Dream Park and CityStars

May 21, 2010 - 10:30pm
We woke up early today and went to Dream Park - an amusement park that was made by the same people as MGM in Florida and the Mall of America. It was actually way more legitimate than I was expecting, but was also so totally Egyptian at the same time. We got there before the park opened at 10, and discovered that none of the rides opened until around 11 (or at all...it was all pretty unclear). "Egyptian time" governed the day. Entrance to the park was 50 LE or about $10, and food was actually normally priced, and was even on the cheap side, which was shocking at a theme park. Some rides were free, but others required a ticket (10 LE or about $2...not a big deal). Charging for the better rides is definitely better for the consumer, especially for someone who doesn't really want to go on rides.

We were definitely the only white people at the park, but people didn't seem to stare too much. It was actually funny how similar it was to a U.S. experience. Most of the women wore veils and headscarves, but still went on bumper cars and rollercoasters! We found that groups of men and women would arrive separately, then split into couples within the relative privacy of the park. It was fun to take photos of the park, because the architecture was so wild. It's still a newer park, but it's definitely starting to show wear and tear in places.

The log flume that we had been so excited to ride...

Yep, that's a ride consisting of ATVs and a dirt track...for kids. 

The token random genie guy...and blue cat fish.

We were definitely still in the desert.

Many of the water features and attractions were missing their main point...

...water

An amazing ad for hot tamales candy.


























Afterwards, around 2, we took the van to the CityStars mall in wealthy Heliopolis. It was immediately overwhelming at 7 floors, and we were given until 6 to wander. Eventually, three of us decided to just see a movie to pass the time. We saw Date Night, which was good, but was still subject to the Egyptian cinema experience. This was a wealthier crowd and a much nicer theater, but there was still an intermission, and people still answered their cell phones in the theater. It was definitely interesting to see so many American establishments in one place! They had a Ruby Tuesday, a Carvel, Olive Garden, Starbucks, Burger King, Johnny Rockets, Rainforest Cafe, Sbarro, Chilis, Wagamama - and more!

The main open space of the CityStars mall...but not the only one!