Cairo,
Egypt
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
cairo airport is a mess and the immigration lines are from hell but fortunately for us we had the very friendly "meet and assist" service provided by hilton hotel. you have to go there to understand why hilton provides this service in cairo. one more airport note. if you are going to change money and there are a line of bank windows, go to to the last window and the last bank. it offers the best rate and it is the least crowded. why are there so many morons crowded around the first window? don't know. we are just so many morons i guess. when you get your egyptian pounds, ask for small change like one pound and five pound notes because you will need them for tips. the hilton limo was very comfortable and the driver was very friendly and informative without being chatty and intrusive. he took us right through cairo way over to the other side to a place called sixth october city. in the 1967 war israel humiliated the egyptians but the 1973 war was a consolation prize of a sort for the egyptians who now claim the sixth of october of 1973 as a great victory for the nation.
by the way, i read some travel reports about how bad the traffic is through cairo when getting to sixth october and giza from the airport. those reports were likely written by individuals who do not know about the outer ring road. it is an expressway that zips you right around the city. as an unexpected bonus we were entertained by the sight of donkey carts on the expressway. it is probably the only place on earth where you will see donkey carts on a freeway.
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