What the guidebooks didn’t tell an Egypt traveler

Reporter Christine Bates has written a very insightful article called To the Pyramids and Back: What Guidebooks Don’t Tell You about her recent tour of Egypt.

There’s no such thing as a perfect tour. That’s mostly advertising jargon. As I’ve always tried in All-About-Egypt and in this blog to bring a fair picture of what a trip to Egypt is really like, I want to address some of the issues she and her husband encountered.

1. Cairo smog – While I’m not sure Cairo is the most contaminated city in the world as she mentions, Cairo can be very uncomfortable, specially for people with respiratory problems. Smog is sometimes so thick to make panoramic views utterly disappointing. It is recommended to visit places like the Cairo Tower, for example, in the evening.

2. Physical stress – Touring Egypt’s antiquities sites is physically demanding. You have to wake up very early to travel to faraway destinations, have only about an hour to get to see them, walk under a bright sun across desert sand and scorching parking lots, have to descend steep stairs and ramps in tombs and climb back up and, on top, share your site experience with a large crowd of other tourists which, like you, are herded like cattle from tour buses to temples to hotels.

3. Climate – While not in extreme, the day and night temperature difference in Egypt is enough to require you to wear two sets of clothes, one appropriate to the hot scorching sun and another for the chilly nights, regardless of season.

4. Haggling – If you happen to travel independently, you will have to contend with bargaining for almost every opportunity where money gets exchanged, and harassed by street vendors trying to cope with the US $2 earning average a day for a large majority of the Egyptian population.

5. Security – This is always a thorny issue. Every country have increased their security measures. The problem is how this is perceived. In the developed nations, security measures are seen as meant to prevent a foreign attack. In Egypt, on the other hand, many western tourists see military presence as a threat to their own safety and a sign of immediate danger by some local group. The fact is that Egypt is not a terrorist nation, rather a peaceful country in a warn torn region.

Fortunately, Ms. Bates gives us a positive review of the spectacular historic sites and other attractions she says are not mentioned. at least not highlighted in travel guide books.

Egypt is not only a “pharaonic” nation. It has a legacy of Christianity and Islam. Its natural wonders are among the most pristine in the world. And you get to meet people who visit Egypt from every corner of the world.

I’m glad to know Christine Bates will return, explore new places, this time “better prepared to experience this ancient and modern civilization”.

Tags: travel guidebook

This entry was posted on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 4:58 pm and is filed under Tourism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.