Originally Posted by as219
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(5) FYI, there is no way you'll be able to fit the Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo, Khan el Khalili, and the Cairo Tower in one day. Simply impossible. You'll quickly find that while Cairo is small, getting around is simply a lot more time consuming than in a western city; you can't zip around. My advice? Skip the Cairo Tower. Do the Egypt Museum highlights only (i.e., Tut), head to the Khan, where you can grab a bite, then wander until you can take it anymore... Not sure how you'll fit in a felucca on top of eating in there somewhere, but you seem pretty ambitious.
Good luck!
Agreed. Getting around is not as easy as you might think. Additionally, the whole train thing... Even if it is advertised, it might not necessarily leave on time and/or leave at all. So, leave some room in your program for error. Very cliche, but "go with the flow"... Time in this part of the world is not linear but more "circular"; if I don't get to do it now, it will come around again and I'll do it then. Am I making any sense? A schedule is good, but don't be surprised if things go way off track. We have a very common saying here and that is "I.B.M."... No not that... It stand for "
Inshallah
Bokra
Ma'laysh"... In other words, "God willing, maybe tomorrow". See what I'm trying to say???
Good luck and enjoy your brief stay in Egypt. Don't try to do too much in one day because that in itself can make you sick (even if you drink bottled water and stay away from fruits and veggies
).