When you have absorbed so many images of the Pyramids and the Sphinx over the years, you definitely have no room left for mundane questions. Still, from the moment your plane lands in Cairo, you will start noticing all the little details. After all, it's yet another big city with all the advantages and disadvantages of any big city.
At the foot of the great Pyramids and the five-star palaces generously sprinkled along the Nile, when the impressive travel stories stop and you mingle with the Real World, you will face issues that you should not allow to ruin your holiday. For instance, there are lots of expectations of small tips, everywhere. The usual tip is just an Egyptian pound, about 15 cents, but it might get really annoying. Think of it as a way to add value to your holiday – from the guard looking the other way while you strike a forbidden photo, to the chamber-maid sprinkling hibiscus petals on your pillow. Although you have to be prepared with organized change to be sure you don’t miss anyone serving you, it might get fun at some point! After all, this is yet another way of living in Cairo .
When it comes to the traffic, there are 16 million people Cairo and it feels like everyone one of them is driving at the same time! Not to mention that everybody honks their horn for everything – to announce the car is on the road, to say hello to a friend, and there are some honking impatiently even at red lights. The noise sure gets annoying, but it’s actually part of this huge city charm. And when at the sunset the noise will suddenly disappear for a while, covered by the sound of the mosques prayers, floating over the amazing Nile , you will forget its not-so-popular sides and you will be forever charmed by the real magic of Cairo .
