Hibiscus

The Hibiscus flower (called "karkaday" by the Egyptians) is not only gorgeous, all over the place in Egypt, but also made into a fabulous drink which can be served both hot and cold. Drinking it hot is a great natural remedy for lowering your blood pressure. The drink is prepared with quite a bit of sugar, and it is really refreshing in both summer (cold) and winter (hot). The hot version is interestingly a bit like German gluhwein, minus the wine.

Hibiscus comes also in other variations of color, such as pink, white and even blue, but the most common variety here in Egypt is red.

The Best Hair Salons

When used to live in Europe, I would wait until I came back to Egypt to get my haircut every time. In fact, the best haircut I received in the six years I lived in Europe - was by an Egyptian hairdresser. Egyptian salons know how to make women look beautiful. The best salons are often tucked away in small alleyways, with little ostentation: zero decorations, chairs covered in vinyl, plastic flowers, a metallic wall hanging of verses of the Quran, the smell of ironed hair. The results are always incredible.

Egyptian Rappers

Love rap. Love Egypt. together = fabulousness.

A nice list of top 10 Egyptian Rappers

Gorgeous Gazebos

On your rooftop, your patio, at restaurants looking over the Cairo skyline, and at vacation resorts --- Egypt has some of the most lovely and romantic gazebos out there.

Room with a View

Egypt has a lot of apartment buildings. With so many people and such a difficult terrain, I guess it just makes sense - build UP. One of the nice corollaries of this rationale however, is: balconies. Yay. It is wonderful to sit on balconies, no matter where you are. Here in Egypt, with its divine weather, especially in evenings, with skies clear of clouds and studded with stars, gentle warm wind to lull you to sleep, sitting out on balconies is just fabulous.

source: ultimatereviews.co.uk

“We know that we come from the winds, and that we shall return to them; that all life is perhaps a knot, a tangle, a blemish in the eternal smoothness. But why should this make us unhappy? Let us rather love one another, and work and rejoice”
(E. M. Forster, Room with a View, 2.45).

Sun-kissed Laundry

Yes. Do a favor to the earth, and stop using up electricity by putting your clothes in the dryer; instead let your bedsheets and clothes dry the natural way, kissed by rays of sunshine. In Egypt - it's easy, in the summer  - depending on the heat - you can take half an hour to dry sometimes, even faster than your machine, and great for naturally bleaching your whites (though a bit less fabulous for your darker colors - take care not to leave them out too long!)

Fabulous Sunsets

Egypt has some fabulous locations to take in the sunset. Whether it is in a falucca floating along the Nile, or walking along the Corniche, from across the sand dunes in the desert, or in a vacation spot along the beach of either the Mediterranean or Red sea, or simply from rooftops over Cairo or your very own balcony, or even - stuck in traffic.