We spent 24 days this past July in Egypt. My husband has a few friends and two aunts in Cairo so we made time to visit them. Here are my impressions of Egypt starting with the negatives:

1. No matter how much you read about the constant asking for bakhsheesh (tips), you just can't prepare for it. I pray that their new government makes some kind of law(s) to change this system (maybe come up with a minimum wage requirement, get their tourist guards/shops more organized, etc). I know this system existed in Turkey many decades ago and they've gotten rid of it. It's very exhausting and becomes bothersome (not to mention draining) for the tourist. We took it in stride like everyone recommends (considering it as small charity) but towards the end it was really annoying. The tourist police guarding the sites, the door man, the luggage people (sometimes 3 people would chase us to grab our bags), the driver, everyone on your cruise, the bathroom attendant, etc, etc...all expect to get their tip. Way too much and something I will not remember fondly about Egypt.

2. Our cruise's tour guide called them "crocodiles" and it was fitting. Shopkeepers chase you down, begging you to buy this and that piece of junk. I really found the souvenirs in Egypt to be of the poorest quality i've seen. It was annoying how they'd chase you down and stick to you to buy something. In Sharm, you'd get chased by tour guides. It's like "leave me alone!". You quickly learned to walk fast, maintain zero eye contact and shake your head constantly. There's no pleasure in just taking a walk.

3. For those who don't speak Arabic, you probably didn't get this but we do and did get it...the people constantly would tell us, with a smile "Alhamdu lilah alsalama". That was their way of saying "where's my tip?". It actually means "Thank God for your peace"...something you say to someone whose arrived from a long journey. You welcome them back. We strongly disliked hearing it in Egypt. We also would constantly get asked where we were from. We'd say Jordan and they'd reply "Jordanians are the most courageous people" (something they say to everyone no matter where they're from). We gradually learned that they only wanted to know so they could decide how much to rip (I mean, charge) you off. Apparantly, Jordanians were up the ladder but below Gulf Arabs (and my kids kept their American English mouths closed b/c then we would have gone broke). My point is...yes, the Egyptian people are simple and I'm sure nice and friendly (like most people in the world) but you really don't get a sincere chance to experience that b/c you're constantly paying them or getting ripped off (or feeling like you are).

4. Cairo is crowded with major traffic and pollution problems. Wow, I thought we had congestion in the States, nope. It would take about an hour just to drive 5 miles b/c of the congestion. The pollution was draining and the heat, oh the heat. Iskandariya (Alexandria) was the same in terms of the traffic and it was dirty. The driving is an indie car race with human planted in between. I had my eyes closed for most of it.

5. If I had to do our trip over, I would have skipped Alexandria. Not worth it. The library building is a modern invention. The city is dirty, stinky, chaotic, the sea is dirty in a number of places...not worth it. Skip it.

6. We stayed at the Four Seasons in Cairo and had a few hundred dollars stolen from our room's locked safe. Don't keep any money in your hotel room's locked safes. We were later told by many Egyptians that it's known that hotel staff members can and do break into the safes. Keep your money on yourself and don't keep too much either.

7. There are numerous scams in Egypt so we got scammed at Giza. If you're Arab, avoid those guys with the horse carriages. Note: you CAN walk on your feet into the pyramids. I believe our taxi driver was somehow involved in this scam too as he encouraged us to go (and didn't bother telling us the entrance was just a few steps away from where he had parked). These guys took us for a LONG trip through the neighborhood (smelly, disgusting), told us they'd get us Egyptian prices to enter the pyramids, then when we went to enter the "guards" told us we had to pay them extra b/c we weren't suppose to do that, then when we went through someone approached my hubby asking to see our tickets again... at this point, I grabbed my husband and left that guy. We trusted those horse carriage people and they ripped us off big time. They charged us for taking our pictures, for having someone else take our pics on a camel, for entering a small pyramid on the side, etc, etc. It was one big scam that we blindly fell for. Leaves a sour memory of Giza. Maybe that's why we enjoyed Saqqara way more?

8. It's not true (according to my guide book) that Egyptians won't ask for more bakhsheesh. They asked for more nearly half the time. Again, I'm not sure if it's b/c we're Arab or what. We thought it to be very rude and embarrassing.

9. Like everyone says, you have to be very careful about where you eat. Nonetheless, you will get some travelers diarehea so prepare yourself with medicine. It's also hot in Luxor, Aswan, Sharm during July but not unbearable. If that is the only time you can go, then go.

Next up, the positives

Great tips on the negative side thanks

It is a cultural thing thing very common in Latin America also

Called "La Mordida" The Bite(bribe) down there.

Very irritating hard to get used to for me.

Still a wonderful country looking forward to the positives.

Just out of curiosity - why not START with the positives?

Thank you for an unvarnished look at touring Egypt. I appreciate the honesty. Many are reluctant to share less than positive reviews, but I prefer to travel with the knowledge of both the good and bad. Without this, one can be unprepared and therefore, very disappointed.

I look forward to the rest of your report.

Grcxx3- just the kind of person I am. I always like to get rid of the negatives so I can concentrate more on the positives. I also don't hesitate giving the negatives in the hopes of realistically preparing others (no matter what others may say). Remember, these were our personal experiences. Here they are:

1. There is an amazing amount of history in Egypt! Our eyes were wide open, our tongues out during half our trip in Egypt. My kids (and us) were amazed! If you care at all (even a tiny bit) for ancient Egyptian history (heck, even if you don't, you will) you'll love Egypt! There is so much to see. It's a huge country with so much history. You really do feel like you're going back to the time of the Pharoahs. Amazing, amazing, amazing. My daughters are still shocked that they got to actually see King Tut, King Ramses II --- in person. What other country can u say that's possible? We went back thousands of years in history. Egypt is one huge open air museum and they're still discovering things every single day. No matter how much you read about Ancient Egypt, you won't be prepared for how amazed you'll be to actually experience/see it!

2. I was initially hesitate about the Nile Cruise. I thought it was just a luxury we couldn't afford and we could do the same itinerary cheaper. I'm so glad my husband didn't listen to me! We used Abercrombie and Finch (got a great deal from a local Egyptian travel company-- through a friend). The cruise was on the Sunboat IV, I believe. We were only 6 families so we had way more attention from the crew than we deserved. We went from Luxor to Aswan, 4 nights and 5 days. It was spectacular. The food was delicious, the entertainment, our guide was wonderful. Everything was A+. They were always ready with cold bottled water to give us, they arranged everything so as to minimize the heat exposure and were so attentive. It was very sad that we were so few tourists but it meant we got to know the entire crew and the other families intimately. I really can not imagine seeing the sites along the Nile without using a cruise. Waking up seeing the farmers, the kids playing in the Nile was beautiful. I highly recommend the Nile cruise as a way to see the sites!

3. Egypt is inexpensive (for Westerners) meaning you can hire a driver, or a tour guide without breaking the bank. You can go anywhere with a taxi too. Tip: when you're in Cairo, get one of those taxis that are metered. If you like the driver, make a deal with him to basically be your driver. That's what we did and we made a friend in the process.

4. I don't think there's any place in the world with comparable coral reefs and sea life like Sharm El sheikh. It is gorgeous. Again, you can do lots of water sports at a fraction of the cost!

5. Flying from one place to another in Egypt is easy and affordable. We flew from Cairo to Luxor, then from Aswan to Sharm, then from Sharm to Alexandria without any problems and quite affordably. We wanted to take the train from Alexandria back to Cairo but the train wasn't operating (so says our hotel's conceirge who then offered us a rental van with driver at the cost of $300). We took the bus and that was an adventure by itself, but since this is positives, I won't go into that, lol.

6. Every hotel we stayed at offered us a breakfast buffet. The buffets were, for the most part, excellent. Of course, we stayed away from fresh fruit/veggies. The buffets were a great way to keep a family of 5, like ours, in line with their budget.

7. Egypt is safe because the Egyptian people are generally nonviolent. I know this is a blanket statement but I really believe it. We talked with a number of Egyptians who were camped out in front of our hotel in Alexandria (the Cecil hotel) about the revolution and what was going on. Everyone in Egypt talks about nothing but the revolution. It's like they're drunk with freedom of speech! It's beautiful to watch people talk, talk, talk politics without any fear. Loved that the most about our visit! We not only got to see ancieent history but we were witnessing history right in front of our eyes. Egypt has so much potential... they really can be a power house in the Middle East and I hope their dreams are realized! There are lots of challenges but they can overcome them!

Glad you had a nice trip and thanks for the advice on one of my posts when I was on my way to Egypt. I stayed in Cairo from July 15-21, then Sharm til 26, then Cairo til the 31. It was amazing best trip of my life. I have to admit that one of the worst parts of my trip was the amount of TIPPING Omg. Im an 18 year old woman and I had $2000 with me and I can honestly say I'm guessing a HUGE chunk of that change went to tipping alone. You have to tip anyone there if they even do the smallest of favors for you At the airport when I arrived a man who worked there wouldnt let me grab my bag off the terminal because he offered a million times to do it for me and that was before I converted my money, so he got $5 just for grabbing my bag for 3 seconds.
Also, I can say I didn't get food poisoning. I never felt sick once on my entire trip, but strangely I did have diarrhea now that I think of it lol. Didn't feel sick though so if thats the case I can say you will get diarrhea most likely but not feel sick? I avoided any water not in a bottle and raw fruits and veggies. I ate cooked veggies with no issues! The only fruit I ate were bananas and I even drank mango juice the first night and never got sick.
The people were so friendly. I couldn't believe how friendly they were and almost everyone I came in contact with knew english. I'm really sad I'm back and can't wait to go again one day

Winterbaby said: "At the airport when I arrived a man who worked there wouldnt let me grab my bag off the terminal because he offered a million times to do it for me and that was before I converted my money, so he got $5 just for grabbing my bag for 3 seconds."

These people are not stupid. When people will give $5 for that service, why the heck wouldn't he insist on doing it, or at least try? He's got himself a good gig going. It's not his fault you let him do it and then gave him $5 for it - his "insisting" did not put you in the possition of NOT telling him to go away, or paying him less. It was your right to "insist" he go away if that is what you wanted or to ask if he had change. If he claims he has no change, you know he is not telling the truth, OR he just came into work and he could probably find change from a co-worker if pressed. There are a lot of ways to handle this, but I totally understand that you were tired and not thinking completely straight at that moment, so asking for change was probably out of the question - that is why either telling the guy NO, I can handle this, or preparring yourself with $1 bills is important.

For future travelers, carry $1 bills with you so you have tip money, should you accept the services of people like this. Please do not give them foreign coins as they can not take coins to the bank to exchange for money they can spend.
Also, if someone likes the idea of asking for change but feels it would take knowing the language to do so, remember that probably 90% of the people you just got off the plane with all speak Arabic and 50% of those probably also speak English, and they would be happy to help you.

Winterbaby - if you return, either bring back any Egyptian money you maybe left with, or have your friend on this end mail you some LE5 notes (3 or 4 would be more than enough to get through the airport) to use when you arrive.... or just come with good $1 notes and all will be fine.

Winterbaby, glad your trip went well and of course I know exactly what you mean about the tipping (the sickness too)

Casual Cairo, I agree with you to an extent. However, they can be VERY pushy, embarrassing and annoying. You end up paying them to get off your back. Plus, like you said, when you're coming off a long flight, that's the last thing you expect or want. So, I hope others will take your advice... carry small bills (and don't feel shy about saying "NO").

Bookmarking for leisure read later!

However, they can be VERY pushy, embarrassing and annoying. You end up paying them to get off your back

While I completely agree with that, the <i>amount</i> of each tip was in all cases but one very low and no more was demanded (one exception at Cairo airport)...I can't imagine a good chunk of $2000 having gone toward tips. I'm a middle-of-the-road tipper, and I'll bet tips (other than for driver and guide) didn't amount to $100 during our 8 days in Cairo and Upper Egypt.

Yeah! When you think about it.... $2000 would conservatively be just over LE11,500. If you left half of that in Egypt as tips, you made A LOT of people happy. IF you gave out LE5 notes at every tip, you helped over 1000 people. WOW!

I should have made myself clearer, $2000 is a lot but I had a lot of things to pay for such as hotel, money that we could have used for extras is what went to tips and I honestly had no idea that anyone doing a favor would expect a tip. But I learned something new and I will definitley carry $1 with me next time and the 60 pounds I have left over.

Nile cruise with <i>Abercrombie & FINCH</i> DuH!

Guess you have teens in your family.

It's Abecrombie & KENT! That gave me a good laugh

I don't care how tired I might be from a long flight, no one touches my bag coming off the carousel unless I say so.

Also, I can't recalling tipping anymore in Egypt than elsewhere I've travelled... and I tip generously when it's called for. Maybe my attenna are up when it comes to touts anywhere... they know better than pull that crap with me.

Yes, much of Egypt* is dirty and often crumbling considering how old, traffic is a horror even scary... but once you realize what you're there for - the history, culture, people and even food (we ate everything and no tummy problems) - it's worth every minute.

*plenty of areas in Jordan, Amman especially are much the same

sandi,

LOL, yes, I do have teenagers and 2 of them are girls .

I think if you have experience traveling in countries where there are numerous "touts" then you definitely have an advantage. This was our first time. Hubby is thinking about going to Morocco next year (which I hear is even more challenging). If we do go, I'll definitely be wiser

I didn't find the tipping a problem. I cannot really recall being totally harassed for tips.

Thank you for this report and thank you for NOT pretending that the negatives really don't exist or that the positives always outweigh the negatives and for telling it EXACTLY LIKE YOU FOUND IT TO BE. Allowing the reader to decide whether the information is worthwhile is always preferable to somebody WHINING because your reporting style is different that tneir own.

We are now contemplating taking an organized tour of Egypt in 2012 and your information has been VERY helpful