Getting to Egypt

A last minute change of plan sees me heading to Cairo with Mrs B, with an intention to check out the birding sites, meet some guides and have a stab at some really cool Western Palearctic megas! But first the airport and the main thing that scares most birders from visiting - getting your optics confiscated at the airport when you arrive. With that in mind I had arranged some help, and after getting our visas on arrival, which was ridiculously quick & easy, we are met by a local Mr Fixit at Baggage Claim and whisked out of the airport pretty quickly. No checks, no hassle, nothing! In fact it was one of the quickest journeys through an airport I have ever experienced. We hop straight into a private van and drive half an hour to a fantastic hotel somewhere in downtown Cairo along the banks of the Nile. It's pretty late by now, due to Egypt Air arriving nearly 2 hours beyond their scheduled arrival time but it doesn't matter. We are here, in what appears to be a city that never sleeps! There’s 25 million people living in the vast, sprawling metropolis that is Cairo and from our balcony the noise is incredible. Despite being nearly 2am it’s time for a beer and to wind down… with the bars here open to 4am it shouldn’t be a problem!