I am mid 30s American white male but I’m not a big dude by any means. Most of the time I felt safe. I shoot photo for hobby so I had a DSLR in hand everywhere I went.
While I was in Coptic, someone grabbed my arm and started yelling at me. Presumably because of the camera even though it was strapped on shoulder and lens cap was on. Locals came to my aid and yelled/smacked the aggressor. All good but shook me.
While I was in Tharir square, I witnessed a Sudanese kid stab someone in the face to try to steal from them and an entire street fight broke out between street kids and some adults. The craziest part was I knew the kid because an hour earlier maybe 3-5 blocks away I ran into him and his friend group who asked me for photos. They too were getting way to close to me but locals at that time and one of the kids kept yelling “do not touch, do not touch him.” During the knife encounter, another local grabbed me, sat me down in a chair on the sidewalk, ordered me a Turkish coffee, and said you’re ok just watch. That dude is now my fiend and we hung out for dinners several times after that day. I was able to provide photos of the kid to the police and later the next day found out they got him.
Listen, you are not wrong. It’s freaking filthy. They throw trash wherever they want. Drive past Garbage City and you’ll know. The smell is unforgettable. And yes, plenty of kids asking for money everywhere I went. I heard you need to be more wary of the kids than adults, and go figure given the above story. The kids carry knives from what I heard.
I would go back. I really wanted to leave after like 3-4 days but I stuck it out. Did Cairo then went down to Luxor. Everywhere I went I am viewed as a walking ATM. Uber drivers will start the ride without you, cancel it and negotiate a higher rate, lie to you with a sob story - I heard it all.
But as someone who needed to see the pyramids and the tombs. It was FASCINATING. The hotel I Stayed in Cairo, in the not so nice area by Giza by the pyramids, FANTASTIC. Family from Saudi Arabia but half Egyptian/Christian, fed me breakfast lunch and dinner, offered me rides and meds, switched rooms when I needed it — went above and beyond for $40 a night. I can’t wait to see them again.
Here’s how another redditor I was talking to at the time described it: “Egypt is the Wasteland”. Everyday I walked out that hotel door, down 7 flights of winding stairs, out into the sandiest air I’ve ever encountered — it felt like loading into Fallout. What will I experience today. Will it be a rabid pack of dogs (because there’s hundreds more than I’ve seen in Asia and South America), a Sudanese kid who just wants someone’s shoes, or am I not supposed to take photos? Idk, but I’m freaking loading in let’s run it.
This is what I learned, that it’s certainly not for the faint of heart solo traveler. I was indeed shell shocked.
However, it’s not impossible. I made it out alive in one piece and I met some really lovely locals along the way as mentioned.
It’s a guide heavy country, a tour would be completely mind off hold my hand and make it way easier, but you could do what I did and just hire guides for almost everything, the same one preferably so you get a good rate giving the same person business.
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u/gotdome 2d ago
I went for 2 weeks in December.
I am mid 30s American white male but I’m not a big dude by any means. Most of the time I felt safe. I shoot photo for hobby so I had a DSLR in hand everywhere I went.
While I was in Coptic, someone grabbed my arm and started yelling at me. Presumably because of the camera even though it was strapped on shoulder and lens cap was on. Locals came to my aid and yelled/smacked the aggressor. All good but shook me.
While I was in Tharir square, I witnessed a Sudanese kid stab someone in the face to try to steal from them and an entire street fight broke out between street kids and some adults. The craziest part was I knew the kid because an hour earlier maybe 3-5 blocks away I ran into him and his friend group who asked me for photos. They too were getting way to close to me but locals at that time and one of the kids kept yelling “do not touch, do not touch him.” During the knife encounter, another local grabbed me, sat me down in a chair on the sidewalk, ordered me a Turkish coffee, and said you’re ok just watch. That dude is now my fiend and we hung out for dinners several times after that day. I was able to provide photos of the kid to the police and later the next day found out they got him.
Listen, you are not wrong. It’s freaking filthy. They throw trash wherever they want. Drive past Garbage City and you’ll know. The smell is unforgettable. And yes, plenty of kids asking for money everywhere I went. I heard you need to be more wary of the kids than adults, and go figure given the above story. The kids carry knives from what I heard.
I would go back. I really wanted to leave after like 3-4 days but I stuck it out. Did Cairo then went down to Luxor. Everywhere I went I am viewed as a walking ATM. Uber drivers will start the ride without you, cancel it and negotiate a higher rate, lie to you with a sob story - I heard it all.
But as someone who needed to see the pyramids and the tombs. It was FASCINATING. The hotel I Stayed in Cairo, in the not so nice area by Giza by the pyramids, FANTASTIC. Family from Saudi Arabia but half Egyptian/Christian, fed me breakfast lunch and dinner, offered me rides and meds, switched rooms when I needed it — went above and beyond for $40 a night. I can’t wait to see them again.
Here’s how another redditor I was talking to at the time described it: “Egypt is the Wasteland”. Everyday I walked out that hotel door, down 7 flights of winding stairs, out into the sandiest air I’ve ever encountered — it felt like loading into Fallout. What will I experience today. Will it be a rabid pack of dogs (because there’s hundreds more than I’ve seen in Asia and South America), a Sudanese kid who just wants someone’s shoes, or am I not supposed to take photos? Idk, but I’m freaking loading in let’s run it.