Regretfully, I had to leave out the Aswan Dam, Abydos, Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Dendera, Edfu, etc. An online visa can be easily obtained for about Rs. 3000 within 5 working days. Those Indian passport holders with valid US, Schengen, UK, Australia visas may be eligible for Visa on Arrival too. That said, I opted for the hassle-free e-visa. There is a certain assurance that comes with an e-visa and sticker visa.
Once I got the e-visa, I confirmed the Air Arabia flight from Ahmedabad to Cairo via Sharjah. As is now a routine, Rajiv Shah of Network Tours and Travels arranged the best option available to fly out from Ahmedabad on 1 November and from Cairo on 9 November. The itinerary in Egypt was finalized with the suggestions and assistance of colleagues in DP World. I also booked the domestic flight from Cairo to Luxor and back. I sourced accommodation as per the itinerary through booking.com, which, along with Network Tours and Travels, are permanent partners in my overseas tours.
The best of plans can go awry because of oversight. I had planned to spend three nights in Luxor and return to Cairo on 6th morning and drive to Alexandria. However, after confirming the flight booking, which was non-refundable and non-flexible, I realized that I had booked the return from Luxor late evening. As if to compound the misery, I had already booked accommodation in Alexandria and Port Said that were non-refundable too! The only way to get over the blunder was to drive to Alexandria directly from Cairo airport on 6th night.
Discover Cars had given me remarkable service in Amman, Jordan through its service partner, AutoNation. Therefore, it was natural that I turned to Discover Cars for a rental in Cairo. One feature I found peculiar to Egypt is that, across companies, there is a cap of 150 km per day. The unlimited mileage option is not available, I found. The tariff beyond the set limit was almost 1 Euro per km. Despite trying various options and companies I could not find a suitable solution. On top of that, driving late at night in an unfamiliar country posed its own challenges. meanwhile, colleagues in DP World cautioned me against self-driving in Egypt. Later, I found that advise most sensible.
While the problem seemed intractable, Mostafa, the owner of Full Moon Hotel in Luxor, found me a taxi that would pick me up from Cairo airport and take me to Alexandria and Port Said, including local sightseeing. That was the last arrangement to be tied up before flying out to Sharjah from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad.
I was looking forward to the short holiday in Egypt, the 64th country of visit. The country that was the crucible of the second oldest civilization in recorded history, dating back to 3100 BC, has plenty to offer in terms of history, culture, cuisine, architecture, writing. Central to the civilization was The Nile which provided fertile soil for agriculture, water, and a vital transportation route. The Pharaonic rule in Egypt came to end with its annexation by the Roman Empire around 30 BC. Till then, the civilization thrived, almost 3100 years, with intermediate periods of relative weak central administration.
The Air Arabia flight to Sharjah was a few minutes late to depart but reached Sharjah on time. The Sharjah airport is small, but functional. One doesn't have to walk miles to reach the transfer desk or gates. There are so many connecting Air Arabia flights leaving for various destinations in the morning hours that the airport looked too small to handle the traffic. The airport staff make up for the size by ensuring that passengers move through security quickly. This is the fastest security check I've been through anywhere in the world.
The aerial view of the sprawling city of Cairo stuns the mind. Buildings that looked like matchboxes piled on top of one another, all brownish and stretching as far as the eyes can see. The touchdown in Cairo was ahead of time and the passport control was done in double quick time. The baggage did take some time getting on to the carousel. Once the bag was collected, I went to one of the kiosks outside the arrivals to buy a Sim card; the strange thing is that the international airport didn't have free Wi-Fi.
I was approached by swarms of salespeople wanting me to hire a taxi; prices ranged from $10 to 15. Two of them, seeing me trying to book an Uber, told me that police don't permit Uber to come within 3 km of the Terminal 1, where I was. I was in a quandary. Surrender to this extortion or persist with the Uber booking. I did the latter. The first Uber driver, despite the Uber charge being deducted from my account, demanded $20 for tolls and airport fees. I declined.
After about half an hour I got an Uber taxi that safely deposited me at the hotel in downtown Cairo in about half an hour. Most vehicles on the road and at the airport looked bruised and battered. People drive like maniacs on the road. The driver did slow down in some places where traffic cameras were in use.
The hotel I had booked, Cairo Crown Hotel, is in the heart of downtown. It was on the first floor of a corner building. The premises were a bit dodgy. I had to lug the bags up a steep flight of marble stairs. It is not a proper hotel, but a set of rooms managed by a couple of youngsters. For the money the room was worth it and its location was good. I paid for the room in USD and obtained the change in EGP. After a quick bath I sauntered out to find out a currency exchange. I did find one soon enough. The restaurants in the area were apparently getting ready for a weekend blast.
It took me quite some time to book an Uber from the currency exchange to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Three drivers declined for the rate charged by Uber; they wanted over and above the Uber rate. Finally, I got one and that guy was an absolute gem. He had to take a lot of detours, yet he took me to the Museum without asking for an extra buck. In one place he was stopped by the traffic police for taking a short cut he shouldn't have. The gave opened his diary as if to write out a challan. But the driver sweet talked him and apologized and got back to his merry ways.
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization is a humongous area. The entrance fee for a non-Egyptian is 550 EGP to be paid for by a plastic card. The museum, located in Old Cairo, was fully populated between 2017 and 2021. The museum displays a collection of 50,000 artifacts, presenting the Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the Modern era. The collections were taken from various museums in Cairo and Alexandria.
In the main gallery the Nazlet Khater skeleton, the Tent of Purification, Ekhnaton statue, chariot of Tohotmus IV, prosthetic toe, Nilos, Dush treasure from the Roman Empire, supporting dome of Baouweek, mahmal from King Farouk, etc. are the chief attractions. The Egyptian textile gallery has a collection of over 600 displays which offers a glimpse of the rich tapestry of Egyptian history and craftsmanship.
The Royal Mummies Gallery displays the mummies of the ancient 17 Kings and 3 Queens of Egypt. The names, so familiar from the Pre Degree history lessons, such as Ramsses II, Seti I, Amenhoteps, Thutmoses, Hatshepsut, etc they are there right before you. The aim of the display apparently is to give the visitor the feeling of strolling down the Valley of The Kings, where most of these mummies were originally resting. Photography is prohibited inside this section; indeed, a major loss.
The museum is located next to the Ain el-Sera Lake, the area which was developed from slums into a touristic site in 2022. It includes restaurants, an open-air theatre, green areas, wooden pergolas, fountains and a purification plant of lake water. I was famished by the time I finished the museum tour. I ordered a pizza in one of the restaurants and ate one half of the delicious pepperoni pizza and carried the rest to be had for dinner.
I took a Uber bike taxi from the Museum to the bustling Khan al Khalili bazaar, which is a collection of numerous narrow lanes studded by countless shops. The bike ride was fascinating, I hung on for dear life when Mohammed touched 90 kph. After many detours caused by traffic jams and road closures, I reached the historic bazaar near the Al Azhar mosque. The history of the bazaar goes back to the 14th century when it was an important trading location of the Mamluk period. It is an awesome place to experience the spices, herbs, crafts, textiles, and jewelry of the country.
I took another bike taxi to get back to downtown. My destination was the Cairo Tower. The driver, Fady, reminded me of a young Tovino Thomas. From the flyovers en-route to downtown I got a glimpse of the busy weekend markets; the lanes were filled to the gills with people indulging in their weekend shopping. The traffic in downtown, near the Tahrir Square, was absolutely bonkers. The Nile Ritz Carlton, The Sheraton and other hotels stood proud on the banks of the Nile. At 187 meters, the Cairo Tower is 30 meters taller than the tallest pyramid. It is often referred to as the second most important attraction of Cairo after the pyramids.
From the Cairo Tower I decided to walk back to my hotel. On the way I thought of taking the walkway beside the Nile to enjoy the sights. However, one entrance was to the Blue Nile restaurant, and the other was a paid corniche walk. I got back to the road and walked to the Qasr el Nil bridge, which connects the Tahrir square to the place where the Cairo Tower is situated.
At the end of the bridge are four bronze lion statues and beneath flows the majestic Nile. The cool breeze, the lights dancing on the river and the modern buildings made the walk across the Nile an unforgettable experience.
Tahrir Square, in downtown Cairo, was the epicenter of the 2011 revolution against the then President Hosni Mubarak. The square is vibrant and has plenty of places to relax and take in the sights when the lights come on. I sat there for a while and finished what was left of the pepperoni pizza. By then, naturally, the pizza had become cold and hard. It was a short walk from the Tahrir square to the hotel. It was time for a good night's rest after a very long day.
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