Magic & Mayhem (Cairo)

Name: tim_russell

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Product:	Cairo
Date:	26/06/01 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Friendly, cheap, beautiful

Disadvantages: Noisy, polluted, persistent hawkers

I spent 2 weeks working in this extraordinary city recently, and as soon as I arrived I found that any preconceptions I might have had were blown away. I imagined Cairo to be small-ish - it's enormous (home to 17m people). I thought it might be hostile and dangerous - it was heartwarmingly friendly. And I thought it would be a little...primitive - it isn't, and in parts it even looks like New York.

Before telling you more, my first tip to anyone planning to spend time in Cairo is DON'T DRIVE! As a vehement car-hater this wasn't an issue for me anyway as I've made it to my 30s without ever sitting behind a steering wheel, but if you're tempted to hire a car to get you around Cairo then don't. The roads here are simply insane - no lane markings, drivers of varying skill or awareness of their surroundings, and traffic lights which seem to suggest rather than enforce. Fun to watch, hell to get stuck in the middle of.

Accommodation-wise, there's no shortage of places to stay, with most of the big hotels being strung out along the banks of the Nile. I stayed at the Semiramis Intercontinental - luxurious, expensive and chock full of facilities, it was just what I needed for a 2-week stay, but the tourist making a brief visit here may want something more simple. And your visit will be brief - there's plenty to see but it can be squeezed into 3 or 4 days and after several days the noise, bustle and heat of the city will have you craving for peace and quiet.

That's the best thing about Cairo, at least for a while - the sheer energy of the place. It's home to 17m people and it feels as if they're all out on the streets at once. But it's never threatening - the worst you'll encounter is over-enthusiastic papyrus salesmen, but as I found to my benefit they do understand the significance of the 'F' word and it seems to be the only way to get rid of them. Visit the bazaar to experience typic
al Cairo - winding alleyways, incense, hawkers haggling over their goods, the odour of mint tea drifting out of the cafes. A great place to shop, but remember, argue before you buy - the first price quoted will be ludicrously high.

No-one visits Cairo without visiting the Pyramids and if you can avoid the camel-owners trying to take your picture atop one of their uncomfortable, foul-smelling beasts it's pretty cheap to do so. You can even go inside, but be warned - when I visited the outside temperature was 40C, rising another 10C inside the pyramid! But it's an unforgettable experience all the same - go early in the morning when it's cooler and quieter.

The Egyptian Museum is Cairo's other essential attraction. A huge collection of artefacts, including the Tutenkhamun collection (there's even a pair of his old underpants, lingerie fans), it can easily take up a whole day if you don't structure your visit carefully. Work out what you want to see beforehand rather than wandering aimlessly, as if you take the latter option you'll be as old as King Tut himself by the time you get out.

The Mohammed Ali Mosque and adjacent Citadel are also worth a visit, offering a good introduction to Cairo's history and some excellent views over the city. Again, it gets busy so early morning's the time to go.

As for nightlife, well, if you're a 10 pints followed by a nightclub person Cairo isn't for you. It's a Muslim city and so bars are pretty hard to find outside the Western chain hotels. There are a few however, and it's good fun sitting with a cold beer and a hookah pipe watching the chaos on the streets outside. If it's restaurants you're after however, you're spoilt for choice. My two favourites were Felfela, a traditional North African restaurant, where you can either sit and enjoy a mix of different dishes or grab a tasty shawerma kebab & eat on the move, and Nagib Mahfouz, a re
cently opened gem of a restaurant hidden away on Cairo's central island, which offers luxurious decor and a modern take on classic Egyptian cuisine. The stuffed pigeon is excellent. The other way to spend the evening is to hire a felucca, a single-sailed boat, for an hour bobbing up & down on the Nile. They're cheap and the pilots usually speak English.

It's easy to get ripped off in Cairo - if you're going to the Pyramids I'd recommend an official tourist bus rather than one of the ubiquitous black & white taxis, and be wary of people approaching you on the street to try & sell you things or offer their services. They're generally harmless but irritatingly persistent, and all seem to have gone to the same marketing school! I found I only got hassled when I went out alone - if you have an Egyptian with you they'll usually leave you alone.

So that's a brief introduction to Cairo, one of the most hectic places on Earth - when I got home, London seemed like a small, deserted village! It's not a place you'll want to spend any more than a few days, but the time you spend there will stay with you forever.

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