Getting a visa to visit Egypt is an interesting process whereby one gets a visa from one of the banks at the airport (USD $15) and the proceeds through Immigration and Customs. After that it’s just a matter of running the gauntlet of taxi touts and others to find the car that will take me to my hotel, in this case the Marriott Cairo (USD $200/night which was the discounted rate!), which is a five-star hotel that features a wonderfully sterile atmosphere and front-of-house staff who have passed advanced courses in arrogance, with honours. I’ve been told by more than once source that this is the manner of Egyptians, which I find rather strange, as I know many, worldwide, who are warm, honest and friendly types, which is something I could also say about the Marriott’s lowly cleaning staff. Maybe it was the fact that I spoke some Arabic to the latter that brought warm smiles and a desire to chat. Who knows?

I rarely stay in such salubrious surroundings, but took the embassy’s suggestion of staying at the same place as the other attendees. Frankly it’s not my scene at all, and with the exception of the pleasure of a few Kiwi colleagues’ company, I found my stay there most unpleasant – two days was plenty for this old trooper. Next time, it’s back to a budget hotel and friendly, interesting people…

Cairo is a crowded, noisy, dusty city; in other words, very interesting and stimulating. Like Dubai and the other cities mentioned earlier, getting around can be a mission, and sometimes requires some interesting routes that don’t necessarily make sense. Still my colleagues and got to where we needed to go, and pretty much on time, too.

The funniest incident was telling a taxi driver that we wanted to go to Cairo University to attend a gallery opening of NZ photographer, the late John Feeney, who’s spent some four decades in Egypt. The problem was, the event actually was being held at the AMERICAN University, which we discovered once we were halfway to Cairo Uni. With the help of a friendly local (who obviously doesn’t work at the Marriott!), who explained to the driver what we wanted, well much better than I could, we ended up at the right address. In fact, we were among the first to arrive – early! It was a lovely event, attended by the NZ Prime Minister and others.

The following morning was the official opening of the embassy, which included a traditional Maori welcome by a group of expat Kiwis who currently base themselves in London. Apparently they hire themselves out for such occasions, and the Egyptians were completely transfixed by the ceremony, something totally different from anything they’d ever experienced. This was followed by a tour of the offices and a one-hour visit to the Giza Pyramids for a couple of my colleagues and me. I’ve waited a lifetime to visit the site and all I had was an hour there! Why, we had to get back to the unfriendly Marriott for the official lunch, followed by the official reception in the evening. At least both of those events were excellent networking sessions – I was there for business, after all.

I failed to mention that we also had a rushed hour (pun intended) at the Cairo Museum between meetings, and the next time I come to Cairo, not only will I find more appropriate accommodation, but will ensure I have at least a day each for the museum and Giza, and time to visit Luxor and Alexandria, etc.