How Was My Holiday in Egypt?

My holiday in Egypt started on 23 December with the Tarom flight to Cairo. The flight was at 00:45 and had a delay of about an hour, which personally didn’t bother me, as I wasn’t entirely sure my accommodation in Cairo had 24-hour check-in.

In the lines below I’ll describe my experience in Egypt, an experience I didn’t really prepare for before the trip.

Day 1 – 23 December – Arriving in Cairo and visiting the pyramids

First hurdle: the Egyptian visa

I landed in Cairo about an hour late. To get the visa you have to fill in a form for tourists (there’s a separate one for Egyptians), a form I found with the help of a Romanian of Egyptian origin I’d made friends with back at the airport in Bucharest.

I went with the completed form to one of the visa desks. The lady at the desk looked over the form and the passport, but something was missing: the paid visa! She sent me back to one of the banks nearby to pay the visa fee. I paid 25 dollars and got a sticker in return. I went back to the desk with the sticker and the completed form and got my visa.

From the airport to the hotel I shared a taxi with my Romanian-Egyptian friend, after he had agreed with a driver at arrivals that he would pay 100 EGP and I would pay 250 EGP.

I arrived at the Valencia hotel around 5:00 in the morning and was very surprised to find someone at reception. I paid my booking in cash dollars and added a small tip to get a better room. After checking in, I got a call from reception saying my booking started on 23 December at 14:00 and that I had to pay another 20 dollars for early check-in. I went down and paid the man… even though Booking said I didn’t have to pay anything… but as tired as I was, I counted that as a tip too, then went up to my room and went to sleep.

I woke up around 10:00 and went straight to breakfast. Since I’d paid 20 dollars, I might as well make the most of it. After eating I lazed around the room for a bit, then went out for a walk around the city.

My first stop was Talaat Harb Square, fairly close to my hotel. There I met Dan, an Australian of about 65, also in Egypt for the first time. We talked for a good few minutes, then wished each other well and parted ways. I wandered around the area a bit more, then headed to the GO BUS offices to buy a ticket to Luxor for one of the following days.

The Pyramids of Giza

After buying a ticket to Luxor for 25 December, I called an Uber and went to Giza to see the pyramids.

At the pyramids everyone is trying to sell you something. I bought a ticket at the entrance where the Uber had dropped me off and went in to visit without a guide or anything. After taking photos left and right, I tried to get closer to one of the pyramids and a guy came up and told me it wasn’t allowed. I told him I just wanted a photo. He offered to take it for me… He asked whether I’d seen this or that, I said no, and he said come on, I’ll show you. He walked me around, took photos of me, even took me into a newly discovered tomb. In my head I was thinking… I’ll give this guy 20 dollars for all his help.

After showing me all kinds of wonders, he asked whether I wanted to ride camels to see some viewpoint and visit the Bedouin village. It was 40 dollars for 2 hours. I did the maths… well, I wanted to give him 20 anyway… I’ll give him 40 and that’s that. At the end we argued because he said 2 camels… 40 each… 80 in total. That was the first scam I fell for in Cairo.

Around 17:00 I took an Uber to the Khan el-Khalili market. I walked around for about an hour and a half until I got close to my hotel.

Day 2 – 24 December – The Egyptian Museum

The next day I woke up around 10. I had breakfast and around 11:00 I left the hotel on foot towards Tahrir Square, took a few photos, then headed to the Egyptian Museum.

I spent about 3–4 hours in the museum. After visiting the room with Tutankhamun’s mask, on the way out I ran into Dan, the Australian, again. We chatted like two old ladies for about ten minutes, then wished each other well and went our separate ways.

After leaving the museum I took the metro to Mar Girgis station, where Coptic Cairo is, an area full of Christian churches and chapels. I spent about 2 hours there taking photos and enjoying the quiet of the place. I even touched the chain that St George was supposedly held captive with, a chain said to work miracles.

Close to sunset I headed to Al-Azhar Park. Lots of newlyweds were having photo shoots there. I greeted a few of them too. I walked around the park until evening, then took an Uber back to the hotel.

Around 20:00 I went out and had a shawarma downtown. I forgot to take a photo, but it was super tasty. Then I stopped for a drink at a café near the hotel, where I had a hot cider and beat the café staff at backgammon so badly they’ll remember it…

Day 3 – 25 December – The road to Luxor

I woke up close to 11, just in time to catch breakfast… I took my time at breakfast, sat on my phone and talked to my family back home. I knew I had a bus to Luxor around 14:00, so until checkout I didn’t have much to do.

I arrived in Luxor around 23:00, checked in at the Emilio hotel and went to sleep. I spent the whole of Christmas Day on the road, texting my loved ones back in Romania.

Day 4 – 26 December – Luxor Temple, Karnak and a carriage ride

I started the day relaxed with breakfast, then a few minutes’ walk to Luxor Temple, which I could admire anyway from the balcony of my hotel. I spent more than two hours visiting Luxor Temple. Afterwards I went back to the hotel for an hour’s rest, then took a horse-drawn carriage for a ride around Luxor. I paid around 200 EGP for about two hours, money well spent for the experience. My guide was Mohamed, a very decent and very friendly Egyptian. After showing me all of Luxor, he took me to Karnak Temple, waited for me for 2–3 hours and drove me back to the hotel. I paid a few hundred EGP for that too, but nothing scary.

Day 5 – 27 December – Trying to fly in a hot-air balloon

I got up before dawn to go on a hot-air balloon flight. Around 7:00 I was picked up from the hotel by a minibus with other people wanting to fly, but we never made it to the destination. The organiser got a call, probably from the company, saying the flight might be postponed. We waited by the roadside near a junction for almost an hour until the final decision was made. The aviation authority didn’t give permission to fly that day because the wind would have pushed the balloons towards the airport.

I went back to the hotel, rested a bit, then met Mohamed again, who took me for another ride around Luxor. This time I asked him to take me to a pastry shop, as I was craving something sweet. After about two hours I asked him how much a boat ride on the Nile costs; he called a friend and arranged a Nile ride for me too. A very big boat that could easily fit 20–30 people, and it was just me, the “sailor” and his children. The ride of about 2 hours was super relaxing.

For dinner I decided to eat at a rooftop restaurant I found on Google Maps. Once I got to the building, who did I meet on the ground-floor terrace? DAN, the 65-year-old Australian. He was at a table with two very pretty young ladies. He introduced them as guides; in my head… Dan, these are guides about as much as I’m a priest… But I left him alone, we wished each other well for the third time and I went up to the restaurant to enjoy dinner.

Day 6 – 28 December – The road to Hurghada

I took the bus to Hurghada at 8 sharp. The trip wasn’t very long, about 4 hours, and by noon I was already in Hurghada. From the GO Bus station to the hotel I took a taxi. I paid around 250 EGP, I know, I didn’t negotiate very well. Lucky for him, I wasn’t at my best after the journey.

Checking in at the hotel came with a few problems. The room I had booked was no longer available. Instead I got an apartment with two rooms. I gave the receptionist a small tip and went up. The beds looked made, but when I lifted the blanket there were hairs. A sign that the place hadn’t been cleaned properly.

I called reception and the cleaning lady came. She swore she had changed the sheets. I asked her to change them again… I could see she was very upset… I gave her 150 EGP and suddenly she wasn’t upset any more. She changed the sheets in both rooms. I didn’t have high expectations of this hotel; I paid 100 dollars for 4 nights… 5 days.

I stayed in the room a bit longer while looking for a laundry for my clothes. I found one nearby with very good reviews. I went to see how things worked there and what their prices were, and we agreed different prices for T-shirts, underwear and socks… I’d only come back with the clothes the next day.

Meanwhile I got hungry, and since I was near the hotel I ate at a nearby restaurant. I made friends with an Egyptian and told him where I’d been and where else I wanted to go. When he heard about Sharm el-Sheikh he told me I couldn’t go by boat as I’d planned. He said either take the bus back to Cairo and get to Sharm el-Sheikh from there, or try to find a flight.

A flight for 30–40 minutes in the air? Jokingly, I asked him about a DIY store. I thought it would be easier to build a raft and sail over than to take a plane. Of course I couldn’t find any flights within 2–3 days as I’d planned. He called a friend at the airport too, trying to find a small plane, but with no luck. It seemed I had to change my route, so I cancelled my accommodation in Sharm el-Sheikh. The Egyptian in Giza fooled me out of 40 dollars, but look how I paid 100+ dollars for the first night of that booking. The refund from Booking was only partial… I decided the last days would be a treat!

Evening came; I left the restaurant where I’d spent more than an hour, walked along the Hurghada seafront, then went back to the hotel and went to bed. Not before stopping at a shop to buy some Arabic sweets and soft drinks.

Day 7 – 29 December – A walk around Hurghada

I started the day badly at breakfast. Egypt is generally dirty if you don’t stay at resorts. At this hotel, not even the crumbs of the people who had eaten before had been cleared. I got breakfast plus a bottle of still water. I opened the water, didn’t pay much attention, but it seemed to open too easily. I took a sip, and either my mind was playing tricks on me or this was tap water. That was the first and last day I tried to eat the hotel’s food, even if it was free.

After going down to my room (breakfast was served on the top floor), I ate two or three baklavas, then went out again onto the Hurghada seafront. I stopped at the first kiosk selling semi-submarine boat trips and bought tickets for the 14:00 trip. Plenty of time to stroll along the seafront, sit at a terrace with a hot cider and call my friends back home.

The semi-submarine trip lasts about two hours. It’s interesting to watch the underwater world through a glass window. If I’d done my research in advance, I’d have known to bring swim shorts and go snorkelling too. Bad luck – that’s what happens when you don’t plan your trips ahead…

In the evening I ate one of the best shawarmas in Egypt, then walked around Hurghada’s old town.

Day 8 – 30 December – At Dream Beach

After so many days of wandering, I finally went to the beach. I took a taxi from in front of my hotel and rode for about 15 minutes to Dream Beach for just 100 EGP. Beach access cost about 250 EGP, which got me a sun lounger and a towel. There were a lot of Russian speakers on the beach, shockingly many. I spent the whole day in the sun, splashing in the water or scrolling TikTok…

In the evening I took a taxi back to the shawarma place where I’d eaten the night before. I ordered something different this time, just as good. Even though the shawarma restaurant wasn’t very clean, I gave them 5 stars. The food was too good and not expensive at all.

Day 9 – 31 December – Safari in the Sahara

I started the last day of the year with a short walk. I left the hotel because the night before I’d promised a clothes seller I’d come back to see him. And since I keep my word, I went back. But he wasn’t at his shop on the main street, which I was used to walking up and down by then. It’s the street my hotel is on. Every time I walk around more relaxed, I get approached by all kinds of people trying to sell me something.

This time a guy from a travel agency approached me and, since I had nothing to do, I listened to his offer. He showed me activities I’d already done or had no intention of doing, until we got to the safari. I hadn’t done a safari in Egypt yet. I negotiated the price with him a little, then a little more. He even ended up telling me what his agency’s profit was on the service he was selling. He explained that if I wanted a safari that day, I’d better hurry. Usually when someone rushes me to buy something, I end up not buying at all, because it’s most likely a scam. But this time it wasn’t.

We drove for more than 30 minutes in a Land Cruiser with a family from Latvia, from Hurghada towards Safaga, then turned right. It was the first time I’d been in a Land Cruiser, and it got me thinking. I like the car, but it had a manual gearbox, and I don’t drive manuals. I need to find out which model it is and whether it comes with an automatic. I didn’t think about it for long, as we reached an arid area where a huge yard with tall concrete walls was surrounded by ATVs, buggies and Land Cruisers.

We had arrived at Spider Safari. I was welcomed by a sturdy woman who spoke English with a strong Russian accent but was very friendly. After the safety briefing she presented the day’s programme and, of course, she had a few things to sell too.

About 15 buggies set off and we drove around the area for about 20 minutes. When we got back we switched to ATVs, and now there were more of us… in the buggies some people shared, but now everyone had their own ATV. We rode the ATVs for longer. At one point we even stopped near a prison or a military base… We took photos and then headed back to “base”.

Now we were grouped in sevens and eights and put into Land Cruisers. Four LCs drove to a Bedouin village, about an hour through the desert. In the village we learned about their customs. I already knew about Bedouins from Morocco, so I wasn’t overly impressed. On the way back we had a hearty dinner and a show with fire, belly dancing and oriental music.

I got back to the hotel around 22:00, exhausted… took a shower and went to bed. At midnight my mum called. Dead tired and half asleep, I answered, we wished each other a happy new year, exchanged a few words, hung up and I went back to sleep. This year no New Year’s party, no fireworks, no big dinner, nothing. This year a nap was enough.

Read on How was my holiday in Egypt? (Part two)