slip-sliding away…..

Previous entries in this series:

1. Half the world away
2. Nightmare in Giza

After escaping our nightmare in Giza, our new hotel, thankfully, was actually a proper hotel – complete with a lobby, large grounds, and huge buildings which accommodated rooms and event venues.

We were super grateful, especially because there was a mosque on the premises – which was critical given that the Friday prayer was fast approaching, and I really didn’t want to venture out again, leaving my wife and kids waiting until the room was ready (we were hours early for check-in).

The facility used to be a military property until 2018, before it was converted into a hotel – likely with Chinese funding. It was a huge property, with a guest pool (drained for cleaning at the time) and numerous sporting facilities, including an Olympic-size pool (which was used daily).

While it was pegged as 5-star, again, the ratings standards are different in Egypt. By our standards it would have been 3-star, or 4 at most. But none of that mattered, because it was safe, clean, and not in a slum area.

We managed to get a family suite – with joined rooms that could accommodate all four of us, despite the fact that there was only one bathroom. After what we’d been through, we didn’t mind. We were just ecstatic to finally feel safe again.

The Friday Jumuah prayer in the hotel mosque was fairly low-key, serving the hotel staff and some guests. But it was only during that service that I finally felt the heaviness of sleep and the whole experience descending on me. The lack of sleep, food and water, and psychological insecurity of the previous 18 hours caught up with me.

Afterwards, instead of sleeping, we went out seeking a decent meal and supplies at a nearby mall. Like in Doha, Uber was easy to use and fairly cost-effective, so any qualms about being far from facilities were overcome by the convenience of this service.

Early sights

We had lost a day of activities due to the accommodation debacle, but we picked up again the next day, after a wonderful night’s sleep, when we headed off with a pre-arranged driver. The going rate (as of January 2026) for a personal driver in Cairo is US $100 per day, meaning he’ll take you wherever you need to go, and wait for you as you take your time at each site. Of course, it is far cheaper to Uber your way around, but given that we had already budgeted for this, and were still shaken up by our recent experience, we were happy to have someone we could rely on.

Our driver – a wonderful man called Mahmoud – was employed as simply a driver, rather than an official tour guide (which his boss would have charged triple the price for). However, he was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, pointing out numerous landmarks and giving us information that professional Egyptologists and tour guides would probably not have.

We’d pre-booked tickets to the Grand Egyptian Museum, which had opened only a few months prior. This was to be a highlight for my eldest daughter, who has dreamed of becoming an archaeologist for many years. And she loved it inside, seeing display after display of Egypt’s ancient history, including King Tutankhamen’s golden mask, the sarcophagi, and much, much more. The place really is a treasure trove if you’re into history.

Though we’d been to Giza a few days earlier, our time there was not pleasant, and we’d not seen the pyramids at all. So, this day brought our first glimpse of the pyramids, which sit right on the edge of the urban area.

To some, it may feel incredible to see this wonder of the world right there – in the midst of a city, but I suspect Egyptians living in the area are de-sensitised to the sight, just like we – in Cape Town – are so used to seeing Table Mountain (which was voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature).

Next up, we drove to the historic Al Azhar mosque, which I’d wanted to visit again since spending time there on our last visit in 2011. It’s part of the world famous Al Azhar University, and we made the Maghrib (sunset) prayer there. Many cats came and went, including one who dragged its catch through the mosque – an unfortunate duckling.

After the prayer, the place buzzed with Quran and other classes, reminding me of Madinah, and even the Education City Mosque in Doha. A mosque really should be a community centre, and travelling in these lands, one sees this first-hand.

The famous Khan el-Khalil souk – which was just across the road – was our final stop for the night, where we did some light shopping, and my younger daughter’s cat count skyrocketed. (Throughout the trip, she counted the number of cats and dogs we saw. At this point, it looked like cats would win, but after this, at the historical sites, dogs soared into the lead.)

We were warned of the dangers of pickpockets in the area, and to keep our backpacks in front, so we were hyper vigilant throughout and avoided any incidents. The actual souk experience itself is wonderful, with shopkeepers always eager to draw you in, and frequent assistance between different shops. Haggling is a must, although we weren’t too strong on that, feeling that in a country where so many are struggling financially, it’s better to lose out on the best bargain so that they can earn a little more. Regardless, the items I purchased still worked out cheaper than back home, so I was happy with my haul.

The main event

The following day took us to the pyramids and Sphinx, on a tour pre-booked through TripAdvisor. Compared to the previous times I’d been, the place has been upgraded, with an informative visitor’s centre at the entrance and a formal set of routes that busses travel to between the various sites. The highlight was going into the smallest pyramid. (There’s also the option to go into the biggest one, but that was too pricey.) There wasn’t anything left inside, but it was a great experience which actually felt just like climbing into a cave; the difference being that this was completely man-made. Also interesting is that large sections of the pyramids were put together without any adhesive between the blocks, yet these monuments have remained firm for thousands of years.

That was to be our last sightseeing in Cairo for this part of the trip, as the following day, we were set to fly to Luxor to begin a 4-day Nile cruise, which would immerse us in the ancient civilisation of this land.

To be continued in the next part... (and all posts in the series will eventually be available at this link).