Category: International Travel

If you clicked this article, you’re probably interested in going to Egypt. I hope this post inspires you. This was written in 2004. My first trip to Africa! I was traveling with my husband at the time for vacation and to attend a Middle Eastern Dance Festival. We planned the trip on our own. No tour guide.

First, let’s get the biggest hurdle out of the way. If you’re concerned about safety, Cairo is not a war zone like many Americans think (at least it wasn’t in 2004 when I visited). I felt more safe in Cairo than I do in the U.S. It’s a modern city with ancient roots. It actually felt a lot like New York, or maybe more like Vegas. This may be because I’m around the culture a lot with the dance, but I really didn’t have culture shock when I arrived.

Cairo runs 24 hours a day. It truly never stops. At 3 a.m. when we were returning to the hotel, there were people milling about everywhere. And they’re not “gangs.” They’re families — mom dad and the kids all hanging out around the Nile, getting a late supper, etc. Everyone we encountered was VERY friendly and helpful. (Aside from the pyramids experience … more about that later) They really like Americans. When we said we were Americans in Cairo, two things usually happened. The people would smile and they would mention a relation they had living there and then, if they’re business people, dollar signs would flash in their eyes.

Everyone works so hard for their money — because many of them don’t have any. It makes sense really. It gets old after a while, but you eventually realize that the reason they try so hard and hassle you is that they don’t have any money and they think that you do.

We stayed at the Semiramis hotel on the Nile and it rivaled any of top hotels in the U.S. The service was wonderful, the food even better. We had a buffet filled with humus, tabouleh, baklava and shawerma. Yummy, yummy. There was also a Lebanese restaurant that was wonderful and about 10 other restaurants. We did not get sick, though our stomachs were uneasy at times because of all the traveling and the fact that we hardly slept while we were there.

We arrived early in the morning on a Sunday (1:30 a.m.) and went right to bed. As soon as we woke, we went right to the Ahlan Wa Sahlan dance festival location because they said you could only register for classes and dancing on that day. (The event officially began on Monday).

The Mena House hotel was the where the event took place. It was about 30-45 minutes from our hotel on Nile, depending on the time of day and who was driving the cab. Yes, the cab drivers are as crazy as they say. Luckily this 45-minute cab ride only cost about $3.75 if you held your ground, or $5 if you didn’t feel like bartering too much. When we got to the Mena House we were given a line number to register. They said the wait would be 2-1/2 hours!!! It was 2:30 and we had to be back at the Mena House for the Opening show by 7:30 p.m. This is where they could have organized the festival a little better. I ended up going back at 9 a.m. the next morning (after only 3 hours of sleep) to register. There were THAT many people there.

Thanks to my boss, we had the fortune of sitting at the very front table at the Ahlan wa Sahlan opening show. We were the guests of Amira El Kattan, Pharaonics of Egypt. We sat next to Sahra Kent, Nour (the Russian dancer in Egypt) and her husband, Amira and Amira’s husband Mohammed and three of his government official friends. (Mahmoud Reda and Farida Fahmy were in the next table over!)

If we hadn’t had these much coveted seats (people kept trying to take our chairs) we wouldn’t have been able to see anything and we might not have gotten a seat. They overbooked the show and were setting up makeshift tables. 

Because of political and money issues, there were only two dancers at the opening show — Dalia, who was good, but often seemed a little unsure of herself and copied many of Dina’s moves, and DINA!

To show the difference between an up and coming dancer and Dina, Dalia’s band was very good and consisted of maybe 10-14 musicians. Dina’s band was so big she barely fit on the stage with them. They were incredible. I think there were four drummers. The music was wonderful. Dina’s show was incredible. Like her or not, you cannot deny she is a belly dance superstar. I was mesmerized. The show ended around 2:30 a.m.

The next day we rose early to go to the Mena House again so I could register for dance classes. Since we were already right next to the pyramids we decided to see them that day. Not smart since it was 11 a.m., already too hot, and we only had a few hours sleep. But it made sense since we were right there.

We had read all the warnings in the guidebooks, but we still weren’t prepared. The pyramids may be the biggest rip-off opportunity in all of Cairo. First, since we came in the “back” way we were really confused about if we had to pay or not. So we ignored all the pushy pseudo “guides” and walked up to the gate to talk to a uniformed guard. He told us we indeed had to pay. I was about $3.75 a piece to get in. Nothing. At the ticket booth we were again harassed by a plainclothes “guide”.

We knew we’d have to tip him eventually, but we followed him because we were confused about where to go. He started leading us off into a remote section away from the main pyramid. I was getting angry. My partner was trying to figure out how to get us out of it. The next thing we knew, we were on donkeys and he started getting us to commit to a $20 a piece for a 1-1/2 hour tour of the site. I was angry and hot at this point so I firmly told the guide no and jumped off the donkey. He was not happy. I didn’t care, I just started walking away. We gave him a meager bakshish (tip) and he got more mad and started following us. We just walked away and eventually he left. That’s what you have to do — be firm and walk away. We got hit up again coming back into the main area. We went into a temple and started taking pictures and a uniformed (official tourist police) started taking us through the site. We didn’t ask him to and I knew he was going to expect a tip. But he took our picture inside two of the rooms so we humored him and got out quickly — it was very hot in there.

After that, anyone who spoke to us at the pyramids we ignored or gave a firm no and walked away. If you stopped and listened or took their free gift, they would all descend on you and not leave you alone. It’s crazy. We decided it was much better to explore on foot and not be hassled. So we walked around all three pyramids, stopping often for breaks. I don’t think either of us had ever been hotter. It was merciless. Not humid hot like St. Louis, just intense sun. The pyramids were surreal. Even though we touched them, they didn’t seem real. It was like stepping back in time. Very impressive. If you’re going, just beware of the hawkers and the “guides.”

That night, after a nap and a long spell in the air conditioning, we met a friend for shopping. That’s when we got the real Cairo experience.

We explored the Khan and got to sit outside and drink tea, mango juice and smoke the shisha. It’s cool there at night, not cold, just comfortable. We sat cafe-style amongst families with their children, visiting Arabs from the Gulf region and others. Not many tourists were at this particular spot, although the Khan is crawling with them. We had a view of a mosque and a quaint courtyard. It was very nice. As we sat and drank our tea, vendor after vendor ranging from five years old to 75 would approach us with miscellaneous items. They sold jasmine flowers on a string, miniature hookas, leather cushions. . . just about everything you could imagine. It was entertaining.

The next day we experienced the art of Egyptian bartering and salesmanship. It was our first free day to explore, so we stepped outside our hotel and passed the line of cab drivers begging for our business. We smiled and said no — today, we were going to explore on foot. The area around our hotel included the Egyptian museum and many shops — shoe shops, clothing, etc. We didn’t know where we were going, we just started walking.

As we walked, we talked and a little old man in a short sleeve polo shirt and khakis said “Hello, are you American?” We said yes. He said, “Welcome to Egypt!” Note: We later learned this is the opening line to a sales pitch. If someone says, “welcome to Egypt,” beware and hold onto your wallet. We were clueless and just kind of going with the flow that day, so we followed him and talked. We felt like we were getting to know the culture and since we had no set plans, it was nice to see where the conversation took us. He told us he was an engineer and that he went to the American University in Cairo. He had a son in Berkley, CA and a daughter in Egypt.

He went on and on and asked where we were going. My partner told him we were looking for a place to eat lunch, so he said he knew of the best falafel place in town. He’d show us where it was. So we followed him. It was so Alice in Wonderland. He shuffled along and we blindly followed him, caught up in the moment. He explained that in Egypt they show hospitality by buying us a drink. It’s the Egyptian way and he wanted to do this for us. He said that maybe if he visited the U.S. we would buy him a drink in return. We said okay. We were hungry and a falafel and a drink sounded good.

He took us on a long winding walk that ended at a perfume shop. The little man said it was his nephew’s place and to come in and sit in the air conditioning.

We stepped inside and saw bottles of perfumes along the walls. A scam! We knew we’d been had, but we didn’t care. We decided to go along with it and experience real Egyptian culture. This was what it was all about. So we exchanged looks that communicated that we knew what was going on, but decided to have fun and play along.

We met his nephew — a very boisterous business man who owned the shop. He was very flattering and kept making jokes about marrying my sister. (He had asked if I had any sisters back home and I told him about my sister.) From this point on, the little old man didn’t speak to us. He sat back and read his paper. We were served a lunch of falafel — however big a sandwich we’d like, he said. We were served tea with mint, very good. And a hibiscus tea that my partner liked but I thought was disgusting. I drank it though, to be polite.

Then the sales pitch began. It was very entertaining and the nephew was very persuasive. He showed us letters proving that he supplied his essential oils to shops all over the world, including the Body Shop. He showed us correspondence showing that they purchased his oils. He showed us photos of his flower farms. It was all quite interesting. We tried on bottle after bottle of oils. Then we started talking price.

Now normally I wouldn’t have bought anything from him. I read the guide book and it said this is the way business was done. Even if they offered you a drink, you didn’t have to buy. However, my mom wanted me to bring her back some perfume, so I thought this was a great opportunity. The night before we had bought a couple of vials in the Khan for about $4 each and I wasn’t happy with them. This guy’s stuff did smell good, so after much negotiation we bought 2-1/2 bottles and we even got a free perfume bottle that I put my perfume in. We only paid $18 American which was probably too much, but we did get a lunch out of the deal.

As soon as the business concluded we stood up and shook hands with him and left. It was a lot of fun. I loved the bargaining. It’s like gambling. It was also nice because his place was air conditioned, unlike the shops in the Khan (plus the Khan is expensive). As we stepped out the door the little old man asked to take us to his friend’s place just down the way. I had to laugh. We politely said, no thank you and he showed us how to get back to the main street. It’s so funny! The old man isn’t an engineer. He probably just walks around Cairo looking for tourists to lure to shops, then he gets some kind of cut. We had to laugh about the whole thing.

After that, we explored the belly dance stores in the Khan. I almost passed out I was so excited. (There was also no air conditioning in any of the shops). I tried to hurry so as not to drive my partner too crazy, but I found a bunch of stuff — everything on my shopping list. Tuesday night we took a dinner cruise on the Nile Maxim (the Marriott hotel’s dinner boat). It was not worth the price — very mediocre dinner and very touristy. I don’t recommend doing this unless you want to be around tourists. Asmahan performed and I didn’t care for her show very much. She’s very Vegas style. She entered out of a wicker basket and danced with a stuffed snake.

Wednesday night we went to see the FREE tanoura (whirling dervish) dance show at the Citadel. It was a very nice show set in an outdoor theater. You have to arrive very early to get a seat. We got there around 7 and waited outside in a line. Then they lead you in around 7:30 because the Citadel is closed and the show started at 8. There were about 10-15 musicians and many dancers. One dancer spun for 25 minutes straight — I timed it. After a while though it gets old and you almost have to look away or you start getting dizzy and sick. It was a great show overall, though.

Thursday we were so tired from not sleeping much that we accidentally slept until 2:30 p.m.! We spent the afternoon exploring the Egyptian museum. It’s amazing how much stuff they have there. The tut room was especially impressive. That night we went back to the Mena House because I was scheduled to perform in the show.

I chose to perform to the live band (because when do you ever get a chance to do that in Cairo!) I did not realize at the time that this meant you go on last. My partner and I did not go to any of the other festival shows (they’re held each night — free admission) we didn’t know what to expect. When I checked in, they told me I was 10th to the band after all the CD people, PLUS Raqia had scheduled a boy dance group and a lecturer that night, even though it was the busiest night of the event. So I didn’t perform until 2 a.m.! It was so much fun performing to the band. An incredible experience. Unfortunately since it was 2 a.m., many of the people left by the time the band started because they had to teach or attend workshops the next day. That was the only disappointing part.

Friday, our last day, a friend picked us up and we went back to the Khan to finish our souvenir shopping and to Mohammed Ali street to look for drums. I was so excited because you read so much about how it was, but now it’s very different. There are still many shops with musical instruments, but it’s mostly furniture stores and is very congested.

Finally, we then went to the Cairo Tower and got to see all of Cairo at sunset. It was beautiful. I was very sad to leave.

Things to watch out for if you go . . . .

• “Bakshish, bakshish, bakshish!” This means tip in Arabic and it’s demanded anywhere you go in a touristy area. If you ask for directions, you’re expected to hand out a bakshish. If someone takes your picture for you, you can be sure they’ll demand bakshish.

• Cabs: If you go, it is completely safe to take the cabs. They are VERY cheap. As I said, a cab all the way out to the pyramids was only $3.75 if you waited for the right price. The only trick with the cabs is settle a price before you get in. They will always start high. If you don’t like their price say no and walk away. Often they will find someone for you who will accept the price. It’s very interesting. It’s almost like there’s this head cab leader and he sees what you’re going to pay and then auctions you off to a cab driver. If you stand firm, you’re okay. You do not have to accept their price if your offer is reasonable, there’s always someone else willing to accept it. There are that many cabs. I remember being in Paris and Rome and not being able to get a cab driver to stop. This doesn’t happen in Cairo. The city is crawling with them. There’s always another one if you keep walking. A few times we got into unmarked cars. These are “part time” cab drivers and they’re the ones who have air conditioning. The regular cabs do not have air. They also look like they’re about to fall apart. You may be afraid to get into one, but don’t be. They’re all like this. Remember, it’s just a poor country. The cabs will run. We never had one die on us.

• If you have an English speaking driver, you will get a sale pitch for “Sakkara, pyramids?” They all want to give you a tour. This is how they supplement their income. If you refuse, they’ll say, Maybe tomorrow? Just nod and smile. They’ll also usually give you a business card. It’s funny. They’re all like mini tour operators. Our wallets were full of business cards from cab drivers by the time we came home. They’re all very nice though and don’t hassle you in any other way. If they don’t know where they’re going, they’ll ask another cab driver. This happened to us once. We were coming from the pyramids and this young guy got stuck with us because no one wanted to take us all the way to our hotel for $3.75 American. He didn’t know where it was and didn’t understand us so he kept asking other cabbies, as we were driving. We gave him an extra tip, poor guy. He probably didn’t realize how far it was!

• Driving there is crazy. It’s like Mexico. There are lanes, but no one follows them. It’s first come first serve, push, push, push. It’s an adventure. I don’t recommend it.

• The Khan is exactly what you picture. Stores on top of stores. Awnings covering narrow streets so that you almost feel as though you’re underground. It’s also a rip-off. We were told this by our Egyptian friend, we were told this by the cab drivers, we were told this by people walking through the Khan. And it really is. Aside from the belly dance stores, it really is overpriced. We discovered this coming home at the airport where prices were cheaper on things that we’d bought in the Khan — at the airport! That’s usually where things are higher!