Before he went Off the Rails, Marcus Lush went off the beaten track to Egypt. He takes on a camel and donkey, drifts down The Nile aboard a felucca, samples the local fast food, and deals with a dose of ‘Nile Belly'. Ancient treasures and stunning desert landscapes don't hide a more problematic recent history. But the warmth of the locals — Muslim or Christian — makes Lush a convert. When he tries a barber in Cairo, Lush loses some eyelashes ("when in Rome"). Nevertheless he finds the whole Egypt experience to be an "eye opener."