Room 301 at the Metropole
Journey to Alexandria
Feeling smug about avoiding ground transport and taxis, we boarded the Metro for Mubarek and walked into Ramesses Station. King Hotel to platform in 35 mins, carrying light packs and handbags. Train itself took about 2hr 20mins to cover the 200+km, would have been hard to have been one of Napoleon’s troops doing this through the desert on foot. From Iskandreya station we walked down Danial to the beautiful Metropole Hotel, a total joy with fabulous breakfasts, elegant furniture, the antique and slightly vertigo inducing central lift, and our gold gilded room was fit for minor royalty. Everything in the marble bathroom worked, a first for Egypt.
Continue reading ‘Express to Alexandria’
ARRIVING IN CAIRO Wed 4 Feb
The Giza pyramids loomed up on our port side as we landed at Cairo airport joining a mass tourist haj that culminated when we finally reached the Giza site 4 days later. First experience of haggling and touts came with the effort to grab a taxi, finally set off with Abdul whose rate was 60le, a quarter the others. 60Le soon became 70 as we paid his parking fee leaving the airport. His beat-up Peugot local taxi tore through the traffic, rather hairy as the door didn’t close properly, only one ragged seat belt in front. And he was on his mobile phone and giving us a simultaneous commentary, not looking at the traffic.
Traffic lane markings are only there for decoration. Red lights are merely a suggestion to stop in this city of 18 million, most of whom seem to be pedestrians dodging across anywhere. Continue reading ‘Abdul drives his taxi’
This may help you when driving in Egypt:
Lane markings: there for decorative purposes only.
Horns: your car is equipped with a horn, so use it constantly.
Red light: You may stop, but only if you feel like it.
Drive on the right is the rule in Egypt, but is largely optional.
Seat belts: must be fastened at all times when approaching a police check point, then release immediately.
Headlights, when driving at night, turn on your headlights occasionally. But keep off most of the time to save power.
Pedestrians: pedestrians have right of way, except when run down and injured or killed.
Mobile phones: you have a mobile phone, so use it, especially when in difficult traffic conditions.
Accidents and collisions: these are an opportunity for a lengthy argument in the middle of the road, and you can legally create a traffic jam.
Taxis provide transport from A to B as well as death-defying thrills. It is not required that the taxi driver watch the road if he is pointing out sights.
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