Well, as I had originally stated, my husband is concerned about having to have enough water not only for walking and such but for even the every day things such as brushing your teeth and such. The Katadyn Exstream is the one we were seriously considering. Patty...let me know how yours works out in the Sierras- It might also be one to consider. I will let you know which we go with and how convenient it was when we get back!

heymo,
I'll let you know how it works out when I get back. However, I have to tell you that the one I have is not that portable so if you're thinking of something you can walk around with, it's not going to be practical. Better to go with something like the Exstream if you want portability. We're staying at a base camp, so we're planning to leave the purifier at camp, fill our water bottles and refill them when we get back to camp.

Sounds like a good plan based on your trip. Let me know anyway...we have other trips planned where that type might be more useful. I have a feeling we will go with the Exstream, and I will be sure to let you all know how well it works!

Heymo,
I leave for Egypt in 2 weeks. My post is more about shots. You mention you were going to Peru next year and the shots you got were required. I went to Peru last year and no shots were required. I also went to a a travel clinic (Passport Health) and I was told the Hep. "A", which I got when I went to China, was all I needed unless I was going into the Jungle along the Anazon or camping out and trecking into the wilderness.
I was on an escorted tour with OAT and they provided us with bottled water every day. Peru and Machu Pichu were wonderful.
I am traveling with Grand Circle, Part of OAT, to Egypt. Are you going on a tour to Egypt and Peru? Enjoy.

Hi ranger60, I am happy to answer your question. I was told the Typhoid shot would be required for the Peru trip next year. I would also need to get a shot for yellow fever. I think in general they recommend shots that protect again food contamination, thus the Hep A and Typhoid.
We are going on a tour through GAT tours which is based in Cairo. It's a private tour, not with a group of people. Having never been on any kind of organized tour other than excursions on a cruise ship and such, I am not sure whether they will provide water for us or not. We picked the places and sites we wanted to see and they built a tour around it. It seemed a good way to ease into a tour with a whole group of people. I am the one who usually plans and books all of our trips, so this is a big change for me.

We leave in 3 weeks. I have a friend who went earlier this year with OAT and had a wonderful time. We have not booked our Peru trip yet, I am researching it and trying to decide if we want to include a side trip to Galapagos or not.

Enjoy your trip, and write when you get back! We can compare trips! Where all are you going in Egypt?

Heymo,
I will be spending 5 nights in Cairo, where we will visit Giza, Sakkara, the Pyramids, Sphinx and an optional trip to Alexandria. There is also the museum Masque Etc. We then fly to Aswan and board a ship for 7 nights. There is an optional flight to Abu Simbel which I havr already booked. From aswan we head toward Luxor with stops at the Aswan Dam, Kom Obmo, Edfu, Valley of the Kings and Quena to see the sites. There is a hot air ballon ride which I hope to take.
This is my first trip with Grand Circle which has a larger group og people. When I went to Peru with OAT there were only 14. I also went with OAT to Costa Rica where there were 16 people. Wonderful trip.
On this trip to Egypt, the boat has 62 cabins and there will be 102 people on the boat. I am not sure how they break people up but I have read on different posts that they have caravans with armed guards in front and at the rear of the buses.
I'm sure you are aware that Ramadan starts on Sept 23rd.
We will have to compare notes when we get back. Have a great time.

Ranger60,

We are spending 3 days in Cairo in the beginning, visiting Giza, the Sphinx, Memphis and Saqquara, and the museums and Old Cairo. Instead of flying we are taking the sleeper train to Aswan. We are going to Abu Simel the first day, then spending the night in Aswan. We then board the Nile cruise, but only for 3 days. It's good to know they are well guarded, which I have heard before.We are visiting the same places you are, and we ARE going on the hot air balloon trip. Once we get to Luxor, we are then traveling to Hughada for 3 days, then back to Cairo with a side trip to Alexandria. We then head back home. All together we are there for two weeks.
I am aware of Ramadan going on while we are there. I think the only thing that concerns me is the noise level when we are trying to sleep!

Since you have been on other organized tours, I have a question I have asked but not received a good answer to...how do you handle tipping your guide and driver? How much to you typically give them?

Heymo,
I have been on about 10 organized trips over the years with about 5 different companies. All have provided suggested amounts but do state, the amounts are strictly you own decision. On tours, some tips are included, like hotel porter, local cultural guides and waiters in restaurants where meals are included. For hotel housekeeping staff, if you want to give something extra, $1 per day is sufficient. US dollars can be used.
Here is the suggested amounts reccomended for this trip.
Program director (tour guide} $4-$6 per person, per day. Especially if he/she provided you with individual asistance.
Motocoach driver. $2 per person for 1/2, $3 for full day.
Local tour guide same as above.
They say the cruise tour tips are shared on our boat and they recommend $5-$7 per person, per day.
I have had guides that so fantastic I gave more and then some that were very good but I didn't think deserved any extra.
I am saving every new/newly near $1 bill to take along. If you haven't already entered tipping in the search for Egypt
do so. There are some good reccomadations there from, name slips my mind, about tipping locals. Toilet paper etc.

Thanks Ranger. That was one aspect of the trip that has been worrisome to me. This may sound like a silly question, but did you have the same tour guide at each location? I'm wondering if we'll have one for let's say Cairo, then a different one when we get to Aswan, then another for the Nile Cruise, etc...I can see benefits and detriments in both scenarios...just curious.

Have a great time!

Heymo,
I'm not sure about Egypt but on all other escorted trips I've been on, the original guide went on the complete trip. But, in each town or city there was usually a local guide, usually due to town/city regulations requiring permits to do tours. Also, this gives locals a chance to make some money. Most local guides have been very good since there expertise is their city or town. I have had a few so so locals.

Thanks ranger. That makes sense to have local guides along the way, I just wasn't sure. When do you leave? I see it's still pretty warm in Aswan and the Valley of the Kings, not likely to cool down much in the next couple weeks I imagine...

Heymo,
I leave on Sept. 23. I'm not looking forward to the 11 plus hr. flight. At least it is direct from JFK to Cairo with AirEgypt. It is still in the 100's in Aswan and Luxor. 90's in Cairo. According to MSN weather the humidity in Aswan, today, is 13.2%. That should help make the heat tolerable. When do you leave?

Ranger,

We leave Oct. 10th. We fly from Detroit to Amsterdam but have a 8 hour layover which will at least break up the flight. Going to spend sometime in the city, then our flight is that evening. It's only 4 hours from there.

I just spoke to a friend's aunt who just came back from Egypt and she said it is still quite warm there. She said how lucky we were to be there for Ramadan...and that we should definitely try the pigeon! Not sure I'm going to take her up on that...

just do the bottled water, no need to carry something else...very very inexpensive in Egypt! The hotels and the ship will give you water bottles every day, and BIG ones, just stock up.
Just pour it out to brush the teeth etc...I did however wash my face etc..no problem then I hear my daughter even brushed her teeth with it!!! arrrgh...but again, no problems..:)

I recently traded in our Katadyn Exstream for a SteriPen (fyi the newer model is more compact).

I’d just like to clarify that my main problem with bottled water is the environmental madness of its overuse, and I would like an alternative to water direct from the tap at places where tap water isn’t safe for drinking.

On our safaris, each of us averages 3-4 liters a day. Steripen was an environmentally sound choice, as all that plastic has nowhere to go. Steripen purifies clear water: hotel tap water, restaurant water, stuff they serve on the plane when they run out of bottled water, etc. It only takes seconds to be effective, uses no chemicals and is very lightweight. We use it on hot water for tea too. It use 4 batteries (externally rechargeable, please). For a 2-week safari, I've never had to change batteries and everyone in our group borrowed our Steripen. They sell a prefilter water bottle, but I didn't buy it. On the surface it seems expensive, but calcualate how much you spend on water for one two-week vacation and it pays for itself quickly.

Just to update my earlier post, the First Need filter worked great on our camping trip in the Sierras (we got all of our water out of a lake). Make sure you have or get water bottles that fit onto the canister bottom for ease of use. The pump required minimal effort and we could fill a liter bottle in less than 1 minute. I was a little concerned when s small amount of water that was left in the unit froze overnight (it was in the 20's F) as the instructions say to avoid freezing, but we tested it and it didn't seem to compromise the integrity of the canister.

Again, while this purifier worked great for our needs on this particular trip, it's probably not something that you'd take on an Africa trip. For that, the Steripen or Exstream would seem much more convenient.

Thanks, Patty for the update. We did purchase the Exstream, will definitely let everyone know how it worked out when we get back!

I agree with the posters who use bottled water where available. I rarely ever bring a water filter except in the most remote - or very suspect places (e.g. immediate post tsunami Thailand)

If bringing one, I carry the same one I use for backpacking - MSR Sweetwater filter and water treatment drops. The unit pumps a lot of water quickly and the drops kill whatever got through the filter - which has to be very small, like viruses.

It's light, cheap, and works great. You can get it at most any backpacking concern in North America (REI, etc.)

If you simply want to improve the look and tase then use one of the bottle based units. If you're going to seriously filter water against nasty biologics, use the MSR Sweetwater. ((y))