Family Holiday in Egypt
We will be staying in a 5* AI in August ans was wondering if there were any travellers who have visited that could prewarn us of any thing we should be made aware of.
brsm123
|
 |
27 July 2007
hypercat |
Some things don't disappoint. The Museum at Cairo may be dusty, crowded and full of tour parties but the contents, especially the Tutankhamun mask and other tomb items are magical and exceed your expectations. Ditto the pyramids and the sphinx despite the massed hordes of toutes and scam merchants (and the fact there's a tourist tat village and kentucky fried chicken a few yards from the left paw). Egyptian food is pretty good generally. At Naama the Lebanese restaurant was excellent. |
|
23 July 2007
robbo787 |
look at this site http://touregypt.net/egyptshopping.htm you will find alot of info for your trip.... if you need more info pls let me know and i will do my best to help ... i have been there more than 50 times
have fun there ....
by the way ppl are cool there what ever you will wear !!!! |
|
23 July 2007
greg5 |
Batering; turst me its rubbish. offer them 1 quater of the price, if they say they cannot take it remind them it is ha'ram to lie (meaning forbidden in arabic) and if they say no walk away. they will, even if it takes a mile of following you shouting how many children they have, come down to your price. no need to barter.
dont miss the pyramids, they are in bad condition and there are con artists all round them trying to rip you off, just tell them you are with the united nations archeology council and flash your UN credentials....lol actually just ignore them.
common trick is you will be asked by someone for a 'souvineer' to remind them of you. what they mean is, hard currency, preferably dollars or euros roubles or pounds.
take with you 20 or 30 postcards of the UK with the queen on them. that will shut them up. they give you a statue of tut-an-karmun, so you give them a postcard. it makes for a highly amusing game, trust me.
Go to kal-el-kahleri (i am spelling it phonetically so you say it to a taxi driver) market for shopping. you will love the atmosphere.
stop at at least one local shee-sha cafe, and drink car-ka-day. cold or hot, it is delicious. dont be put off by how unhygenic it looks in the cafe, it is fine. I am still alive.
Eat something called kosharie. (ko shar ree) it is a meat free dish with pasta, rice and tomato sauce and fried onions. it will cost you 3 egyptian pounds (50 cents, 30 pence) and tastes great, it will fill you up.
go on the cairo subway. it is an experiance.
go to the cairo zoo, but only if you have a strong stomach, becuase its not pretty.
visit the coptic christian part of town, and see the churches.
umm...running out.... |
|
23 July 2007
mandy43 |
Egyptian people are absolutely wonderful. Make sure you take a little Arabic/English dictionary. Mine is the best souvenir of my trip there, because every time I pulled it out to use it, the people around me added words they thought I should know, or gave me their addresses, etc.
Make sure that you dress conservatively, long skirts and dresses, and cover up the cleavage. You'll still get all kinds of marriage proposals, but the attention you'll receive will be far more pleasant, and the Egyptian women will also be more comfortable with you. |
|
23 July 2007
jim77 |
if you agreed about the price and bought something, then expect the salesman (taxidriver, camelowner) to say something lik "but we agreed about 10 dollars, not 10 egyptian pounds". It is nothing more than local sport.
Say "no" and leave, if they will follow you threaten by police. It is works. |
|
23 July 2007
tty555 |
You are in for a treat and an experience.
I spent four weeks in Egypt in October 2004 and loved it.
Cairo is an amzaing city; so choatic and busy and in your face. The museum is a must;and take your time - I spent the whole day there. The pyramids and the sphinx have mixed reviews; I loved it; others thought it was overrated.
Luxor is amazing; spend a few days exploring the ruins - totally totally amazing.
Mt Sinai is awesome and definitely worth the climb; if you get the chance go down the steps of repentance.
Also if you get a chance; Dahab is a great place to chillout and dive (if that is your thing).
I can almost reccommend Siwa in the Saharan Desert - another world away and the desert is simply surreal.
But prepared for non stop hassling -prepare to say "No" all the time;practise bargaining and think twice before purchasing that piece of crap the local merchant insists will go well in your place |
| |
|
|
