Thinking of going to Egypt?
Dec 31st, 2011, 08:21 AM
#21
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<i>"I guess you are new to Egypt, ey? We call it the "Logic Free Zone". That statement applies in MANY areas - NOT just their marketing and sales skills."</i>
Hmmmmmm.......now THAT statement really gives me pause.
I am a very logical person and non-logical thinking truly makes me crazy...just ask DH. Maybe I really <u>should</u> stay away from Egypt. Would hate to cause an "International incident".
Hmmmmmm.......now THAT statement really gives me pause.
I am a very logical person and non-logical thinking truly makes me crazy...just ask DH. Maybe I really <u>should</u> stay away from Egypt. Would hate to cause an "International incident".
Jan 1st, 2012, 03:05 AM
#23
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Egypt is awesome. I went there last year and I'm planning to go back sometime this year. If you want some information about the best cities in Egypt visit this site: http://www.xdestination.com/
Jan 1st, 2012, 03:54 AM
#24
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schmerl accusing me of spreading 'fear'? How about apreading common sense? Does anyone think the police will/can protect anyone attacked by raving mobs who hate westerners? Army? I think they're too busy at the moment.
I've been to Egypt twice and loved it. But I wouldn't let anyone who meant anything at all to me consider going there now. Not on your life.
I'd feel responsible for giving anyone advice to go there now. Obviously you wouldn't.
I've been to Egypt twice and loved it. But I wouldn't let anyone who meant anything at all to me consider going there now. Not on your life.
I'd feel responsible for giving anyone advice to go there now. Obviously you wouldn't.
Jan 1st, 2012, 06:34 AM
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tiny dancer said: Does anyone think the police will/can protect anyone attacked by raving mobs who hate westerners?
td - once again, the "riots" are not exactly spontaneously breaking out like wild fire all over the city. Not by any means! They are in a VERY small area that encompasses a city block or two at the MOST. Do you think it is impossible to avoid that area if you are here as a tourist? Actually, because of the protestors, it is harder to get there than it should be, so you really really really have to want to get there and make the effort to get there. Anyone that does that, should go in knowing that it is not safe. It would be like seeking out and finding a firing range anywhere in the world and then deciding to walk across it while people might be shooting their guns. If you don't go there and walk across it, you will be fine. You may even have a firing range in your home town, but you probably don't feel you are in danger because people are there shooting guns on occasion, because you don't purposely want to go there and walk out in front of them. Yeah?
Second of all, (I know YOU won't believe this, but it is true) these people involved in the protests or riots have NOTHING against Westerners. It is the SCAF and Mubarak that they have their beef with. That is it! Seriously!
TOURISTS/WESTERNERS ARE NOT THE TARGET.
Grcxx3 said: you just to have a big sense of humor!
It has often been said when you pack for a trip to Egypt, not to forget to pack your sense of humor. You'll need it.
td - once again, the "riots" are not exactly spontaneously breaking out like wild fire all over the city. Not by any means! They are in a VERY small area that encompasses a city block or two at the MOST. Do you think it is impossible to avoid that area if you are here as a tourist? Actually, because of the protestors, it is harder to get there than it should be, so you really really really have to want to get there and make the effort to get there. Anyone that does that, should go in knowing that it is not safe. It would be like seeking out and finding a firing range anywhere in the world and then deciding to walk across it while people might be shooting their guns. If you don't go there and walk across it, you will be fine. You may even have a firing range in your home town, but you probably don't feel you are in danger because people are there shooting guns on occasion, because you don't purposely want to go there and walk out in front of them. Yeah?
Second of all, (I know YOU won't believe this, but it is true) these people involved in the protests or riots have NOTHING against Westerners. It is the SCAF and Mubarak that they have their beef with. That is it! Seriously!
TOURISTS/WESTERNERS ARE NOT THE TARGET.
Grcxx3 said: you just to have a big sense of humor!
It has often been said when you pack for a trip to Egypt, not to forget to pack your sense of humor. You'll need it.
Jan 1st, 2012, 07:20 AM
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Tinydancer: "Does anyone think the police will/can protect anyone attacked by raving mobs who hate westerners? "
when during the whole revoulution and during the whole year since did any of the protesters ever hate westerners. If you actually look closely at the news, and not the sensationalist channels, you will see that the recent protests are by mainly liberals, who actually love the westerners, and who support the democratic societies of the west and want the same for their own country.
Its not all beards and burka's protesting there recently.
Please please Get a grip on the reality tinydancer, do your research fully before scaremongering. Yes, there are issues in Egypt at the moment, we are all fully aware of that. But as Casual Cairo says, the protests were limited to one area, and that is Tahrir Square, which as you are an avid Egypt Traveller you would know is a roundabout in Cairo!
The protests became more violent when the demonstrators were set upon to clear out of the area by the army, then it started the stone throwing etc. it then escalated. But as I follow the news daily about Egypt because I have a real love for the Country and its people and have visited there countless number of times, I know for a fact (cos I read the proper papers and watch the proper news) that there is nothing happening there at the moment now except for a number of peaceful demonstrators sitting about in Tahrir Square with little tents and showing articles and pictures of what happened recently to try to get the other people of Cairo to listen to them.
Im not saying that all in the garden is rosy, but its certainly not a place where westerners are hated.
Even during the recent protests / demonstrations when some fighting took place in the surrounding streets, did you know that even though buildings were targeted in streets nearby, all were next to or parralel to the American University. Which, as you may or may not know was UNTOUCHED by these western hating thugs you think they were. Seems a bit odd to me if they hate the westerners, why target only their own ministerial buildings and not the American University? maybe they ran out of bricks.?
As for the comments about the economy. If you ever did love Egypt and if you did have the spare income to visit somewhere then now would be the perfect time to visit because as has been said above, many many many people rely on the tourist dollar and will I am sure, by now be suffering greatly from the loss of income.
Thats just my 2cents.
And with the greatest of respects to you Tiny Dancer, taking the words of the song from which you are obviously named (unless you are a small ballerina)
"Count the headlights on the Highway" - its obviously much safer than Egypt according to you.
Good Luck to all of you that are living and working in Cairo, your day will come - inshallah (as you say).
Scotsgirl
when during the whole revoulution and during the whole year since did any of the protesters ever hate westerners. If you actually look closely at the news, and not the sensationalist channels, you will see that the recent protests are by mainly liberals, who actually love the westerners, and who support the democratic societies of the west and want the same for their own country.
Its not all beards and burka's protesting there recently.
Please please Get a grip on the reality tinydancer, do your research fully before scaremongering. Yes, there are issues in Egypt at the moment, we are all fully aware of that. But as Casual Cairo says, the protests were limited to one area, and that is Tahrir Square, which as you are an avid Egypt Traveller you would know is a roundabout in Cairo!
The protests became more violent when the demonstrators were set upon to clear out of the area by the army, then it started the stone throwing etc. it then escalated. But as I follow the news daily about Egypt because I have a real love for the Country and its people and have visited there countless number of times, I know for a fact (cos I read the proper papers and watch the proper news) that there is nothing happening there at the moment now except for a number of peaceful demonstrators sitting about in Tahrir Square with little tents and showing articles and pictures of what happened recently to try to get the other people of Cairo to listen to them.
Im not saying that all in the garden is rosy, but its certainly not a place where westerners are hated.
Even during the recent protests / demonstrations when some fighting took place in the surrounding streets, did you know that even though buildings were targeted in streets nearby, all were next to or parralel to the American University. Which, as you may or may not know was UNTOUCHED by these western hating thugs you think they were. Seems a bit odd to me if they hate the westerners, why target only their own ministerial buildings and not the American University? maybe they ran out of bricks.?
As for the comments about the economy. If you ever did love Egypt and if you did have the spare income to visit somewhere then now would be the perfect time to visit because as has been said above, many many many people rely on the tourist dollar and will I am sure, by now be suffering greatly from the loss of income.
Thats just my 2cents.
And with the greatest of respects to you Tiny Dancer, taking the words of the song from which you are obviously named (unless you are a small ballerina)
"Count the headlights on the Highway" - its obviously much safer than Egypt according to you.
Good Luck to all of you that are living and working in Cairo, your day will come - inshallah (as you say).
Scotsgirl
Jan 1st, 2012, 07:58 AM
#28
scotsgirl and cc...thank you. I didn't want to get into a debate with TD to point out what's REALLY happening there (since she won't believe us anyway), so thanks for doing it for me!!
A Happy and peaceful New Year to you all!
A Happy and peaceful New Year to you all!
Jan 1st, 2012, 08:35 AM
#29
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I have mixed feelings about this issue - in June of 2010, we were planning a trip to Thailand, but changed it to Vietnam and Cambodia because of what was going on in Bangkok at the time. Of course, I never really had a sense for how widespread and "dangerous" those protests were either. So can one of you, maybe CC since you are an American who lives in Cairo, relate this to, say, Manhattan. If these protests/riots were occurring in Manhattan, they would be confined to.......what?
I hope the New Year brings peace and prosperity to Egypt!
I hope the New Year brings peace and prosperity to Egypt!
Jan 1st, 2012, 09:15 AM
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Well, I don't know NYC that well, but from my impression of all the OCCUPY protests - they might resemble that. From what I could tell, you had a choice to be involved in those. They didn't just spontaneously happen and anyone wandering around Manhattan could find oneself inadvertantly involved. Right?
That is just my take on it.
Like I said above - the area encompasses a couple of city blocks maximum. It's down near Tahrir Sq where the problems happen. DO NOT stay at a hotel near the area and there is NO reason why you chould find yourself in the middle of any of it by surprise.
That is just my take on it.
Like I said above - the area encompasses a couple of city blocks maximum. It's down near Tahrir Sq where the problems happen. DO NOT stay at a hotel near the area and there is NO reason why you chould find yourself in the middle of any of it by surprise.
Jan 1st, 2012, 01:07 PM
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For years I worked across the street from Zucotti Park where the Occupy folks were set up. I never knew the name... duh! It was just a small park with some benches and smaller than a regular 'city' block, by half or less. Well, well... from what I saw on TV, and before I realized where it was, one would have thought what was happening there covered a much larger area.
Yes, Occupy groups did march to City Hall, to the Stock Exchange, even on the Brooklyn Bridge where the police did 'loose it', but... give me a break, anyone could have easily avoided the hub-bub of what was going on. However, everyone who was anyone, regardless political persuasion and worldwide TV, made sure to be there, even the tourists.
As I recall, Tahrir Square is a bit larger, and using Manhattan for comparison, maybe the size of two (2) 'city blocks.'
We've had all sorts of 'incidents' between citizens and police right here in the States over these many years, but when the Rodney King incident broke out in Los Angeles, few canceled their visit to San Francisco; or with riots in NYCs Harlem, if you lived below 96th Street, you'd never know if you didn't turn on the TV or read the paper.
And, do you remember the years the IRA was setting off bombs (quite off-putting, though they might have called before things went 'boom') all over the UK, friends and myself never cancelled visits to London.
For me as I've said previously, it's always the same - 'if the bombs ain't falling and the steel ain't flying past my ears, I'm going." As I did shortly after the '98 embassy bombings in Kenya/Tanzania; again soon after 9/11 to South Africa; friends who were in Nairobi after the political upheavel 3/yrs ago.
People have to decide for themselves and there's plenty of information out there for travelers to do so, but scare-mongering... not necessary!
Yes, Occupy groups did march to City Hall, to the Stock Exchange, even on the Brooklyn Bridge where the police did 'loose it', but... give me a break, anyone could have easily avoided the hub-bub of what was going on. However, everyone who was anyone, regardless political persuasion
and worldwide TV, made sure to be there, even the tourists.As I recall, Tahrir Square is a bit larger, and using Manhattan for comparison, maybe the size of two (2) 'city blocks.'
We've had all sorts of 'incidents' between citizens and police right here in the States over these many years, but when the Rodney King incident broke out in Los Angeles, few canceled their visit to San Francisco; or with riots in NYCs Harlem, if you lived below 96th Street, you'd never know if you didn't turn on the TV or read the paper.
And, do you remember the years the IRA was setting off bombs (quite off-putting, though they might have called before things went 'boom') all over the UK, friends and myself never cancelled visits to London.
For me as I've said previously, it's always the same - 'if the bombs ain't falling and the steel ain't flying past my ears, I'm going." As I did shortly after the '98 embassy bombings in Kenya/Tanzania; again soon after 9/11 to South Africa; friends who were in Nairobi after the political upheavel 3/yrs ago.
People have to decide for themselves and there's plenty of information out there for travelers to do so, but scare-mongering... not necessary!
Jan 2nd, 2012, 08:07 AM
#32
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Comparing it to the Occupy protests is probably pretty accurate - in San Francisco, they were "confined" to a small one- block park, and spread out only a little from there, maybe another block. We walked and drove past them every night. There was no violence in SF, but there was some other places, however, as Sandi said, easily avoided.
Jan 7th, 2012, 12:11 AM
#33
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We went to Tahrir Square; visited the Egyptian Museum, walked around the square for a bit. Absolutely no sign of trouble anywhere we went in Egypt.
Amazing visits to the Pyramids, Valley of the King's, Abu Simbel, and no crowds anywhere. Some tour groups in the Egyptian Museum, but still just a handful of people in the room whith Tut-ank-amon's treasures.
One of the guides said that tourism is down to about 30% of what it was before January 2011. The guides and Egyptologists we spoke to, were optimistic about the future. Tourism is very important to the Egyptians; they would not do anything to deter people from visiting, and as said above; it's the former rulers and the army they are protesting against, not the West. The locals in Luxor had years of hardship after the events of 1997 (and there was a so-called stable government in Egypt then).
Everyone thanked us for coming, and asked us to tell everyone to come to Egypt.
Amazing visits to the Pyramids, Valley of the King's, Abu Simbel, and no crowds anywhere. Some tour groups in the Egyptian Museum, but still just a handful of people in the room whith Tut-ank-amon's treasures.
One of the guides said that tourism is down to about 30% of what it was before January 2011. The guides and Egyptologists we spoke to, were optimistic about the future. Tourism is very important to the Egyptians; they would not do anything to deter people from visiting, and as said above; it's the former rulers and the army they are protesting against, not the West. The locals in Luxor had years of hardship after the events of 1997 (and there was a so-called stable government in Egypt then).
Everyone thanked us for coming, and asked us to tell everyone to come to Egypt.
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