Actually, getting a visa when you enter a country is not that hard, at least in Egypt. You just buy a little sticker at the airport that goes in your passport. The bad news is that sticker is only good for 30 days.
SO, on day 18 of our stay in Egypt we set out for the Mogamma (government building that was a gift to Cairo from the Soviet Union) to get our 6 month extension. The Mogamma is in Tahrir Square, which is in downtown Cairo (we theoretically live in the suburbs). To get there from our place we take a quick taxi ride to our nearest metro station, then ride the metro 9 stops to Sadat. The metro is actually very impressive here - it runs frequently, doesn't break down, and covers a lot of the city. And it only costs LE 1 (Egyptian pound) to ride! (The exchange rate is roughly LE 5.5 to $1.) The only downside is it's pretty much always crowded.
Once we get to Sadat we pick the appropriate underground tunnel to exit by the Mogamma. Tahrir Square is a little like the Arc du Triomph roundabout in Paris, so ideally you really do want to cross underground. However it is Egypt and plenty of people (including us) also brave the traffic above. They even have proper crosswalks, with the little green/red walking person to let you know when you can cross. It's just that the cars don't pay much attention to those....
But back to the Mogamma. It's a government building, so we're talking high security. We actually had to pass through two security checkpoints guarded by like 6 people to even get in the building. At the first one you put your bag through on a belt and pick it up on the other side (no one's actually watching the screen to see what's in it) and ignore the security arch as it beeps you through. The guard then looks AT your bag, may even touch it (but not look inside) and waves you on. At the second security checkpoint, the belt has been decorated with a potted plant, letting you know that placing your bag on is not necessary. The arch beeps. And the guard looks at your bag and waves you through.
(I hope the sarcasm came through on that paragraph.)
Fortunately we had had a friend walk us through the process for applying for a Visa, which is this: Go to one window to buy stamps, go to another window to get your form, go downstairs to get a photocopy of your passport and passport photo, go to another window to turn everything in, come back in several hours and check at another window to see if it's done. Mostly while fighting the mobs of people in "line."
Knowing this we came prepared with the form filled out, photocopies on hand, and extra passport photos. We were there right when the building opened at 9am. Unfortunately the workers who sell stamps for Visas weren't there till about 9:15. Then there was a line/mob at the window where we turn everything in, so in the end we got our stuff in at about 9:40. "Come back in two hours."
We spent a couple of hours at the Egyptian Museum, which is right across the Square. I kept tyring to call it the British museum since I'm used to looking at the Egypt display there! It's not air conditioned by the way. And WOW there were a lot of tour groups! We trooped through Tutankhamen's stuff, and probably passed a hundred unidentified sarcophagi, lots of jewelry, etc etc.
Need I say that our Visas were not done in two hours? We did go back and check, just in case. But no. So we went to Hardees (on another corner of the Square) and had a drink and some curly fries. Hung out. Enjoyed the AC. An hour later, we went back to the Mogamma.
Our Visas were not done. It was about 12:45pm at this point. There were 25-30 people in a tight mob around the Visa window, but we edged our way in. Thanks goodness they have sturdy windows separating the workers from the mob. The way it worked was someone would hand the woman behind the window a pile of papers, and she would hold each one up so whoever recognized the picture on theirs could come get their passport. This is not a good system as it makes everyone involved wnat to be as close to the window as possible.
We waited, wedged between Egyptians, Nigerians, and Thai men, for about 15 minutes before my picture popped up. Yes! Then Dylan waited another 20 minutes before his picture came up. By the time we left it was 1:30pm - half an hour before the building closes. (During Ramadan everything has shorter hours.)
So, soaked with sweat and slightly sunburned, our heroes returned home with 6 month Visas in hand. Hurrah!
SO, on day 18 of our stay in Egypt we set out for the Mogamma (government building that was a gift to Cairo from the Soviet Union) to get our 6 month extension. The Mogamma is in Tahrir Square, which is in downtown Cairo (we theoretically live in the suburbs). To get there from our place we take a quick taxi ride to our nearest metro station, then ride the metro 9 stops to Sadat. The metro is actually very impressive here - it runs frequently, doesn't break down, and covers a lot of the city. And it only costs LE 1 (Egyptian pound) to ride! (The exchange rate is roughly LE 5.5 to $1.) The only downside is it's pretty much always crowded.
Once we get to Sadat we pick the appropriate underground tunnel to exit by the Mogamma. Tahrir Square is a little like the Arc du Triomph roundabout in Paris, so ideally you really do want to cross underground. However it is Egypt and plenty of people (including us) also brave the traffic above. They even have proper crosswalks, with the little green/red walking person to let you know when you can cross. It's just that the cars don't pay much attention to those....
But back to the Mogamma. It's a government building, so we're talking high security. We actually had to pass through two security checkpoints guarded by like 6 people to even get in the building. At the first one you put your bag through on a belt and pick it up on the other side (no one's actually watching the screen to see what's in it) and ignore the security arch as it beeps you through. The guard then looks AT your bag, may even touch it (but not look inside) and waves you on. At the second security checkpoint, the belt has been decorated with a potted plant, letting you know that placing your bag on is not necessary. The arch beeps. And the guard looks at your bag and waves you through.
(I hope the sarcasm came through on that paragraph.)
Fortunately we had had a friend walk us through the process for applying for a Visa, which is this: Go to one window to buy stamps, go to another window to get your form, go downstairs to get a photocopy of your passport and passport photo, go to another window to turn everything in, come back in several hours and check at another window to see if it's done. Mostly while fighting the mobs of people in "line."
Knowing this we came prepared with the form filled out, photocopies on hand, and extra passport photos. We were there right when the building opened at 9am. Unfortunately the workers who sell stamps for Visas weren't there till about 9:15. Then there was a line/mob at the window where we turn everything in, so in the end we got our stuff in at about 9:40. "Come back in two hours."
We spent a couple of hours at the Egyptian Museum, which is right across the Square. I kept tyring to call it the British museum since I'm used to looking at the Egypt display there! It's not air conditioned by the way. And WOW there were a lot of tour groups! We trooped through Tutankhamen's stuff, and probably passed a hundred unidentified sarcophagi, lots of jewelry, etc etc.
Need I say that our Visas were not done in two hours? We did go back and check, just in case. But no. So we went to Hardees (on another corner of the Square) and had a drink and some curly fries. Hung out. Enjoyed the AC. An hour later, we went back to the Mogamma.
Our Visas were not done. It was about 12:45pm at this point. There were 25-30 people in a tight mob around the Visa window, but we edged our way in. Thanks goodness they have sturdy windows separating the workers from the mob. The way it worked was someone would hand the woman behind the window a pile of papers, and she would hold each one up so whoever recognized the picture on theirs could come get their passport. This is not a good system as it makes everyone involved wnat to be as close to the window as possible.
We waited, wedged between Egyptians, Nigerians, and Thai men, for about 15 minutes before my picture popped up. Yes! Then Dylan waited another 20 minutes before his picture came up. By the time we left it was 1:30pm - half an hour before the building closes. (During Ramadan everything has shorter hours.)
So, soaked with sweat and slightly sunburned, our heroes returned home with 6 month Visas in hand. Hurrah!