Part 10: Egypt

Eddie has been on the road again! Wohooo!! Sadly, the world has not been informed, as it turns out his caretakers are some sloppy individuals, not caring about eager fans waiting for what MUST feel like decades for new updates on how the coolest eagle in the world are doing and where he has been lately.

Well, here it comes: Eddie has conquered Egypt and visited a bunch of mummies and got so inspired that he considered becoming one. Luckily, he came to his senses as it involved a lot of horizontal positions in dark boxes, plus wrapping himself in and out of a lot of linen every time someone asked for a selfie.

He set off 2 days after Christmas leaving cold weather behind and enjoyed his flight from Oslo via Istanbul, eagerly waiting to step out in a much warmer and friendlier environment. What he didn’t expect was the cold weather who had followed his steps and encompassed the entire north of Egypt, leaving his beak blue…er! Somehow he’s starting to get used to blue beak and shivering cold, after passing one of the highest motorable roads in Ladakh and on his trip to Antarctica but as there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing (…which is an idiom to be discussed when you only have feathers) there is no time for sulking, and Eddie sets off to explore Cairo, a multimillion city where new and old cultures blend with each other and creates a fascinating melting pot. The pyramids of Giza were of course on the top of his list, along with the Great Sphinx of Giza. The view didn’t let him down, even though he felt kind of sorry for the Sphinx who didn’t have the same impressive and masculine beak as himself.

The time was short in Cairo, but before he left, he also visited the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization where he was granted an audience with 20 royal kings and queens in dark crypts. To have been wrapped up in linen for almost 3000 years, Eddie was very impressed at how well the mummies had been preserved, as he could still see clear details on the bodies with their long hair and nails.

After 2 days packed with impressions, Eddie turned his beak into the desert where the next stop was Bahariya Oasis, a 5 hours’ drive southwest of the capital. Safari Camp Bahariya Oasis was booked in advance and they also arranged a car from Cairo to the Oasis, a tour in and outside the oasis, as well as dropping him off in Luxor. The oasis itself is a small village surrounded by more than 3 million palm trees and a large salt lake. Outside of the oasis it is only desert, but what a desert!! It changed every 5 km with unique geological formations, including black volcanic rocks (Black Desert), sparkling quartz crystals (Crystal Mountain), white chalk/limestone rock formations (White Desert) and Valley of Agabat where Eddie even did sandboarding… Probably as the first eagle ever and his supreme guide and driver was mighty impressed! As Eddie had left Christmas behind, New Year 2025 was celebrated outside his tent in the middle of the White Desert, listening to the silence and watching shooting stars instead of noisy fireworks. I.T.  W.A.S  A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.! 🔥

There was no time for lingering, so January 1 was spent in a car driving through the desert towards Luxor which took 10 hours, including bribing the police at one of the multiple checkpoints along the road. The checkpoints exist to control the movement in the area due to security concerns, particularly related to terrorism, smuggling and the region’s proximity to the porous borders with Sudan and Libya.

Eddie arrived as expected, safe and sound in Luxor. After being in the serene desert, seeing almost nobody, except his caretakers who follow him like a shadow, it was a shock to come to a buzzling tourist-machine and even though he is used to being followed by fans, it sometimes got a bit overwhelming. He was also surprised that sooooo many locals recognized him and said they worked in the kitchen of his hotel… especially when his hotel didn’t have a kitchen… 🤔 He concluded it couldn’t be touts but simply fans who made a desperate excuse to find the courage to talk to him. Who would have thought that Eddie was such a huge star in Egypt!? ️✨