Just as sailors abide by the laws of the sea, desert inhabitants live by a code that keeps them safe in this often extreme environment. Lesson number one: Your water is everyone’s water.

It’s not New York or Shanghai — it’s Cairo. Here are some tips and tricks for enjoying the cultural life of this great city without getting a headache or hearing loss.

While I generally try to travel the slow and steady way, sometimes opportunities arise that are too good to miss. When my friend Kahlil invited me to spend a weekend with his family in the Djebel Babor mountains, I had to make it happen.