Egypt and Nile -- a Review

16 Aug 2006 E said

HI!

I have been meaning to post my 'review'of the Egypt and the Nile. I went in the beginning of June. Here are just some thoughts. If you have any questions do not hesitate to email me (nelle_1234@yahoo.com)

Good Things:

1. SHERIF. The tour guide was the BEST! He has a great sense of humor and he is very helpful and knowledgeable.

2. The accomodations are okay especially since its a third world country. Be ware of the Oasis. I slept under the covers and my legs got eaten by bed bugs. But this only happened once and I stayed a couple of extra nights so just a heads up.

3. The pools. Bring your bathing suit. You don't need a towel but you do need sunscreen/sunglasses/hat.

4. The trip was great and organized well and the people on my tour were great/friendly. Our first night after our intro drink w/ Sherif we all went out to the hotel bar and just got to know each other.

5. We were all very careful of what we ate. We all had hand sanitizer and used it constantly. We had a few late nights of partying and some people didn't feel well the next morning but no one really got sick b/c of the food.

Tips/Tricks:

1. I was a female traveling alone. I made friends with the males on the trip very quickly. Not that it is unsafe but you get a lot of cat calls and comments and 'accidental touchings/brushings.' It seemed the attention died down when I was with one of the guys.

** A few of the other single girls wore fake wedding rings and they were not bothered at all.

2. I found they prefered the american dollar over anything else. Do not tell them you have american dollars while you 'negotiate' because the price will be higher.

3. Almost everything is 'negotiable'. Start at 30% go up to 40-50 and if they don't say yes WALK away they'll run after you.

4. Don't leave anything in your pockets. I heard of a few people who got pick-pocketed.

5. Bring some snacks with you. I brought crackers and pretzels and some days they were my meal. (I'm a picky eater)

6. Make the time to go to the Hard Rock Cafe in Cairo. We went our last Friday night in Cairo and had a BLAST!!!

7. Do NOT get in a taxi unless you have agreed upon a price first!

8. I know the kids are cute and you will feel bad for them but be firm. Look them in the eye and tell them NO. If you do not you will be engulfed by these budding salesmen.

9. DO NOT let your fears of height or tight spaces keep you from going into the tombs or into the pyramids. I'm scared to death of heights but I forced myself to do everything (but the balloon ride) and I am so glad I did it was AWESOME.

10. Bring a small torch/flashlight. It will help you see in the pryamids/tombs.

11. LOOK at the caps on your water bottles. Make sure they haven't been opened before. Some places were selling tap water in 'bottled water' containers. If its opened give it back and ask for another why get sick!

12. Buy the cartouche from Sherif on the boat. Its really good quality and the prices are cheap. -- If you buy from the ship's gift shop don't buy until your last night on the ship when everything is suddenly 'very cheap.'

Bad Things:

1. It is a dirty country. Bring hand sanitizer and use it all the time.

2. People constantly are trying to get you to buy things. Just be firm and say no.

3. The last day had a lot of down time. I wish I had known that in advance so I could have arranged for something to do. I didn't want to go anywhere alone as a single female.

4. I arrived early and was at the Oasis for a few days early. I had gone to the pool and didn't realize until I had gone in and come out that all the Egyptian men sitting around the pool were taking pics of the females in/out of the pool with their camera phones. That was kinda weird but they didn't approach and they didn't say anything -- voyeurism at its worst.

Be careful. Have fun and don't pack as much as I did. =)

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• Add to discussion 4 comments so far

• 18 Aug 2006 E said

  

  Hmm I did a reply and I’m not sure where it went so here’s another reply:
  
  I followed the tour book suggestions. I wore comfy/conservative clothes. My t-shirts covered my shoulders and although some were V-neck they were not too low cut. I wore capri and yoga pants. I did bring a few shorts and wore them when it was reallly hot and when Sherif said it was okay. A few girls wore really skimpy clothing (shorts and tank tops and/or capri type tops) they were the victims of alot of unwanted attention and amazingly one of them couldn’t understand why.
  
  But for these 2 everyone else including the men were conservative in dress. I did live in my flip-flops and sneakers. Don’t need any ‘dressy shoes or clothes.’

  Hmm I did a reply and I'm not sure where it went so here's another reply:<BR><BR>I followed the tour book suggestions. I wore comfy/conservative clothes. My t-shirts covered my shoulders and although some were V-neck they were not too low cut. I wore capri and yoga pants. I did bring a few shorts and wore them when it was reallly hot and when Sherif said it was okay. A few girls wore really skimpy clothing (shorts and tank tops and/or capri type tops) they were the victims of alot of unwanted attention and amazingly one of them couldn't understand why. <BR><BR>But for these 2 everyone else including the men were conservative in dress. I did live in my flip-flops and sneakers. Don't need any 'dressy shoes or clothes.' or Cancel
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• 22 Aug 2006 E said

  

  No there was no time I felt like dressing up. Everyone was really casual. I packed way tooo much.
  
  Everyone thought that the cartouche on the ship was the best they found. I liked it b/c I knew that Sheriff would not sell me ‘bad quality’ products. He took care of ordering it, picking it up, and fixing any mistakes.
  
  I did not go to Alexandria. By the end of the trip I was exhausted. There is alot of walking and climbing and the heat…it was like an aerobic work out. But it was totally worth it! I think it is the best trip I’ve gone on (other than the Italy Trip.)

  No there was no time I felt like dressing up. Everyone was really casual. I packed way tooo much. <BR><BR>Everyone thought that the cartouche on the ship was the best they found. I liked it b/c I knew that Sheriff would not sell me 'bad quality' products. He took care of ordering it, picking it up, and fixing any mistakes. <BR><BR>I did not go to Alexandria. By the end of the trip I was exhausted. There is alot of walking and climbing and the heat...it was like an aerobic work out. But it was totally worth it! I think it is the best trip I've gone on (other than the Italy Trip.) or Cancel
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• 25 Oct 2006 E said

  

  sherifi45@yahoo.com

  sherifi45@yahoo.com or Cancel
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• 20 Nov 2006 Lily in South Tampa FL said

  

  A friend of mine was traveling all around Morocco and she swears by acidophilus (sp?) pills (“good bacteria”) to prevent gastro-intestinal attackers! I went to Egypt in October – myself and another woman on the trip took the pills and had no intestinal problems whatsoever.

  A friend of mine was traveling all around Morocco and she swears by acidophilus (sp?) pills ("good bacteria") to prevent gastro-intestinal attackers! I went to Egypt in October - myself and another woman on the trip took the pills and had no intestinal problems whatsoever. or Cancel
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