Egypt
Hello everyone
Well, I am currently in Cairo after spending 11 days travelling through this interesting country. Before I start I thought I would go back to the beginning.
After spending 3 weeks in Nairobi, I made the trip to Cairo. Ive heard so many reports about Egypt and how you will be swamped upon from the day you arrive until the day you leave. Well, it started as soon as I reached the airport even before I had time to get my bags. They were already on to me for taxis, tours etc. etc.. I knew how much I should pay (thanks Chris) so I attempted to find someone that would do it..well that was impossible so I paid a bit more and this taxi guy said he knew where to go.... he didnt..
We were in the car for about 1.5 hours when it should have taken 20 mins, he stopped along the way at least 3 times and then he tried to charge me more for taking so long to get to the hostel. We had a yelling match and the first of my Mexican standoff before I threw him the fare and went inside the hostel. It was a scary experience and it also showed me how hard Egypt is with the language barrier. Anyway, I made it here and I was a little shaken up but my whole thought of trying to backpack by myself slightly changed. The guys at the hostel gave me a package that involved everything I wanted to see and it seemed good..That night I did the dinner cruise on the Nile which was a full buffet and western and egyptian entertainment. It was a good night, only problem was I was by myself the whole night and it wasnt the sort of place that I could really meet anyone new (thanks Coachy :) ha) Anyway, the next day I started the tourist mecca of Egypt at the Pyramids. In the morning, I went to Sakkara, Memphuis and then to Giza to see the Pyramids and the Sypix. I had a guide with me who went through the whole history of these three sites and learnt so much as I knew next to nothing on Egyptian history. The guide was fabulous and gave me an understanding of the history, which made me appreciate what I was actually visiting. The highlight of course was the Pyramids, absolutely amazing..you have to see it for yourself..
I took a 2 hour camel ride around the pyramids through a back gate around the 3 Pyramids and the Sphnix. Besides being really hot (we are currently in Summer here and its hot very hot) it was just phenomenal, I cant describe the sheer size of them just blew me away. I took heaps of really cool pics and it was a great experience. (Except of course of the constant harassing of locals to buy everything and anything..this is a constant problem in Egypt as they get sooo many tourists through here even in low season)
We went to a few craft markets on the way home, which the drivers love stopping at as I think they take part of the cut. I thought in East Africa you have to bargin hard, its nothing compared to Egypt you have to be a complete arse to ensure you dont get taken for a ride... and trust me it happens all too often..they will bluff you/lie to you/ everything to ensure you part with your money. As someone that loves to haggle, it is a whole new level in Egypt. I had the rest of the afternoon off to explore Cairo. A city of 18 million people, is huge and Cairo certainly is that and its so easy to get lost..its happen too many times to imagine so far.
The next day I went to Old Cairo and Islamic Cairo during the morning, which I found really interesting. I had a new guide and he was equally informative. We went to mosques and took a tour around Old Cairo. (I cant remember the names of the places but they were what all tours visit) Then in the afternoon we went to the Egyptian museum, which to me is as good of a Museum as there is.. wow over 2500 pieces to see with the highlight Tutankhamun tomb. Having the guide with me as well explained all the main pieces before he left and wandered around in awe of how old these parts of history were that are in front of me. Im not a big museum fan but this was brilliant, as everything from the pyramids has been 'gutted' and now kept at the Museum. Afterwards, I got lost again trying to find the hostel and it ended with another taxi driver that had no idea of where I was staying. (Funny enough I saw him today when I was walking around..) That night I was taking the overnight train to Aswan which takes 16 hours and it feels like it.. I was in first class and I caught up with someone from my tour group who was also going through Egypt. It was nice to talk to someone who understands English fluently as there are not many backpackers in Egypt so Ive had the dorm room to myself most of the time.
I arrived in Aswan and went to my hotel room, which had air-conditioning..(thank God) . Cairo is like Antartica compared to Aswan, it is so hot there between 45-47 C...and you feel it..even as someone that loves the hot weather.
That afternoon we went to Philae Temple and the High Dam. Phila temple was really interesting on and then I went back to the hostel where I met some English students that were here to cycle from Aswan to Cairo. They were raising money for breast cancer research and were given a grant from their university in London. They were going for a 2 hour sunset felucca ride so I joined them. We cruised around all the little islands on the Nile and watched the sun set..we then had another Mexican Standoff as we paid for 2 hours but our driver just went for 1.5 hours and we said we werent paying the full amount. In the end he agreed and we were happy.. as I said you have to be a prick sometimes in Egypt otherwise they take you for a ride.
I had a early night as the next day I was getting up at 2.45am to go to Abu Simbel a three hour drive south of Aswan. It was worth the early start, just amazing; as good as the Pyramids to me. I met heaps of new people on the bus and a few of us got a pizza when we arrived back in Aswan. I then caught the late train to Luxor. What can I say about Luxor, it is the tourist mecca of Egypt and basically everyone in the town benefits from tourism in some way. I got in at 9.30pm and decided to go for a walk to get a bit to eat, on the way this young guy offered to take me to a restuarant. (No one does anything for you in Luxor without a price) He took me to a good restaurant and I had just enough money to pay for my dinner and a drink. I went to pay and the bill had another 10 Egyptian pounds on it.. apparently, the guy that brought me organised a taxi and I was paying for it.. I made it quite clear to the manager thats wrong and I wont pay for it.
We had another Mexican standoff and he just laughed it off and said thats fine. (In other words he just made it up to get more money out of me) You have to be on your game in this country. I should also say you bargain for everything to anything from gifts to restaurants.. it can be exhausting sometimes and I just wished they had prices on things.. There are two prices, Egyptian and tourists.
Anyway, the next day I went to East and West Bank of Luxor with a great group of people from my hotel. We had a fantastic day, checking out Valley of Kings/Valley of Queens and someone else that I cant remember the name.
Then in the afternoon we checked out East Bank, which ended a long day of doing the 'tourist' thing. It was fabulous though, and a few of us went out for dinner where the restaurant was trying to get us again..
The next day, after doing some shopping in the markets I left Luxor (thankfully) for the 16 hour bus ride to Dahab. On the bus I met a couple of English guys and 2 young Canadians. One of the Canadians can speak Arabic and is originally from Lebanon, he was telling me how they get Egyptian prices all the time which has saved them heaps of money. We played a few games on the bus and we realised we knew some of the people that Ive met on my Egyptian travels. As I said most people dont do the backpack thing especially during low season so you know everyone. Its really cool and we were all going to catch up in Dahab. After taking a sleeping tablet (the first one Ive taken in Africa) we made it to Dahab which is the party capital of Egypt. It is situated on the Red Sea and very laid back and cruisy compared to the rest of Egypt. On the bus I also met a couple of Swedish sisters that invited me to a Swedish party in Dahab to celebrate their national day. I dragged along my new friends and we went to their place for a BBQ and beers. It was a good night and then we went to the local bar for a dance. The next day a few of us went snorkelling at Blue Hole . Red Sea is the diving and snorkelling capital of the world..(well up there with the Great Barrier Reef) The coral and the sea life is just amazing, they swim right past you and the varieties and sizes are sensational.That evenıng İ took a sunset horse ride wıth a couple of the guys. It was better than what I thought actually, and for the fırst tıme I galloped on a horse. Thınk İ mıght have a change of professıon, I want to be a jockey now!!
İ had an early nıght after the horse rıde as tomorrow I was goıng dıvıng for the fırst tıme ın the mornıng. I wasnt goıng to go dıvıng, but I thought I had to ın the best dıvıng place ın the world. Joe and İ were doıng a ıntro dıve together, so we had our quıck dıvıng lesson before we got ınto the water. I was a lıttle nervous about beıng 12 metres under the water but as soon as you are down there swımmıng among the sealıfe you forget all about ıt. I had an absolute ball but ıt was all over so quıckly, and ıt has ınspıred me to get my dıvıng lıcence. Afterwards, we all caught up for lunch and a swım as we had a bıg nıght ahead clımbıng Mount Sınaı. I dıd some more snorkellıng ın the afternoon and then went out for a few bevvıes before catchıng the 11pm bus to Mount Sınaı. Thıs ıs where Moses climbed up and God spoke to hım about somethıng (I missed that bit). It was also where Moses came back down wıth the tablets that contaıned the Ten Commandments.
We arrıved around 1am and ıt took us 3 hours to climb up the top of this mountaın. We got up there and hired 3 matresses and a couple of blankets so the sıx of us shared them. It was like one bıg slumber party..heaps of fun and laughs.. the sunrıse was magnıfıcent from the summit and then we trekked down to St Catherınes Monastry whıch ıs at the base of Mt Sinaı. I had maybe 10 mıns sleep so by the tıme I boarded the bus I was faırly wrecked..
We all had lunch together one last tıme before I departed to catch the bus back to Caıro. It was sad to say goodbye to those guys as they were heaps of fun but Im sure I wıll cross paths wıth most of them ın the future. Arrıvıng ın Caıro that nıght, I had an easy day the next day before I boarded the 420am flıght to Istanbul to start my Turkısh adventure.
I hope everyone ıs well and post a comment... by the way I dont thınk havıng blonde hair was a good idea ın Egypt.. :) ha
Cheers
Troy
Well, I am currently in Cairo after spending 11 days travelling through this interesting country. Before I start I thought I would go back to the beginning.
After spending 3 weeks in Nairobi, I made the trip to Cairo. Ive heard so many reports about Egypt and how you will be swamped upon from the day you arrive until the day you leave. Well, it started as soon as I reached the airport even before I had time to get my bags. They were already on to me for taxis, tours etc. etc.. I knew how much I should pay (thanks Chris) so I attempted to find someone that would do it..well that was impossible so I paid a bit more and this taxi guy said he knew where to go.... he didnt..
We were in the car for about 1.5 hours when it should have taken 20 mins, he stopped along the way at least 3 times and then he tried to charge me more for taking so long to get to the hostel. We had a yelling match and the first of my Mexican standoff before I threw him the fare and went inside the hostel. It was a scary experience and it also showed me how hard Egypt is with the language barrier. Anyway, I made it here and I was a little shaken up but my whole thought of trying to backpack by myself slightly changed. The guys at the hostel gave me a package that involved everything I wanted to see and it seemed good..That night I did the dinner cruise on the Nile which was a full buffet and western and egyptian entertainment. It was a good night, only problem was I was by myself the whole night and it wasnt the sort of place that I could really meet anyone new (thanks Coachy :) ha) Anyway, the next day I started the tourist mecca of Egypt at the Pyramids. In the morning, I went to Sakkara, Memphuis and then to Giza to see the Pyramids and the Sypix. I had a guide with me who went through the whole history of these three sites and learnt so much as I knew next to nothing on Egyptian history. The guide was fabulous and gave me an understanding of the history, which made me appreciate what I was actually visiting. The highlight of course was the Pyramids, absolutely amazing..you have to see it for yourself..
I took a 2 hour camel ride around the pyramids through a back gate around the 3 Pyramids and the Sphnix. Besides being really hot (we are currently in Summer here and its hot very hot) it was just phenomenal, I cant describe the sheer size of them just blew me away. I took heaps of really cool pics and it was a great experience. (Except of course of the constant harassing of locals to buy everything and anything..this is a constant problem in Egypt as they get sooo many tourists through here even in low season)
We went to a few craft markets on the way home, which the drivers love stopping at as I think they take part of the cut. I thought in East Africa you have to bargin hard, its nothing compared to Egypt you have to be a complete arse to ensure you dont get taken for a ride... and trust me it happens all too often..they will bluff you/lie to you/ everything to ensure you part with your money. As someone that loves to haggle, it is a whole new level in Egypt. I had the rest of the afternoon off to explore Cairo. A city of 18 million people, is huge and Cairo certainly is that and its so easy to get lost..its happen too many times to imagine so far.
The next day I went to Old Cairo and Islamic Cairo during the morning, which I found really interesting. I had a new guide and he was equally informative. We went to mosques and took a tour around Old Cairo. (I cant remember the names of the places but they were what all tours visit) Then in the afternoon we went to the Egyptian museum, which to me is as good of a Museum as there is.. wow over 2500 pieces to see with the highlight Tutankhamun tomb. Having the guide with me as well explained all the main pieces before he left and wandered around in awe of how old these parts of history were that are in front of me. Im not a big museum fan but this was brilliant, as everything from the pyramids has been 'gutted' and now kept at the Museum. Afterwards, I got lost again trying to find the hostel and it ended with another taxi driver that had no idea of where I was staying. (Funny enough I saw him today when I was walking around..) That night I was taking the overnight train to Aswan which takes 16 hours and it feels like it.. I was in first class and I caught up with someone from my tour group who was also going through Egypt. It was nice to talk to someone who understands English fluently as there are not many backpackers in Egypt so Ive had the dorm room to myself most of the time.
I arrived in Aswan and went to my hotel room, which had air-conditioning..(thank God) . Cairo is like Antartica compared to Aswan, it is so hot there between 45-47 C...and you feel it..even as someone that loves the hot weather.
That afternoon we went to Philae Temple and the High Dam. Phila temple was really interesting on and then I went back to the hostel where I met some English students that were here to cycle from Aswan to Cairo. They were raising money for breast cancer research and were given a grant from their university in London. They were going for a 2 hour sunset felucca ride so I joined them. We cruised around all the little islands on the Nile and watched the sun set..we then had another Mexican Standoff as we paid for 2 hours but our driver just went for 1.5 hours and we said we werent paying the full amount. In the end he agreed and we were happy.. as I said you have to be a prick sometimes in Egypt otherwise they take you for a ride.
I had a early night as the next day I was getting up at 2.45am to go to Abu Simbel a three hour drive south of Aswan. It was worth the early start, just amazing; as good as the Pyramids to me. I met heaps of new people on the bus and a few of us got a pizza when we arrived back in Aswan. I then caught the late train to Luxor. What can I say about Luxor, it is the tourist mecca of Egypt and basically everyone in the town benefits from tourism in some way. I got in at 9.30pm and decided to go for a walk to get a bit to eat, on the way this young guy offered to take me to a restuarant. (No one does anything for you in Luxor without a price) He took me to a good restaurant and I had just enough money to pay for my dinner and a drink. I went to pay and the bill had another 10 Egyptian pounds on it.. apparently, the guy that brought me organised a taxi and I was paying for it.. I made it quite clear to the manager thats wrong and I wont pay for it.
We had another Mexican standoff and he just laughed it off and said thats fine. (In other words he just made it up to get more money out of me) You have to be on your game in this country. I should also say you bargain for everything to anything from gifts to restaurants.. it can be exhausting sometimes and I just wished they had prices on things.. There are two prices, Egyptian and tourists.
Anyway, the next day I went to East and West Bank of Luxor with a great group of people from my hotel. We had a fantastic day, checking out Valley of Kings/Valley of Queens and someone else that I cant remember the name.
Then in the afternoon we checked out East Bank, which ended a long day of doing the 'tourist' thing. It was fabulous though, and a few of us went out for dinner where the restaurant was trying to get us again..
The next day, after doing some shopping in the markets I left Luxor (thankfully) for the 16 hour bus ride to Dahab. On the bus I met a couple of English guys and 2 young Canadians. One of the Canadians can speak Arabic and is originally from Lebanon, he was telling me how they get Egyptian prices all the time which has saved them heaps of money. We played a few games on the bus and we realised we knew some of the people that Ive met on my Egyptian travels. As I said most people dont do the backpack thing especially during low season so you know everyone. Its really cool and we were all going to catch up in Dahab. After taking a sleeping tablet (the first one Ive taken in Africa) we made it to Dahab which is the party capital of Egypt. It is situated on the Red Sea and very laid back and cruisy compared to the rest of Egypt. On the bus I also met a couple of Swedish sisters that invited me to a Swedish party in Dahab to celebrate their national day. I dragged along my new friends and we went to their place for a BBQ and beers. It was a good night and then we went to the local bar for a dance. The next day a few of us went snorkelling at Blue Hole . Red Sea is the diving and snorkelling capital of the world..(well up there with the Great Barrier Reef) The coral and the sea life is just amazing, they swim right past you and the varieties and sizes are sensational.That evenıng İ took a sunset horse ride wıth a couple of the guys. It was better than what I thought actually, and for the fırst tıme I galloped on a horse. Thınk İ mıght have a change of professıon, I want to be a jockey now!!
İ had an early nıght after the horse rıde as tomorrow I was goıng dıvıng for the fırst tıme ın the mornıng. I wasnt goıng to go dıvıng, but I thought I had to ın the best dıvıng place ın the world. Joe and İ were doıng a ıntro dıve together, so we had our quıck dıvıng lesson before we got ınto the water. I was a lıttle nervous about beıng 12 metres under the water but as soon as you are down there swımmıng among the sealıfe you forget all about ıt. I had an absolute ball but ıt was all over so quıckly, and ıt has ınspıred me to get my dıvıng lıcence. Afterwards, we all caught up for lunch and a swım as we had a bıg nıght ahead clımbıng Mount Sınaı. I dıd some more snorkellıng ın the afternoon and then went out for a few bevvıes before catchıng the 11pm bus to Mount Sınaı. Thıs ıs where Moses climbed up and God spoke to hım about somethıng (I missed that bit). It was also where Moses came back down wıth the tablets that contaıned the Ten Commandments.
We arrıved around 1am and ıt took us 3 hours to climb up the top of this mountaın. We got up there and hired 3 matresses and a couple of blankets so the sıx of us shared them. It was like one bıg slumber party..heaps of fun and laughs.. the sunrıse was magnıfıcent from the summit and then we trekked down to St Catherınes Monastry whıch ıs at the base of Mt Sinaı. I had maybe 10 mıns sleep so by the tıme I boarded the bus I was faırly wrecked..
We all had lunch together one last tıme before I departed to catch the bus back to Caıro. It was sad to say goodbye to those guys as they were heaps of fun but Im sure I wıll cross paths wıth most of them ın the future. Arrıvıng ın Caıro that nıght, I had an easy day the next day before I boarded the 420am flıght to Istanbul to start my Turkısh adventure.
I hope everyone ıs well and post a comment... by the way I dont thınk havıng blonde hair was a good idea ın Egypt.. :) ha
Cheers
Troy
posted by Troy Aitken | 11:39 AM
5 Comments:
im also jealous.
especially of your blond tips circa 1990 / tony francis
hi,
wow.
seriously.
glad that you had an, umm, exciting adventure in egypt...
i hear istanbul is amazing.
have fun!
miss you bunches
sounds great troyboy!
i know you've been busy, but please check your email asap regarding your arrival here in london & accomodation options...
p.s. good luck with your desire to change profession... something tells me you might not quite have the prerequisites a jockey would need!
see you in 11 days!
Hey Troy, like Katie said... miss you loads! So what are you up to now?
Louise
great post. I would love to follow you on twitter. By the way, did you know that some chinese hacker had busted twitter yesterday again.
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