Egypt 2025 Part 1

Welcome to my diary of a very exciting, and somewhat hastily arranged trip to Egypt! Egypt has been on my to do list since my father showed me his black and white photos of his time there from 1929 - 36. He had a camera and documented the sights!

So, from the age of about 6 I was told by my father that I should visit these places. My travel bug was born, but, bizarrely, I have so far been incredibly lucky and visited 90 countries, but never Egypt! Repeatedly thwarted by cost, no-one wanting to come with me, and, most often, outbreaks of conflict, I am finally on my way. I was supposed to be going with my daughter and son-in-law, but mother nature intervened and we are all thrilled that they are expecting a baby, so my lovely friend Penny, who travelled with me to Uzbekistan in 2023, stepped in. (Well, leaped in would be a better description!).

I organised most of the trip while I was away in Costa Rica, which presented it's own challenges! We wanted to go before the end of March to avoid the intense heat later in the year, so we agreed on a 9 day window. As usual, I wanted to support a local tour company, and after some research, I found an Egyptian tour company that were able to produce an itinerary that fulfilled all our ideal must see sights, and at what looked like a reasonable price.

Most importantly it included being met at the airports, and all transfers and guides, which gave us some peace of mind. Monday morning saw us saying goodbye to our husbands at Bournemouth coach station and heading for Heathrow. A nice lunch in Terminal 5 Wagamama and then off to the gate for departure.

We resisted this very natty crotched bikini ensemble from Harrods on the way to the gate!!

Apparently a 5hr 15 minute flight is now considered short haul for BA, so cosy seats with no recline and apparently only food that you purchase on board. But no, the seats were as described, but we were given complimentary drinks and a pretty nice snack box which was ample after our good lunch! Although not helpful for anweight loss plan!

And the flight was only 4 hours 50 minutes with a tail wind! Woohoo! As we circled over Cairo and came in to land we had a super view of the buildings illuminated for Ramadan.

Unlike anything I've seen before. To our surprise, we were met not far away from the plane gate by Mohammed who took our passports, shepherded us through passport control, insisted on retrieving our cases from the carousel, and then powered his way through a huge queue for security, whisking us out, avoiding the xray machines!!  Then he showed us where to get cash, which you cannot do beforehand in the UK. Tipping or baksheesh is universal here. Many people are on very small salaries, so it is an essential supplement. The currency is Egyptian pounds. Egypt is a democratic Republic which declares Islam as it's official religion, under sharia law, but the rights and rules of Jews and Christians enshrined in the constitution.

It was 11.55pm at night as we drove through the city.....sights, sounds and smells of a very different world. The driving was crazy! And there were huge traffic jams at midnight! There were flyovers everwhere. Car horns were sounding almost continually, and cafes and shops were all still open. Cairo is the capital of Egypt, home to 22 million people, the 4th largest city in the world.

It is also Ramadan. After a day of fasting, everyone pours out of their homes at dusk to feast, visit and shop. In Cairo, the streets are decorated for Ramadan with lights and foil streamers. (Stock photo!)

Our hotel and home for 3 nights is the Zamalek Residences, on an island on the Nile, in the centre of Cairo. A tall, older hotel but with good food and in an area that is home to various embassies, lots of restaurants and is safe to walk around, so it suits us very well. Our room is spacious and comfortable, and overlooks the River Nile.

We are trying  to ignore the fact our room is on the 11th floor, and we probably won't be sitting out on the balcony much! After sorting out a few things, we get to bed just before 2am. (Midnight at home). The only problem is that we are being picked up at 7 30am tomorrow, so need to set the alarm for 6 15! 4.25 hours of sleep max! Good Night! See you soon for our first adventures!