Oh...My...Goodness!! - Cairo is Crazy

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  Cairo, Egypt
Sunday, October 12, 2008

Cairo is CRAZY!! 

After spending one more morning in Athens...even finally purchasing my very first souvenir!...I left for the airport and my flight from Athens to Cairo! 

The flight was pretty good.  Not too rough and only a little less than 2 hours.  However, in that time frame they served us a whole meal!  It was so unexpected considering back in the states you are lucky to get a bag of peanuts (approx. 15) or mini pretzels (approx. 10) on a flight several hours longer!  I had had lunch since I was starving at the airport, but then I felt like I had to eat on the plane and then I was still hungry later after I got here!  Four meals yesterday I guess although each was not exactly a full fledged meal per say depending on your definition. 

After arriving at the airport and obtaining a visa which was a simple process of handing over USD$15 and receiving a sticker for my passport and collecting my bag after a wait that went a few minutes too long into making me nervous it was not going to arrive, I began the adventurous journey to the hotel.  This journey began by trying to determine what constituted a 'regular' taxi.  Eventually I was persuaded into a black and white car (which I had read was how they would look AND it did actually say taxi on it!) that can be described as a station wagon type with way too many seats for just me.  It was...old...rundown, and sort of falling apart on the inside, which I noticed on the drive was the basic condition of all such 'taxis.'  The driver wanted more people to fill up the car and asked me to wait 5 minutes.  I reluctantly agreed because he said 110 EGP(Egyptian pounds) to go alone, 80 with others. I waited for approximately 10 minutes, then the negotiations commenced when he returned, at which point I said I was unwilling to pay more than 80 and would get another taxi since his was too big for one person anyway and I did not want to sit around and wait for 10 minutes.  He tried to explain to me again that he needed to find more people, I said I would find another taxi and then he agreed to take me.  Phew!  On my way, on my terms.  (FYI 5EGP = ~$1)

Here is where the craziness of Cairo became clear to me.  There are 4 lanes painted on the road, however there were at least 5 lanes of actual cars weaving in and out.  Had there been a seatbelt involved, trust me, I would have been wearing it!  Instead I endured the trip clutching my daypack next to me; like that would save me!  None of these cars are in any sort of good condition.  There are scratches all along the sides of most of them.  The taxis, like I said, are all a similar rundown condition, but rightly so considering the driving conditions of the city!  Honking is constant (and the 'Just Married' car was leading the honking contest!)  Traffic was pretty backed up, but there was still a good pace to the speed we were traveling.  At one point we squeezed in between two buses just making it through! (Well...that is a little dramatic...it was not 'just' making it, but it was a little close!  I don't want to scare anyone too much!)  I did close my eyes several times to avoid seeing what was going on though which is a tactic that some people's driving back home has caused me to adopt (you know who you are!).  It was frightening, and exhilarating, and laughter inducing, and just CRAZY!! 

I was relieved when we finally arrived at the Victoria Hotel and I could get out.  We had had to pay a EGP5 fee to leave the airport so I owed 75 unless I wanted to tip him of course.  In the end, after the initial reluctancy to take me he actually pointed out several things to me on the way and once I corrected the mistakes I was making in my head while converting I realized 5 more was only $1, so he got that, but wanted 5 more...here is where I put my foot down!  Haha.  Finally in the hotel I was sent to the overflow hotel around the corner at a different branch which my tour dossier warned me not to be alarmed of, so unalarmed I followed the man to the other hotel.  Alarmed anyway along the way by crossing the streets to get there!

A night spent at Capsis hotel and back here to Victoria this morning where I met my guide Ahmed and just now Tania came in who is sharing the room with me to get the key from me.  My crossed fingers worked...another female solo traveler on the tour with me!  So far so good!  There are 3 couples on the tour according to Ahmed, but at least now I know I won't be the only solo. 

Can not wait until the meeting tonight to meet everyone else...the only question is...what to do until then?

Much love from Egypt!!

Ali / Althea

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