Egypt, renouned for it's historical background relating to the Classical period and it's interesting background has got to have one of the ugliest capitals I have ever been too. The city sprawls for miles and an example of this is that thrity years ago you had to take a bus to get to the pyramids of Giza, now you drive out of the city, thorugh slums and shacks and you are finally greated with a glimpse of one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I think this is an appaling example of urban sprawl and I believe this is down to the fact that the government has not used it initiative to keep this from happening.
However there are a few good things about the Egyptian Capital. One thing is that the hotels (that are five star) are very nice. We stayed ina Sheraton and I belive that this could have possible be one of the most pleasant hotels that I have ever stayed in. Whether this was partly due to the fact that I went to bed at 2 that morning or whether it was actually very good. In the morning the breakfast was very good and it was all included in the price.
One other thing that I recommend that you buy is a T-Shirt that has your name in heiroglyphs. We went to a secial shop in cairo on our last day in Egypt and we got some printed for our whole family. It was very cool and they were quite cheap so they made good presents for people.
The pyramids are a must see and even though the city is a it of a dump you can't let this get in your way when thinking of going to Egypt for a holiday becuase it is really the land of the kings!!!
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I think that maybe you didn't give the city a fair chance. I live here and am sure that they dirtiness and poor standard of housing that you refer to are not the whole picture. There are some lovely areas of Cairo as well and I hope that you will come back again and see what else this wonderful city has to offer. Though, of course, you are right there are too many people but there's not much we can do about that right now. The middle class are now moving out of the city center to purpose build cities on the outside which will help a little and is a good start.
I do wish though that you would have the chance to see it again and change your opinion in general.
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