Alexandria:

Former Capital and Commercial Center of Egypt.
Current City That Never Ever Ever Ever Sleeps.

You may have thought Vegas held that title. Au contraire. Vegas stomps down the hall in his bathrobe, bangs on Alexandria's door, and tells him to keep down that racket for Pete's sake.

Reece and I racked our brains to see if we could think of any place in the world we have been that is more crowded or more noisy. Couldn't do it. At every single hour of the day and night, thousands of people pack the sidewalks, the streets, the cafes, the shops, the beaches. You'd think people may get tired of swimming in the sea at 8pm? Midnight? 4am?? Nope. Packed. I honestly couldn't tell each morning who was still up from the night before and who had risen at dawn for the experience.

And we're not just talking about rowdy young folks here. Grandparents, children, mothers with babies. Fighting the crowds, weaving through traffic, lined up on the boardwalk in droves. Smoking sheesha. Eating shawarma. Shopping, shouting, people watching. I've never seen anything like it.

Speaking of traffic. The main thoroughfare (outside of our apartment) resembles what would happen if the 405 and the 10 freeways joined forces and merged onto a 2-lane road during rush hour. A standstill for miles like you couldn't imagine. Dozens of ambulances screech by every hour, and with nowhere to go, the cars do not move out of their way. Sirens blaring, horns honking, people yelling, music blasting. Six floors up, Reece and I often had to shout to hear one another.

Lonely Planet describes Alexandria as having a "faded charm that few travelers can resist." Consider us two of the few.

View from our balcony, 9:00pm


View from our balcony, 1:00am


View from our balcony, 5:00am