Tattoo #3 in Egypt: Walking Over Death, Soaring in Life
After an absolutely insane summer of partying through Mumbai and Bangkok, I knew I had one more stop in me before heading back to the U.S. for the fall semester. I wasn’t ready to wrap up the adventure without checking in with my brother-from-another-mother, and where better to do that than Egypt?
Even though it was Ramadan in Cairo, I didn’t mind one bit. I wasn’t going to Egypt to party — I just wanted to vibe out, see the sights, and catch up with my boy. And trust me, it turned out to be the perfect call.
Now, I’ll admit: I lost my phone during one of my Bangkok nights, so this trip’s photos were all taken on my laptop camera. But memories don’t always need 4K resolution — the moments were still powerful.
Egypt is always on people’s bucket lists, and for good reason. It’s one of my favorite countries. From the bustling streets of Cairo to the shores of Sharm el-Sheikh, and from the Bent Pyramid to the legendary Library of Alexandria, every moment is an education in history, culture, and self-discovery.
But nothing compares to when we grilled meat out in the Sahara Desert, smoking hashish with the Pyramids of Giza in full view. That wasn’t just a vibe — it was spiritual.
With all this significance, I knew I needed something meaningful for tattoo #3. This wouldn’t be a small piece — I blocked off a large section of my arm to do justice to what Egypt meant to me.
The design is deeply symbolic:
Anubis, god of the afterlife, sits near the bottom.
Horus, god of the sky, sits above him.
And between the two gods, an Arabic inscription that translates to:
“I have lived and soared before I died.”
When my arm hangs naturally by my side, Horus faces up, reminding me to fly, soar, and aim high in life, while Anubis rests below, not feared, but acknowledged. Together, the placement says: I walk over death. I don’t fear death — I fear not truly living.
The text sits between them not only to tie them together, but also to serve as a message, not just for me, but for anyone who may see my body when my time comes. During a funeral viewing, this tattoo is my final message: “I lived before I died.” That’s the entire point of this journey. That’s the point of my life.
The Wild Twist in Abu Dhabi
But hold up, the story doesn’t stop there.
After Egypt, I quickly stopped in the UAE before returning to New York. What I forgot, though, was that tattoos are frowned upon in Islamic culture and practically illegal at the time. I was flying through Abu Dhabi, and TSA pulled me aside.
And get this, they translated my tattoo via airport surveillance cameras. I kid you not. A female TSA agent walked into the interrogation room and told me exactly what my tattoo said…Before I ever said a word.
They thought it might be a suicide note.
This was post-9/11, in a country where Arabic tattoos are scrutinized. And I, a military vet with a fresh tattoo in bold black ink in Arabic across my arm, had written something that could be taken very differently.
When they asked, “Do you plan to die soon?” I gave the worst possible answer:
“You only live once.”
Yeah. That didn’t help.
They grilled me with questions about my entire life, like I was back in Marine Corps boot camp, from childhood through military service, before finally letting me go. It was intense in the moment, but now it’s just another crazy story in the global tattoo journey.
Final Thoughts
Egypt was a turning point. This tattoo, more than the others, speaks to my beliefs, my mindset, and how I choose to walk through life. I don’t fear the end. I fear the regret of not fully living.
Tattoo #3 reminds me to soar. Always.————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Want more stories like this?
Check out the full tattoo journey from the beginning — Tattoo #1 started it all in Mumbai.
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(Link: Tattoo #1)