Turby wrote in message . ..
On 21 Oct 2003 07:18:03 -0700, (Bjorn Olsson) wrote:

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I recommend all 3 (although Egypt was a bit too touristic for my
liking).

I plan to go to Egypt as well, and have been asking for advices from
friends that have been there. When it comes to problems with heavy
tourism, you should follow one pice of advice: Stay away from the
pyramids and the area around! From what I have heard, you should focus
on the area around The Nile and The Red Sea.

The pyramids are full-on tourism, no doubt. But you _must_ go there.
They are incredible. There is no way to describe the awe they inspire.
The simple perfection, the size, the historical meaning, the fact that
a simple stone mason five _thousand_ years ago made the stone that you
are touching - it's an amazing experience. It's worth playing the
tourist game for that.

The Red Sea, OTOH, is one of the world's best dive spots. Nature's
wonders there underwater are equally amazing.

Going up the Nile to Luxor is worth it, too. I'd probably spend a few
days in Cairo, then head for Luxor.

-People situated inside the pyramids, ask you to follow them because
they want to show you something. Then they ask you for money in order
to not leave you inside the labyrinth.

You should generally ignore people who turn up unasked for to "show
you something". Without possession of that little piece of common
sense, you shouldn't travel anywhere.

Balderdash. I've been "befriended" numerous times and had good
experiences seeing things that most tourists don't.

Sure. Me too.

You just have to
have a good sense about the situation and know that it's extremely
rare for a local in the 3rd world to approach you without an ulterior
motive.

That´s right. But as solution to the "problems" listed by another
poster in this thread, simply ignoring the people who turn up unasked
for should work well.

-Visitors report about men hiding in the dark touch female tourists
legs as they pass

Wear trousers.

In Moslem countries a long skirt is better.

Depends a bit in which moslem country and even where in that country.
I don't know if times have changed, but we did occassionally see women
wearing jeans in Cairo when I was there.

-Tourist in the areas of the pyramids report that when they paid
locals for a trip on the back of a camel, they made up lots of extra
payments that they din't told them about in front, includig food for
the camel. The guide also enjoyed touching the female tourist on parts
of the body that he 'accidently' came near because he was siting
behind her on the camel.

So just avoid the camels. The attraction at Giza is the pyramids and
other monumental buildings, not the stupid camels.

How often do you get the chance to see a camel at home, much less the
chance to ride one? Seeing strange animals up close is one of the joys
of travel, and can be at least as enjoyable as looking at
architectural monoliths.

I guess it's a matter of taste, but personally I simply didn´t get the
idea of this camel-thing. I just don't see the point. If someone was
offering donkey rides outside the Louvre, what would you choose: the
museum or the donkey?

If you have a special interest in camels, it's better to visit a camel
market. They can be found in any egyptian city.

I'll admit, though, camels _are_ stupid.

If you don't care about such things or the situation has improved go.
If you don't think it is worth it, don't. The situation isn't anything
close to this any other place than in the area of th4e pyramids.

I actually thought the Giza area was absolutely fine. No problems at
all. In Luxor, on the other hand, we were slightly annoyed by a couple
of obnoxious "guides" who wouldn't get the message and kept following
us.

Outside of a couple of small, well-defined, over-touristed areas,
Egypt is one of the most friendly and hospitable countries you will
ever find. You should definitely go _both_ to the Giza pyramids _and_
to the non-touristy areas of Egypt to get the full experience.

In all my travels, there are only two countries where people have
thrown stones at me - Morocco and Egypt.

Had that in Morocco. Never in Egypt.

Bjorn