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48 hours in Cairo. That’s what Maria and Dana proposed when they were “bored” in Amman. This kind of travel is completely against my travel philosophy, but I agreed to go with them. They booked the flights and hotel and off we went. It turned into a whirlwind of a trip.
Driving Past Landmarks
After checking into our hotel, we hired a taxi to drive us to the pyramids. On our way, we passed a few points of interest. The first one was the Al-Rahman al-Rahim Mosque. Click here for a virtual tour.
We then passed up the Citadel and the Mosque of Mohammad Ali, which was built in 1857, before winding through the city some more. Click here for a virtual tour of the Citadel, and click here for a virtual tour of the Mosque of Mohammad Ali.
Shawarma
We ended up having a traumatizing experience at the pyramids. This definitely wasn’t a good start to our trip. We were left angry, exhausted, and hungry, so we stopped at a shawarma shop and grabbed a quick dinner.
Taxi Cheat
The night wasn’t over. We went back to the hotel, changed, and went to the Hard Rock Café (now closed) for their nightclub. The taxi driver pretended to get lost and circled the streets for about 40 minutes to run up the fare. We ditched him, jumped into another taxi who said the HRC was very well-known and easy to find, and made it to the bar in less than 10 minutes. We stayed until late into the night.
Driving Tour
The next day was a bit more relaxed. We woke up late, had breakfast after noon, and got ready for the day. We hired a private car for the day rather than take taxis and asked the driver to just take us around to some of the more laid-back parts of the city.
He first took us on a quick driving tour, crossing the Nile and getting a good look at the Cairo Tower. It was built in 1956 and is the tallest structure in Egypt at 187m. Click here for a virtual tour.
Lunch
He then took us to a dinner boat on the Nile where we had a late lunch. The food was very good traditional Egyptian food and the views were excellent. On such a miserable trip, this was my favorite part.
Felucca Ride
When we finished lunch, we took a short felucca ride until the sun began to set over the river. It was then back to the car where we got stuck in horrible Cairo traffic. This was a mixed blessing, because it gave me a chance to observe daily life in Cairo.
I paid close attention to everything happening on the streets and watched people going about their business.
I also saw many banners and billboards with Hosni Mubarak on them. Little did anyone know that in less than a year, he would be deposed in the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.
Tahrir Square
When we passed through Tahrir Square, where the revolution occurred, traffic began to disperse. I wasn’t able to get a great look at the square, but I did spot the Omar Makram Mosque just off it. We made it back to the hotel shortly after.
More to Come?
My 48 hours in Cairo were disappointing yet eye-opening. I got a small taste of this fascinating city that I hope to visit again and again to discover more.
