Hello friends!

This was a memorable day. I woke at about 3:00am, got dressed, gathered my stuff and made my way from my hotel to the Dubai Airport for my 6:30am flight.  Check-in for Royal Jordanian Airline was quick as easy thanks to my Emerald status with the One World alliance. They directed me to the lounge where I had a quick bite to eat, and I headed to the gate.

The first flight, from Dubai to Amman, Jordan, was fine. The second, from Amman to Cairo, was two hours late but fine otherwise.

A Stranger in a Strange Land

From the moment I retrieved my checked bag at the Cairo airport I was accosted by people trying to sell me a cab ride… like non-stop.  I opted for Uber. No price arguing, no being ripped-off, etc. The Uber drove me through the chaos that is Cairo traffic. At one point we drove over a river and I looked down from the bridge at the river like I had countless time before in my life and then I thought “wait a minute… that’s the Nile! The FRIGGIN NILE!” We drove on and eventually the Uber dropped me off at the exact address in Giza that American Airlines Hotels had given me for the hotel…

And The Hotel Was Not There.

I kid you not. It wasn’t there. There were some police nearby and they had no clue. There was additional confusion as the hotel had the word “pyramids” in its name. Pro tip: don’t book a hotel in the Cairo area with the word “pyramids” in its name as there are apparently many of them.

I called AA Hotels and they put me on hold for what seemed like an eternity while I, the whitest man alive, stood along a busy six-lane road with my luggage. It was genuinely one of the few times in my travels where I thought “this is NOT safe.” I finally got tired of waiting on hold and went back into the AA hotels website on my phone and booked myself a different hotel. I ordered another Uber said “NO!” to a hundred cabs that drove by while waiting for it to show-up. I finally arrived at the new hotel, the Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino, aka the Cairo Marriott Hotel.

This Place is a Palace.. for real

Originally built in the 1860’s as a palace, it went through a series of changes including being a hospital during the First World War. Needless to say, it’s very nice. It’s also huge. Over a thousand guest rooms, several restaurants, and a large courtyard area.

Bottom line: When booking a hotel in Cairo just stick to the major US Brands, and if possible book this Marriott.

I got into my room exhausted 5:00pm, had a bite to eat, showered, and went to bed early.

The next day (this morning as I type this) I had a grand tour of the things I came to Egypt to see. More on that, and a LOT of pictures, in tomorrow’s post.

Until we meet again, may you have Fair Winds and Following Seas

Eric Cable

Cairo, April 20, 2025