Egypt Roundup

I had a really good time in Egypt but wanted to list some of the pros and cons of the country - at least from my perspective.

Likes:
Food - We got fat in Egypt. There are so many good breads and pastries and fried delicious falafel. On our last day in Dahab we gorged ourselves on amazing crepe-like pancakes smeared in nutella and covered in fruit. Amazing. One of our best meals was likely at the Nubian restaurant in Aswan. The flavors of the food were great - no doubt thanks to those famous Nubian spices. Tam would likely say her favorite thing to eat in Egypt was a loaf of fresh bread she bought from a random bakery in Cairo - shes still raving about it. My favorite is definitely the new teas we've discovered. The two big ones are Nubian hibicus tea (which is delicious hot or cold) and mint tea. Tam also bought a Bedouin tea thats supposed to be good for your stomach.

Weather - Aside from a couple cold days in Cairo, we were super spoiled with the weather. Very dry, hot and sunny.

History - We were pretty templed out by the end of our travels, but theres no denying that the sites and stories from Egypt's past are worth the trip. I think I liked the temples in Luxor the best (Karnak especially) and also the pyramids outside Cairo. We would also recommend guides. The places we went to where we didnt have someone explaining all the incredibly detailed artwork on the walls and things about the structure itself (like who built it, for who and when), we found that we got a lot less out of it.

Mt. Sinai  - Despite the donkey taxi drivers that work in St. Katherines, I definitely recommend the hike up Mt. Sinai to see the sunrise. There were tons of people, you can stop at one of the many coffee shacks they've built on the mountain along the way if you get chilly, and the energy and anticipation that is felt at the top of the mountain is pretty cool. If youre going to go, hike up the camel trail and then come down the other side of the mountain using the steps.

Dahab - I really liked Dahab and the red sea. The colour of the water is like what youd expect to see off of a caribean island - the light blue aquamarine colour flanked by dark blue. Really pretty. I also liked the atmosphere in the city. Its so different from the rest of the country,at times, you almost forgot you were in Egypt. We also had some reallly nice food here and met some nice people.

Dislikes:
Poverty - At least 90% of Egypt is poor. Ive never been somewhere with this much poverty, and its very disconcerting. The country is filthy and because of it people dont seem to care if they throw garbage on the ground. The cleanest place we saw was the main street in Luxor - but this is probably also one of the most touristy places in Egypt. We were at one bus station and we saw a guy standing 2 feet from a garbage can and he still dropped a big wad of trash right onto the ground. Frustrating. Our guide explained it by saying that its hard to get people to change their old ways.

Money Issues - Everything to do with money is super annoying in Egypt. First, tipping. I dont mean at restaurants and whatnot (although people need to be carefull because often the service charge is included on the bill), but rather for guides and drivers etc. We are happy to tip when its earned, but in Egypt its expected and they remind you about that allll the time. Even the jerkoff of a taxi driver who drove us from St. Katherines to Dahab cheerfullyreminded us to tip him. No dice pal.
Second, in our first couple of days in Cairo our guide always said that in Egypt you get what you pay for. What he neglected to mention was that you have to pay for everything. Need to pee? One pound (and dont forget to tip the person who is ripping off two squares of toilet paper for you...if there is toilet paper that is). Taking a bus ride? Buy your ticket (OK) but dont forget to bring change because if you want to bring your bags with you that will cost extra when you go to board.
Finally, bank machines. Argh. If youre planning to go to Egypt either bring travellers checks, exchange enough cash before you leave or map out every HSBC bank in the cities in Egypt where youre planning to travel because they are the only ones that will work with your Canadian debit card.

Hassling - We figured that while traveling in Egypt we'd run into some issues as women - and this was definitely true. I didnt ever feel unsafe, but after being followed and photographed and videotaped and feeling like I needed to wear even baggier clothes and even groped in one instance, I got pretty bothered.

Littlest Hobo Hell - Anyone who knows me knows that I love animals and generally need to say hi to every one I see. Some people also know that stray dogs and sad looking animals upset me. This is a big problem in Egypt because there are stray dogs and cats, sad looking camels and donkeys, and goats with deformities and broken limbs all over the place. I realize that the people are not very well off, but it doesnt stop it from bothering me.

Im sure theres more...but these were the highs and lows I can think of right now. More to come on Tel Aviv soon...

Current location: Tel Aviv
Temperature: 24°C