TL;DR:
[Spent 3 weeks in Egypt and experienced nonstop scams, fake fees, aggressive staring, double-charging, fake registration payments, drivers tripling prices, restaurants denying reservations, a USD scam at Saqqara. Writing this on my flight OUT. Egypt is a solid never again for me.]
I’ve been in Egypt for 3 long weeks and I’m literally typing this on my flight OUT because I couldn’t wait another second to get away. I don’t know how else to put it but this trip drained my soul like a Dyson vacuum on turbo mode. The chaos started the moment I landed. I paid $15 for “fast immigration,” which apparently translates to stand in the same line as everyone else while random people walk straight through anyway. Then some guy appears out of nowhere demanding another $15 for a “registration fee,” which I’m convinced was created on the spot. Meanwhile, tons of people just walked out without paying anything. The dedication to scamming is honestly Olympic level.
And the staring… holy hell. I’m a guy, I don’t scare easily, but the way people stare here is unbelievable. Men, women, whole families just staring at you nonstop like they’re trying to download your data with their eyes. I have never felt so watched and so disrespected at the same time. Then my Saqqara cab driver, who AGREED to 950 EGP, suddenly decides he deserves 3,000 extra for waiting. My guy, you didn’t wait 3,000 years. Obviously I didn’t pay a cent of that nonsense.
At the Saqqara ticket counter, the guy says 1525 EGP. Cool. I tap my card. My screen flashes 1525 USD. USD. If I wasn’t paying attention, they would’ve robbed me of $1500 with the confidence of someone ordering a latte. I’ve never seen a scam attempt that bold in my life.
One of the restaurants at the Point 90 Mall was just as ridiculous. I had a reservation. Waited an hour. When the time finally came, they straight-up told me, No reservation. Like I hallucinated the whole thing. No apology, nothing. Just shrugged it off like my time was worthless.Traffic? Absolute madness. No rules, no logic, just honking. Endless honking. At this point, I think people here honk for cardio.
After 3 weeks of this circus, the scams, the staring, the fake fees, the rude attitudes, the constant pressure for money? I’m done. Completely cooked. I don’t want to stay another minute. This place made me feel like a walking ATM with legs, and if you don’t hand out cash, suddenly you’re the rude one.If you’re thinking about coming to Egypt, don’t. Just don’t. Unless your hobbies include being hustled, stared at, overcharged, and lied to before breakfast.I’ve traveled a lot. I’ve seen chaotic places. But Egypt? Egypt unlocked a brand new category of never again.
Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED Talk from seat 17A. I’m going home now to recover mentally.