8 days in Egypt

8 days. No more, no less. If you stay less you can’t see all the interesting places. If you stay longer, you risk getting bored or getting more and more stressed by the negative parts of this country. Egypt is home to 3 of the largest cities in human history: the Pharaonic city of Luxor, so important that the Egyptians simply call it “The City”, ancient Alexandria, the largest university center ever, and Cairo, the largest city in Africa known as “mother of the whole world.” The Nile, the largest river in the world, crosses the country offering decent living conditions. It is said that if the Nile had not existed, neither would Egypt have existed. Egypt is a gift made by the Nile.

People. There are over 70 million people in Egypt, of whom over 20 million live in Cairo. About 90% are Muslims, the rest are mostly Christians – Orthodox. Egyptians, especially those living in and around Cairo, are the laziest, dirtiest, most careless people I have ever met. For those who have been to Turkey, imagine the attitude and behaviour of the Turks amplified at least 5 times. On the other hand, the Egyptians are friendly and kind-hearted. I tend to think that they are the people with the biggest heart of all the Arab peoples. As is well known, Muslims have at least some strange habits. They pray 5 times a day, bowing his head to the ground. Most of them have a bruise on their forehead because of this. They also wash all the holes before praying, as a sign of spiritual cleansing. The funniest thing is when the time of prayer comes and the people in the stations or on the streets crowd at the cisterns or even through the ponds around them for a few drops of water.

Gastronomy. In Egypt I ate the strangest but at the same time the most interesting salads. And you have a lot of choices. There are over 200 types of salads. In Egyptian menus, you can find a lot of beef, chicken, sheep and at least 5 types of rice. You should try the hazelnut soup with lemon. It’s at delicious. Their juices are more natural than our fruits in Europe. The sweets are mostly made of flour. Most Egyptians do not drink alcohol. They do not have a traditional drink, but in tourist areas you can find beer, whiskey or wine. They drink a lot of black tea, mint or strong coffee with little or no sugar.

Architecture. In the big cities, there are many communist style blocks, dominated by gray and beige. From time to time a 5 star hotel rises, but on the outside it looks at most 3 stars. In the villages around the Nile, the houses are built of dirt, directly on the sand. The roof is made of dry reed sheets.

Security. After 3-4 days spent in Egypt, you start to get used to the policemen standing with your gun next to you at 2-3 meters. On the streets, in trains, buses or cruise ships. Protection is very important for the Egyptians. 10% of the population works in the tourist police. In addition to the police with big guns that you see on the streets, there are many under cover. Even though the world speaks of Egypt as one of the most insecure, risky countries, it is not that bad. I had the same opinion before I got there, but things have changed in recent years. Much more focus has been placed on protecting tourists. At least 80% of the tourist areas are covered by police or military patrols. So don’t be scared anymore. Visit Egypt without fear. It’s safe.

Cairo. Some time ago I was saying about New York that it is all chaos. No. Cairo is chaos. That’s about the first impression you get when you get here. Let’s start with traffic. There is no difference between cars and pedestrians on the streets of Cairo. Everyone moves as they can, where they can, when they can. There are no lanes here. The colours of the traffic lights are useless, and everyone is honking at everyone. Let’s continue with the look of the city from an architectural point of view. Downtown and so-called residential areas, the dominant color is of course gray. There is a nice area near the airport, where the president lives. That’s the decent part of the city, but 1 apartment reaches 1 million dollars. Otherwise, as I said, chaos at all levels: traffic, people, architecture.

Cairo step by step. I started with the pyramids this morning. The experience of the pyramids, bundled with the Sphinx and the camel ride is “a once in a lifetime moment”. The Cairo Museum is not as impressive as it sounds. The British Museum or the Louvre beat him from a distance. But in the Cairo museum, I met Samuel L. Jackson in person. Unfortunately, I was unable to get past the bodyguards and get an autograph. Other things to try in Cairo: Hookah and black mint tea.

The Nile Experience. If you ever arrive in Egypt you must try one of the hundreds of cruises on the Nile. These take place mostly between Luxor and Aswan. During the cruise we visited the Luxor Temple, the Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut, the Komombo Temple, Edfu and Philae. They were interesting, but not very. It all comes down to the kings, gods and slaves who worshiped them. Read the rest on wikipedia. Also during the cruise we visited the largest artificial dam in the world and Lake Nasser. Made by the Russians, of course. The best part was that I had a pool on the boat, so I had a lot of time to swim and get tanned. Bt, The temperature in Egypt it is over 30 degrees in November. On the last day of the cruise I took a small boat and left the Nile, in the area of ​​Aswan. I recommend a walk of at least 2 hours with felucca to those who want to seek peace, nature and want to discover the daily life of the Egyptians in their villages. We stopped in one of the villages on the banks of the Nile and went to a family that had a mini crocodile farm. They were all babies, but they were really strong. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find crocodiles on the Nile. They have not been seen in the river for a long time. A few years ago, the government ordered the killing of all crocodiles because they disturbed tourists and killed more and more locals in the villages on the banks of the Nile.

Alexandria is considered a luxury city in Egypt. It is slightly cleaner than Cairo and much greener. The Alexandria Library is worth a visit. It is the only place in Egypt that can be compared to the sights of Western Europe. The lighthouse in Alexandria, one of the 7 wonders of the world, was replaced after the collapse with a huge palace. The port of the city is small, dominating the wooden boats and brightly coloured.

Funny Stuff. I spent the 8 days in Egypt with some of the funniest people I know.I laughed in these 8 days as I didn’t laugh for 2 months in Romania. For example, in Aswan, I met a kid trying to sell some papyrus. He saw me in a T-shirt with some Spanish text and asked me directly: Spanish? and showing me the papyrus sheets, he started: un, dos, tres … We asked him to count them in English: one, two, three, German, he also knew German. Yes in French, yes in Italian. At the end I said: Romanian?. Here he got stuck and left.

In conclusion, Egypt is a country to visit once in a lifetime. It is very difficult for a European to adapt to this kind of life and it is almost impossible to live in Cairo. Egypt was an interesting, enjoyable experience that I will always remember.