfer with EMO tours (The same company that took us on our first Cairo day trip) and we were also able to share the shuttle with two of our American friends we met during the tour. Gimpy wanted to pick up another city mug from Starbucks so we made a quick detour where all of us ended up getting at least one mug. Its weird to step into a Starbucks because the interior is very much like any other Starbucks, so it felt a little familiar and like home even though outside was regular Cairo.

After Starbucks we arrived at Cairo international airport without incident and we all checked into our respective flights and waited to board. I was impressed with the amount of security that was present at this airport. Prior to setting out on this trip, we were slightly apprehensive about this leg given some of the recent events with Egyptian aviation so the extra scrutiny that was being done helped ease some of our anxiety. I’ve been through strict security before, however they were extremely thorough and sadly while going through security they would not allow me to bring the Nubian spice that I had picked up in Aswan. Oddly enough, they let my Saffron go, but I suspect that because I couldn’t identify all 10+ ingredients in the mix, they erred on the side of caution. I was bummed, because I was very eager to try making similar tasting chicken at home (I guess I’ll need to come back to Egypt to try to get it again!) So with my Nubian spice being the only casualty I was able to get through security without further incident.

We boarded our flight to London and settled in for the five hour flight. The flight was generally uneventful and we arrived in London a little after 9PM. The border control line though was quite long so it took us over an hour to clear British immigration.  We then had to get to our Hostel for the night so we jumped on the Metro for the hour long ride into London from Heathrow. We were able to check in late and got settled into our room at about 12 AM local time.

I was excited and nervous for this portion of the trip because prior to us departing on this month long journey, Gimpy’s boyfriend had let me know that he intended to fly to London, surprise and propose to her when we arrived. Throughout the trip I had been exchanging messages with him and we were trying to coordinate “running” into him despite the delays at immigration and flight delays. After we had checked in, I suggested Gimpy take a shower so we could grab a late night bite before turning in. I met Gimpy’s boyfriend in the lobby and went over how he wanted to surprise her. He was nervous and I was nervous and excited for him! He wanted to surprise her after we had left our Hostel, so we agreed on that and I went back up to get ready myself. I had let Muscles in on the surprise earlier in the day so he also had a camera ready. With hair dried and ready to go out, we made our way downstairs and outside of the Hostel when he appeared and she was completely shocked, but she said YES!  It was such an amazing thing to witness, I’ve known both of them for over a decade and to see them take this next step in their relationship was absolutely amazing! Thanks to both of you for letting me be a part of it! I’m so extremely happy for the both of you and wish you two nothing but love and happiness moving forward!

We spent the rest of the evening in our hotel lounge, just chatting about what just happened, how it happened and simply soaking in the moment! It was a little surreal to think we still had a full day of travel ahead, but with our spirits sky high we knew our half day in London tomorrow would be spectacular and extra special. We woke up early to make use of the limited time we had left in London. Gimpy had never been to London before so the time was hers and she wanted to see the sights. We made our way to Buckingham palace, walked to the Big Ben, Parliament and the Westminster Abbey area, crossed London Bridge, then visited an area called Brick Lane market. Its this huge street market with all sorts of artistic items, food and misc things for sale. It was also a great opportunity for the newly engaged to spend some time together after being apart for almost a month! Sadly we did need to make our way back to Heathrow and board our final flight home. The flight was interesting as a bookend to our first flight in that this would be our pilots final flight before retiring, and so as we landed in Vancouver, we were greeted with a fire engines water canon spray over our plane to commemorate the flight! So we went from a celebration of Air Canada’s first double daily flight to London to a pilots final flight on our way home!

It has been an extremely amazing and wonderful trip and to end it off by seeing two people I love very much take a huge step forward in their relationship was simply icing on the cake! It is with mixed feelings that this trip comes to an end. On the one hand it has been a looooong time since we’ve been home, and with the hot climates kicking our butts there were days when we were all ready to go home. On the other hand though, we’ve been able to experience a slice of creativity in this world that is unimaginable. We’ve seen natural beauty, human ingenuity, nature being nature and witnessed things that are simply good for the soul. There are memories, laughter and experiences that will last a lifetime and it simply fuels my desire for more. But as we put a close on this African adventure for three, the primary sentiment that I have is that I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to have explored and experienced.

And Once again… my heartfelt congratulations to Gimpy and now fiance on your commitment of love to one another, I cannot wait for the big day!

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