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MANILA, Philippines—“You have a beautiful eyes!” No, this was not some grammatically incorrect compliment during a romantic date, but rather an attention-drawing yell thrown at me and a friend as we walked through the Khan El Khalili in Cairo.

We were going shopping in the many streets and stalls in this world famous souk and the competition for Egyptian pounds, dollars or euros was pretty fierce. Other lines we heard (and ignored) as we passed were, “I pay you to look only!” and “In here everything costs nothing!”

In the end we got a couple of cool bargains although the word “bargain” takes a whole new meaning in Egypt. Seriously there are no price tags, so even a bottle of Coke is subject to a buy and sell argument. In the end (if you have the patience) the shopper and shopkeeper think they “won.” All’s fair in love, shopping, and “friend” pricing.

This is not a shopping story (although it certainly is a no-miss experience if you ever find yourself in Cairo), but rather an essay on a travel dream come true. Since I could remember, I suppose from reading “Tintin” comic books as a child, I have had a fascination for Egypt.

It seemed like such a surreal place to visit; so mysterious, so ancient, and almost caricature. (Yes, based obviously on comic book depictions.) I remember in one particular Asterix and Obelisk adventure they made a parody on how the nose of the Sphinx was destroyed. I later found out it was an act of defiance by a lone vigilante when I finally saw the Sphinx for myself. I remember standing in front of it and just saying to myself, “Wow.” It was more than I expected for some reason, in spite of the the seemingly endless stream of tourists surrounding it—and the broken nose, it had an almost regal quality.

It’s certainly not the prettiest thing I’ve seen, but it’s also nothing like I’ve ever seen. And you can’t stop taking photos of it, it’s just magnificent especially when viewed from the front with a pyramid rising behind it. I found myself just starting for a moment and wondering if this was real.

A quick backtrack (since being in Egypt is like going back in time) the morning of my arrival I found myself on the road to my hotel. As we were cruising along the highway, I noticed some unusual shapes in the distance, in other words, they didn’t look like a normal structure … they were triangular … oh! oh! “Are those the pyramids?” I gasped to my guide, “Hmmm yeah,” he answered with the same enthusiasm as a Filipino would if we saw a sari-sari store on the road. Despite my fatigue from the flight I nearly glued my head to the window of the car to get a clearer view of the pyramids. The sight itself was surreal. After years of wanting to see the pyramids they were now a seeming rooftop jump away.

My friend and I were to start our tour the next morning and our first stop would be the Pyramids of Giza. Like a child’s first visit to Disneyland I watched, transfixed as the pyramids soon faded from view.

The pace of our first day was perfect, we had a fabulous guide, Randa, a lady whose English was impeccable and whose love for country was evident. First stop, the Toblerone shapes of the desert, which again to my amazement was right smack in the center of “town” it seemed. Seriously, it was like we were in some commercial area and not in some far flung, sand-infested oasis.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) was our first stop, which is the last I believe of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The second, smaller one still had some limestone left at the very tip, resembling a dusty snowcapped mountain more popularly known as Chephren was built for Khafre, the son of King Khufu and the “smallest” was for Khufu’s grandson, Menkaure.

After walking around the pyramids we were taken to view them from higher ground to embark on our camel ride. Another first for me was to actually get on a camel outside of a zoo, and experience the rather nerve wracking standing-up-and-lying-down of one when you mount and dismount. My companion actually screamed when the camel stood up. She was not alone, a couple of other tourists did, too. If you are faint of heart, I have to admit it’s a rush that can be scary for some … and you realize as you look down that you’re higher up than you may want to be.

Even with the heartpounding rush, you feel with the uneven pace of the camel and the almost nonchalant, indifferent manner its handler has as you’re being led around, your heart races even more once you see the pyramids in all their splendor. Our guide (who looked like he couldn’t be more than 11) ordered us in rather strong English to go through a series of poses, some on the camel and some off, and definitely some in extremely cheesy positions. Still, it was hard not to have a good photograph with that kind of backdrop.

When we got back to the camel base, we were immediately immersed in the art of bargaining. “How much?” I asked the camel owner, he looked at me with a wide smile. “Egyptian money or American money?” “American” I replied. “$40 each,” he said, his smile never wavering. I raised an eyebrow and looked at my guide. She looked at him straight in the eye and said, “25.” He said (yup, still smiling) “30.” “No, 25.” “But you go for a long time.” At this point, I interrupted and said, “No, we went only short time, just until there,” pointing at some nondescript spot. He then said, “Ok, ok, ’cause you are friend, 25.” Wow, fast friends indeed. We paid him 25 each.

Then I saw the 11-year-old looking at me with a knowing look, reached out his hand. Yup, he wanted a tip, I gave him $5 and pointed to my friend, saying it was for both of us. He didn’t get it. He tapped my friend and reached out his hand. He probably would physically stop her from leaving until he was paid.

From that moment on, my friend and I made sure we always had small bills, because even if Egypt is magical and a no-miss in this lifetime, the greatest travel tip is to be prepared to tip. Everyone. Just keep smiling.