Hi C,

I can’t believe you stayed at that hotel!! Must have been quite an experience. I have always heard amazing things about Egypt and I finally had the chance to go! One of my best friends from my master’s program invited me to go for a week. It was definitely an experience to say the least. I consider myself to be pretty well-traveled but there were still things that surprised me when I was there. Most people were extremely kind and it was a great experience overall. However… the way they drive there almost gave me a heart attack every single time that I got in the car lol. It’s almost like there are no driving laws, stop signs or red lights lol. Everyone just kind of goes when they want and two lanes somehow turn into three. I felt like I was in a real life Mario Kart situation hahaha.

We did some of the must-do things such as going to the pyramids and the museum. The pyramids were really cool to see up close. We rode on a horse and kept stopping to take photos. I warn tourists to be extremely careful with the people who are working there because you feel like they are trying to cheat you and take more money. I was lucky because I was with an Egyptian who was able to speak their language while I just stared lol. I was wearing a dress and shortly after I started getting really itchy and noticed mosquito bites all over my legs. I highly recommend taking bug spray!!!

We went to lunch at Mena House Hotel which allows you to enjoy the view of a pyramid while you’re eating. The food and the service were really good. The hotel itself is beautifully decorated and I got a bit too carried away with photos haha.

We finally made it to the Egyptian Museum. It was the third time that we had tried to go lol. Every time we went they told us that it was closed or about to close even though on the internet it said it was open and no one ever picked up when we tried to call. Good thing we kept trying because it’s so worth it! All of the pieces were exquisite and told a part of a bigger story.

I recommend staying at the Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah. We went for one night and it was a great experience. Funny enough when we first got to the room there was someone in there haha. Talk about awkward lol. The staff were amazing and apologetic, and gave us a better room. The view was incredible!!

We lounged by the pool for a few hours and it was 96 degrees Fahrenheit! It was so hot but felt so good to go in the pool and enjoy food while relaxing.

I am usually pretty picky with food but I have to admit Cairo had some great food. We went to a various restaurants but my favorite was Sequoia which we actually ended up going to twice. We pretty much ordered half of the menu including Sambousek (my favorite), fried calamari and hummus. I was addicted to the bread and it was really cool to see them making it on the spot!

For going out, we went to the Cairo Jazz Club which was always crowded and people really enjoyed themselves, and The Tap East which had live music.

Cairo was a really unique and fun trip, and I owe it all to my friend. I believe visiting with someone who is local and actually knows all the go-to places makes it a much better experience!

Xoxo,

– K