My arrival Monday evening in Cairo was quite uneventful. The lack of signs held me up slightly as I tried to crack the code on the correct process for obtaining a visa and clearing customs. I used the herd mentality and followed the crowd – $15 later (or maybe it was 15 Egyptian pounds) and I had a nice sticker which you end up applying yourself. Upon arrival at baggage claim, life was good as my bags were already pulled off of the luggage carousel and waiting for me (Premier Exec – yeah!). The nicest surprise was the condition of the bicycle – not a scratch on the box and it was never opened by TSA. A nice start for sure.
My father was waiting for me in the terminal as he had accompanied his friend Colin whose trip was ending that day to the airport. After some serious haggling – a hint of what seems to the be the norm in and around Cairo – we were off and rolling gangster style in a nice minivan. I say gangster because we were treated to some old school gangster rap on the way to the hotel and the way the guy drove would be considered criminal in most countries. We darted to and fro while accelerating and changing lanes with incredible precision. As it was dark, there wasn’t much to see except for the many billboards for the new expat community somewhere in the city.
Our hotel is located in Giza and is called a “resort”. Its layout resembles that of a sultan’s palace – gigantic centralized swimming pool lined with palm trees and surrounded by outlying buildings housing the guest rooms. Not bad, but as it was dark I couldn’t see much.
Off to bed for now – I’m sure there will be much to see on the first full day in the city of the kings…
Round and round we go 
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