“You are welcome in Egypt!” Shouted nearly everyone to me when I was there last week. I was in the country for about 10 days, traveling around with my godson. He’s a tall, sandy-haired American guy — all smiles and radiating a warm openness — so maybe that’s what inspired the welcome greetings. 

Either way, Egypt is a friendly place where people are genuinely happy to see you, especially if you’re a tall, blond American.