In November 2024, we found ourselves in Egypt. The original plan was to visit Cairo, then continue to the Siwa Oasis, then return back to fly to Aswan, making stops at the end in Luxor and Hurghada.
Arriving in Cairo, you're immediately struck by the chaos. From the very first moment, you feel the dust, the endless traffic, and the relentless honking surrounding you. We landed at night, so the ride to the city center was relatively quick. Still, the anarchy on the roads and the car horns that never let up gave us an immediate taste of what was to come.
We went out that evening to walk around the city and grab a bite at a local place. Cairo reminded me strongly of an Arabic version of Cuba. The streets were buzzing with life, people everywhere, and little shops unlike anything we're used to back in Greece.
In many spots, you'd see groups of men gathered at traditional cafes with plastic chairs, most likely watching football or quietly smoking shisha. The deeper you pushed into the narrow alleys, the more interesting things you found — even if the lighting was often nonexistent — with every corner hiding something different.
At one point, we even stumbled upon a scene where two men were watching football in what looked like a completely improvised street living room — probably their shop during the day. Life happens out on the streets here in a way that's slowly disappearing from most European cities.
The next day, the road took us to Giza to see the pyramids. No matter how much history you've read or how many photos you've seen, nothing truly prepares you for the incomprehensible scale of these monuments. We walked the site from one end to the other, spending several hours there — the weather was pleasantly cool.
Later, it was the turn of the old archaeological museum, which at the time was still in the process of transferring many of its exhibits to the new Grand Egyptian Museum.
That evening we walked along the Nile, which is in itself an extraordinary cultural experience. Many locals don't have the money for good cameras or smartphones with decent lenses, so various "photographers" set up permanently on the bridge offering their services. They usually carry cameras dressed in colorful plastic cases — often in something intensely yellow! — with the flash on, waiting for passersby. Most of their "customers" were Egyptians from the provinces who simply wanted a keepsake, proof that they had passed through Cairo at least once.
On our third and final day, we made sure to dedicate the morning to the markets. We got completely lost in the narrow streets full of small shops that barely cater to tourists. After roughly two hours of walking, we finally reached the famous Khan el-Khalili market, having first crossed through entire neighborhoods where you could find everything — and as you'd expect, we kept stopping along the way to connect with locals and take photos together.
Inside Khan el-Khalili you could literally find everything: from street vendors and shoeshine men to traditional cafes tucked away in covered passages.
Getting out of the maze of the market was a real challenge. The narrow streets, packed with people, seemed endless. As you moved through them, the noise from the vendors and the sheer volume of people created an intense sense of chaos. Every now and then you'd emerge onto an open road where you could catch your breath, but even there the pandemonium just shifted shape — full of cars and hawkers shouting for you to buy their goods.
The day ended with one last evening stroll, where, among other things, we came across a little shop run by a father and his son.
For anyone into street photography, Cairo is wonderful — provided you're fast and observant. People react strongly to the camera: they'll either break into a smile immediately, or they'll ask you themselves to take a portrait, then ask right away if you can send it to them on WhatsApp. If you want to catch truly candid, spontaneous moments, that takes speed and real precision.
