Has it happened to you that sometimes you go to a place and you want to stay? And you say, I would love to live here!

Well, that happened to me. It happened to me with Egypt.

And today I want to tell you how it was for me to make the decision to stay in Egypt, a country so different from mine, and how my experience has been up to now, after several months living there.

If you don’t know me, I’m Pau, the person behind the design of all trips and the founder of BALIBUTA, and this is the story of how Egypt became my home.

The truth is that before I came to live in Egypt, I went there for the first time in 2020, just before the pandemic. At that time I was not very curious about that country. To be honest, I was never one of those people who dreams of seeing the pyramids or the ancient temples of Egypt, but I knew that it was a destination in high demand by many people and that it had to be part of the BALIBUTA itineraries.

However, since I stepped foot in Egypt, I was completely captivated. Cairo is a fascinating mess, as I like to portray it. And the energy that is felt everywhere… poof! How to explain!

After that first time there was a second, a third, and then a fourth time. And so I learned that Egypt is not only pyramids, it is much more than that! It is a magical place, which can sometimes seem rough or difficult, but it is not. It is a friendly and safe country, with people who are willing to help and accompany you.

And well, after several trips and more and more in love with these lands, the idea of living in Cairo came into my head. I dreamed of living on the banks of the Nile, living the daily experience in that city, and I even wanted to learn Arabic! Such was my fascination for this country that I needed to experience it from another place and delve deeper into its culture.

Due to those things in life, my original plan at that time could not be carried out, but last year, after difficult moments with my health, I had to return to Egypt.

Believe it or not, a life traveling is not as easy as it seems. Going from one destination to another, from one group to another, from one hotel to another without having a place of roots to arrive at, is tiring. You miss the everyday, the routine, things as simple as cooking, having your space or even making your bed… ahhh because I skipped that part: I left Chile in December 2021 since many group trips were coming in 2022, so My plan was to go from country to country, between groups, basically, living in hotels.

This rhythm of life that looks DREAMY AND FASCINATING (which it is at many times) took its toll on me, and I started to get sick.

The turning point was in May 2022, after a long hospitalization in Thailand, I decided to stay in Egypt renting an airbnb, a space where I could have a kitchen, where I could live a little calmer and a little more routine. Because yes, I needed to take care of myself, and that meant cooking my own food, having my space and being able to stop this hectic life of travel for a bit, which is what I love the most in the world, but it was time to think about my health.

And like everything in life, what should be, is, and passes smoothly. Renting an apartment was very easy! Of course, it was not as I had dreamed, on the banks of the Nile.

That dream that I had created a long time ago came true, and here I am, a year later, fully established in a Muslim country, being a Latina-Chilean traveler, who has totally different customs, but I manage, and I thank this earth infinitely for how it has received and cared for me.

The people here are very different from us, but above all they are very respectful and kind, and what I appreciate the most is that it is a safe place to live.

Contrary to what many people think, one of the main values of this country is its safety, kindness, and I could even say its innocence. That they go “further back” in a lot of things, yes, and that is sometimes irritating, too, but sometimes that’s the good thing about Egypt.

Here I have learned that in the West we are not the owners of the world, nor of the truth. That there are other ways of doing things and seeing life. That patience is a virtue, and that what is not known is not longed for, it is not needed.

I am happy and grateful to live here. Egypt healed me and continues to do so every day. There is something special here, a powerful energy, that’s why I TRUST that I had to experience this.

With all my heart, I hope this story inspires you or helps you trust life and yourself.

With love,

Pau

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