caroline

i will be travelling to israel for the first time in april and have two days to kill before the tour starts. would you recommend petra or cairo? petra seems more convenient, but the valley of the kings sounds amazing. any advice would be greatly appreicated.

Myriam

The Valley of the Kings is indeed amazing, but it is in Luxor and not in Cairo.

caroline

myrium, <BR>thank you so much for pointing out the obvious - i was under the mistaken impression that the valley of the kings was an easy drive from cairo. do you have any actual recommendations, though?

Myriam

Caroline, <BR>I've never been to Cairo nor to Petra but I think that besides the Egyptian Museum and the Pyramids Cairo is just a large capital city. <BR>If I were you, I would go to Petra for a day and make a tour in the Wadi Rum desert. That must be amazing as well.

Tony Hughes

Having been to both I would have to say you would be better off going to Petra. Cairo is enormous, very busy, full of pollution and the museum is nothing to write home about. Pyramids worth a lokk but only for about an hour. <BR> <BR>Petra is superb, breathtaking even.

tuna

petra definatly <BR>spend more time there, jordan is the best place i have ever been too, plus it is more convenient <BR>

Paula

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Nothing will ever compare with the majesty of the Pyramids, the last wonder of the ancient world still standing. There are plenty of things to see on the Giza Plateau including the Pyramids, the Solar Boat, the Sphinx, the funerary temples. As to Cairo itself, the Egyptian Museum contains the treasures of Tut - a whole floor of gold, as well as the mummy collection of the ancient Pharaohs. There is Khan el Khalili bazaar close by. Also close by Cairo is the ancient city of Memphis - the old capitol of Egypt. Then there is Saqqara with the earliest attempt at pyramid building. Saqqara itself is an enormous temple complex containing among others Tiy's tomb with seemingly miles of hierogylphs and carved scenes of daily life from 2500 BCE. <BR> <BR>As to Petra it is 4-5 hours south of Amman and is from an entirely different era. It is a mile into the city created by the Nabatean's who were at the crossroads to the eastern trade routes. The Treasury which you see when you first ride in was a focal point in Indiana Jones' Last Crusade. It is a vast city complex carved through living rock and dates to the time of the Roman era. There are the famous soul stairs carved into the top of the tombs. Petra means red and various areas live up to this name. <BR> <BR>Wadi Rum is also in the area. This is a vast plain surrounded by huge wind swept formations. This is the Bedouin area that was popularized by the movie Lawrence of Arabia. T.E. Lawrence rode throughout this area with his Arab League in World War I. He succeeded in uniting the Arabs only to discover that the Allied powers wanted to win the war not create a united Arab League or nation.

Al

Sorry, Paula, but "petra" means "rock." <BR>It is the root from which we have such terms as "petrified" and "petroleum." Even Jesus made a play on words when he spoke of Peter, "The Rock on whom I will build my church."

jacquie

I found Cairo extremely disappointing. Dirty, terrible food and people trying to cheat you at every opportunity. Despite years of wanting to go there, I would never go back. I got very bad food poisoning from eating in some restaurants, which ruined my holiday and lingered when I returned. Luxor, I believe, is much better. <BR>

Andrew

I haven't been to Petra so I can't comment on it, but I've been living in the heart of Cairo for the last year or so. If you choose Cairo I would definitely go to the Khan al Khalili, Coptic Cairo, the Egyptian Museum, and the Pyramids. Several words of advice though: (1) hang on to your wallet, people will constantly try to cheat you out of your money (especially at the pyramids) so be firm, (2) leave your shorts at the hotel -- nothing shouts out "tourist" like wearing a pair of shorts in Cairo, (3) drink ONLY bottled water, no matter what the guidebooks say, (4) when at the bazzar or camel rides, etc., haggle them down and pay no more than half of what they ask for -- if they give you hassle then walk away or threated them with the police, (5) never catch a taxi outside of a hotel. Their prices are usually 2 to 3 times what it really costs to get where you are going, and (6) when going to the pyramids it is much less hassle-free to take a tour. If you take a taxi they will take you to every shop between Cairo and Giza before you get where you are going and you will end the day frustrated and possibly broke.

Tamam F. koudeih

For information about Jordan and the Arab World please <BR>e-mail: [email protected]

Norma lauer

Caroline: My husband & I are going to Petra for the 1st time this year, so I cannot comment yet on it. But, we traveled to Egypt in 1992 and found Cairo very interesting. The pyramids just outside Cairo--the Museum in Cairo--the Step Pyramids near Cairo, all are VERY interesting. <BR> We ALWAYS drank bottled water and only ate where our tour director suggested. We did not get sick...Had a great time! Happy Traveling! Norma

Barbara

I haven't been to Egypt but spent 10 days in Jordan last September. It was the most amazing vacation I've had - and I've had a few. Petra is AMAZING!!! You really should see it once in your life. If you go, get into Petra as early as you can (8am) as it gets very hot around 12noon - you'll be sitting it out for a couple hours before strating again! But you can easily spend the whole day there and an extra day would be good too, if you bring a pait of decent shoes for walking in... There's plenty to explore. But you should try and take some more time and also visit Wadi Rum (a couple hour's drive from there) and if you can, take the King's Highway upto Amman and Jerash. There is so much to see in Jordan I don't know where to start! The people are incredibly friendly and helpful, and it's not at all hassly (other than the pony hands at Petra and even they take a polit no nicely!). Go to Petra!