My layover in Cairo was technically 3 days and 2 nights but in reality only the 2nd day would be a full day, as I arrived at the hotel after sunset and had to depart in the early morning heading out.
I did hear a lot of stories about personal safety so wasn't sure what to do. In the end, I purchased a meet-and-assist + hotel transfer service for my arrival and a day tour with personal guide and driver package online for only around 70 USD in total. I thought that was an amazing deal, when the hotel offered 100USD for just an arrival pick up. The quality of the services delivered were also very good, and my very knowledgeable guide (an Egyptology major) spoke perfect English and was very accommodating of my needs and questions.
I had my first taste of Egypt during the hour-long drive into town. Indeed the 'craziness' or foreignness is real - I texted my friend saying that I now consider BKK and Tokyo very similar cities after I'm here at Cairo...we were on the expressway and there weren't any traffic lanes to be seen, and PEOPLE, not just cars, were cutting through us from all angles...
Upon arrival at the Conrad Cairo I was escorted to the EL for check in. It looked rather dated but still was probably more lavish than your average US Hilton lounge. The level of English that the staff had were passable, but I had expected better from a Hilton property. But with a $80/night room rate I wasn't asking for too much...including my upgrade to a partial Nile river executive room which smelt of faint smoke. But I wasn't sure since the entire hotel had such kind of smell, and I know complaining for a change would be a waste of my own energy given how tired I already was.
I had breakfast at the main restaurant on both days. It was actually significantly better than everything else that the hotel had to offer - the ambience was not bad (had a resort feel with high ceilings overlooking the Nile) and the service was wonderful, with the manager remembering my name and preferences for coffee etc. Here are some snaps of the food (there was also a made-to-order egg station):
Our first stop was the Egyptian Museum which I found was quite eye-opening, but limitedly interesting. I really appreciated however how much my guide knew about each exhibition area and the artefacts in it. Mummies, mummies and more mummies - regretfully I wasn't able to learn a bit more about Egyptian history myself before visiting, but for avid fans of history like my Dad, I'm sure he'd be thrilled.
There must have been some miscommunication as my guide told me I'd have to pay for a separate ticket if I wanted to snap pictures, but later on as we were walking he said it would be fine to do so anyway...
The museum is right next to Tahrir Square which was where the masses gathered during the 2011 revolutions. Frankly I was more interested in that over Egyptian history but refrained from discussing or asking too much about that with my guide.
Our next stop was the Khan El-Khalili bazaar which was very fascinating, but a lot of stalls were not open that morning. I had a good grasp of the 'warmth' that Egyptians extended to visitors, especially those that wanted business
There were mosques everywhere we walked. My tour guide did a fantastic job in explaining to me the stories behind all sorts of things we encountered, from mosques to Arabic coffee and how Egyptians prefer shopping in person over e-commerce...I only wish I remembered more from the conversation!
'Architectural disorganization' is really a consistent theme across the city, and I'm surely not calling BKK exotic anymore...
Next, off we went to Giza. All I can say is, wow. I'm glad I decided to venture out rather than just staying at the hotel. I didn't schedule a visit to the interiors. But just from the outside the wondrousness is already overwhelming. In fact as I'm writing this I'm already longing for a more in-depth, slower paced second visit. But really. I might just be thankful for FT, giving me this opportunity to visit and see the pyramids, while my friends get wasted in Cancun or Miami.
The same can be said for the Sphinx, which I also found it to be similarly mind-blowing.
My guide and I then had a leisurely lunch (I've grown to love Arabic food already by then and I am so disheartened that they kept running out of Arabic choices on QR later on!!) where I got to learn a bit more about his background. It's interesting to know that none of these (Pyramids, mummies etc) actually resonate with modern-day Egyptians culturally as they have went through multiple changes in dynasties and civilizations over time. Also, I could feel his sincerity in asking for me to write a review online to let the world know that Egypt was not as bad as what the foreign world had portrayed it to be. I would say that's partially true, and I can see how much they must have been hurt because of that, but at least he told me this year there's been a slight recovery so far.
My driver then sent me back to the Conrad where I just had a leisurely afternoon catching up on some emails and pretty much did nothing but surfed the web and lounged around in the EL and my room. The EL also had an outdoor terrace which gave some fantastic views of the Nile and the skyline with the sunset.
Little did I know that my first
snafu/irrop adventure was awaiting the next morning...