Navigating Cairo

Tuesday, November 23rd – Our first moments in Egypt!

Our first evening in Cairo was quite an adventure. Our bus from the airport fit all seven of us (and luggage) and quickly allowed us a crash course in Cairo driving – it’s insane. There are very few lane indications, but a good rule of thumb is that if it is a traditionally three lane road it’s a five lane road in which people do not use turn signals, but instead communicate to “make way, I’m coming through whether you like it or not” by honking. People run in between the cars to cross the street at any point they like, motorcycles zigzag amongst the cars like they’re a maze, and bicyclists do the same. Even at night not everyone uses their lights, people stop for no reason with no warning, u-turns are possible at any point and any time, and if you hit someone the driver usually honks and waves at the person. It’s truly crazy.

After our daring airport transfer, we cleared security at our hotel (which we later found out has 24 hour security with metal detectors, bag searches,…the hotel across the street even had a bomb detecting dog), checked into the hotel, and settled into our rooms. We wanted to find a restaurant for dinner – we were all hungry and excited to try new cuisine and a restaurant called “Receid”…or at least that’s what it sounded like when they said it in Arabic. We asked about getting a taxi, but Gary and I had read that they overcharge when you try to get a taxi straight from a hotel. So the hotel concierge recommended that we walk around the corner and across the bridge – much easier said than done. Cairo is a bustling city of over 32 million people and nearly all of them drive. And while it seemed immense, we learned that its square kilometers are fairly small for a city that holds that tremendous population. We soon found ourselves weaving through the crowds and attempting the unthinkable – crossing the street. In our hands we had the name of the restaurant recommendation written in Arabic. Ultimately it took multiple cab attempts, seeking the help of three different police officers, a shop keeper, and a man on the street to help us get two taxis and locate the restaurant. It was worth it though and was the best meal we had the entire time – tahini, falafel, creamy walnut chicken, fava bean dip, and more. After that we hit up a pizza place for Michael and Stephanie, found a convenience store and bought several liters of bottled water, and hailed two taxis home using the trick I had learned in Korea – when in a foreign country that uses symbols other than your traditional Roman alphabet, grab a hotel card to show your taxi driver. (I suppose that goes for any country or hotel so you can return, but when I don’t speak or write Arabic, it’s helpful to have a card that says it all for me). I also gave cards to multiple people and to Michael and Stephanie so that should they ever get separated they could explain where they needed to go.

Our taxi back was awesome – Daniel, Emily and I had a modern guy who was closer to our age and drove like he was in vice city – we had many close calls in which we were “inches from people” as Emily has since exclaimed. When we asked him if he thought it was a video game he laughed very hard and we were able to banter back and forth with him a bit. We survived our ride and spent the rest of the evening lining up our Giza tour and gear up for our trip to the pyramids!!!