Egypt info please?

"Big_B" wrote in message
...

"Tashi" wrote in message
news:nCf2e.842003$6l.78146@pd7tw2no...
Good health and high spirits!
some info for you.

$1.00 US = approx 5.8 Egp
Everything in Egypt is cheap comparitively.. you can buy cheap
souvieners
or expensive ones the trick is to Bargain....and bargain well. Don't
haggle over a dollar though, keep in mind these people make hardly a
thing. general rule.. if they say for example: $300 for something it is
usually good to start the price at like $75 or so.. usually 1/3-1/4 of
what they are asking.

Wow?! 1/4 od a price! Good. This I will remember.


(keep in mind, the mashed beans they serve for lunch, dinner *foul
madas*
is usually a breakfast dish for Egyptians).

Oh....
I think I'll pass on beans for breakfast.


--many shop keepers will order tea for you and talk for awhile before
you
strike up a bargain.

They will do this no matter what am I buying!? I mean, they won't order
tea
if I'm buying souvenirs worth just 10 dollars?


They'll probably give you tea even if you buy nothing. They may look a
little disapointed if you don't buy anything, but, Egyptian hospitality is
just that.



LEARN THESE WORDS: LA=NO SHUKRAN=THANK YOU

Wait... Do I pronounce this LA infront of No Shukran or it's just No
Shukran?


La means "no", Shukran means "thank you". There is another correct word for
"no thank you", but, everyone will understand what you mean if you say "la
shukran".

NEVER SHAKE OR EAT OUT OF A COMMON BOWL WITH YOUR LEFT HAND.

O.k. Just what is a common bowl? Plate?! Dish?....
This about shaking hamds with your left hand is inpolite everywhere in the
world. This I know.


It's unlikely you will come accross this, but, you may find you have a
common plate of bread or falafal that you help yourself from.


These were some of the prices when I was there. However you should look
to see if these attractions are covered in your tour. Usually they are.

Yeah. I have very similar attractions list on my tour.

I stayed at the Pharaohs Hotel
CAIRO
Citadel Of Salah Al-Din--20LE
The Egyptian Museum--20LE
The Royal Mummies Hall--40LE
The Cairo Tower--30LE
Scarabee Papyrus (where they sell Papyrus paper) Can be pricey..
I bought around 5 pcs at a price of 138 LE (these prices are set)
The Third Pyramid, Giza--10LE
Giza Pyramids--20LE

Well, thease prices seem reasonable.


ASWAN
Train to Aswan from Cairo. 14HRS 69LE. checked out the market, the dam
and
just hung out for a couple of days exploring. ASWAN sells the cheapest
Sheesha's.

14 hours!? Than God for sleeping carts. )
What is Sheesha?


TAKE THE TIME AND THE $ TO FLY TO ABU SIMBLE.. WORTH IT. At that time
it
was I think about $100 to fly there.
200 PT. for local fees
400 PT for Guide fees at Abu Simble temple
30LE Abu Simbel Two Temples

What is PT, ant what is LE?
I thought LE was Egyptian pound, but now....


Stayed at the WINDSOR HOTEL in Luxor. Eat at local places, try the
pigeon--usually in a cage as soon as you enter the restaurant.

So it's fresh, then? )


(Many *touts will be around to show you things.. if you follow one do
pay
them a dollar or something.. that is usually how they make their $) They
are not out to rob you.

O.k. Good to know this. I usually tend not to trust people who try to
"drag"
you off the main street....


Don't be too green. You will quite probably find that someone in the street
invites you to drink tea with them after you halve walked down the street
chatting happily with them thinking what a nice man. You often end up in a
perfume shop drinking tea and after a while the hard sell starts. This can
even happen to experienced visitors although you do get to recognise them
after a while. I have had a few arguments with these guys after refusing to
buy something after being tricked into their shop. Once away from tourist
areas you will experience true Egyptian hospitality as compared to the sham
hospitality of those that make their living on tourists...as in most places.


To go to Hurghada you have to go by Convo... No ship route cause it's
through the desert.
Hurghada is a huge tourist area so expect to pay more, there are many
clubs and restaurants etc.. take the time to go on a side trip into the
eastern desert.
while there find a unique store called the MEYA MEYA. It is the only
place I found that sells nice unique souviners that are not the typical
tourist trash souvieners. The owner of the store is called Sam very
nice
guy..

O.k. So a trip to east sahara, meya meya store...
I know we have an option to go to east sahara so I will defenetly use this
option.


Don't be fooled by people who *lead you to someones store, sometimes the
store can be good.. these people get commisions to get people to the
store... can be an interesting experience.

By interesting expirience, you mean something positive, right?
Like interesting shops and stuff?


Not necessarily, just interesting as compared to nice.


In restaurants/souks... Make sure that YOU break the seal on the water
bottle... refuse it if it is already opened.. they like to refill the
bottle with local water in some places.

O.k. Good to know. Can I get something if I drink (I know it's bad) local
water?


You will see many public water sources, taps coming out of steel tanks by
roadsides, urns by the side of the road. All those sources are prety safe,
I've never had trouble with them. Tap water should be avoided though. It's
probably safe in Cairo, but, it tastes disgusting and is heavily chlorinated
in High Season


When ordering food you can look at what someone else is eating and say
"I
want that"..

That is very uneuropean, but I'll try it....

http://touregypt.net/recipes/

Thanks for the link. Very useful.

Do try foods at markets and bazaars.. just use your common sense, if the
guy who is handling your food is picking his nose or has very bad
hygiene
skip

O.k.

it.. make sure though that ALL food is throughly cooked, boiled.

How do I know if the food I buy in the bazaar is cooked, boiled.....?


If it's grilled and burned it is probably well cooked. I must admit I've
eaten in all sorts of places in Egypt right down to spit and sawdust cafes
and have only ever had an upset stomach when eating in what looked like a
high class resaaurant serving Western food.



Oranges, bananas, mangos good choices.. nuts, cheese, figs etc. also
good.

O.k. So Fruits that can be peeled off are all o.k., everything else try to
skip.


most of all relax and have fun, explore and don't take things too
seriously... realize that these people are all trying to make a living,
not to rip you off.. well not always!! Tourism is the leading job for
most and some people are degraded to handing out toilet paper to
tourists
as a job!!

So I should leave my suspicion that everyone will try to rip me off at
home?


No, just reduce it to "there will be some people who try to rip me off"



If you want superior service in hotels.. tip your cleaning person
generously.. I gave her $10 for 3days and I got my clothes washed, dryed
ironed, chocolates, flowers, fancy towels all made up in the shapes of
animals and shells.

Impressive! All this for 10 dollars!
Did you give her this the first day when you came to the hotel?


Also,, tip the Person you want to tip IN PERSON Don't give the $ to the
manager or someone... the person who you want to get the $ won't get it
usually.

O.k. I'll try to remember all this.


Tip the waiters in high class places better than ones in low class places.
There is a reason for this, the ones in low class places normaly get paid
relatively well while the ones in high class places get paid a pitance and
tend to rely on tips (baksheesh). Also tip well the nice lady (or gent)
that tends the toilets keeping them clean, showing you to a nice well kept
one, gives you soap and tissues to clean yourself...they do not normally get
paid anything and some pay the owner to let them do the job.



Thanks a lot for this post(s). You have been extreamlly helpfull.