A picture of Dex in Eqypt - Just what you wanted!

[dex]

I got back from my Egypt trip this week. I was there for 19 days. It is one of the places you should see but it shouldn't be high on your list. You could almost get the same or better view of the antiquities from the Discovery
channel. I don't think they attempted to make the monuments
interesting or visitor friendly since the year 0. The valley of the
Kings was the best - you could walk into the tombs and get a sense of
the the history. It is a poor and hard country, which adds to my
appreciation of the USA and living here. The weather was great. All
in all I would say to visit is when you are in the area.

The tour was with Outdoor Adventure Travel - Research and Book an Adventure Holiday from G.A.P Adventures

 

[Dawg52]

Interesting. Did you go by yourself? Love to see a few pics.

 

[Nords]

You could almost get the same or better view of the antiquities from the Discovery channel. I don't think they attempted to make the monuments interesting or visitor friendly since the year 0.

Ringing endorsements like this confirm my travel suspicions and make it hard for me to haul my butt out of the recliner...

I'd prefer to be someplace where I'd want to live for a while, not just an interesting visit necessitating security & extra ammunition.

 

[Texas Proud]

I have been to Egypt before... and will agree with Dex.... but I was not there for 19 days...

I took one of the river cruises and it was 'good' and 'bad'... you only had maybe an hour or so at each location... and that was sometimes after a couple of hours to get there...

And the HANDS were always out trying to get money... I was so put off by the Egyptians that I was getting pissed... they would bug you and walk with you all the time hawking their wares... and try to be your 'friend' and sell you more... and if you are a woman... it is worse... At the pyramids it was almost impossible to get a shot without one jumping in and saying 'take the picture' and then wanting to get a 'tip' for being in your picture... if you EVER got one in they would follow you around and yell at you until you gave them something...

I also had some try and point out the drawings on the wall when all I wanted to do was LOOK... and telling the to leave you alone was not enough...... you had to be rude to get them to leave you alone...


SOOOO, my overall thoughts were bad for my trip... now... I did go to a resort there, Sharm el Shaik and it was better... nice beach and warm weather... and not as many people bothering you... still, not someplace I would want to go back and visit or recommend to a novice traveler...

 

[TromboneAl]

Did you go by yourself?

He went with his shadow.

 

[dex]

This is the trip I went on if you want more info:
Roam Egypt - G.A.P Adventures

Texas Proud,
I experienced the same thing but I was in other countries that did similar things so I was prepared and knew how to handle it. I also, grew up in NYC so I learned to tune out the people who bugged you.

If you are in a similar situation in the future here is the key on how to handle it.
1 - Don't give any reaction at all - all feedback is an invitation for more. I would just give a very small shake of the head and no other feedback no matter what the person did after that. Don't say anything; don't look at them.
2. Wear sun glasses.
3. Keep a blank expression on your face.

Nords,
I would say if you were in Rome then Eqypt might be worth two days in Cario to see the pyramids; temples and museum.
There was a lot of security every place I went; either Tourist Police; regular police or the Army.

I did bring my shadow along.

 

[Texas Proud]

Texas Proud,
I experienced the same thing but I was in other countries that did similar things so I was prepared and knew how to handle it. I also, grew up in NYC so I learned to tune out the people who bugged you.

If you are in a similar situation in the future here is the key on how to handle it.
1 - Don't give any reaction at all - all feedback is an invitation for more. I would just give a very small shake of the head and no other feedback no matter what the person did after that. Don't say anything; don't look at them.
2. Wear sun glasses.
3. Keep a blank expression on your face.

/quote]

Hey Dex....

I am a Texan... so we are a bit friendlier... but I also lived in NY for two years and learned the 'blank stare'... I did it almost all the time... but my friend was a blond lady and they would not leave her alone... try walking away when a group of Egyptian men are hassling your date... not good..

Also, I can ignore the hawkers at the entrances.... but there were so many that kept getting in the way of your photos... or bugged you INSIDE the ruins... this is what was different than the other countries I have visited..


BUT... it is a unique experience I have to admit and one that you should check off that you did if you want to travel and see the world...

 

[nphx]

my second trip I agree its a must see once if youre in the neighborhood. We went on our own - no tour. Worked out just fine

This was

 

[dex]

Texas Proud,
You are right about what happens to a western woman in Egypt.

I try to remember that when in Egypt I didn't really meet Egyptians but the hawkers trying to see me something.

One thing I forgot to mention was that visitors regularlly paid much more for everything than the locals. This became very insulting.

Here is an example - Using Eqyptian Pounds as the currency - Bottled water - same size
Bought at a small market - no prices marked on anything - 3 - some places were more
Bought a market with a bar code scanner - 1.5

 

[Zoocat]

Dex, what do you think of GAP as a tour company for people in their 50s? Would I have company my own age? I thought mostly younger people used GAP.

 

[dex]

Dex, what do you think of GAP as a tour company for people in their 50s? Would I have company my own age? I thought mostly younger people used GAP.

I think with GAP you are going to get those a step up from backpacking age - recently out of college late 20s to early 30s depending upon the tour.

You might want to check out Overseas Adventure Travel or Backroads for a slightly older crowd.

One of the determinates would be how adventerous or strenous the trip is.

I might go with OAT on my next trip - most likely Europe - Spain or Italy.

 

[virginia]

Dex - What were GAP's accomodations like? I just looked at their website and see what seems like a very reasonable priced Italy tour $1600 for 13 days - but the site mentions virtually nothing about the accomodations - what did you think of the accomodations provided in Egypt?

 

[dex]

The hotels were fine. They are not the Hilton but 3 star hotels. Here is one of them:
Cairo hotels Happy City Egypt hotel discount accommodation
When I arrived at the start of the trip at this hotel; I wasn't impressed.
At the end of the trip it looked very nice.
On the key points:
bathrooms - clean and odorless
beds - clean
Location - good
Locals stayed at the hotels we stayed in.
In a way it comes down to what you are expecting - it is a 3rd world country

On the price - don't forget the local currency to be paid, tips and admission fees
Figure
$50 for local tips - the money is given to the tour leader and he tips everyone - really nice
tip for the tour leader
Meals not in the price.

GAP does not charge extra for single travelers - nice

 

[wcv56]

been in the area 15 years, have not had the urge to go.
Maybe next life when they have a beam me up Scotty
option added. Nice to know I did not miss much.

 

[bssc]

Egypt was fun, we went for 2 weeks in 1998. Stayed with friends and hung out with them. Went on expat tours with them too. I recommend it for the sense of history.

However, the most distrubing thing was the Pizza Hut next to the pyramids.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

This is the trip I went on if you want more info:
Roam Egypt - G.A.P Adventures

If you are in a similar situation in the future here is the key on how to handle it.
1 - Don't give any reaction at all - all feedback is an invitation for more. I would just give a very small shake of the head and no other feedback no matter what the person did after that. Don't say anything; don't look at them.
2. Wear sun glasses.
3. Keep a blank expression on your face.

Hey, that's how I behaved when I lived in NYC. Apparently, tuning people out works the same way half way across the globe. Global village indeed.

 

[jambo101]

nphx

All your pics have writing through the middle,whats that about?

 

[nphx]

About a year ago i found some technical pics of mine used on a competitors web site - since then i mark pics up before publicly posting.

 

[Lancelot]

If you are in a similar situation in the future here is the key on how to handle it.
1 - Don't give any reaction at all - all feedback is an invitation for more. I would just give a very small shake of the head and no other feedback no matter what the person did after that. Don't say anything; don't look at them.
2. Wear sun glasses.
3. Keep a blank expression on your face.

This is excellent advice. In my travels to poor developing countries I have learned to ignore people, hawkers and vendors until I specifically want their services or products. Watch how the locals handle it; they treat the vendors as if they did not exist

 

[Souschef]

This is excellent advice. In my travels to poor developing countries I have learned to ignore people, hawkers and vendors until I specifically want their services or products. Watch how the locals handle it; they treat the vendors as if they did not exist

When I was in China, we were told to use the phrase Boo Yah! which I think meant bug off LOL

 

[novaman]

When I was in China, we were told to use the phrase Boo Yah! which I think meant bug off LOL

It means "don't want" as in "I don't want that (piece of junk you are trying to sell me)"

 

[Hyperborea]

When I was in China, we were told to use the phrase Boo Yah! which I think meant bug off LOL

It means "don't want" as in "I don't want that (piece of junk you are trying to sell me)"

Bu yao. The second word is more like "yow" than "yah".

When I was in China touring by train in 2000 using that phrase had unintended side effects. I used it to the hordes of map sellers, flower vendors, hotel and taxi touts, etc. and in some of the more rural inland cities and towns it amused the locals to see a western guy telling the vendors to leave him alone. I drew a crowd a couple of times. It also amused my wife and parents to no end.