By Traveling Light Columnist: Liz Pond
Posted: May 5, 2026
I am stretched out on the bow of the boat writing in my journal about King Tut's Tomb, the monuments in Aswan, and what it feels like to be an independent American Woman in Egypt in the late 90’s. I watch the hull cut through the ancient Nile waters as the Felluca glides skilfully forward with the lightest caress of the wind. There is no motor, so our schedule is at the mercy of Mother Nature and a well-worn, dusty, white, billowy sail. My mind flows like the river to what I desire in this life. As the sail inflates with the wind, oxygen fills my head with clarity, and my thoughts fly forward. I am fully present, feeling the breeze on my cheek, and still able to see a version of my future self.
(1) Felucca sailing down the Nile.
I see a phantom woman who beckons to me to build a life of purpose and adventure. I recognize a familiar tug deep inside to be a mother. I glance down at the spot on my finger where my fiancé placed a ring at the beginning of our travels a few months earlier. I visualize the family I hope to create one day, and the lure of more. I am not one thing; I am a kaleidoscope of desires for this life, tethered only by the heavily weighted truth that I have already experienced great loss. I have so many questions for my mother that I will never be able to ask. There is a hole in my heart that will never fully heal. A deep sadness begins to grip me when I realize she will not be at my wedding. I physically and emotionally shake it off and focus on today. I am surrounded by positive, courageous people who, like me, want to explore the globe. I do not have the sense of invincibility others have in their twenties. I understand life can be short. So, I charge after experience with a sense of urgency, manifesting a fearlessness that seemed to belong to someone else.
Photo of My Amazing Mother
This was the end of my big trip, traveling through Europe, Israel, and Egypt. How would this phantom future self navigate home and the messy bumps of career, a master's degree, relationships, and a fierce drive to be a mom? My mind wandered to the Nile of rivers past and to a serious, intelligent, educated Cleopatra. I wondered how she juggled it all. Then I smiled at the memory of the silly Cleopatra costume I wore for Halloween. I thought of my father's words, “You can do anything, Lizzy.” I looked out over the water as a bird soared past. I smelled crispy chicken from a campsite on the shore. My stomach growled in response. I was back in the present.
The Nile is alive with activity, yet life on the world's longest river moves slowly. Here, time isn't divided into man-made increments of productivity that dictate the trajectory of our day. Instead, the wind decides our destination, and we pass the time with relaxed conversation, observation, and reflection. There is time for the writer to write and the photographer to capture life's moments through the lens. I savor these days sailing down the Nile, where we permit ourselves to live slowly, absorbing every detail of our environment. Two local boys, no more than ten, paddle up to our Felucca, splashing and laughing and selling something. A woman cleans clothes on the riverbank. A group of Bedouin men stands in the sandy, gritty desert, wearing their crisp white, flowing robes and headscarves to stay cool as the sun climbs higher in the sky. The deep green and mud brown river below us is a flowing lifeline that gently carries us in her knowing Egyptian arms to our next adventure.
I feel the warm sun on my tan shoulders and notice the reflective sparkle from the silver jewelry on my wrist. My bronze hand is holding a white pen that contrasts with my youthful golden-brown skin. I hear the gentle ripple of the water and smell gasoline from a passing motorized river cruise boat full of passengers in need of more comfort than a Felucca could provide. I would not trade the enchantment of sleeping under the stars for passage on the big luxury boat. Our small tour group sails by day and camps on the boat at night under the twinkling blanket of a luminous starry sky. The stars are denser than I have ever seen before, like a sparkly dust swept across the ceiling of the world. I feel small in the vastness of the sky and the night. I can't help but smile when I think of yesterday evening's entertainment. Our Felucca driver and cook had pulled out drums and led our tour group of Brits and Americans in the most wondrous and memorable rendition of “The Lion Comes Out Tonight” from The Lion King. Our light was the magnificent sky. Our sound echoed through the vast desert. The campfire flames dance with the rhythm of the drums, highlighting the joy and shared experience in the faces of our diverse group. This is the adventure of a lifetime.
A peacefulness settles in as I continue to catalog my Egypt adventures. Where do I start? I snorkeled in the Red Sea. I drove through the Sinai Peninsula, curled up in the back of a hatchback taxi, because of a shortage of transportation to Cairo. I saw King Tut’s Tomb and I walked inside the hot, narrow, claustrophobic passage inside the Pyramids of Giza. I climbed from St. Catherine's Monastery to reach the Mount Sinai summit for a spiritual sunrise, or a pilgrimage for many. I managed the uneven steps built by the monks, which are often referred to as the Steps of Repentance (2). I got lost and found in the Khan el-Khalili market after buying a puzzle ring and a cartouche with my name. I rode a camel in the desert and a donkey to the Valley of the Kings. I scratched down my thoughts as they poured from my brain, covering the paper. I wrote in the smallest print imaginable to conserve the space I had left. This was at the end of the trip, and I was literally traveling light with room for only one journal. It never occurred to me that there would be a time I would need to photograph the writing and blow it up to read the anecdotes and stories, thoughts and expressions of my younger self.
One of the contradictions I struggled with in this journal was independence. I resisted the need for a male chaperone in the crowded Egyptian markets with their narrow labyrinthine of lively mayhem. I recall the mocking banter in the Papyrus shop about trading me for a significant number of camels. My chaperone suggested that I should be flattered by the high price I could garner. I made light of the situation, but the truth is it did not leave me feeling light. There was a perception of Western Women at the time that was far from reality. It was also time to pick another chaperone. Would Cleopatra put up with this?
Far away from the chaos and complexities of yesterday, I was happy to be back on our Felucca, quietly chasing the breeze along the Nile. The landscape was decorated with palm trees that reminded me of where I grew up in Southern California. The weather felt like home with its warm, dry Mediterranean-style climate. The same bougainvillea that adorns the yards at home like jewelry with pops of color, leave a trail of pink floating in the water when the wind blows on the Nile. Although the bouganvillea is not native to the Nile, I see them sewn into the river's edge along with date palms and the sacred and spectacular Blue Lotus. Life depends on the river, where ancient history mirrors modern times. This is a beautiful place, a true oasis.
(3) Mosque in Luxor
With just a few pages left in the journal, I chose to write about my experience in Luxor at the Abu Haggag Mosque, which has been in continuous use since the 13th century. (4) This is also the location of the Ancient Opet Festival, where the Gods Amun and Mut, ensured the fertility of the land and prosperity of the Nile, as well as the continuation of the royal lineage. Sugar dolls are created with female figures reminiscent of fertility symbols. Many embark on a pilgrimage to visit the tomb of Sheikh Abu al-Hajjaj in order to ensure offspring by circling the tomb 3-7 times. (5) This practice is part of local, non-orthodox rituals called Zar, which are believed to ensure pregnancy and are sometimes linked to ancient fertility rites. This secret local custom is aimed at overcoming infertility by connecting to traditional beliefs in hidden forces or local saints. These represent a continuation of ancient tradition. (6) Leaving nothing to chance, I made my circles to manifest the future child I hoped to have.
As I circled the tomb, putting one intentional step in front of the other, I pictured my future daughter. I saw blond curls and light eyes, even though I had brown hair and eyes, and so did my fiancé. It wasn’t logical, but her face popped into my head. Not that I could have known at the time, but Motherhood would not come easily to me. It would be over a decade before that dream of a child came to be. Surprisingly, she has blond curly hair and blue eyes.
As Mother's Day approaches, I think about my mother and my daughter and the difficult journey some have to motherhood. I consider the long winding path the Nile takes as it snakes its way from Central and East Africa, finally joining the Mediterranean Sea. The landscape changes and the Nile faces different roadblocks, but eventually gets where it's meant to be. For many of us, that path to motherhood is much the same. Our journey brings us through a topography we did not plan for, yet it's exactly where we are meant to be. Being a mother is the single best adventure I have ever traveled through in my life. I am profoundly thankful that I had an amazing mother, even for a short time. I am also forever grateful to my daughter for choosing me to be her mother. I am traveling light through this stage of life, deeply appreciative and with a full heart.
My miracle daughter with the recessive light eyes and curly blond hair.
RESOURCES:
- Feluccas on the Nile photo courtesy of Tripadvisor.com
- Egypttoursportal.com -- Egypt Tours
- Mosque photo courtesy of Beautifulmosque.com
- http://isac.uchicago.edu -- Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures
- https://grokipedia.com/page/Opet -- Grokipedia, Luxor Temple
- Folkculturebh.org -- Movement in Zar Ritual
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Liz Pond has spent over 25 years leading sales teams across the globe with American Airlines, combining a successful career in travel with a lifelong passion for exploration. Having visited more than 100 countries, she brings a rare blend of industry expertise, cultural insight, and personal curiosity to everything she does. Today, Liz divides her time between global travel and her role as Director of Air, Car, and Rail for a prominent tour operator, where she focuses on creating thoughtful, seamless travel experiences. A strong advocate for accessibility, Liz believes travel should be inclusive and life-enhancing for everyone.
Liz earned her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Urban Planning from UCLA, holds a Master’s degree / MFT from the University of Phoenix, and earned a Global Leadership Professional designation through the Wharton School of Management in partnership with the Darden School of Executive Education at the University of Virginia. Outside of her professional work, Liz is deeply committed to advocacy and service. She serves on the Board of Directors for United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona, supporting initiatives that empower individuals with disabilities to achieve their full potential.
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