Egypt - Getting Around

When taking a train from Cairo to Giza (and perhaps for every train in the country and in the Middle East in general, not sure) watch for gender-segregated cars. I mistakenly jumped on a car filled with women and was told to get off and get into the male-only car right next to it. It would be very bad form to not follow the local rules, regardless of your feelings about them.

The best thing I did in Egypt was to hire a taxi driver for the day. Outside just about ever hotel you will find a number of taxies waiting to take tourists from one place to another. Find one you like to look of (vehicle not too new, not too dented; driver not too young, communicates reasonably) and arrange to meet them outside your hotel early the next day.We did Giza and Djoser and everything in between in one day because we had transport with knowledge of the areawho was prepared to wait for us to explore the complexes.Our driver was also invaluable in picking lunch (small town in the middle of nowhere, he picked up the tab and shared his lunch with us) and helping us bargain for things we wanted and brush off the persistent advances of those selling stuff we had no interest in. He was also a great help in looking after stuff we did not want to have to carry down into the pyramids with us.