So I’m going to briefly skip my most recent US city to cut to the absolute dumpster fire that came with my leaving the country. Mostly my fault though. Here’s what happened during my 12 hour Egypt layover and the 24 hours before that.
So Monday I head straight from my 12pm check out to the airport even tho my flight isn’t until 5:30. This is by leaps and bounds the earliest I’ve ever been to a flight. The airport is having construction. Have to take extra buses and trams to the terminal. Good thing I arrived early.
Roll up to the Egypt Air counter hyped to yeet myself out of the states and the lady says “May I see your visa for your final destination?”
“I read I can get one on arrival.” I say as fear rises though my esophagus.
“You can get one on arrival in Egypt, but not for your final destination” she says with an air of sympathy. I reread the visa requirements on the site…wording is awkward, but yes…she’s right. I totally misread this 1 month ago. Her lead gives me a site to apply before the flight. I have 3hrs to get this visa. Good thing I arrived early.
Like every other government website this is the worst. Using the mobile version was masochistic. It required a ton of info, and assorted photos and docs with tiny upload size requirements. Download an app and frantically resized the images. Finally finish and go to pay. It accepts visa or Mastercard…or you have to go to a bank in the country to pay. My Visa debit is rejected about 10 times. The my MasterCard gets the same treatment. The manager’s hand are tied. Since its several hours past end of business calls and emails to the destination go unanswered.
Upon researching it’s a very common problem. I download an app called Atlys to submit my application that way…it cost more and will take 4 days. It’s all I’ve got. Alternative research says I need to try a card from a smaller bank, or from someone in country. I beg a friend there to try for me. Rejects her. I ask my mom who has a smaller bank. Rejects her. It’s 5. I accept my fate. My flight is missed. Perhaps I’m not meant to go anywhere. Perhaps I should just seclude myself in a cabin locally.
I research one more time. Deep in the internet is the suggestion to try an American Express card even though the site says it doesn’t accept it. It works!
It’s already 7 at this point, so I find out outlet and cozy up to work before we’re all kicked out of the Intl terminal to a domestic one for what is of course a terrible night of airport sleep. This is worse than post check-in terminals because they have chairs. Pre check-in had nothing but cold floor.
I wake several times in the night to see if it’d gone through. If it doesn’t by late morning it will be end of business again and I’ll be stuck another day. At 6am They respond with an error. Need a passport photo unattached to my passport. I fix it. I call a few times to note the urgency. Those 17 mins of calls to the country (most of which is hold time or unanswered) result in $51 of out of country charges. Only an hour left. I’m going to need to get a hotel and give up.
Moments before closing time they tell me my passport isn’t complete (it’s a renewed one I forgot to sign) knock this out and send it back. 10 minutes later my visa is approved. #blessed.
Rush back to the Int’l terminal. Egyptian air isnt open for 2hrs. I call the airline and explain my plight followed by it’s overcoming. They want to charge me $300 for a replacement ticket. I wait for the airline to open. They remember my struggle and only charge me $50. The 24hr weight has been lifted.
Half a day later I arrive in #17 Egypt at 10am. Since I only have 12 hours I just really wanted to see the pryramids and dip. The quick tour I booked was thankfully accommodating with my day later change. Over the next 5 hours I’m toured around the Cairo/Giza via car, told several facts, laugh a lot, am taken to some shops I buy nothing at then…to the Pryramids.
Something I found almost more stunning was the “City of the Dead” a giant above ground graveyard that was like 4 miles long. Was also blown away by Cairo size and density. It’s huge.
I’d already seen those expectation vs reality pictures and was aware the Pyramids were absurdly close to the city’s edge. Still absolutely stunning. My second guide is a acts as a great “Instagram girlfriend” with a bunch of solid photos. She however does make me into touching the tip and walking like an Egyptian. The shame. What follows is a very quick camel ride on a sweet girl named Daisy. This pales in comparison to the 2 hour camel ride into the Sahara 7 years ago on the other side of the continent…however that’s why they say “comparison is the theif of joy.”
Discovery: I know now why people have so many basic photos from their travels…maybe tour guides force them into it? Totally planned to do a headstand and forgot.
Somewhere in Cairo I lost my hoodie (it was a bit hot out)…2 days later I bought a replacement for $2 a few countries away. That same day I got my 2nd unneeded visa from the Atlys app.
Regardless…I’ll always say that if you’re not choosing long layovers to explore somewhere new you’re wasting a ticket