Pilgrimage to the Pyramids

I locked away a full month in September to disappear after the long months of filming The Block over the winter.

I was visiting southern Italy for the first time and I was meant to travel on to the US for another special screening of The Fort, but due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes, it wasn’t the right timing. So, I found myself with four days by myself and I didn’t want to spend it all in Italy so I threw
caution to the wind and googled the path from Rome to Melbourne and found it flew directly over Egypt!

Instantly it triggered the incredible memories of my friend Fiona Horne who had just been there. I was so inspired by her pics I asked for some advice if it was safe, where to go and she messaged back, ‘when are you going’? We could not believe she was landing the day before me to do a recce tour of some retreats she has created for 2024. ‘Come along and be my Guinea pig” she said, affectionately of course. So I extended my holiday by another day and a five-day trek to Egypt was born.

Egypt is a magical place that has been on my bucket list since I studied design, but I had never found the right time to visit. And now it presented itself by chance with a change in travel plans. I left everything to Fiona and she navigated the whole experience, and can I tell you, it is incredible what you can pack into five days, even including plane travel to another city.

Fiona met me at Cairo airport and my road travel initiation was instant chaos. The locals know the rules and understand the chaos, so it’s all best witnessed from the comfort of your passenger seat with a local behind the wheel.

It wasn’t long before I saw the great pyramids on the way to the hotel, which was a totally mystical experience. Driving in five-lane highway traffic with the ancient pyramids alongside me, and then arriving at my accommodation and being able to see them from my room was mind-bending as I tried to actually fathom the proximity of the ‘beginning of time’.

Seeing the great pyramids was just the beginning of this trip, and there is so much to talk about that one simple article can’t do it justice. So, for now, here are some highlights, with a more expansive and detailed recap to come in the near future.

If you are interested in the retreats Fiona has created (they are sold out, bar two openings in April) visit her website and join the waiting list by emailing [email protected]