Cairo
- Bernd
- Sep 23, 2024
- 11 min read
Wherever, because we are mortal...
Cairo is the grand madame of big cities. A melting pot of cultures. She pompously conjures up the good old days of a grandiose, long-forgotten past, when Egypt was still a great power and a high culture. Its pharaohs were godlike and the gigantic construction projects made the city and the country immortal.
September 2024
Visa/Einreise
A return ticket does not have to be presented upon entry. Before you go to passport control, you must purchase a visa for 25 US dollars at the bank counter. Only then do you go to passport control.
Note: When you leave the country, you will receive a departure card at the airline ticket counter.
Exchange money
The currency is called the Egyptian pound. You can exchange it at exchange offices or ATMs.
Foreign currency up to a value of 10,000 USD can be imported without declaration.
Tipping/Baksheesh
Inflation was 28% in the first half of 2024. Tips are therefore an important part of wages. In Egypt, it is customary to tip 10% to 15% in restaurants.
Taxi
You have to negotiate the fare.
The taxis here are inconspicuous. They don't have the usual taxi sign on the roof, they are white and have a barely visible checkered tape on the sides. The traffic conditions are mediocre and not for the faint-hearted.
The taxis do not have the usual safety standards. Sometimes the seat belts in the back seat don't work.
Security
Don't carry valuables that are too expensive. In general, you should be cautious and - as everywhere - avoid dark, remote places, especially at night.
In the afternoon, I walked four kilometers from the Nile through the old town, crossing several multi-lane roads and never felt unsafe.
Electricity
I didn't need an adapter in the hotels I visited.
Time jump: Le Riad Hotel de Charme
My rating: *****
Adresse: 114 Al Moez Ldin Allah Al Fatmi, El-Gamaleya, El Gamaliya, Cairo Governorate 4331165, Ägypten
Telefon: +20 2 278 760 74
There are hotels that you have to look for. They want to be discovered. They are jewels in the middle of the tourist monotony.
The Le Riad Hotel de Charme is located in the middle of Cairo's lively old town. The spacious rooms are decorated with attention to detail in an oriental style.
On the 1st floor there is a tea lounge/café, on the 5th floor there is the Zeeyara Restaurant with a roof terrace and good shisha.
The staff is very accommodating.
The only downside: at night it is very loud due to the surrounding cafés, restaurants and shops.
Access for taxis is limited.
Old Town of Cairo
My raiting: *****
My hotel is in the middle of the old town, surrounded by historic buildings and the old city wall. Every day I go on a kind of journey through time here.
Just like back then, people walk through the narrow streets with their goods, traders offer their range and the aroma of freshly prepared food flatters the nose.
Only the countless scooters and smaller vehicles make strolling through the old streets a little tedious.
I treat myself to a kind of oriental crepe, filled with vegetables, chicken and seasoned with fresh spices. The food, fresh fruit juices and desserts that they offer on the side of the road are relatively cheap by our standards. Much cheaper than in the pedestrian zones of our cities.
By the way: I didn't have any intestinal problems.
Suddenly the colorful history of the city becomes tangible. It is as if a small troop of riders had just arrived in the city. I sit down under a tree and let the thoughts flow.
Coming from the Nile, I walk a good 4 km through the old town back to the hotel in the late afternoon. I take a short break at Shari Souq al Tawfeeqivyah Square and order a tea and a Pepsi. Because the waiter doesn't speak English, he asks a man at the next table to translate what I'm asking. We start chatting.
As it turns out, Mr. Tigani is often in Cairo on business. He comes from northern Sudan and asks if I have already visited his country. I have to pass.
Sudan is still on my travel list. We talk about the security situation there, the food and the rich culture of his country. As I say goodbye, he gives me his email. His brother works at the Sudanese embassy in Berlin. If I have any questions about the visa, I can contact him.
We continue through the streets and alleys. The range of goods is organized, e.g. streets that only offer cosmetics. streets that only sell cosmetics, streets with fruit and vegetable shops, fish and meat or household goods.
Everything seems orderly in this hustle and bustle of people and vehicles. I find it difficult not to buy something. But where do I put all the things and food? But the atmosphere alone is an experience in itself. You just want to bite into the freshly baked bread, the fruit is appetizingly layered, the sweets are tempting. Only fish doesn't tempt me. So I move on quickly.
Of course, I also find the countless cheap and unnecessary plastic souvenirs from China or plaster sculptures with the label "Hand Made", probably also from China.
And there are small restaurants and cafés everywhere that invite you to linger. The only way to survive the heat is to take frequent breaks. After all, I'm not on the run.
Being a good person
doesn't mean
you have to constantly
put up with other people's crap.
Arabic saying
Corniche, strolling along the Nile
My raiting: **
After an adventurous journey, a taxi takes me to the Nile.
The Corniche is currently being redesigned. After I have paid 20 Egyptian pounds at the ticket booth, security lets me go down the stairs to the promenade.
When everything is finished, sculptures, cafes and restaurants will make tourists' hearts beat faster.
There are also various moorings for Nile boats here. And on the other side - in downtown, where the big hotels are - you can even book a felucca to take you across the Nile. Or you can start a tour towards Luxor and Aswan.
I decide to explore the part of the Corniche that is already open. The Nile has a fascinating aura, something magical, although not as intense as I remember from Luxor. At least the tourist steamers looks more funny than they used to be. You just have to move with the times.
And here, too, no one has to die of thirst or hunger.
Road traffic of a different kind
The Egyptians are masters of their craft. They drive almost bumper to bumper, using every gap to their advantage. But you need strong nerves with the constant honking. They honk as much as they can, even for no reason.
Sometimes the petrol is adulterated. Then they stutter to your destination. That's what happened on the way to my second hotel. Ahem, ahem. I feel sorry for the driver again when the tuk-tuks overtake you on the elevated road, honking, just because the engine is stuttering.
Important: The road markings are only a rough guide. Perhaps important in the event of sudden sleet. So stay relaxed.
If you ever have to cross a 5-lane road, look for other pedestrians, Egyptians of course. Not tourists.
Otherwise, watch the short video. It might help. Always keep an eye on the drivers.
Marriott Mena House Hotel
My rating: ****
To say it in advance: The hotel has everything that belongs to a 5-star luxury hotel. The staff is also professional and friendly. The restaurants are top notch. It is in a prominent neighborhood near the pyramids. That's about it.
The sprawling, expansive buildings have the charm of an oriental prefabricated building. Guests have to pass through several security gates before reaching the reception.
Compared to the spacious building, the reception is narrow, convoluted and too small. At 193 cm tall, I walked along the slightly more than 2 m high corridors in a humbly stooped position like Golom. And like the Gauls in Asterix, I was constantly afraid that the sky - or in this case the ceiling - would fall on my head.
The price for the standard ambience is absolutely overpriced. That's why I'm deducting a star.
The Pharaoh calls: Giza
My raiting: *****
Giza is located about 17 km from downtown Cairo, on the southwestern bank. The district is known for its archaeological sites, such as the 147 m high Great Pyramid of Cheops, the 136 m high Pyramid of Chephren and the 61 m high Pyramid of Menkaure.
Contrary to the reception's recommendation, I explore the surrounding area and walk to the cafes just 1 km away. It's unlikely that anything will happen to me here with the large police presence. Except maybe being run over by an unlit motorcycle at night.
Tip: There is a restaurant on the roof terrace of the Turquoise Pyramids & Grand Egyptian Hotel. Here you can eat relatively cheaply and at the same time have a brilliant view of the pyramids.
While I'm still living in the old town, I book a private tour with a driver. A price comparison shows that the costs are about the same as for a group tour.
My guide Kareem, around 30, studied history and warns me right at the start of our tour about the many fake guides along the road. They don't have a license. Our driver Mohammed - almost every second person here seems to have the name Mohammed - smiles. He used to be an accountant and has to supplement his modest pension as a driver. Both are touchingly concerned about my safety. We understand each other straight away.
We are lucky, it is summer, not high season. When I was here with Pearl 15 years ago, there was only one ticket booth. Today you have to go through security and the terminal. Despite the low season, buses are constantly arriving.
The Pyramids of Giza
My raiting: *****
This is what it looks like at the entrance after closing at 4 p.m. It is full in high season.
Kareem is in his element: "The Great Pyramid of Cheops was built around 2600 years BC in the 4th Dynasty. It was built from around 3 million stone blocks with an average weight of 2.5 tons and was originally 147 meters high." This is followed by data on the side length, burial chambers...
According to the Greek historian Herodotus (*490/480 BC - died 430/420 BC), Cheops was a tyrant who tortured his subjects. However, this has since been refuted by excavations not far from the pyramid. There was the working-class district with an intact infrastructure and medical care.
The middle of the three pyramids is that of Pharaoh Chephren. You can still see the plaster on the top. It was completely covered with limestone slabs. This pyramid is often mistaken for the Cheops pyramid because it appears larger. This is due to its location being approximately 10 m higher.
"Everything is afraid of time,
but time
is afraid of the pyramids."
Arabic saying
Yes, and then Kareem meets an acquaintance quite by chance, who gives him a warm hug and whom he assures me that he really doesn't know. The acquaintance presses a bottle of mineral water into my hand and manages to guide me onto the back of his camel, wraps a cloth around my head and tells me to do stupid contortions on the animal and: "Laugh more!" he calls out to me. Ha-ha-ha. Is that right?
Now I'm supposed to have an operation on my spine in September: spinal stenosis. Scary. One reason why I'm delaying my return flight. A friend who works as a nurse in the States wrote to me: "Great idea, spinal stenosis and riding a camel. If you fall off, that's it."
In the end I give the camel driver 600 pounds.
Kareem is horrified because he had specifically told me not to give anything.
Well, I had fun and was given two blue lucky charms (scarabs). A bargain. And guaranteed handmade!
Note: No encounter, no matter how random, is accidental and their kindness is certainly not free.
You have a very big problem, boy!
My raiting: ***
But the actual camel tour is still to come. We drive to a camp not far from the pyramids.
Once again we climb onto the camel. Once to the sand dunes and back again. A nameless, devious 15-year-old is my guide. At least he speaks a little English.
After a short time he gets bored and starts throwing small stones at colleagues and their animals that come our way. It seems to me that he is not the brightest candle on the cake.
Now he lets go of the reins and annoys the camel I am sitting on. Oh dear!
Luckily for me, the camel is very good-natured. I, less so, tell him firmly that he will have a very big problem once we get back.
I can convince him.
Inside the Pyramide
My rating: *
To give you a spoiler: There are about 80 steps down, i.e. they are not real steps. It is a board with strips nailed to it. The passage down is extremely low and steep. What you see is sobering: a broom closet and another chamber. At the end there are 80 steps back up. Afterwards you have 5 days of sore thigh muscles and run like John Biden.
Shisha
My rating: ***
The shisha in Egypt takes some getting used to. Sometimes I feel like I'm just smoking coal. In that case, I'll just give it up. Who would have thought? In the land of shisha culture, I don't like the shisha. We're very spoiled in Germany when it comes to taste and quality.
The official part of the tour is over. Kareem and Mohammed invite me to dinner. I accept on one condition: No tourist scam. They keep their word and take me to a restaurant on Shari Musarrif al-Libbeeni Street in Giza.
The food is hearty home cooking like kebab, hummus, garlic cream, a very hot chili paste, rice, and Egyptian cola because the restaurant boycotts American drinks. In short: delicious.
Shortly afterwards we go to a shisha bar on Ashraf El Batran Street, also in Giza. We park the car and Mohammed constantly keeps an eye on the traffic, which is manageable here, so that nothing happens to me.
Kareem lives nearby, which explains why he greets almost every other person here in a friendly manner. I give him feedback about my experiences with shisha here in Egypt. He promises me good quality. Shortly afterwards he withdraws to pray. Mohammed and I chat using an app. It works wonderfully. His sons are studying, which is another reason why he has to earn something to support the family. His pension alone is not enough. He asks me how this is organized in Germany.
Kareem comes back. Now Mohammed goes to pray. Kareem asks how I liked it and whether I can give the company a good rating. I'm fed up with all this rating stuff and explain to him that I don't give public ratings to companies, neither positively nor negatively. With the exception of my travel blog.
We exchange our phone numbers. When I return to Cairo, I will hire him again. He exudes a refreshing, pleasant lightness.
GEM, Grand Egyptian Museum
My raiting: ****
Adresse: Grand Egyptian Museum, Alexandria Desert Rd, Kafr Nassar
In my boundless naivety, I thought I could walk the few kilometers from the hotel to the museum. But no luck. It's only 2 km from the pyramids. But on foot? Forget it. Forget it. I take the taxi from the hotel because the reception is afraid again. The driver promises to wait 2 hours. So be it.
The complex is completely fenced in. It's like entering a prison. The driver pays his parking fee. I get out, pass the security and go to the ticket counter.
The museum complex covers an area of 50 hectares and is considered the largest archaeological museum in the world. It was originally supposed to open in 2023, but the date has been postponed several times.
It will house 50,000 artifacts. But where?
At the counter I buy the entrance ticket for a whopping 1,000 Egyptian pounds. A bit much when you consider that many exhibitions have not yet opened.
A huge square, a cordoned-off obelisk and the imposing museum building promise me archaeological delicacies at their finest.
The foyer is gigantic. Important statues are exhibited here. You will also find the museum shop, various stores and several restaurants there.
Wide stairs or escalators lead to the upper floors. I have created a short video here that captures the atmosphere quite well.
Conclusion: I will only visit the museum after its official opening, when all the exhibition rooms are accessible. Overall, the statues are very impressive but seem sterile to me. I miss the connection to the original environment. But that is of course a matter of taste.
Time and Space
Egypt exudes an incomparable fascination. Even after 6,000 years, the cultural and spiritual messages are still alive. Seemingly for eternity.
And at the same time nothing remains. No power, no beauty, no fame, no sin. So what happens to our immortality?
Akhenaten and Nefertiti, with their worship of Aton, are the founders of monotheistic religion. Everything after them already existed.
At this point I would like to say thank you to my shoes. There has to be so much space and time.
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