Cairo - one crazy city

camel ride at the pyramids
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After getting through customs on my arrival in Egypt I soon found out that Lufthansa had left it in Rome! Not such a good way to start my visit to Egypt! I then learnt first hand about tipping, when a helpful guy saw me and asked if I needed a taxi. Assuming this was normal procedure I went with him and he took me to his office where he organised the taxi. That was all good but he wanted a tip, and I had just got cash out at the cash machine so had no small change. That was alright b/c the price of the actual taxi was quite good. Then another guy walked me out to the car and wanted a tip, and the driver also wanted a tip. Tip of the day: If you visit a country like egypt make sure you always have small change, b/c everyone wants tips and they never carry change (even toilets are not free to use anywhere, including the airport, and people stand at the door to take your money)! Anyway once I got to the hotel they told me they 'liked me' so gave me a suite for the 2 nights I stayed there for no extra charge. The suite was really nice too so that was cool. Its tv didnt work but it was huge, had a balcony overlooking dokhu (the suburb I stayed in and apparently one of the nicer suburbs in cairo - not that you'd think so given the no. of goats living in the street and the number of unfinished buildings across the way (apprently a lot of the men there will have quite a few wives and say for every new wife they marry they might add a level to their house - hence the unfinshed houses. Also they have to pay more taxes if their houses are finished apparently, so only the rich people can afford to).

the sphynx and one of the pyramids at giza
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The 2nd day in Cairo, xmas eve, was the meeting day for the 15 day tour I did in Egypt. My group was 20 strong, with pretty much everyone kiwis or ausi's. That was quite good really - certainly reduced the culture shock! We went out for a 3 course xmas dinner that night (b/c we would be on the train to aswan on xmas night) at a restaurant/karaoke bar which had the 80's hits pumping all night. They played a few arabic songs (about 2 all night) but mostly western songs - very authentic! Good meal tho and pretty cheap alcohol.

On xmas day pretty much it was life as usual since the city is largely muslim. We went to the mighty pyramids and sphynx in the morning. There we went down into the central tomb of the 2nd biggest pyramid (you'd be amazed how hot it gets down in there, and how small the tomb is in comparison to the mass of rock built around it!). We also went for camel ride there, up to an awesome vantage point of the pyramids, which have Cairo on one side and nothing but desert on the other. In the arvo I visited the Cairo museum which was pretty wicked - I was especially impressed by an exhibition there of all of pretty much all of the relics found in tutankhamen's tomb - including the famous golden coffin cover, etc. I thought the mummified crocodiles and cats were pretty neat too.