Has anyone been to Egypt?

johnnypsunami

johnnypsunami

Active member
I am going to Egypt with a few friends in about a month. We are planning to go to Cairo for a couple of days and then to Sharm El Sheikh for a week and stay at a resort.

Have any of you guys ever been there? I have read mixed things about it on the internet, any experiences you guys have would be good to hear. Thanks.
 
I went over the summer. The pyramids are sick and they are fucking huge. Other than that, the people are assholes and try to screw you out of money for pretty much anything. Just say "la shokron" (No thank you in Arabic) and they usually go away though. Also dont drink the water and be careful what you eat cause I got the mad shits afterwards and had to take antibiotics for a while. Its sick to walk around especially at night cause people are more chill and it isnt deathly hot. Also, everyone is muslim so you cant find alc. anywhere and if you do find beer they tape paper over it so people cant tell, its pretty funny.
 
Sharm al Sheikh- are you planning to go diving or something like that? Otherwise, you can get get a great beach experience in Spain, or the Carribbean, or California. . .

Maybe spend more time in Cairo and then head down to Luxor. I've been to Cairo, if you're really interested in the ancient Egypt stuff, do some reading first, then visit the Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, then Luxor.

The old islamic quarter is also quite interesting (again, if you are interested in the architecture and such, do a bit of reading beforehand), and don't miss the Khan-al-Khalili. Have tea at Fishawi's.

 
Egypt is a really amazing place.

Cairo has got to be one of the most chaotic and busy places in the world, if not the most. That is part of why it is so interesting to visit. Luxor is cool too with all the temples and tombs. If you can, try go to Aswan or out into the Sahara, but I never made it there. Hurghada is to be skipped, but Sharm El Sheikh is good. If you want basically the same sort of thing but less touristy go to Dahab. The diving/snorkeling is considered like top 3 in the world. If you have time, do a little trip to Mt Sinai and walk up there in the middle of the night for a cool sunrise in the morning.

A few things to take note of and remember in Egypt is that the chaos and disorganization is part of the experience. If you are a person that goes to Cancun, Mazatlan etc and wants to be pampered for 5 days, then you probably won't enjoy Egypt. However, like I said, embrace the chaos and the uncertainty, be on your guard and you'll enjoy being able to experience it and appreciate what you have at home more so. Take public transportation and try to do things on your own - ie, not in those annoying, stick out like a sore thumb tour groups. The people do constantly hound you for money and "baksheesh" (tip) for absolutely everything and anything. Be smart about it and pay for what you get. For example, at the site of the pyramids, if you go off the beaten track there are like little places and tombs that can be seen. Generally, a "guide" finds you and shows you them. Then he wants Baksheesh. Similarily, a guy might insist on taking a picture of you with your camera, but this is also worth Baksheesh, etc.

I also didnt have too much trouble finding beer in Egypt, but this may depend on where you are. Like the one guy said. Stay away from the water and fresh veggies
 
A word of advice... don't stop and talk to everyone asks you where your from and what your name is. In fact be an asshole, or they never leave you alone. I was there last year, and believe me 10 days is more than enough. However, it's bullshit that they don't serve real acohol but imitation and the all inclusive resorts. This is because of the russians. Everything there in terms of alcohol is made of crude oil, and whisky also substitutes for rum. ahahha

I also thought the pyramids were over rated. They look soo majestic in the movies and documentaries, but I was waiting for something else.

Overall I had a decent trip, but I would never go back.

It's def worth the trip though... money well spent, and you get to see one of the man made wonders of the world.

Hope that helped..

p.m. for anymore info

-Tony

 
I've already been to Spain and the Carribean several times, so I'm going to Egypt for a change, plus one of the guys I'm going with gets deals at places in Egypt so that was a bonus.

I wasn't actually sure what I was getting myself into going to Egypt, but it sounds like you just have to pay attention to your surroundings. I am more concerned about my girlfriend since I hear they don't treat women with any respect.
 
Cool man thanks for sharing. I think I am going to be buying some booze at the duty free before I go there, I just hope it is enough to get me through the trip. The place we are staying at in Sharm is supposed to be all inclusive so I think we will be okay there.

Did you travel with any women with you? If so how did they dress and did you experience any problems?
 
yeah I am getting the feeling its one of those places that you go to once so that you can say you've experienced it.

I've been interested in the pyramids ever since I was a little kid. I am looking forward to the adventure.
 
Actually yeah, I traveled with my "girlfriend" at the time. She basically dressed like she would normally and she was from Singapore, where they often dress pretty umm light I guess to begin with. But yeah, if she wants less hassling, just make sure she keeps it a bit conservative. I wouldnt say that we/she experienced any problems but there is a lot of oggling and what not. We also had our one cab driver basically hit on her and ask her about sisters or friends, but don't take it seriously and just play along. If you are there they are not actually gonna try anything so just laugh about it. Like I said, the country takes a lot of patience and a lot of nerves, but it is also really rewarding. Cab drivers will almost always try to get more money out of you somehow, so a handy tip is to honestly get them to write down the price on a piece of paper - like the one you agree on. They will basically never hold to the price that you verbally agree on once you are at your destination. Its frustrating, and being ripped off, even if only a few bucks is not a good feeling, but remember that at the end of the day, it is only just a few bucks and they definitely need it more than you.

I really can't stress enough though that things like this are part of the experience. I never actually felt unsafe in the country. I never felt like i was about to be robbed and never came across anybody that has or had been robbed, but they will try to get your money any other way. Baksheesh, lying, etc. Again, be aware, be smart be patient and embrace it. I might be headed back there in February myself as I am currently in Turkey, and I really hope I can make it there. Have fun!
 
awesome man. I am going with my girlfriend as well and that has been causing me a bit of stress lately. but yeah, I'm going to tell her to cover up. I was like listen don't dress to impress ppl there, dress to unimpress them lol.

We will be spending enough time at Sharm with minimal clothing so she can cover up while we are in Cairo.

Thanks for the tip on the cab drivers. I am going to try that for sure.
 
That's exactly what it is... I am sure you will have an amazing time, but get pissed off at everyone asking questions. If you were low on money and you want a drink, go to the places where they sell the oils. They will give you tea and some cakes. They explain this is there family business and this is the normal egyptian hospitality, so buy there shit. After your done chatting and enhying your free tea and cakes, just tell them I'm sorry and I have to think about it. "I promise I will come back".

and if you want to atually buy some oils, you can buy it 1 durka durka for 1 gram... Thy will start off with 4 durka durka for 1 gram, so don't let them rip you off.

Trust me: 1 durka durka is possible.

Post a thread on what it was like?
 
yo so my boyfriend went over xmas last year and he loved it.

1- cairo is an ugly ass city. the pyramids are SO tight and definitely worth going in and checking out. other than that, get out of cairo, (maybe first go to mohammed ali's citadel, its gorgeous and huge). go south, into upper egypt. weather is so much nicer, and people are more friendly. if you're looking for a travel guide, the person he had was amazing. one of the nicest people he's ever met, and he spoke english well and was just an amazing guide. i can give you his email if you'd like.

2- go to philae temple. it was his favorite and from the pictures its marvelous. you cant go to egypt without seeing the ancient temples, (they're the oldest freakin man-made stuff on earth). philae is on an island and is just unbelievable.

3- go to abu simbal (sp...). its so cool and definitely worth the trip. spend a few days in upper egypt (southern egypt), you won't regret it.

tips- be good at bargaining. if there's something you want but the price isn't right, WALK AWAY. the people will either run after you and sell it or you'll find it someplace else.

if you do go to upper egypt (south) be sure to go to luxor and aswan. and try going to a nubian village for a 'tour'. usually you can ride a camel there and then they serve you great nubian food and its really fun

DO NOT go to the pharaonic village. its ugly and stupid and extremely fake and a waste of money.

go on a camel ride (they're expensive but worth it)

anything else you wanna ask pm him, cheez-itBITCH. his account isn't logging him in right now but hopefully it'll work later today.

 
awesome. thanks for the info. I heard the same thing about Cairo which is why I don't plan on spending too much time there. Just enough to see the main sights and continue on the journey.
 
yeah. i lived in cairo for 2 years. that was back when i was like 6 tho. it was sick then. and i ve been to sharm el sheik a bunch its sick. i would definetely reccomend it.
 
So I just got back from my trip and thought I would share my experience since I know I was looking for advice when I was about to go. Hopefully some of you guys will find this interesting.

First night we arrived after a super long flight and two days of travelling, my friend had arranged a private airport pick up at the airport. Sure enough, as soon as we got off the plane there were two guys there with a sign with our name on it. They directed us on how to get our bags and we got to cut the lineup at the security check.

We were taken into two brand new private mercedes benz SL500's and taken quickly to the airport. So glad we paid the $50 for this option, as the airport was pretty chaotic. Our driver was hilarious, as soon as we passed the police checkpoint, he took off his seatbelt and said that he was a racecar driver. The guy was flying, passing people at like 150 km/h and barely paying any attention to the road. He proceeded to merge into like 4 lanes of ongoing traffic while talking on his cell phone and trying to write down our names on a piece of paper.

We arrive at the hotel at like 12:30 Cairo time, completely exhausted, and the guy at reception tells us that our rooms aren't ready. I couldn't believe it. This was the Fairmont hotel, and the rooms weren't ready at midnight!!! I was like WTF!? Anyways, he's like I'm really sorry, please have dinner and drinks on me and your rooms will be ready soon. Even though I was super tired we decided to go down and have some dinner and drinks.

There was a nice restaurant in the hotel lobby, but he led us downstairs, where it immediately got pretty sketchy. We walk into this bar that looks like its the dingiest bar from the 80's. First thing I see is this prostitute spread over this couch. I'm like, okay its all part of the culture. Next thing I know, we sit down and the fucking lights go off! I was like YEAHHH right! We left the bar went back upstairs, argued with the manager for a little while and finally got into our rooms at like 2:00am.

At this point I was kind of regretting my decision to go to Egypt. I felt so far away from home, the one egyptian thing I saw was probably the sketchiest bar in Egypt, and I was exhausted.

The next day everything turned around. We flew to Sharm el Sheikh. Airport security is a joke in Egypt. I can't remember how many times I walked through metal detectors and had them sound off and the gaurd just says, go ahead anyways! lol

Sharm el Sheikh is amazing. Naema Bay is amazing. The Red Sea is incredible. Do the ATV tour in the desert. Go snorkelling... not only did I have two hot 18 year old Russian twins on my boat, but the reef and the fish are the best I've ever seen. Pyramids are like nothing I have ever seen before. The Egyptian museum and its exhibits are unbelievable.

Before I left Canada everyone kept telling me how the people were constantly harrassing you. How they disrespect women. How its dangerous to go to Egypt. I can honestly say that I did not experience any of this! Sure when you are in tourist areas the people ask you to buy stuff, come into their shisha bars or go on their tours. That is their job! Its really easy to tell them you are not interested and they are usually respectful. I didn't find it to be any worse than Mexico or Jamaica.

Secondly, I was concerned that my girlfriend would get harrassed by Egyptian men. Again, being there for 6 days, walking about all over the place, we encountered no problems. They were all very respectful and nice to her.

The media really does make you believe that everyone in the middle east are out to get you as a tourist. The more I was there, the more I encountered the nicest people I have ever met. And this was not just a fake nice to try and sell you things. They generally cared and tried to show you the best possible experience in their country.

If you are thinking about Egypt you should definitely go. Forget about what North American culture tells you. Just do it, it will be an experience you will never forget!
 
when you are there just buy a ton of cheap gas, and then store it in barrels and ship it back to the US

 
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