Touring Egypt's museums, great mosques, and towering monuments of the pharaohs is a delight. And simply roaming the streets of Cairo day and night is a thrill and a joy for any traveler who likes his culture off the stage and in his face. But the typical American traveler to Cairo will need a refuge. While I like to think I'm a rugged traveler, to be honest, I'm able to thoroughly enjoy Cairo only because I have the refuge of a towering international-class hotel. Waiting a moment while the trained dogs sniff the tires of my taxi as it passes through the hotel gate is my pleasure.
In a towering international-class hotel, you hardly know where you are. And that can be a good thing.
There are plenty of high-rise hotels lining the Nile desperate for business (and offering $150 doubles). These provide the perfect way to toggle from the intensity of the streets to a peaceful poolside drink -- chilling with shady diplomats, rich-world tourists, and wily local business tycoons and their favored brood. And there are plenty of excellent, eager-to-work local guides who understand a tourist's needs and can provide for them.
Here's a quick tour of what's probably the most expensive breakfast in all of Cairo, served at what's likely the fanciest hotel in North Africa. While I'm not one to capitalize on a country's economic misfortune, luxury hotels have rooms on the push list these days in Egypt.
The extreme contrast is invigorating -- like jumping from hot to cold in a sauna. From the streets, we head back through the welcoming security check of our hotel with a soft-spoken, well-dressed "Welcome back, sir." In the comfortable world of my hotel, the Egyptian money feels sweaty and grimy in my pocket. Immediately upon arrival back at hotel, I peel off the soot of a day on the streets of Cairo with a hotel shower.
I'm traveling with the help of Egypt and Beyond Travel (http://egyptandbeyondtravel.com/), which has booked me great hotels, local guides each day, and a car with a reliable and trusty driver. Sure, it's luxury travel. But it's safe. I get the most experience and learning out of every hour. And it's not much more expensive than slumming through London.
I am loving Cairo. But I've never loved a hotel as a refuge so much. With my local guide (who loaned me a mobile phone upon arrival), a minivan with a trusty driver a phone call away, and a towering first-world hotel as a home base, touring this city is one of the great travel thrills. While I never drink Coke elsewhere, here I find a can of Coca-Cola provides comfort. On the street, the "tourist-friendly" restaurant and toilet is a rarity. But that's why I'm here rather than in Copenhagen.
By the way, many of my readers have commented, "No way... Egypt is too dangerous for me!" These people have read about isolated incidents where a woman is raped, a balloon falls out of the sky, a soccer riot ends in 70 deaths, and some Christians are killed. Yes, these are all tragic events. But in the USA, over a thousand people are killed on our streets every month by gun violence.
Egypt is a poor and struggling country with a baby democracy in a complex and troubled corner of our world. It has about a quarter our population. Particularly for the careful and well-funded American tourist, I suspect it's no more dangerous than the USA. Besides, even if it is a bit on the dicey side, I'm having the time of my life this month, collecting lessons and experiences I'll enjoy for the rest of my life.