http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33741 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33741 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33376 It’s worth saying that, despite the name of the club, the music on offer is not all jazz!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33376 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33375 Moqattam is home to a large Coptic Christian community who collect the city’s rubbish and sort it by hand for recycling. There are various charity projects running in the area to help this marginalised community make a fair living. The Association for the Protection of the Environment (APE) is one of them, and they can organise visits into the area to see the church and their workshops where they produce recycled paper and cloth goods.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33375 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33374 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33374 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32959 If you are out and about exploring in Cairo and want a quick, cheap and filling meal then Egyptian fast food is the way to go.
Cheap, simple dishes that are popular are ‘koshary’ (with its layers of rice, macaroni, pasta and lentils this is a carb-overload, but very filling and served with a little tomato sauce and with lemon and spicey sauce on the side) and ‘shawerma’ (marinated kebab meat served in a wrap or roll). You should also try falafel (‘tameya’), stuffed vegetables (‘mashi’) and 'fuul' (fava beans) which are often served in round flat bread ('aish baladi').
Arzak and Gad are both chains of Egyptian fast food restaurants. There are branches of both all over Cairo and they serve Egyptian fast food (and 'traditional' fast food of burgers and fries if you're feeling less adventurous).
Most restaurants will have a counter where you place your order, pay and are given a receipt. Take this receipt over to the serving counter to pick up your food. Some branches will also have a second 'back' room with table service, AC and bathrooms.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32959 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32958 Starters that you should look out for include dips like babaganough (aubergine) and tahina (sesame) which will come with the round Egyptian flatbread known as ‘aish baladi’ (in many places this will arrive steaming to your table as it is probably cooked on site). You should also try falafel (‘tameya’) and stuffed vegetables (‘mashi’).
A classic main you might try is ‘molokheya’, which is a broth made with greens that is often served with a meat and rice. Many places will serve a range of grills including ‘shish tawook’ (chicken), ‘shish kebab’ (lamb) and ‘kofta’ (minced meat on a skewer).
Cheap, simple dishes that are popular are ‘koshary’ (with its layers of rice, macaroni, pasta and lentils this is a carb-overload, but very filling and served with a little tomato sauce and with lemon and spicey sauce on the side) and ‘shawerma’ (marinated kebab meat served in a wrap or roll).

For dessert you might try ‘om ali’ which is pudding rice, bread and raisins in sweetened milk.

If you're visiting the Khan El Khalili you'll be hounded to visit one of the many cafes on the main square, but venture in and you'll find the Khan El Khalili Restaurant (and Naguib Mahfouz Cafe). This is an excellent restaurant with attentive service and good food. A real haven from the hustle and hassle outside. They accept credit cards (a rarity in Egypt), and in the cafe area musicians play traditional music.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32958 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32957 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32957 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32930 Walk between the high cliffs along the flat valley bed, or take a quick scramble up the right-hand side of the Wadi just after the gate. From the top of the cliffs you get views over the southern and eastern parts of the city, stretching over to the pyramids. At the weekend you’ll share Egypt’s ‘Grand Canyon’ with walkers, joggers and picnicking families.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32930 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32929 On a good day you can spy the Cairo Tower and the pyramids in the distance, but don't feel disappointed if the Cairo smog puts their form out of reach as your eyes will be kept busy picking out the colour and movement of daily life as it flits across the grey canvas of the city below you. You can see the cars glistening as they drive along the Autostrad road, and this silvery streak through the city almost looks like a branch of the Nile. See if you can spot the different historic minaret styles that give a clue to the date of each mosque’s construction in he surrounding area.
If you can visit the Citadel on a Friday then do so: although you aren't able to go inside the Mohamed Ali mosque during Friday prayers, you can time a visit to experience the striking sounds of the call to prayer as it rings out across Cairo. To be looking out from the Citadel when the call to prayer goes out in the city of a thousand minarets is breathtaking.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32929 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32928 Your first pause for breath is at the top of the gate, where you can walk around at roof-level and peer down onto the streets below as boys cycle with balanced racks of bread on their heads, and women hang out their washing from the windows or on roofs that are also home to the family goat or pigeon coop. Then climb the dark and narrow spiral staircase in either of the two towers, to the first or second balcony and even braving the final few metal rungs if you have a head for heights and nerves of steel. Up here you can see the Citadel and Al-Azhar park, and can continue to marvel at daily life as it goes by like a busy scene in Where’s Wally.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32928 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32927 If you really want to splash out then you can have dinner in the restaurant, but a more affordable way to enjoy the view of central Cairo is by having a drink in the bar on the floor below the restaurant. They have a minimum charge, but two or three drinks will usually meet it.
The best time to go is just before sunset as you'll see the sun going down behind the pyramids, and the city lights coming alive.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32927 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31293 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31293 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31194 If you don't mind that Tony Blair had a suite there, its worth a couple of nights.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31194 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31193 No financial risk as you pay when you arrive; visit local houses, cruise on a felucca, visit the sights with proper guides who know what they are talking about.
They are based in Germany, but the website is all in English. Also, you can get to Luxor on Easyjet from London, and they can pick you up if you don't fancy the train.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31193 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30685 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30685 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30244 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30244 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30243 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30243 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29875 Two good friends invited me on a trip to Cairo last week - it wasn't expected or perhaps to be particularly reIished, but after some web-surfing, it looked possible so why not? The Egyptians seemed to want tourists like never before, the politics were clearly fascinating, the museums were open but empty and flights were cheap. It was our best decision for years.
Dusk fell as we landed. 10 GB Pounds for the tourist visa and we were on our way to our hotel, met by a friendly driver and suffering the incredibly dense yet never aggressive traffic of the Cairo roads. Our hotel, 16 floors up in an old central office block overlooking the October Bridge, was perfect as a location yet unique in its strange mixture of facilities – three single rooms had been booked, and we had three rooms, but each with four or five beds. The lift went only up to the 14th floor, also the office of the Egyptian Urology Association ... It was cheap, it had free internet, breakfasts, tea whenever required and a friendliness second to none. And from one balcony, we could see the Tahrir Square side of the city, or from another, a few tanks patiently waiting for the curfew to start at midnight. Time to get out and take a walk!
During the next days, we saw the pyramids in Giza and Sakkara, visited the Egyptian Museum, spent hours in the Islamic Quarter's market and soaked-up the Cairo atmosphere – dinners in local restaurants didn't even dent our wallets, the entrance fees were as expected, and the souvenirs in the Egyptian half of the market were high quality and reasonably priced. Yes, the pressure to take a tour with a guide who offered “friendship with extras not included” could be a pain but it was possible to resist, given a smile and the gesture of the right hand crossing the heart. And most importantly, everyone at the hotel promised us that we would be absolutely safe in Cairo, and that's exactly what it was – four days without incident, sometimes alone in the evenings, male or female, even in the smallest of streets. The whole of Cairo's population seems to be concentrating on only one theme – the revolution and their pride in being part of it and of being Egyptian.

Walk anywhere and smiles are everywhere. Every visitor seems to be greeted with a “Welcome!” and if possible, a stop to ask your feelings about their revolution. Tahrir Square is not only open but it's a blend of soldiers, tea-makers, youths and families that must be unique. Children are dumped on top of tanks by parent anxious to photograph this historical moment – if a group forms, it's most likely to be a Military Policeman in a discussion with the locals. Music is live, order is respected, and it's very likely to find groups of locals painting not revolutionary murals but renewing worn-out road markings, or tidying-up the streets or even brewing-up yet more tea for the patient soldiers on chairs next to their tanks. Tahrir Square is certain to become a future tourism magnet of Egyptian history, to be reverred as are the others...

For some days, we even began to understand more about the many positive aspects of Islamic life, (especially in this secular country where women seemed to be as free as men and to comment about anything and everything) and to note that every society didn't need alcohol to refuel their happiness - their humanity, humour and friendliness was dominant. We, a near comedy touring format of the Italian, the American and the Englishman (with a Russian joining in from time to time), felt stimulated by the many discussions in the cafés and the streets. Even then, we couldn't resist trying the local beer so our last evening was in the visitors bar of the Semiramis Hotel, overlooking Tahrir.

This is a hotel that has seen Cameron, Westerwelle and other Heads come and go in the last few days as the world wakes-up to a newly emerging power in the Middle East – people.
In 18 days of revolution it had also had a few windows smashed (all cleared up by the locals next day) and witnessed the whole process from it's balconies facing Tahrir. And, of course, it has only seen the Heads, some regulars and the media teams as guests – the tourist market might now be slowly picking-up but it has been a very hard time for business. Are they crying over their books? Yes and no! A manager hoped that it will improve quickly and had great concerns for the staff losing their tips but could not hide his great pride in the Egyptian youth and military who made the revolution possible – he believes that Egypt, a country with such a high proportion of young people, can only benefit from the informed and energetic process that dared to protest and then surprised the world by the result of their peaceful actions.

As we walked across the square that evening, watching a few tanks lazily shutting-off the slip-roads to the bridge (whilst leaving enough back-roads open for any delayed traffic to find a way home), and then looking down on the whole scene from our hotel balcony, we wondered just how quickly the independent travellers would take to realise this gem of the "New Egypt “. One imaginative sign in English over the door of a restaurant seemed to sum-up our feelings – ”We have no branches!”.
Anyone who wants to see the wonders of the Old and New Egypts should jump on a plane or a ship soon...]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29875 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29719 There are a few companies in Cairo that organise tours to the White desert. We chose Select Egypt for 85 euro a person and that included all the food etc. It was probably the best thing we've done while being in Egypt and we've done a lot.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29719 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28741 But the desert is also home to an astonishing wealth of man-made history. The earliest cultivation in the world is thought to have started not in the Nile Valley, but in what is now Egypt’s Western Desert, where Paleolithic and Neolithic grinding stones, arrows and cutting implements can be found (and left please!). Rock art (and a squinted gaze over lake and river like terrain) attest to earlier periods when the desert was green and watered. There are ancient Pharonic trading routes (some still littered with old pottery water vessels), Roman ruins (irrigation systems, fortresses, temples, tombs and houses) and even WWII memorabilia (a jeep and an aeroplane, as well as more prosaic food and fuel cans!). There are surprising trees and bushes, as well as interesting tracks to decipher in the morning, after desert foxes have checked out the camp overnight. The desert never fails to intrigue. The Bedouin guides, based in the oases, define themselves by their knowledge of the desert. The best of these are well-organised family operations, providing all your camping gear, food and drink, arranging connecting transport – or leading self-drive groups. With their strong traditions of hospitality, the food will be a highlight – local dishes, rustled up using fresh ingredients to great effect – tasting all the better around the campfire. Naturally discrete but quietly charming, they’ll share their stories with you around the fire – giving you privileged glimpses into this very different world. They carry satellite phones for back-up – but rely on their own networks for support when it’s needed. That’s how – a week into one trip – we managed to order, receive and fit a new gear box – with only a 24-hour stop! (Try that with your average break-down service…lucky if you get past “off-road, are we Madame?”). Each trip is individual – put together to accommodate your interests. Allow three days minimum – just a taster – or three months if you get hooked!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28741