Camping is available on Dakrur Mountain, lkm south of the Pool of Cleopatra. Bring your sleeping bag and insect repellent-the shelters on the mountain are free. Camping outside this area is dangerous and forbidden; check with Mr. Hweiti before pitching your tent anywhere.

Several cafes line the two market squares. What you order often bears minimal resemblance to what you receive; you’ll usually get whatever is in stock that day. Standard offerings (LE1-3) include macaroni, chicken, couscous, omelettes, and shakshuka (a mixture of meat, eggs, and sauce). Abdou’s Restaurant, on the inside northern corner of the square, serves tasty food (meals LE1-5) and has fans to disperse the flies (open daily 8am-l pm). Equally devoid of flies and serving fresher, better-prepared food for the same prices is the East-West Restaurant, next to the New Mosque. Possibly the only place in Egypt to try Indian Fig Juice (LEI). (Open daily lOam-midnight.)