A Long Waited Trip

Originally, we wanted to visit Egypt in 2020, but this was when the pandemic hit the world. As we watched borders all over the world shut down, our hopes were smashed as we saw the world coming to a halt to deal with the pandemic. “One day, we shall pick up where we left off and embark on our trip to Egypt,” we thought. Three years later, we picked up where we left off and were eager to finally embark on our journey to one of the world’s oldest civilisations. Usually, I am not a fan of package tours due to their lack of flexibility. However, Egypt is a huge country with many stories to learn, and it can be challenging to navigate independently. Throughout this trip, we learned that some sites are far apart, which would be inefficient unless we drive or hire a driver for the whole day. Moreover, our experience in Pompeii last year taught us that it can be overwhelming without someone to narrate and guide us where to look, especially in Egypt, where every site has so much going on. Hence, we decided to take a package tour to this land of rich ancient civilisation.

Arrival at Cairo

The day finally came for our long-anticipated trip to Egypt. There are no direct flights to Cairo from Singapore, so we had to make a transit somewhere. We spent the whole of 22 Dec 23, travelling across three continents, from Asia to Europe and finally to Africa. Some 20-odd hours later, we finally landed in Cairo, the gateway to the world’s greatest and earliest civilisation. We arrived at Cairo International Airport around 5 am; immigration clearance was surprisingly fast and fuss-free. We were guided to a room for express clearance, and the immigration officer just stamped our passports without checking if we had visas or any other documents. We were through immigration within 5 minutes. We met with our travel concierge, who was already waiting at the baggage claim area. He guided us to the carousel where our luggage would be delivered.

After picking up our luggage, we whizzed through Cairo to our hotel, where we called home for the next two nights. Along the way, our travel concierge pointed our attention to some important landmarks in Cairo. My first impression of driving through the streets of Cairo was that this country seemed like a mess. We saw stones lying just by the roadside and what seemed to be construction or excavation. There are some nice buildings with completed facades and large balconies. However, many other buildings are either missing a wall or being torn down. We learned from our tour director (later) that the entire city of Cairo is in the midst of restructuring, and the buildings without walls were illegally built.

Leisure Day at Cairo

Soon, we saw the great pyramids of Giza and arrived at our hotel. As today is arrival day for the rest of the tour group members, the tour company left it empty for the group to arrive. For those who arrive early, we could catch some rest or explore Cairo on their own. The long hours of travel took a toll on our bodies, but the weariness wore off the moment we saw the Great Pyramids from the balcony of our room. We spent the next 1 hour wandering around the hotel grounds and its beautiful gardens, taking pictures of the pyramids before fatigue set in, admiring the incredible feat of engineering the ancient Egyptians created. It is one thing to see the Great Pyramids on the internet and in books, but seeing it with our own eyes feels surreal. We wandered outside the safety walls of the hotel grounds to get some drinks and food as we felt peckish. There were some shops directly opposite the main entrance of the hotel. As the stuffs were not priced, we were cautious about buying from these shops. We ventured into the gas station just behind the hotel to get our supplies of drinks and snacks before returning to the hotel for a nap.

We caught a few hours of rest. We woke up refreshed and ready to explore Cairo a little as we refused to be “imprisoned” within the boundaries of the hotel site. I had wanted to visit the old Cairo district, but the journey from the hotel seemed a tad too far. We checked with the concierge at the hotel to see if there were any malls nearby. The staff at the concierge recommended the Mall of Egypt, where we ended up for dinner and an evening stroll. We hailed an Uber and were brought to the Mall of Egypt in 30 minutes. The mall was large and well stocked with shops of all kinds, international and luxury brands. There was even a hypermarket, Carrefour, at the Mall of Egypt. We also spotted a cinema and an indoor snow park within the mall. There is no lack of restaurants and cafes where the locals enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea time. A large food court is selling more affordable food from all over the world. The Mall of Egypt is your standard run-of-the-mill shopping mall with similar DNA to any shopping mall worldwide. After dinner, we strolled in the mall, checking out what boutiques were operating there. We headed back to the hotel to rest for the night after dinner; after all, we would have an early start the following day.