Egypt: Cairo (Day 1)

[True to form, I am starting this documentation 6 months late as usual.]

Let me begin this series by saying that we had allotted two days before the trip to Egypt as sightseeing time in NYC, but due to unavoidable circumstances, we barely saw NYC at all. So, no post on that part of the trip.

However, despite the disappointment on the failed NYC segment of this trip, the Egypt part was incredible.

On the flight I noticed many non-Egyptians. I guessed right away that these people would be part of our tour. This trip was a package trip that included the international flight out of NYC/JFK and domestic flight/s within Egypt. Also very helpful was the fact that we were traveling with another couple we met a year ago in the Morocco trip. As a matter of fact, they were the ones that notified us that the Egypt trip was on sale, and if we'd like to join them. Naturally we said we yes. How often does an epic destination like Egypt go on sale anyway?

Thus on the flight, we were sure the others that didn't look local would be our tour mates. We arrived in Cairo airport and was greeted by the tour company representative who put a visa stamp on our passports after collecting the corresponding fee. The same guy then led us to carousel A for our luggage. It was at the carousel area that I found out that so many people signed up for the trip that they needed 2 groups for the same trip of the same dates. From here on we did not carry our luggage until the trip ended. We identified our luggage, which then got loaded into the bus to the hotel.

We were on bus #2 with a tall, lanky, scholarly looking man Fawzy as our guide for the trip. He was superb. I liked him from the first moment we got to meet him.

The hotel we were staying for the night is the upscale Marriott Cairo and Omar Khayyam Casino located on Gezira Island where we were told the embassies are located; thus security is tight and we'd be safe, for those that worry about the safety factor.

From the airport, the hotel is typically 45-minute drive away, but it was around 3:30 pm as we were pulling out of the airport and was hitting rush hour traffic. The very knowledgeable tour guide took this opportunity to educate us about Cairo and the neighborhoods we were passing. We passed through Heliopolis, the rich part of the city, where the roads are wide and sidewalks are very clean.











Finally we arrived at the beautiful, fancy and very modern hotel. When the tedious task of distributing the correct hotel room key to everyone, we were sent to freshen up, rest up and be present at the Welcome Talk to commence at 6 pm. We were given the room with the city view and unfortunately did not have enough time to enjoy it.

At the Welcome Talk, we went around introducing ourselves to each other. Then the tour director went into what is itinerary, expectations, optional tours, gratuities - the usual stuff that gets talked about at the beginning of a tour. However, the talk went longer than expected because most people have something to say or would want to know.

Once the talk eventually ended, we got the chance to roam around the resort compound that is beautifully landscaped. There were a number of dining options and the al fresco seating in the restaurants were filled. The vibe inside the resort was nothing I'd expected to experience in Egypt. It had a modern Western atmosphere where both men and women have a cig on one hand and a drink in another. The people are all well dressed too, made me uncomfortable wearing such a casual travel attire. The whole compound feels like a small city within a big city.















From the many choices we had for dinner inside the compound, we opted to try the middle eastern cuisine at Arabian Nights. Along with another couple, we ordered a variety of dishes we saw on the menu that we weren't familiar with and fell under the label EGYPTIAN dishes. I don't remember their names right now. Unfortunately though, the stuffed pigeon, which we understood is one of their specialties was already out. Given this to be a Sunday, there was live music with our dinner.


Fresh bread baking just outside the restaurant.


Fresh bread on the table.











This is what the stuffed pigeon looked like. It was available the other night we had dinner there.

I want to share a funny anecdote about dinner. Our waiter was an affable guy with a winsome smile. He went above and beyond the call of duty and had offered us olive tapenade that was not on the menu to go with our bread. It was one of the best olive tapenades I had tasted. When he asked for our drink order, the husbands wanted the local beer. The waiter then said, so you want a Stella? All of us not only shook our heads but said no all at once. Who wants a Stella Artois here? This went on a few times, until my husband asked if there's something else beside Stella. And so we got Sakara beer.

Later on in another town, we were served Stella beer. Not Stella Artois, but simply Stella beer, local beer in Egypt. We were left shaking our heads. Another lost in translation incident while traveling. These memories are precious to me.

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