Meet an Expert: Egypt

06/1/09  Print This Post Print This Post    8 Comments      Written by Carlo Alcos
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Nick Rowlands, Egypt Expert
This week’s Matador Destination Expert hails from Maidstone, England, but currently finds himself in Cairo. Meet Nick Rowlands (Pharaonick), the man with the master plan in Egypt.

It’s not everyday you get to meet someone who can claim “adventure tour leader in the Middle East” as one of his past jobs. After two years of this exciting work, Nick has settled into “the delicious chaos of Cairo” where he is currently working as an English teacher and freelance writer.

More on Nick:

I’m fired up on: The complexities and absurdities of the human condition; reality, consciousness, and belief systems; social and environmental justice; where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going.

Travel style: With little baggage, few preconceptions, and serendipity as a guide.

Favorite books: Difficult one, changes all the time. Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts), A Scanner Darkly (Phillip K Dick), Foucault’s Pendulum (Umberto Eco).

I want to make a difference by: Living my dreams, and making my own small contribution to the beautiful unfolding narrative of the universe.

Why I travel: Because to travel is to live: there is no better way to learn about yourself, and the world around you. By doing so, you might help to make the world a better place.

In addition to being Matador’s expert on Egypt, Nick is NileGuide’s Cairo local expert and also a regular contributor to Trazzler.

To get in touch with Pharaonick, visit his Matador profile.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

For more on Egypt, check out Benjamin Orbach’s Egyptian Paradise article.

Trips has featured several other Destination Experts. If you’re looking for advice on a place, don’t hesitate to drop any of them a line. For more experts, check out our ever-growing list at the Experts Home.

If you’re interested in becoming a Destination Expert yourself, read this forum post for instructions.


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About the Author

Matador ID: vagabonderz

Carlo (not Carlos) is a contributing editor of Matador Trips. An ex-Vancouverite who calls the world his home, he is currently living in Melbourne, trying to crack the code to sustain the vagabonding lifestyle with the least amount of work possible. Follow him at his blog here...I mean, here.

8 Comments... join the discussion!

  • Hal Amen replied on June 1, 2009

    Yeah Nick!

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  • Carlo Alcos replied on June 1, 2009

    Great pictures Nick!

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    • Nick Rowlands replied to Carlo Alcos on June 2, 2009

      Ha, cheers guys! I’ve always wondered what Mahmoud was leaning in to do to me. Whether kiss me or bite my ear off, I’m glad I was wearing my protective headscarf!

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  • Travellohr replied on June 2, 2009

    Hey, Nick! Congrats on being selected. Interesting stuff!

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  • joshywashington replied on June 4, 2009

    I have borrowed Shantaram from a friend and have put off reading it because it is so long…but seeing it among Scanner Darkly (one of my favs!) makes me want to pick it up tonight.

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    • Carlo replied to joshywashington on June 4, 2009

      It’s a great book, you’ll love it. Bloody long though, took me forever to finish it.

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  • Nick replied on June 4, 2009

    That’s interesting, coz I raced through it, and was really pissed off that I’d finished it! Genuinely deserves to be called a page-turner.

    Josh have you seen the animated A Scanner Darkly film? Not bad. Also, if you liked that book, you may like Vurt by Geoff Noon … similarly dark, tripped out stuff.

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  • tweetyp1e replied on June 18, 2009

    Love the picture Nick – how did you manage to get through Foucault’s Pendulum – I found it impenetrable

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