My Impression of Egypt

In this edition of “My Impression of…” posts, I am excited to share my thoughts on our recent visit to Egypt. These posts give me a chance to write down some random observations. Having visited Morocco a year earlier, I couldn’t help but reflect on how different the two North African cousins are. I am sure the locals would say this is comparing apples to oranges, but I found their contrast fascinating. I had to remind myself that the two countries have a long history and distinct cultural identity. Each country has its unique charm and quirks. But to be honest, I can’t say Egypt is the favorite country we have ever been to, but the sites of ancient Egypt would definitely lure us back.

Cairo may not be beautiful, but you could find beauty anywhere.

Traveling in Egypt could be frustrating, but it is still worth the time and effort. I wish we had a couple more days to get off the tourist trail and experience “real” Egypt. I admit our experience was through a filter of mass tourism. But still, here are some of my uninformed observations from our 11-day visit to Cairo and the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt may not be perfect, but it is a treasure trove of great travel.

ramshackle Cities

I don’t think I am alone in finding Cairo a difficult place to love. Before our visit, I learned about the city’s sordid reputation for chronic traffic jams and urban sprawl. When we landed in Cairo at night, I looked out to the main boulevard and saw a grand city beautifully illuminated. What we saw became did not match the image we had in Cairo. Unfortunately, this favorable impression of Cairo quickly turned the following morning. Cairo appeared brownish, unkept, and a cacophony of noise. Having grown up in Asia, I was not fazed by urban chaos. However, I was surprised. by the dilapidated architecture, even in the city center.

Cairo could be a movie set of an apocalyptic film.

We stayed in the city center on El Tahrir Square, the ground zero for Cairo’s tourism trade. This was the same square where thousands gathered in the Arab Spring, and national pomp and circumstance occurred. I was stunned by how tattered many of the buildings on the square were. Some had windows missing, and few even appeared abandoned. Over the next few days, I realized the cityscape of Cairo was filled with half-abandoned buildings. It was not abnormal to see a couple of floors of a handsome-looking apartment building missing several floors in the middle. Most interesting of all, the rest of the buildings were fully occupied.

As we drew through Cairo with our tour guide, Adel, he pointed out how Cairo’s traffic has eased significantly recently because of a newly completed expressway. I did not take long to notice rows after rows of half-demolished buildings lining the highway. Since most of these twenty-five-story apartment blocks were built without permits, the government had no qualms about knocking them down to make way for public infrastructure. Because this was Egypt, and to minimize “disruption” to residents, half of the buildings were demolished everywhere. Wallpapers and furniture from the demolished units are very often still visible. The cityscape looks somewhat apocalyptic.

Adel told us one of the reasons for so many unfinished buildings was a tax loophole, where property tax is greatly reduced during construction. Many property owners deliberately do not finish their buildings to avoid tax. Because the government does not crack down on occupancy without proper permits or certifications, it is common for families to move into half-built structures. Our hotel in Giza, for example, is located within a partially built structure. It was bizarre that we had to walk through two unfinished floors to reach the hotel reception.

Tax loophole aside, I also read that unfinished buildings are a product of Egypt’s tumultuous economy. Like many countries in the region, Egypt’s currency is frequently devalued at the whim of the government. The frequent devaluation made private lending and traditional banking rather risky. Egyptians see building construction as an alternative saving account. Rather than seeing the cash devalued, they prefer piecemeal construction depending on the cash flow. With all this information in mind, Caro’s ramshackle appearance seems rational.

Where Are The Women?

Having visited a few Islamic countries, I am keenly aware of the gender inequity in this part of the world. However, Egypt stood out when it comes to the invisibility of women in society. While we often see women working in the hospitality industry elsewhere, it is not unusual to see all-male housekeeping or wait staff in Egypt. I could hardly remember interacting with Egyptian women, except for a few working at Western-style tourist hotels in Cairo.

According to the 2023 figure, the female labor participation rate is 16%, below the average among Middle Eastern countries. I try my best not to pass judgment, but the infrequentness with which women are seen working in shops or tourist sites is striking. Naturally, it is easy to attribute this to conservative cultural norms. Even among the well-educated class, like our guide Adel, expressed the common belief that a woman’s foremost role is being a wife and a mother. I am curious whether such sentiment is common among the younger generation.

The Land of Hustle & Baksheesh

Like much of North Africa, Egypt has a vibrant hustle culture. Depending on your perspective, nearly everything can be negotiated, which could be a blessing or a curse. Even though I grew up in a culture where selective bargaining is allowed, it was nowhere near the level common in the Middle East. There is a fine line between a good and fair deal regarding bargaining. It is often a stressful process for those not accustomed to it. On the one hand, we didn’t want to take a ride, but we also felt guilty about bargaining over a dollar or two with the locals. I found bargaining here even more pervasive than in Morocco. There were situations where we had to bargain hard over bottled water at convenience stores.

The demonstration at a so-called “papyrus institute.”

A trip to Egypt is incomplete without learning about Baksheesh, a practice sometimes called small tips or charitable giving. In its purest form, baksheesh is a way to demonstrate gratitude and respect. Unlike tipping in the American context, baksheesh in Egypt is often verbally demanded. We sometimes struggled to distinguish proper tipping from locals taking advantage of unsuspected tourists. People are usually quite friendly and helpful… for a fee. Asking for directions from locals often meant giving a few Egyptian pounds in return. Tourists are often met with unsolicited help by “over-friendly” locals.

This demand for baksheesh could sometimes create some awkward interactions. Kids often emerge out of nowhere to point out their friends' shops and then ask you for baksheesh. When you ask people whether you photograph them or their store, they might agree in exchange for a little bit of baksheesh. It isn't easy to figure out what the appropriate amount would be. In my way of avoiding the situation, I just avoided taking pictures of others in Egypt. I became naturally “suspicious” of any unsolicited offer. On our way down from the summit of Mount Sinai, one of the local Bedouin guides greeted me and asked me to take a picture. I flat-out refused out of the developed habits. He was quite insistent and reassured me that no tip was needed. Warily, I took a picture of him. I was embarrassed to say he was being friendly. Sadly, I let baksheesh get in my way of genuine interaction with the locals.

On a more sinister level, baksheesh could also be classified as a bribe. Like many other countries in the region, official rules are often just suggestions. Rules could often bent with a couple of Egyptian pounds. When we visited the Gayer-Anderson Museum in Cairo, a few staff members were very enthusiastic about showing us hidden doors and bringing objects out of the display case for us to touch. I immediately knew they were doing this for baksheesh. These guys would follow us around from room to room and sometimes just point to the obvious. Sure enough, the guys ignored us immediately after getting their baksheesh. It all seemed very transactional.

Egypt Is Not Exactly A Great Value

Egypt is commonly regarded as a relatively affordable destination. With a per capita GDP of USD 4,300, Egypt is an emerging market economy with a relatively affordable labor force. On the surface, the cost of travel here is relatively modest. Most sights cost less than USD 5, and you can easily grab a meal for less than USD 3. However, these figures could be quite misleading. Unlike Morocco, independent travel is not a norm in Egypt. Most visitors join an organized tour or a series of guided day tours. That often means where you stay or eat is pre-arranged.

Steigenberger Alcazar in Sharm Al Shiekh.

Since tour operators steer many of Egypt’s hospitality industry, where you are taken for lunch largely depends on other people’s business arrangements. As a result, we find the service and food quality not great. Similarly, the tourist class in Cairo is surprisingly downmarket. Egypt may have Africa's most international tourist arrivals, but the higher-end offerings are often more dated and overpriced than cities like Casablanca or Muscat. Even the luxury properties like Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton look rather shabby. The lack of competition is quite apparent.

Checkpoint & Police

From the moment we landed at Cairo Airport, I was immediately taken aback by the heavy security presence. Every village has a police checkpoint screening for who is coming in and out. Just about every Western-style hotel has its security screening station. Being in such a volatile region, Egypt has long struggled with fundamentalist terrorists wishing to implement the Sharia law. In recent decades, they have been targeting not only Egyptian officials and the military but also foreign tourists and Coptic Egyptians. Though these attacks are sporadic, they put the country on edge and bar foreign visitors to big swatch of the country.

Egyptian Police at the entrance of Cairo’s Coptic Quarter.

The amount of security presence could be overwhelming. During our five-hour drive from Cairo to Saint Catharine, there were over twenty security checkpoints. From our limited experience, the security forces are most concerned with drone equipment and walkie-talkies, both of which are banned in Egypt. According to the locals, the government’s main security concerns are no longer religious fundamentalists but political dissents. The 2011 Arab Spring brought forward tremendous political upheaval in Egypt. Many, including the Christian minority, see the military as a rock of national security. However, the military appears more like a domestic surveillance apparatus to many other Egyptians. The government’s fear of political unrest prompted the president to build a new administrative capital outside of Cairo.

Anti-Americanism Is On The Rise

Our visit came just two months after the outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel. The States Department placed Egypt on the travel advisory due to the heightened political tension. Egypt has a long and complicated relationship with Israel. After two full-out wars, the two countries signed a peace treaty at the Camp David Accord in 1978. While they are not best friends, Egypt is arguably the bedrock of Israeli-Arab relations and an important broker for ceasefire negotiations.

As an American, it was a little uneasy time to be in Cairo. Fair or not, most Egyptians see Americans’ close alliance with Israel with dismay. It is perfectly understandable why Egyptians are very sympathetic toward the plight of Palestinian civilians. Outlets like Al Jazeera do an excellent job conveying the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, but at the same time, they risk radicalizing the entire region toward Hamas’s radical cause. Cairo’s streets are decked out with Palestinian flags and signs condemning the war.

Overall, Egyptians are very accepting of foreigners. Let’s hope the ongoing war in Gaza won’t change that.

While many locals consider President El-Sisi's administration authoritarian, people on the street were not shy about voicing their wide-ranging political opinions. In particular, taxi or Uber drivers in Cairo are particularly vocal and do not hesitate to vent their frustration toward the United States’s foreign policy. Whether they were a supporter of the current administration or the Muslim Brotherhood, they were all eager to vent their frustration with Washington. While they all insist they still love Americans, it is difficult to say how long that may last.

The Disconnect With Ancient Egypt

Aside from those visiting the Red Sea resorts, most foreign visitors came for the impressive sights of Ancient Egypt. Setting aside the Valley of the Kings or the Temple of Abu Simbel, the Gaza Necropolis alone warrants a visit to Egypt. For most of us, Egypt is synonymous with figures from ancient Egypt: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, and the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Egypt’s record history spans six thousand years and is one of the most remarkable civilizations. But unbeknownst to most visitors, most modern Egyptians are not descendants of the ancient Egyptians. Experts have long debated the lineage of the ancient pharaohs and the skin complexion of historical figures such as Cleopatra.

Even without direct lineage to the ancient, modern Egyptians seem very proud of their ancient heritage. After all, many social and artistic traditions of contemporary Egypt can be traced back to ancient times. During our visit, the guides always emphasized that Egyptians, not Westerners, are responsible for their ancient heritage. There is no doubt this is a source of tremendous national pride. That said, I was stunned by how seldom we see symbols or iconography of ancient Egypt on the streets. Aside from the tourist district in Giza or Sharm El-Sheikh, I don’t remember seeing a Cleopatra Cafe or Tutankhamun Hotel. I suppose the Islamic identity is more relevant for ordinary Egyptians.

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