Sleeping on a houseboat in Egypt



The little bridges leading to each houseboat.

You can sleep in a hotel any time, but how often do you get to sleep on a houseboat in Egypt?

When I saw the property on AirBnb, I couldn’t resist.  At just over $100 a night the price was right and so was the location as it was docked in the heart Cairo right on the Nile River.

Let me just say that it was a fantastic experience that I highly recommend if you want to experience Cairo like a local.  On one side of us we had an upper scale area of Cairo, and on the other side we had Kitkat Square, which we learned was one of the poorest and busiest parts of the city. 

Shop in Kitkat Square in Cairo

Taking a stroll in the meandering streets behind the big yellow mosque was like walking into a different world.  The narrow streets are lined with fruit and vegetables stands, breads, spices, clothing and anything else the residents think they could sell.  It’s dirty, with piles of garbage, but that’s Cairo.  It’s also crowded with people walking, riding bikes and tuks tuks and the occasional car.  We also saw a couple people on camels.  However, we felt safe walking around and welcomed. 

My absolute favorite thing about the market was the people with things on their heads.  



One of the many market streets

I have no idea how they balanced the stuff on their heads without using their hands, but we saw big plastic jugs, boxes and my ultimate balancer with this guy weaving his bike through the crowd with a giant flat tray of bread perched on his head. I tried to get a photo, but with me being a tall blonde and my friend David being 7 foot tall, we were already turning heads.



Koshary

If you do go to Cairo, you must get koshary.  This is a traditional Egypt dish and cheap.  

Consisting of lentils, pasta, rice, chickpeas, spices and a tasty marinara sauce you’ll find it at any authentic little place in the market areas.  It sounds terrible, but it is so good.  We paid the equivalent of $4 for something that filled my friend and I up—and still had enough for breakfast the next morning. Plus, we loved it so much, we got more the following day.

BUT BACK TO THE BOAT 

The houseboat is a totally unique way to stay in Cairo.  Ours was two bedrooms and was larger than I thought it was going to be. 



View from the houseboat deck

Living on the boat, you get an idea of what it’s like to live in Cairo.  The city is noisier than you think it would be as people honk a lot.  It’s their way of letting people know they are passing, changing lanes, turning, or simply just because they want to honk.  

People also talk loud. I'm used to it after living in Saudi for 5 months.  My friend thought they sounded angry and were yelling, but really Middle Eastern people are passionate talkers. They are highly expressive, using gestures, body language and words to express everything. After a while you adjust and it will seem normal.

The river is also noisy at night as there are party boat cruises that go up and down the river,

but somehow you sleep through this all – and really, there is nothing like sitting on the deck of the boat and watching the sun go down after a day of checking out the sites.

There are times when you'll be sitting on the deck relaxing and forget you are on a boat - until a motorboat rushes by sending waves your way.  Then you'll feel the slight rocking of the houseboat in the wake.  It's a cool feeling.

THINGS THAT SURPRISED ME ABOUT CAIRO:



Living room area of the houseboat

• It was poorer than I thought it would be. I had assumed it would be as modern as Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and as mixed in culture as Dubai, but it's not.  
• There were few Westerners and the Muslim culture is dominant (so as a woman, make sure you bring long skirts and something to cover your shoulders (no tank tops). And you won't be wearing a wearing bathing suit in public.  
• You cannot buy alcohol in many places (unless you are at a hotel or select bars) so it’s best to pick up at the duty free at the airport if you plan to enjoy a beer or a glass of wine on the houseboat.
• Everything is bartered - including the taxi rides.
• It's fairly inexpensive as they currently don't have many tourists visiting.