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Blog Entry from DAD :)
Our 3 week period in Egypt was pretty much organised through the 18 day On The Go group tour which covered the pyrmaids of Giza, 3 nights in villages in desert oases, 4 wheel driving and overnight desert camping, Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, a day trip to Abu Simbel, a 3 day felucca cruise down the Nile sleeping on board, and finally 4 days on the Red Sea in the resort town of Hurghada. Our accommodation while on tour was 4 star except the felucca so it meant a bit of luxury when we finally had some down time.
For Kathryn it was her first time in Egypt but I had been here 4 years earlier before the Revolution in 2011 which had changed Egypt into a democracy but significantly destabilized the economy and tourism industry. With new elections a month away, there had been a travel alert for Egypt for the past 6 months and the lack of tourists in the country, including even around the pyramids at Giza in Cairo, was really noticeable. We found however that everybody was extremely welcoming and of corse keen to do any business in search of the tourist dollar. In most cases prices were highly inflated where possible, and it was a constant bargaining, haggling scene, which became tiresome.
Example: after a tour of some temples on a particularly hot day the majority of the tour were charged 20 pounds ($3) for an ice block from a local vendor. 2 shops down it was 10 pounds and the true price was 4 pounds. This was the case for most purchases so if you had the energy it could be very cheap but otherwise you just paid rather than bother with the hassle factor.
On reflection it was probably that way everywhere we had been travelling in Africa - it just seemed that the Egyptians were more desperate due to the lack of tourists. A lot of the large 4 star hotels we stayed in were pretty much empty - restaurants the same.
Before the start of our tour I had arranged to spend a couple of days in Cairo near the pyramids so we could take our time looking around. Our accommodation directly in front of the pyramids and Sphinx provided great views and easy access (2 minutes) to the entrance of the pyramids. Our first day was spent riding camels around the pyramids using local guides from the street who were very happy to provide their services and receive our dollars in return. In hindsight we overpaid on hiring the camels and local guide, but we still had a WOW factor day, topped off by watching the pyramids light up at night on the rooftop balcony of our hotel. Even though this was my second time at the pyramids it was just as exciting and a source of wonder as it had been 4 years ago.
Our time in the desert travelling to 3 oases was very enjoyable - no tourists - in fact we were the only ones on this part of the tour so we had a driver and guide to ourselves. It was a bit disappointing not to meet other travellers but we still had a great time - the first oasis town of Berjaya had a superb desert landscape which we toured at sunset, driving along and over the sand dunes in the 4x4 landcruiser, and we spent time in the hotel pool in the heat of the day before a soak in the hot springs at night. Our driver seemed to take delight in seeing how fast he could drive, even through the desert on open sand, and it meant we held on for dear life, bouncing all over the place. Our next night was spent desert camping under the stars amidst the white desert rock formations which was like being on the moon, with a tasty traditional meal cooked by our driver.
We met the rest of our tour group at Aswan and travelled with them first on the optional day trip to Abu Simbel, and then on to Luxor where we boarded our 3 day felucca boat ride, sailing down the Nile River, sleeping on board, with an accompanying boat providing meals and toilet facilities. It was by no means luxurious, particularly imparted to taking the cruise boat option, but nevertheless enjoyable, particularly in the company of most of the tour group. Nights were spent sleeping on the felucca.
During the felucca ride we stopped at various main temples along the Nile to see and learn about the history of the Egyptian empire and the various gods and pharaohs, in particular Ramses 2. The weather was hot and energy draining although we also swam in the Nile at certain spots along the River where it was safe.
The last leg of the tour was 4 days spent in Hurghada in a Mariott resort right on the Red Sea and this was very much a highlight - for both the luxury but also the beautiful location with clear, warm water and resort facilities. We spent one day scuba diving (Kathryn's first time) - going down with a diving instructor to about 4 meters with scuba twice for 20 minutes each, as well as snorkeling amongst the colourful fish and coral from off the boat. Apart from the pyramids it was probably my favourite part of the tour. Next time Dahab (it was closed for security reasons) sounds like the place to be based for Red Sea "chill and relax time". Cairo for the pyramids but really just in and out for a couple of days.
After returning to Cairo, our final days wound down fairly slowly as members of the tour group left, and then we were then back on our own, waiting to see how we would adjust back to independent travel, in our next country Ethiopia.
Our planned flight to Addis Abba was pushed back a day for some unexplained reason so we had to find another hotel to basically "kill" a day which was frustrating as we still had a very early morning flight scheduled and all we could do was basically hang around the pool. Walking locally around from the hotel was not easy and meant getting cabs both ways in the traffic around the city.
The food during the tour was at first tasty Egyptian meals of breads, chees, beans and tahini (as well as the full buffet breakfasts from the hotels we stayed at) but in the end we were over it and looking forward to something different.
Egypt was by far the longest time we had spent in any country on this trip (22 days), but the variety in the tour made it enjoyable and well paced, except for our last days in Cairo. In summary, great fun, great photos and very pleased I made it part of the trip. That said, I am glad to move on. The whole tipping culture we experienced was also tiresome, even though a compulsory tipping kitty was collected as part of the tour beforehand.
Kathryn is over the temples and museums here and now looking forward most to Europe and travelling with her friends, so it is time to regroup and develop an itinerary which has some new highlights to cover our next unplanned 40 odd days on the road. After 3 months of living out of a backpack we are both feeling a bit tired, but so far at least no major health or travelling issues have arisen.
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