Cairo taxi

Re: Cairo taxi

Hello Sashaa,

I am also blonde & spent some time on my own in Cairo. I found it quite safe to get around, in fact I found it safer on the streets of Cairo at night than Sydney. Khan El Khalili was a great place to visit, you may find someone else at you Hotel who will want to go there also. Try to book your taxi through the Hotel & arrange for the taxi to wait for you & also the fee required. The taxi will wait for you for a couple of hours, or what ever time you want...you pay them when you get back to the Hotel. Always sit in the back of the taxi & don't chat away to them or you'll end up being carted off to some cousin's perfume factory!

The Citadel is also worth a visit. Make certain you carry some bottled water with you, check that the seals are intact. It is also worth carrying some tissues for calls of nature, otherwise you will have to pay extra for toilet paper.

The main thing Egyptian vendors are interested in is the tourist dollar...in other words lightening your pocket! There is always some idiot who will make a suggestive remark, but this will happen anywhere...men just being men. Wear conservative clothing, be respectful of their customs & have an open mind. Most of all enjoy yourself!!

Wish I could be there too...have a lemon juice for me... [img]http://www.imaginative-traveller.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Cairo taxi

Hi Sashaa02,

As Debbie pointed out, Cairo is a safe city. Many of Imaginative Traveller clients have extra days before or after their tours and the majority use this time to visit sites not on their itineraries, or to return to those that interested them. As a blonde and as a western women you will stand out but you should find people friendly, interested and very helpful. The more you wear the less you get noticed or hassled.
On your departure speak to your Tour Leader about the best arrangements for a Taxi to the airport. While you can easily get one from the street or the hotel lobby follow your Tour Leader is the best person to advise you on this transfer.

Debbie mention some sites around Cairo that are within easy driving distance of your hotel and I agree with Debbie that making a deal with the taxi driver to take you and wait. The US$ and Sterling exchange rates are very high now and perfect for travellers who get a lot more for their $-

Re: Cairo taxi

Just a little more advice, remember to get the name and address of your hotel written down in Arabic, a lot of the drivers couldn't read English. Also having a map helped to show them the way. One driver didn't know where our hotel really was and I had to give directions. Have fun, Cairo's an incredible experience and don't be too scared by the taxi driver's crazy driving, they have a system all their own. Hope you don't mind car horns.
Laura

Re: Cairo taxi

I'm also blond and spent a day by myself in Cairo before the trek and a couple of days after.
I admit I was terrified arriving alone but discovered that by showing up for breakfast early and hanging about the lobby I was able to connect with lots of other travellers who were open to the suggestion of my joining them.
I would not recommend going to the Khan-al-Kalili on your first day. It is a little overwhelming.
We went to the museum and Citadel with a pre-paid taxi driver and it was great.
If you want to do something low key but intensely interesting, visit the Manial Palace Museum. It was the oddest museum I've ever visited but fascinating. It is somewhat off the beaten track - not very many visitors - but it is written up in some of the guide books. Be prepared that everyone in the museum will ask for baksheesh but are always friendly.
After finishing the tour I spent a couple of days wandering the streets of Cairo on my own. The market was exciting, not scary. Funny how I had changed.
Don't worry. You are sure to have fun!

Re: Cairo taxi

I too was a woman on my own with a couple of days to kill in Cairo. Before my tour I teamed up with a couple of other women in the same situation that I met in the hotel at breakfast, and we went to Khan el Khalili together. At the end of my tour I went in a taxi on my own with no problems at all. I did not get the taxi to wait but hailed another one when I was ready to go. Just be sure that you find out from your tour leader how much to pay the driver, and have a card with your hotel address. A useful tip I was given was to get out before paying him, just in case he thinks you could afford more!
I also went to the Coptic area of Cairo on the underground which was not at all as scary as it sounds. The underground is very efficient, clean and cheaper than a taxi. My tour leader told me which station I needed and it was great. There was a really nice large market/shop which had a great range of nice stuff. I got a lovely silver Coptic cross there.
Either the first or last carriage (I can't remember which) is for women only. I did not get that one on the way there but did on the way back. However there was no problem in the mixed carriage. A very sweet little girl seemed fascinated by me and kept coming up and shaking my hand!
I echo what the others have said, I too found Cairo a very safe place to be on my own, people are annoyingly friendly rather than sinister.
I went by taxi to the airport at some ungodly hour of the night. The guys in the hotel organised the taxi for me. I was a little uncertain when it was not one of the regular taxis and they said it was a friend of theirs and he would look after me! I took great notice of the airport signs on the road way to reassure myself we were headed in the right direction and I was not going to end up in the white slave trade! It was fine and the driver was charming!
I did feel ripped off at the airport when I payed a couple of pound for a trolley then found I only had to walk a few yards inside the terminal and could not take the trolley any further!

Relax and have a great time!
Tina

[This message has been edited by Tina (edited January 21, 2002).]