The ATM wasn’t working and the anxiety was kicking in. I had no idea what to do at this moment. Nothing seemed to go my way. I found another ATM and that too was out of service. Three ATMs and none of them worked. Even with everything looking troublesome, deep down I had a feeling that everything will be alright. As if, someone or something was guiding me. This gut feeling is what I learned to trust throughout my future travels.
A picture of the game frogger brought to you by Google
I had to step outside of the airport to find an ATM on the other side of the street. Learned quickly that crossing the street in Cairo, Egypt is like playing the game frogger. The game frogger is about a frog crossing the highway not trying to get hit by a car. Yes, the roads were like that in Cairo.
Once I got to the ATM, I took out about 100 dollars worth of Egyptian currency. Now, I had to cross the road again and some how, I made it. Gave the head immigration officer 25 dollars worth of the local currency. Also a tip of 5 dollars worth, in case he wanted to act dumb about my passport. He gladly took the money and gave my passport. Double checked it, my awkward photo popped out. After the stamp, I was gone like a deer escaping headlights.
Tahrir Square taken by Hugo Morel
I had to show my negotiation skills to a taxi driver. Got driven to my hostel for about 5 dollars; well, a block away to be more accurate. Which was only about a five minute walk. He left me by the Tahrir Square. This is the same square that the Egyptian revolution and the Arab spring took place. It was pretty cool to be standing in a place where so much recent history took place.
Roof top access taken by Hugo Morel
After about 30 mins of exploring Tahrir Square, finally walked to my hostel. Walking into the building and you can tell you were not in the USA. The elevator and building gave me a London or UK feeling. It wasn’t until after I asked my local friend, I found out that Egypt was a former British colony. Explains why the currency was called the Egyptian pound.
Once at my room, I decided to take a break from exploring. The jet lag was really kicking in. Was about to sleep, when I realized the sun was going down. It was the perfect time to take photos! Left my room, went to the roof and took the picture above. At that moment, I knew I was officially in Egypt. My adventures were just starting! Couldn’t wait what the next day had to offer!
Thank you for stopping by and reading our post! Much love!
“Game frogger” and crossing streets. Lol. That’s exactly how it feels, especially when I first came to Egypt. 😅ðŸ¤
Lmao 😂 yeah I was surprised at the chaos of the roads. Wouldn’t change that experience for nothing though
Egypt is a great country, but you must be prepared to lot and lot of traffic in Cairo! I tried the “Game frogger” many times except I shouted on some drivers as well in order to make it alive 😀
How fun! I definitely felt like frogger traveling through Cambodia…there were scooters on the streets and sidewalks going the OPPOSITE direction! Egypt is high on my list. Thanks for sharing!
Definitely making it high priority in the next two years!
So many relatable things here explained so well! The game frogged reminds me so much of Vietnam! Also the feeling that everything will be ok despite bad luck is a great feeling I often get!
Interesting encounter and tips!
Sounds like an eventful trip! Love it 😊 I’m curious to develop my own travel gut feeling.
Great story!
Egypt has been on my list forever, I’d love to go!
Your post brought back memories of when I travelled in Egypt back in 1985, during my 12 months solo-backpacking around the world trip – love this country and really should return!
I like your post. It’s a nice to see Cairo from a traveler’s perspective.