Warning: I’m trying to record everything that happens to me, so my writing might be rambling and boring.

—

By accident, I was in Cairo, illegally.

I arrived in Sharm el-Sheik at around 6pm. My flight from Sharm el-Sheik was at 6am the next day. Few days before, I had found a CouchSurfing host. But I thought that it’d be inconsiderate to wake them up that early in the morning, so I decided to spend the night at the airport.

Sharm el-Sheik is the worst airport ever! It only had few coffee shops and none of it had wi-fi. The public telephones weren’t working. Once inside, there is no way you can contact the outside world. I borrowed the phone of a waiter at a cafe and called Melissa (my supposed-to-be host in Sharm el-Sheik) to let her know that I’d stay at the airport. It was fate that she would have to wake up early as well to go diving. Melissa and Daniel, her boyfriend, seemed to be really cool, so I decided to go to their place, and I couldn’t be happier about that decision. They are a down to earth couple who met when they were traveling, and now they are taking a short break from their travel in Egypt. Damn, why does this miracle never happen to me?

I left early next day to the airport. I was so sleepy that I forgot to ask about my connecting flight from Cairo to Ethiopia, and only checked in for Sharm el-Sheik – Cairo. Arriving in Cairo, I was about to go straight to the transfer zone when a guy told me that I had to collect my luggage and check in at the international airport. The reason why I booked the flight from Sharm el-Sheik is because I’m only allowed to go to Sinai (Sinai is a special economic zone of Egypt. Everybody is granted a free 14-day visa on arrival to visit Sinai only. To go to other parts of Egypt, like Cairo, you have to get an Egyptian visa). I arrived at the domestic airport which means there was no customs and before I knew it, I was out in Cairo. Excited, I called Amr – my ex-host and whose grandma I love as my own grandma. I just wanted to see them again. Hooka and Amr came to pick me up from the airport. Amr was worried about my situation:

- You’ll be illegal in Cairo, right?

- Yes.

- Are you sure you can go out?

- I don’t know. But if there is something wrong, I already did it. It makes no difference whether I stay back here or go to your place. I’m already outside the airport.

- What if they won’t let you check out?

-  Nah, they won’t keep me here, but they will probably interrogate me for a long time and fine me some money.

Talking bold like that but I was actually very worried. What if they keep me there for a long time and I miss flight? What if they fine me and I have no money to pay? Dat, my Vietnamese friend in Cairo, gave me the number of somebody from the Vietnamese embassy to call in case of trouble.

Hooka looked tired and angry because of the traffic. I offered him some water. He refused.

- It’s Ramadan.

- No, it’s just water.

- Hahaha – both Amr and Hooka laughed. – We can’t drink water.

OMG, so when they say you can’t drink during Ramadan, they actually mean water! I’d always thought that they meant alcohol. How the hell are you supposed to survive in this 45 degree desert weather? No wonder all people I met there looked they were about to faint.

My flight was at 2.50am but I wanted to get there early so that I could manage in case of trouble. Amr and his friend dropped me there, but it was too early that the check-in wasn’t open. I found a fancy cafe. Seeing me all gray and tired, the manager showed me a reclusive spot to sleep and even woke me up before my flight.

I put on my most loveable face and went through customs. The immigration officer looked at my passport, then immediately got up to see his manager.

5 minutes waiting for him was like a century. The guy behind me asked to borrow my last pen. I reminded myself to get it back. Pen is something trivia but very important, especially for those who take note a lot like me. But I was so nervous that I totally forgot about it. Finally he came back. He gave my passport to the next immigration officer and told me to wait on one side.

“Oh no, I’m doomed”. But just when I was about to have a heart attack, the other officer stamped my passport and gave it back to me. Woohoo, I was like running to the boarding gate! Goodbye Egypt, welcome Ethiopia!

Lesson to learn: So technically, everybody (even we Vietnamese) can enter Egypt without a visa if they arrive in Sinai! If you’re scared, enter from Sinai (Taba border, Sharm el-Sheik aiport, etc.), travel around Egypt and exit again from Sinai. Just DO NOT tell the immigration officer that you want to travel outside Sinai. Nobody will check your passport once you are inside Egypt.

Tags: Airport, Cairo, Chip, Customs, Egypt, Illegal, Sharm el-Sheik, Sinai, Tips, travel, Travel and Write, Travel Diary, Vietnam, Vietnamese passport, Visa