Trip to the Holy Land - Cairo 9/22/2012



Streetside in Cairo

After a long flight (SEA - ORD - FRA - CAI) we arrived in Cairo, Egypt about 8pm local time.  The tour group arrived two hours earlier so they had long departed for the hotel leaving us to find our own way to the Intercontinental Star City.  My own unfamiliarity with the people, language and city in addition to the scurry of activity gave me the feeling of widespread confusion.  For example, Cairo is certainly not the only city in the world where cars careen down the road with no regard for lanes, pedestrians or safety margins but when added to the illegible street signs (all written in Farsi), the very bumpy streets (surely caused by the extreme heat softening the asphalt in the summers), the large number of people milling about on street sides, the Arabic chanting on the taxi's radio and my jet lag mental fog, it left me with a sense of confusion. The crescent moon was shining over the city - how appropriate for Cairo.


Crescent moon over Cairo

On our cab ride to the hotel, we stopped no fewer than 3 times at booths leaving the airport to exchange tickets for tolls.  Our cab driver, who spoke few English words, was cynical about all of the money various agencies were collecting for entering and exiting the airport.

By the way, the taxi man who solicited us drove a beat up Toyota Yaris with no taxi markings or meter.  When we got to the car and I saw this I was a bit nervous about potential dangers.  I remarked, "This doesn't look like a taxi!"  He quickly responded, "Its not, its a limo."  While he seemed like an honest man trying to earn some money, that did not entirely relieve my concerns - especially in the often congested traffic where cars were so close you could not see taillights in front
of you but you could smell the results of the personal hygiene practiced by the people in the car next to you.  I watched his every move and the surroundings we were driving into for any signs of potential trouble.  He deposited us at the door of the Intercontinental City Stars Hotel and I was so relieved to arrive safely that I gave him a 50% tip ($10).  He seemed very appreciative of the gesture and it was well worth it to me for our safe arrival.

At the street front of the hotel we were stopped by two policemen with a bomb-sniffing dog who inspected the undercarriage and trunk of the taxi.  Our bags were also x-rayed at the hotel entrance and we walked through scanners.  After all the security preliminaries, the hotel was very nice and there is an adjoining shopping mall which looks like a galleria with all the top luxury stores.