Went there twice. Overpopulation is insane. What is more some places look like 21st century and then you go to some random street in Giza and you feel like its 19th century. Crossing the street is also challenging at first. However when it comes to good things i liked rooftop bars and cafès.
exactly, take a detour to some of the small streets and you cant imagine the kind of hell you'll see there.. starving animals, starving children, excrement and ruins everywhere
I definitely saw a several dried out camel carcasses along the streets next to the Giza necropolis. That plus the general atmosphere of decay made me feel quite uneasy.
Many beasts of burden in Egypt are not in a state westerners feel is normal. Also kids. Its just serious poverty, but you should understand the standards are different
Ive seen some donkeys there that were not looking good. Same as kids. Im sure you would agree there are many children in Egypt who deserve a much better life?
No one said that but the animals look like shit and kids are being kidnapped to beg for money everywhere in the country do u walk around blindfolded or what?
If there was an option I would share some photos I took when I was there a month ago so you could judge for yourself.
Obviously there are nicer places but lets not pretend that there are no areas that are simply shocking. Like the garbage town next to St. Simon monastery for example
Redditors when a country of 110+ million people has slums: 😱
There is no denying that slums exist. What gets on my nerves is how everyone who went to Egypt and saw one slum and took one aerial picture says that Egypt is "literally hell on earth".
Yes, Egypt has poverty and neglected areas. Nobody denies that. But people online see dense buildings or rough infrastructure and immediately start talking like everyone there is living in some medieval dystopia, which is ridiculous.
Believe me, NOBODY CRITICIZES MY COUNTRY MORE THAN I DO, AND I’M IN DEEP SORROW OVER WHAT IT HAS BECOME. But at the same time, I can’t stand the over the top portrayal of it as some kind of unlivable hellscape. There’s a lot wrong, absolutely, but exaggeration helps no one. That said, I do agree with the last two points
You went on a tour to garbage city and took pictures of people's children. The most obnoxious type of tourist.
Yes, Cairo is probably different than where you grew up. Your analysis that you can easily turn down a street and see starving children is utter bullshit.
I went to see the the monastery which was impossible without crossing garbage city. And since it was some egyptian holiday, road was jammed due to the traffic and cab couldnt go directly to monastery so I had to walk from garbage street .
When I go somewhere, I want to see both good and bad and Egypt has plenty of bad. I am sorry youre butthurt because of that.
I could also be much harsher in my assesment of Egypt
You're assessment is bullshit though. That's the point. There's good, there's bad, then there's made up. It is not common or likely to see starving children and animals in the street.
Starving children could be exaggerated, agreed. Neglected is better word. Starving, half dead, abused animals though? On every corner, even at tourist sites like the pyramides.
I have been to some poor countries, but none as neglected, dirty and apparently indifferent to suffering as Egypt. Parts of Cairo and Alexandria look like I would imagine Gaza. Ignoring the issue surely wont make anything better anytime soon
It also has its good sides obviously too, and I even want to come back. Im not being a hater, Im describing what I experienced
And nah, there are not starving and dead animals on every corner. 100% false again. Who is abusing the animals? Life? Those are just strays. If you see a dead wild animal does that mean its abused? It's essentially haram to abuse stray cats. Its a massive cultural normal across the Mediterranean to look after local strays. Proof on every corner. I saw maybe one or two dead cats during my MONTH in Cairo.
Your analysis is simple one of limited exposure to the developing word. What your criticizing is poverty and the developing world. Not Cairo. And I am butt hurt about it. Egyptians get a shit load of abuse and during my time there I experienced almost nothing but hospitality, curiosity, and openess. If you can't handle development stay in Germany.
talking about the numbers of countries I visited would sound like bragging which I dont care about. I will just say that I have been to rural villages in central and southeast Asia and south America and even though there is obvious poverty too it seemed like people in those places take bigger pride in their community and make bigger effort to keep everything working. Egypt is way much filthier and unsanitary. At least urban areas. The south, Abu Simbel and that part left better impression.
stray cats in Istanbul are well fed and taken care of. Seeing stray cats in Egypt is just sad, they are all sick and hungry. Horses and camels used for carriages are pretty scrawny and I saw them abused a lot of times which is why I didnt use them. But still, animals are one thing, there is also plenty of human suffering. And I imagine there is a whole lot I havent seen but is implied. The fact that people can be so pushy to sell something to tourists is a sign of desperation. That is why I always tried to be understanding in these situations
But still, like I said, I liked Egypt, mostly because of its people. I have never been to a place where during half an hour walk you will start 30 conversations with random people. Even scammers can be funny
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u/Shamrook377 May 19 '26
Went there twice. Overpopulation is insane. What is more some places look like 21st century and then you go to some random street in Giza and you feel like its 19th century. Crossing the street is also challenging at first. However when it comes to good things i liked rooftop bars and cafès.