Imagine a land far forgotten except in tales and monuments. Stories of god- like pharaohs and the marvelous results of their self-stylized religions. Now imagine a suburban downtown alley full of designer shops right smack in the middle of that land. That’s how we looked at Egypt. A land of paradoxes. Quite a lot like India, we thought. But we couldn’t be more wrong as you will find out(assuming you didn’t think this was a waste of your time and have stopped already!).
Egypt has always had a special appeal to me because of the stories about the museums, treasures, the mummies, the tombs, the nile and of course the Pyramids (not to forget the conspiracy theories around its construction which add another dimension of mystery) and the fact that these had survived the multiple invasions and superimpositions of cultures over the millennia. Kind of makes the whole thing a bit majestical if not entirely mystical (Mr. Ramses II would want you to believe otherwise).A lot like India!!
Plus, it was December. The only month when, thanks to the long Christmas break, one gets a good long respite from office. And it so happens Oct-March is the best time to visit Egypt. Amun-Ra was on our side, it seemed.
So luckily the timing couldn’t be better for a freestyle trip to the enchanting land.
How did we “Plan” the trip
Internet. A lot of the resources needed for getting to know how to go about the country- the blogs, travel itineraries of the travel companies, reviews on hotel booking platforms, were all very informative and helpful to identify what we could afford to miss (Egypt is huge and you can’t cover everything in 8 days if you want to stay for a good enough time in a city). So that’s all we needed to get started at itinerarising. These sources weren’t always too detailed though and the government websites (the Egyptian railways in particular) weren’t too intuitive. But with 15 minutes invested in getting to know how the Egyptian railways works, you will be way ahead of the game. And those trains are a good and cheap way of moving from city to city. A 3-4 hour trip for example cost us USD 15. And everything online!
The Egyptian railways moves along the Nile. So to get to anywhere around the Red Sea, you need to take the road. GoBus is a good option. Their offices are generally around the railway stations. You can just walk in and buy a ticket.
ProTip – Definitely take a ride in Watania Sleeping trains. They are Not the same as the government trains. You cannot book them online. We took an overnight train from Cairo to Aswan after purchasing tickets from its office at the Cairo Railway Station(it was 15 minutes before the departure time). The Watania staff speaks English, which is good as the government clerks at the station counters for government trains are tough to communicate with.
With transportation bookings done, we then started looking for some accommodation. The requirements were simple – cheap, payment at the hotel option, good looking pictures of the property and with a view(that was the priority). From a serene view of the Nile with well lit Luxor bank to the breath taking view of the Pyramids, Egypt hotels can offer amazing views. The reviews on hotel booking platforms are quite accurate. ‘Payment at the hotel’ option comes in real handy during a sudden change of plans. And we wanted to keep our options open, you know, JUST IN CASE.
We wanted to keep it light with a couple of days in each city, one for marvelling at the sites and another for going jaywalking in the streets. Egypt roads require that. This way you can actually cover quite a good stretch without feeling too stretched. But if you aren’t a very early morning person like me, it would be good to carry a couple of extra alarm clocks. Some of the tours and sites open early in the morning, so the visitor traffic inside the monument is less. Plus, for people shooting with a video camera, the lighting is better. So the early mornings are totally worth it. We knew the sites we wanted to go to (3 classics ofcourse), but didn’t know anything more about getting around the city beforehand. We were just using public transport and taxis(easy to find), or just good old walking sticks(read legs). The best way to see the city, eat the food and meet the locals. Be ready for a daily effort of 20k-25k steps according to our FitBit.
So we just knew the places we wanted to see ,some non-committed hotel bookings and faith in lord by the beginning of our Day1. Not even Foreign exchange. But then, the lord does work in mysterious ways.
ProTIP If using a taxi, it would be better if you book the taxi for the whole instead of part journeys. It might cost a bit extra, but makes moving around all day with backpacks can get tiring. If you are the one for negotiations, Egypt is the paradise. And it starts with the cab drivers outside Cairo airport. So, just go out there and have fun!
