Egypt

Travel: A driver eases chaos of Cairo

Ottawa Citizen (Debra Smith)

You have an extra day or two in Cairo and you'd like to explore, but the idea of driving around a city with no recognizable traffic rules seems a bit overwhelming. Hire a chauffeur.

All five-star hotels in the city select a few trusted taxi drivers that they allow to park on site. Negotiate directly with them to arrange whatever kind of service you like. I let my driver make some suggestions about what to see and that's how I found myself climbing up the tower of a mosque to a small room where the Muslim call to prayer is sung out over a loudspeaker five times a day.

From the muezzin's perch, I could see all of Cairo and the hundreds of other spires poking up above the city. My driver also recommended a colourful tented restaurant on the riverbank for lunch. I watched sailboats tack back and forth while enjoying a delicious grilled chicken kebab and sipping crushed strawberry juice.

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Egypt