From Luxor we flew to Cairo. Our original plan had been to travel by train but it worked out cheaper to fly. The plane was a small propeller plane which flew low and gave an amazing view of the desert and Nile. Craig had been to Cairo in 2022 and so our family navigator had insider knowledge on the sights!

We stayed in an apartment in Maadi, on the west side of the Nile, between Giza and Old Cairo and New Cairo which gave us the perfect location for exploring the city by Uber. Our apartment was a lovely spacious home on the 7th floor of a block in between many blocks and next to a busy road that never stopped giving us a real city living experience. Think plush pink, gold and marble decor alongside dodgy electrics.

The desert is apparent even in the built up areas, piles of sand collect by the kerbs and the buildings all have a layer of sandy dust. The roads and the traffic are a force to be reckoned with! They reminded me of the multi-lane freeways we experienced in LA but with no apparent lanes and rules that only Egyptian drivers understand – driving bumper to bumper, constant beeping and dodging pedestrians. We took many Ubers which are cheap and readily available so travelling around Cairo was a (dusty, polluted) breeze!

The juxtaposition of old and new in Cairo is everywhere to see. Giza has the awe-inspiring pyramids and New Cairo has ginormous Dubai-esque malls rising from the desert. The girls loved the mall food courts and activities including running their own world at Kidzania and throwing snowballs in Sky Egypt as written by Phoebe here.

We visited the Saqqara and Dahshur Necropolis Pyramids. The main pyramids of Giza are on our to-to list!

We had the exciting arrival of some school friends from Seaford who happened to be holidaying in Cairo the same time as us. Amber had previously lived in Cairo and welcomed us into the lovely company of her local friends Emy and Hussein who took us for some delicious local meals. We visited Khan el Khalili, a medieval open-air bazaar packed with historic mosques, bustling cafes and endless mazes of colourful shops, reminiscent of our visit to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Phoebe had a henna tattoo in the market then we watched a Tanoura dance show at an action packed night of traditional entertainment including dancers, stilt walkers and randomly a giant gorilla (video below)!

The girls had an enjoyable equestrian afternoon learning to ride with horse trainer Hussein. Craig took the opportunity to show off his riding skills he learnt in the ’90s when working as a jackaroo in Australia.

Cairo is a city that has so much to see and we are still in the midst of it! We have extended our stay as we couldn’t find a cheap flight out due to Diwali.

Our onward plan from Egypt was originally to stop in the Middle East on the way to Asia. After far too many hours studying flight paths and prices we have decided to head straight to India. We have previously been to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman and know that our budget will stretch further in Asia so Kochi in India is our next stop.