The sun was barely peeking over the horizon as our cruise ship docked at Port Said, ready to go and see the pyramids of Egypt. Our journey to Cairo was quite the spectacle. We were part of a convoy of 10 buses that were accompanied by 12 police cars, an armed guard on each bus, and a spare bus in case one broke down. The guards had a suit on with their machine gun hidden underneath which looked a lot better compared to the Israeli guards. It felt slightly better that we were being protected from their people and not the other way around like it was in Israel.

The drive to Cairo was quite the spectacle and took about 3 hours. They blocked all the roads for us and if anyone came too close they would put the sirens on. It felt like we were VIPs!

My Mum was feeling sick with food poisoning we got in Israel the previous day which was a shame because she was looking forward to Egypt the most. I’m lucky I was only sick the afternoon in Israel.
There were no sick bags so Mum had nothing but the ship’s laundry bag for the long journey on the bus. Talk about making do with what you’ve got! And then when we got to the museum she had the problem of disposing of it with no bins around and a security screening ahead of us. Well, let’s just say we had a hilarious moment of improvisation involving a construction site. Kevin’s comment about the unsuspecting lunch crowd nearby? Priceless! It’s moments like these that truly make for the most unforgettable travel stories.

Cairo is a city of contrasts and surprises around every corner! Did you know it’s the third-largest city globally? And let me tell you, its reputation for having the worst traffic in the world is absolutely earned! I thought Athens was a bit chaotic, but Cairo takes the cake. The constant symphony of honking horns is practically the soundtrack of the city.

They took us to the museum where we got to see Tutankhamun’s treasures including the famous head mask. Next was a cruise along the Nile, complete with lunch – although Mum and I played it safe and skipped the meal, given Egypt’s notorious reputation for upsetting stomachs.

The reality of Cairo’s environmental and housing conditions hits hard. The Nile, once a symbol of life and prosperity, is now distressingly polluted, strewn with trash, and even the occasional unfortunate sight of dead animals. And the smell? Whew! Let’s just say it’s an assault on the senses. The city’s poor living conditions are a stark reminder of its challenges. Did you know people don’t pay taxes until their houses are finished being built? It explains why a lot of dwellings are mere shells, yet people call them home.

I was expecting Giza to be further away from Cairo but as we turned a corner the pyramids were popping up behind the buildings, it was a truly amazing sight interrupted only by our hilarious banter about the variety of sights. It went like this:
Katrina: Oh look, there’s one!
Simone: Jacqui, look there’s a donkey!
Jacqui: I don’t see any donkeys, I think she meant a pyramid. Are you looking for donkeys?! She’s looking for pyramids…
Kevin: I’m looking for pigeons…
Jacqui: I’m looking for a dead cow…
Then a few seconds later we spot a deceased horse drifting along a canal where people were swimming! Oh, the things you see in Cairo.

We got the panoramic view of the pyramids first and got a few photos.

As we were taking photos a Bedouin came up to me and held out his hand so I shook it to be polite. It was a very strange and gentle shake, which seemed very weird but I was a bit too preoccupied with the pyramids to think more into it. In the meantime, Mum decided to take photos of the camels with the pyramids in the background so I went and joined her because she sounded like she was arguing with these 2 Bedouin men. I had my camera hanging from around my neck and one of them grabbed the neck strap off me without me hardly noticing. Before I knew it my camera was in his hands and all I had left was to quickly grab hold of the lens and plead with him while he was saying “I take photo.” We had been warned not to let them because they run off with your camera or make you buy it back but thankfully Mum eventually got them to give it back. I was hanging onto the lens so tightly, there was no way he was taking my camera!

Next, these 2 Bedoiun men got Mum to take a photo of me with their camel and they put their smelly headdress thing on me. They wanted me to ride the camel but there was no way I was getting on a camel. Again we had been warned that they let you get on cheap then they won’t let you off until you give them all of your money and it’s not easy to get off a camel. As we were leaving they grabbed hold of me and said to Mum “You pay to get your daughter back!”. Mum replied “I don’t have any money.” They weren’t letting me go so she gave in and gave them a few coins. I had gotten away by that stage and then they were chasing us and asking for notes. I wasn’t concerned at all, although I probably should have been. Then when we got back on the bus we were told about a lady in the last group who had her ring stolen when she shook hands. I checked my ring so fast and thank goodness it was still there. I am very glad I ate a lot of nice cruise food because it would have come off easily a week ago.

We got to walk around the pyramids. The people at the pyramids are so annoying especially if you make eye contact or if you take a photo of a camel. At the sphynx, Katrina asked a little kid how much as we were getting on the bus and then he wouldn’t leave us alone, he was even throwing rocks at the bus window.

On the way back to the ship we had no security except the guard on our bus. Like they get you in making you feel safe and they couldn’t care less when you are leaving. At Alexandria Port I had a man come up to me and he told me I had beautiful hair then he offered me 6 camel ornaments for my hair. I’ve heard they sell it as wigs and hair extensions and make a lot of money from it.

No other country we’ve seen compares to Egypt, the shopkeepers chase you and they are very aggressive. The traffic was unbelievable, we even had to stop for a crash when we were leaving, and it was fairly serious there were 2 women on the side of the road, severely injured.

So that was my Egpyt experience: I got held for ransom, nearly had my camera and ring stolen, and also got an offer for my hair. One day is enough to see Egypt but it would be good to go back and go into a pyramid. It really has changed the way I see the world. After being in Cairo for a day I really appreciate how good we have it and I don’t think I’ll ever be impatient at Aussie traffic ever again haha.

P.S. In case you are wondering it only cost Mum $6 to buy me back… pretty cheap huh? 🙂