Sunday 2nd October 2022
Today was mostly taken up by travelling. We caught the bus back to Bergamo airport, which was pretty straightforward. A much nicer (dryer!) walk to and from the metro than when we arrived and we could buy the tickets from the bus. We’d managed to check in to our AirArabia flight online, but for some reason had to get our boarding passes at the airport. When we arrived, the queue to our check in desk was huge, so we were glad we’d allowed plenty of time before our flight!
The flight was pretty uneventful. We arrived in Cairo late afternoon, and the temperature was in the high 30s, so a big change from Milan and the UK!
Navigating the airport was quite interesting. We followed the exit signs but various people kept telling us to go different ways. I also lost count of the number of taxi drivers accosting us. One was particularly persistent and kept insisting that outside was “dangerous” and we couldn’t trust anyone but him. The price he was quoting (EGP 600) was way more than Uber (EGP 150, or about £6) which we’d previously looked up so we firmly said no and continued walking. I’d definitely recommend using Uber, not just because it’s cheaper but because you know you won’t get hassled or have anyone try and persuade you to go to somewhere you don’t want to go. We couldn’t get WiFi inside the airport terminal but it was fine once we were outside, we’d still have used Uber even if we’d had to pay for mobile data though.
It took about an hour to arrive in downtown Cairo, where we were staying. The traffic is very heavy, and saying that people like to use their horns is definitely an understatement!
We stayed in the Dahab hostel. The guy on reception was super friendly and gave us some great restaurant suggestions (more on that later). The rooms are very basic, but clean, the air conditioning worked, and it was cheap – so for somewhere just to sleep it was perfect for us! It’s on the rooftop, so there’s also a somewhat maze-like terrace, which was pretty cute but also filled with cats! I’m allergic so didn’t interact too much with them, but a lot of the guests stroked them, or let them sit on their laps (or shoulders!)
By this time it was evening, so we dropped our bags off then headed out to Kazaz (one of the hostel guys suggestions) for dinner. On the way we bought some water. I say bought, the vendor insisted someone else had already paid for it. We were initially sceptical that is was some kind of scam (and also kind of wanted to pay for it – it’s not like we couldn’t afford 2 bottles of water), but no they were just being very nice.
We continued to Kazaz where we shared a beef kebab (which was more like a beef stew) and a chicken shawarma wrap type thing. They were both delicious, although the beef was very inconsistent temperature wise (lukewarm in some places, but very hot in others) which made me slightly concerned about how long they’d left it out/whether it had been reheated multiple times. We were both absolutely fine though, so I needn’t have worried.
After dinner we were both pretty tired, so went back to our hostel to sleep.
Monday 3rd October 2022
The following morning we headed straight to the Egyptian museum. It was a bit of mission getting there. The roads are extremely busy with very few traffic lights or pedestrian crossings. Our strategy was to wait until a local started crossing and then keep very close to them! Although cars do stop for you, it can be quite intimidating, especially as they’re constantly honking their horns. The pavements also tend to be inaccessible (either blocked by market stalls or just closed off for some reason) so you spend most of your time walking in the road, trying not to get in the way of the weaving motorbikes.
When we got to the museum entrance, some guy tried persuading us it had moved and we needed to follow him. We ignored him and carried on – which turned out to be the right thing as (unsurprisingly) the entrance had not been moved.
Once in the museum grounds we were immediately accosted by guides trying to get us to use their services. One was particularly persistent and eventually Pete told him we wanted to have a look ourselves first and then might take a tour later on. In hindsight, a firm no would have been better. After about 10 minutes of being inside the museum, it became apparent the guide had followed us inside and then began another hard sell for a tour. Eventually we managed to get rid of him and continued on our way.
The building itself was vast and had a huge array of artefacts from various points in Egypts history. By far the most impressive was the exhibit for Tutankhamun’s tomb (unfortunately no photos allowed). The coffin, gold death mask, and various pieces of jewellery were all in pristine condition and so ornate – truly remarkable!
After exploring the museum, we were getting hungry so headed to Abou Tarek (another recommendation from the hostel guy) for Koshari – a typical Egyptian dish and the only one this restaurant serves. It’s kind of a mix of pasta, lentils, and chickpeas with a tomato based sauce and crispy onions. Apparently there’s a way to make the sauce and mix it up, which the very friendly waiter was eager to show us (and suggested we film it, which we did)
It turned out to be a great recommendation, as we both thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was completely different to anything I’d eaten before.
After lunch, we walked down to the Nile and strolled along the river. When I say stroll, like most things in Cairo, it wasn’t exactly relaxing or peaceful, but still enjoyable.
We crossed the bridge to Gezira island. Whilst we were walking over the bridge, a random guy started to chatting to us. When he said it was Election Day and the Cairo Tower was closed, and so were all museums, I started to get very suspicious (especially as we knew the Museum of Egypt wasn’t closed as we’d been there this morning!). He tried to take us a “really good bazaar with good Egyptian prices”, which we politely declined. When it became apparent we weren’t going to follow him, he started asking for money. We just said no, and continued on our way towards the Cairo Tower.
As we got closer to the Tower, some people sitting by the side of the road tried to direct us down a side road. We thought it was another scam and continued the way we were going, but turns out they might have been genuine as we ended up walking round the perimeter of a big sports stadium. It didn’t really matter that much, as it was more shaded by the stadium and we’re pretty happy with walking. Although it did make me feel a little bad that I’m so suspicious of anyone trying to divert us off the route we’re walking.
When we got to the tower, I was surprised that face masks were compulsory. This was the first (and only) place where this rule applied and hardly anyone in Cairo seemed to be wearing masks. We didn’t have any with us, so had to buy them. I’m not sure if it was just a money making exercise, as once inside the staff had their masks around their chins and most visitors weren’t really wearing them either.
The view from the Tower was amazing, and definitely worth the c.£10/ticket entry fee. After walking round the perimeter outside and admiring the views for a while, we went down a floor to the cafe and had a drink whilst admiring the view.
By the time we walked back to our hostel, it was early evening so we consulted google to find a restaurant to eat. Not particularly successful as the road it was on appeared to be closed, and after a big diversion through crowded streets filled with market stalls it appeared the restaurant no longer exists! Instead we went to Gad, an Egyptian fast food place which did kebabs and pizzas, and shared a mixed grill. By this time it was getting quite late, and we need to be up early tomorrow, so we went back to our hostel to sleep.
Tuesday 4th October 2022
Today we had an early start so we could go to the Great Pyramids at Giza at 8am, to hopefully avoid the worst of the day’s heat. We were originally thinking of getting an Uber, but in the end decided on a tour organised by our hostel as it was only $30 for a car with private driver and meant we’d get to see a few other places at the same time.
When we arrived, we were immediately accosted by people trying to sell us things. Although for a change it came in quite handy as Pete didn’t have a hat and it was going to be a hot day.
We decided to walk around the complex rather than get a camel or horse and cart ride. I lost count of the number of people offering us very good Egyptian price for these though, and also telling us it’s way too far for us to walk (it wasn’t). There were also a few people who claimed to work there who asked to see our tickets and then wanted to take us to some special area or other. We always declined and we’re usually left alone after a few firm “no”s.
We didn’t go inside the pyramids as they’re pretty expensive and we knew were going to see some others on the way back to Cairo, which we would go inside. We spent a couple of hours or so walking around the complex and admiring the pyramids from the outside – they are very impressive! – before going back to find our driver.
Our next stop was the papyrus institute, where we learnt how papyrus was made (very interesting). We were also impressed that if you write on the paper in biro (or anything else presumably), you cam then rub it out with the stem of the plant! After the papyrus institute, we went to a lotus flower place, which I found less interesting and more like a salesy stop. If we weren’t so restricted on luggage (most of the internal flights we’ll be taking later in our trip have a 7kg limit) we may have purchased some of the lotus flower perfume, but as it was we didn’t want to buy anything. We did get to try some hibiscus tea there though, which I’ve never had before but really enjoyed (very sweet and fruity).
Our final stop was Dahshur, a royal necropolis with two of Egypts oldest and best preserved pyramids – the red pyramid and the bent pyramid. On the way we drive past the stepped pyramid at Saqqara, which was pretty cool.
At Dahshur, we went inside the bent pyramid, which involved a lot more physical exertion that I expected – a lot of very small, low, narrow tunnels and sets of steep staircases! There were also a lot of bats in the final chamber. I have no idea how they got there.
We got back to Cairo late afternoon, feeling very tired and hungry! We were dropped off at the hostel, so we could wash our feet (which were extremely dusty after being in the dessert) and have a quick sit down and rest before heading back out to eat. As it was so good, we went back to the Koshari place and shared a dish between the two of us for a “starter” then went on to another restaurant where we had feteer (a flaky Egyptian pastry) filled with sausage. Then home to bed – tomorrow we have a long journey ahead, as we’re flying to Bangkok via Amman, Jordan.
Emma and Pete’s Asian Adventure 