We often take things for granted in our own countries. Laws. Safety. Hygiene. Freedom. Comfort. Technology. Loss of certain comforts brings an appreciation of what we have back home. Egypt was a culture shock that helped me appreciate Canada. You are probably saying, “What were you thinking? Of course Egypt would be a culture shock!” I know, I know. I was not prepared. There were certain things that made me realize how good we do have it in Canada and to quit complaining about my country.

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Canadian Traffic Isn’t so Bad

Find a lane, take it and go! That’s how you drive in Egypt. The Egyptians seem to be able to understand each other when they drive. Even if there are no lanes, heck, let’s just make one! I have lived outside Calgary for the last two years and complained bitterly about the traffic in the city, particularly on the Deerfoot. After being in Egypt, driving on the Deerfoot will be stellar. There is no rhyme or reason to the traffic flow in Egypt. You can turn down a street and see a bus coming directly at you.

Vehicles occupying the road in Egypt have been side-swiped on all possible angles. I saw a passenger holding his door closed while in transit on the highway due to damage to the car. There is no reason to fix your car in Egypt when it gets hit as you will probably get into an accident on the way to your next destination. Our car was hit on the way to the Cairo airport. The driver got out, looked at the front of his car, got back in and kept driving. The other driver didn’t stop either. Bumper cars in action. I miss traffic lights, one-way streets, defined traffic lanes…

Where to Stay in Cairo

North American Airport Security Is Fun

Airport security exists for safety and to maintain order. The Cairo airport is the worst and most confusing airport I have had the pleasure of visiting. We went through three security checkpoints to get to our gate. Now, I am all for airport safety. Scan me if you need to, pat me down, I don’t care if it is going to keep the plane from blowing up. I was moved to a shorter line and then asked by the airport security officer that moved me to give him a tip. Seriously?? You want a tip for moving me to a shorter line? 10 Egyptian pounds was all I had left and that is what he got. Here’s your 75 cents CAD, Bucko! I miss you, YYC…

Garbage Cans are Essential to Humanity

Canada takes grief in the news for not being environmentally friendly. We have the cleanest air and there are fines for throwing garbage on the streets. There is a rubbish problem in Egypt. Garbage, garbage everywhere! Piled on the streets, in the ditches, on the sidewalks. We didn’t walk the streets on our own while in Egypt. A stroll would not have been a pleasant experience due to the garbage. Garbage gives the impression that people don’t care and there is danger afoot. I miss the clean streets of Canada…

Walking the Streets at Home is a Delight

“Human mosquitoes” was the nickname given to the people mobbing us to make a buck on the tourists. We were advised to not make eye contact and not talk to them, not even to say no to that fake papyrus print. Talking to them is an invitation for conversation and they won’t leave you alone. Our guide warned us not to go on the streets by ourselves. We listened.

While Egypt is a safe country, it is suggested to avoid all essential travel on travel.gc.ca. The police presence is heavy in Egypt and there are security checks at all major attractions. It is not normal for Canadians to see police with machine guns at tourist attractions. Police would scan mirrors under our car to see if we had anything to hide. Interesting. I am not saying Canada is perfectly safe. In contrast, police have stormed my C-train car in Calgary with assault rifles because there was an armed robber on the train. Our car was broken into at home in Calgary while I was writing this post on the road. It is just odd to see such a heavy police presence everywhere. I miss walking on any street I want and feeling peace…

Air Conditioning is a Gift from God

Egypt, turn on the air con! Hot, hot, hot describes Egypt in June. The average temperature was 38-40 degrees Celsius every day. Sweating buckets is an understatement. The hotel we stayed at was a four-star hotel. If you take anything from this article, it should be this, always get the five-star option in Egypt. They didn’t turn on the air conditioning in the lobby, which leads to my next point…

Wi-Fi is My Friend

The only place Wi-Fi would work, sort of, was in the hotel lobby. A five-minute task took an hour to complete. No air-conditioning, in 40-degree heat, with people smoking all over the place. Nice. I miss no smoking bylaws, good Wi-Fi everywhere and air conditioning blasting as soon as it hits 20 degrees outside…

Where to Stay in Giza

Cold, Fresh Water from the Tap is a Treasure

Canada, you have beautiful, refreshing, clean drinking water. Cold, right out of the tap, available for as much as needed. This is something all Canadians take for granted. Consequently, we spend gobs of money on bottled water when what we get from the tap is just fine. Bottled water in Egypt is not expensive. They could charge more to take advantage of people, but they don’t. Bottled water is around 10-12 Egyptian pounds for 1500 ml., which is about 75 cents CAD. We would pay over $3.00 for the same bottled water at home. I miss going to the tap and pouring myself a glass of cold, pure, thirst-quenching water whenever I want…

Good Coffee is Vital to a Happy Morning

I expected good coffee from Egypt. Please, no more powdered Nescafe. Those who know me know how much I love my morning coffee. Where have all the coffee beans gone? I miss the rich aroma and taste of real coffee from fresh ground beans roasted to perfection…

I Still Enjoyed Egypt

Egypt isn’t perfect. Canada isn’t perfect. I’m not perfect. Egypt made me understand how spoiled I am and how daily privileges are taken for granted. It might sound like I didn’t enjoy Egypt. Not true. The historic sites left me awestruck. The Valley of the Kings gave me goosebumps. Our guides were fantastic. Drivers have skills equal to Jason Bourne. Just pretend you are watching a movie whilst in a moving car and you will be f.i.n.e. 

It takes being removed from our secure surroundings to realize something new about ourselves. I never thought of myself as spoiled before Egypt. Above all, paradigms such as the comforts of home, having things done a certain way, planning and having what was planned go exactly as planned were assumptions that fueled my everyday life. Egypt taught me to be flexible. I can’t always get what I want and things don’t always go according to plan. Foreign countries do not do things the way I expect them to be done.

Travel is about, seeing and experiencing different cultures. Seeing and recognizing yourself and where you can improve and grow. Figuring out if the paradigms you cling to are driving you toward success or hindering it. Most noteworthy, an Egyptian Proverb states, “What you are doing does not matter so much as what you are learning from doing it.” I learned to roll with it and keep going, even when blindsided. Egyptian culture helped me to recognize what is important to me and appreciate all I have been blessed with in Canada.

All pictures in this post are taken by Charlotte, yours truly, as always, unless otherwise stated.