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I was living in High Wycombe at the time so being so close to London was an advantage to getting cheap flights.
The cheapest available was to Luxur so I set off to there rather than the more common straight flight to Cairo.
I was well equipped when I arrived with my Lets Go and Lonely Planet guidebooks essential tools if you like travelling off the beaten track, so I had a good idea of the kind of cheap accommodation available. What was to surprise me most when I arrived at Luxor airport was the lack of buses and transport available to the centre of town; I’d arrived on a Kioni package flight so I guess they weren’t prepared for backpackers. I eventually hired a taxi to the town centre and told the driver were I wanted to go, but as usual in these countries I was taken to a contact of there’s who owned a guest house, anything I said to the contrary was greeted with blank faces pretending they did not understand. With hindsight I may have been a bit stupid travelling alone with to burly blokes in a taxi, as they could of easily taken me down a back alley beat me senseless and robbed me, but I guess solo travel has always been about risk that is what tends to make it exiting in an odd sort of way.
The place they took me too was a small guesthouse near luxor centre the owner wanted about E£50 a night (about £10) I knew it was a rip off but as normal on first days or nights I forgot about the cost besides is wasn’t quite extortion. The owner was adamant I took allsorts of tours and excursions with him across the Nile and other places for an inflated cost along with 20 other tourists, however much I explained I was not into group organised tours and needed time to check out prices, he was still insistent and seemed to have caught a bout of selected deafness from the taxi driver. I booked the hotel for one night and made a hastily retreat the next morning as I agreed on a tour to shut him up (no deposit of course).
One thing I learned fast was that bargaining is a part of life in Egypt and virtually everything is open to negotiation. This includes your room for the night, your lunchtime roadside snack and the felucca you ride down the Nile in. The few rules to observe are these: never offer a price that you're not prepared to pay, get a feel for the real price before you begin haggling and take your time and enjoy the friendly sport of it. After all it is a holiday!!
Later on in the morning I found a lovely bar outside the Sheraton hotel it was so nice to relax and just admire Luxor for what it was and besides I was gasping for a beer. The hotel was on the on the Luxor front overlooking the Nile and near to Luxor temple, a piece of history that stands out in its grandeur. The view was stunning from here it was great to watch the feluccas sailing up the Nile and horse and carts carrying its passengers back and forth at a slow pace. It was like something from an Agathe Christie novel sitting at this hotel; with its stone front and historical decor it seemed to throw me back half a century though the prices definatly were not. Still I’d recommend here to anyone even if it were just for lunch or a relaxing drink.
I got chatting to a few Australian students and followed them to a guesthouse they had recommended to me, which was a blessing as all the maps were useless. The streets either had no names wrong names or didn’t even exist so I was grateful. The place they took me charged £15 Egyptian a night, it seemed I’d cracked it.
The owner was a friendly guy he was only about 22 and was a wealth of information, he would invite me to hubbly bubbly sessions which was sucking on a huge pipe full of tobacco which ran through a big jar of water to cool it, it is similar to what we call a bong in the UK used for inhaling various types of cannabis. In return I would take him to boats on the Nile and try to chat up western girls who disliked Egyptians, (seemed a fair exchange) mind you I didn’t go down to well neither when I tried to explain he was my cousin!!! By now I’d got to know and a couple of American tourists and a few Egyptians with whom I’d sit up on the roof in the moonlight drinking beer and swapping stories and I guess what surprised me most about the Egyptians was the good sense of humour they had, even if a few of them did take a few things too serious.
Egypt's climate, as a hole, can be described as mild, hot dry summers with mild, dry winters and cold nights. Rainfall is negligible except on the coast. In April the hot, dusty wind blows from the Sahara. The rainy days a rare in Cairo and practically unknown in upper Egypt.
Luxor can get very hot but the the heat is less taxing than else-where because the humidity is low
Winters are mild with some rain, but usually there are bright, sunny days and cold nights.
One of the first places I decided to visit was Luxor temple a place that dates back to 1400 BC. It was built by the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and has since been added to over the years by Ramses II, Tutankhamun, Alexandre the Great and various other Romans.
I guess what first strikes you about this place is the entrance, it is a pylon, which seems to stretch to the sky fronted by Ramasis II statues. The place is so overpowering but overwhelming at the same time the only places I’d seen as overpowering as there before were the temples in Bangkok and through Thailand, I guess you just have to be there.
Well I was busy trying to take some photos and one of the locals seemed to be intent on getting in on every shot. The only way I could stop him was to take a few photo’s of him and then give him £5 Egyptian to take photo’s of me, which he made a good job of I’d like to add.
Another place that is a must in Luxor is Valley of the Kings. This is just one place that is a once in a lifetime (if you work for 10K a year!!) experience. There are tombs all over from Egyptian pharaohs including Tutankhamun though this was closed off.
I managed to take a local boat over the Nile, while I was on the boat I got chatting to some German travellers it seamed one had been before. Anyway we decided we would buy our own tour once we reached the West bank.
When we reached the other side we were swarmed upon by the locals each trying to out do one another for the best price; well one guy decided to undercut too much and so a fight broke out amongst them, it was really entertaining and even better it came at no extra cost.
One day I was observing travellers getting off a bus when two pretty blonde Australian students caught my eye. I watched in disbelief as a group of Egyptian guys started mithering and then tried to touch the girls up in full view bringing one to tears. I’m normally laid back but I jumped in and pushed a few away, I took them to a horse and cart and gave them a card of an apartment to stay. They thanked me and told me they were heading North to Hurgada within the next few days; I also had similar plans so I was secretly hoping I would bump into them again (maybe repay the favour!)
Well after a few days of Egyptian markets visiting sights and drinking the infamous Stella beer on boats on the Nile with my new found friend, I decided it was time to move on, there was no night life in Luxor and I was in need of a party full of tourists even if it was just for a night, and after all I would be returning in a months time.
The next afternoon I caught a bus up north to the red sea coast to a place called Hurghada. This journey only cost me about E£10 and was enjoyable as I met many travellers it seemed at the time that not many tour companies were touching the place so all the people that were on the coach were young spirited people of whom a lot were journeying for the diving which was well renowned around Egypt at the time but now it seems the world over. On my journey I listened with interest to the interesting stories these people were telling of the travels and diving, it certainly seemed to make the journey quicker.
Arriving at Hurghada produced the usual mayhem I’ve encountered (but loved) many times as hawkers try to sell there rooms producing touched up photo’s that show a palace but end up a shoe box. One local guy struck my attention as he didn’t seem to care if anyone came to him or not, well intrigue is my middle name so myself and a few others went to his apartments in a small mini bus.
The Taba hotel as it was called was not quite finished so the rooms were literally brand new. The room I had was excellent and cost only E£10 a night, the prices in this country really were (and still are) rock bottom, which kind of suited my pocket at the time. It surprised me when I arrived there that some Americans were arguing over hot bloody water! Why don’t they just stay at home with mummy I thought, and do us all a favour I mean what do people expect for £2 A Jacuzzi!!
The guy who brought us there happened to own the apartments, and what a character he turned out to be. He called himself Mr no problem, and that was so true of him he knocked on my door later on and invited me for a drink and a game of cards, he introduced me to some other travellers a Norwegian and a Swede. We ended up staying up till all hours and eventually hit crisis point when we ran out of beer, he drove us to a liquor store and bought loads of beer and wine, on the way back we all decided to gate crash an American party for half an hour. That night I really enjoyed and found I got on quite well with Mr no problem he was defiantly a one off, I thought he was great.
The Norwegian bloke and the Swede I met that night seemed to be entertainment too. The Egyptians love to sell things and haggle prices and hassle the tourists no end, but only in a friendly manner. The Swedish guy would walk round the small shops and get the locals to bring out there jewellery and clothes and would then haggle with them for ten minutes with no intention of buying, then just as they thought they’d struck a deal he would say “maybe tomorrow” and the poor guys would be ages putting there stuff back, ha ha I just loved it this guy would even haggle for a beer for the heck of it, he was such a gas. The next day we’d be walking down the road and this little local was hassling everyone in sight, and then suddenly he’d catch sight of him and run back in his shop. My god it was hilarious.
One day my trainers give way so I decided to buy these cheap sandals, I remember that I struggled to walk in them, well a local had cottoned on and every time I walked down this certain road he’d shout “hey man walk like an Egyptian” and burst out laughing, I really was walking like a cripple and this guy (and myself) found it so funny.
Well Hurghada was and is primarily a diving town though now I’ve read that there are high rise hotels everywhere it just seems that today’s paradise will always be tomorrows hotel complex, though the turquoise waters of the Red sea will always be a must to see at anytime.
Besides the diving, there wasn’t really that much going on there in Hurghada but the excellent diving more than made up for it. Well I went there for the diving so now it was time to go. We booked a ticket for next to nothing with Mr No probs and then the next morning took a short drive to the harbour.
The boat trip was very informal. On the back of the boat a local would have a fishing wire dangling from the side from which he would catch our lunch for the day; It really did taste so fresh especially washed down with red wine and no end of cokes. I guess one of the best things besides the dive is the people you bump into on such trips I met a lovely Australian couple who were just so laid back. I think a lot of us that visit these sorts of places really are peas from the same pod no matter what are national differences are. I really do wish that if any of my Aussie friends I met or anyone else along the way recognises their photo, that they will get in touch, as that would please me no end.
Well when it came to the dive it was quite simply breathtaking. Scuba diving in the Red Sea is most definitely a must; it has to be one of the best places on the planet. Just the sheer amount of different colours and shapes of the fish and coral are quite simply breathtaking, even just snorkeling is excellent; it really is a different world. I must add that scuba diving I think has to be one of the best experiences on earth. I’ve been before and after but the turquoise waters of the Red Sea really do take some beating the only place I could compare it too was the South China sea in the Philippines which I’d visited 3 years previous, I really was spoiling myself today my brain was experiencing sensory overload it was a natural drug.
I decided that day that I would visit the Barrier Reef next in Australia. I still haven’t been, but it is to this day top of my list, as scuba diving and snorkeling the tropics is quite simply heaven.
Later on we moored at a small island called Geftun it was a sort of basic island were most of the small diving boats stopped for a break and some lunch. It was pretty basic but did the job well. I just lay down and did a spot of sunbathing and could not believe my luck when to my amazement I spotted the Australian girls I’d met at Luxur, they too I learned were staying at Hurgada were we immediately arranged to meet the next day.
Back on the boat we had freshly caught fish and beer and managed to buy supplies of even more Stella beer from a passing boat. It was great watching the locals throwing a crate from one boat to the next, and was even better us all drinking it on the way back and having a laugh on the way back to Hurghada beach port.
Well the next day was my last in Hurghada so in the evening we all got together all my new found friends and people I’d met on the way. I must admit it was like United Nations all of us from different parts of the world sitting together eating drinking and chatting away. It sort of brought home the fact to me that no matter were we are born we’re basically all the same and just want the same things from life. It’s a pity our governments don’t always think the same.
I met the girls the next day and we all decided we’d head to Dahab. At Dahab their was an excellent Bedouin village on the beach front about 80 Km from the Egypt/Israel border. What the hell I thought let’s go right away. Mr No Problem was upset by this time we’d become good pals. He tried so hard to convince me to stay, but it really was time for me to move on. I guess that day I left a friend someone I’d never forget.
We caught a local bus, which took us on a short journey to the boat port, and from there took a boat to Sharm el-sheikh, which is itself, a popular diving resort. I remember taking travel pills for this journey and I’m so glad I did, as the sea that day was very rough. Even so it was a fascinating boat trip, but there was no beer (yet!) today. From Sharm el-sheikh we took the 85km bus trip up north to Dahab. You can imagine how hot it was doing all this travelling in one day. After all on the bus we were travelling across dessert plus the scenery was nothing to write home about. I thing the highlight of the journey was the occasional sighting of a Bedouin and the odd camel, oh and I forgot cactus. Still I couldn’t complain as the whole journey was less than e£100 and a lot more exiting than National Express.
The bus eventually stopped just outside Dahab and to get to the village we were heading was about 4km. However it was so hot that walking was not an option we would have been fried alive and then ate by camels. Thinking back it is quite funny as there were 6 of us altogether waiting for a cab. I remember one cab driver asking about e£30 which is only about £6; we tried to haggle him down to e£20 as this was the going rate, but he was having none of it so we let him drive on. We had actually haggled for about £2 between us 33p each, and for that we stood in the dessert another 10 minutes. I guess you end up losing track after a while and even start to think in their currency. It wasn’t till we were out drinking later that I pointed out the fact, much to the amusement of us all.
When we eventually got to Dahab city I was shocked. Dahab is Arabic for gold and this place really was as precious as they come, even today this place has not lost its charm as the big hotels have tended to be slow on the uptake, though the drug traffic police have now stepped up there champagne over the last two years leaving many a sad and healthy looking hippie!
We headed for the beach of Asslah. Here there were no high-rise hotels no roads or nothing that led you to believe you were in the final part of the century. It really did look like something from the 60’s; full of hippies smoking dope wearing tie-dyed shirts and bikinis, and all sorts of colours and smells emanating right across the beach. There were lots of hand painted signs pointing to various bazaars, cafes and accommodation. As well as camels and jeeps dotted everywhere; added to that all along the beach front there were tree trunks covered with rugs on the floor, that people would sit against whilst they ate drank or smoked. It really was a case of seeing is believing here and came as a welcome break from the barren dessert.
Well of we went strolling down the beach and asking about accommodation, most of which was hidden behind palm trees. I’m afraid there was no en-suite rooms here or even a pillow come to think of it; most of the accommodation here was basic in the true sense of the word.
Well one by one (or by two in the girls case) we all found a place to rent. The place I found was called the “Crazy House Camp” It cost me E£3 a night so I realised with just a week’s wages I could stay for nearly a year which can’t be bad.
The rooms there were arranged like cells. (No not as luxurious as stables) The room I had could only be described as a brick room with a mattress on the floor, nothing flash in the least, but I must add that on the premises their were plenty of wash facilities and places to meet, eat and drink etc it all sort of encouraged people to mix which I find is a good thing if your off the beaten track. And besides you didn’t have to tip for room service. Besides that it was such a lovely village I didn’t intend to be in my room often it was just to sleep in, and I didn’t do much of that!
Dahab like Hurghada being on the Red sea coast is also renowned for it’s diving and has the Canyon, the Bell and the famous, but dangerous, Blue Hole. I was just in need of a relaxing time so I decided to indulge in all Asslah beach had to offer including the occasional cockroach that came to visit.
I had many friends whilst I was there and we would all have late night sessions just drinking in the bars swimming and then having singalongs during the evenings.
I remember one evening we were at a busy beach bar with a dance floor attached (No didn’t resemble a night club in the slightest) Dancing amongst us all was an Egyptian but the funny thing was he was wearing full Egyptian dress, good on him I thought that’s what having a good time is all about. The Aussie girls loved it all and didn’t want to go home, I myself intended to go on to Cyprus so I was preserving all my energy (well most of it) by reading drinking and just lazing around on the beach an art that I was perfecting.
Two nights before I was due to leave I got talking to a guy called Martin, he was telling me how good Israel was and loads of reasons why I should go on to there. I could see his point as the Israeli border wasn’t to far away and it would save me the hassle of a long boat trip. Well he convinced me to change my mind and I decided after saying goodbye to my friends and taking all there addresses, that I would leave this bohemians paradise. A place that would stay imprinted on my mind forever.
We decided to share a cab with a few others 135km north to the Taba border
which divides Egypt and Israel. Something I found mildly amusing was the difference
in cabs within the Sinai and Israel. In Dahab we travelled in a clapped out
banger of a cab, only to be met by a brand new Mercedes after we had crossed
customs in Israel.
Well my first site of this truly remarkable place was travelling in from Tel-Aviv in Israel. I’d flew in to Egypt at Luxor then travelled to the Red sea coast, and through the Taba border had gone on to Jerusalem Israel, then from there to Tel-Aviv.
Coming back into Egypt through Cairo was slightly different. For a start I’d booked a coach journey from Tel-Aviv so it was slightly more of a tourist bus but still it was cheap. Anyway to cut the story short we had to travel over the Suez Canal up to the Rafia border which separates the countries. Well there had been so many attacks to these buses that we needed a military escort, I must admit I found it great fun just seeing how scared everyone looked, I was telling the woman next to me that there had been plenty of mortar attacks over the years (well I had to liven my journey up some way!!). The journey went without a hitch except for the long wait at customs but then we eventually reached Cairo.
I’d read about the inherent problems facing travellers without accommodation in Cairo, so I took the precaution of pre booking 3 nights in a city hotel from Tel-Aviv.
The place I’d booked was a bit shabby but I’d seen worse and besides I’d escaped haggling with locals over rooms and prices as by this time I’d had enough.
Cairo was established in 969 by the Fatimids when they conquered Egypt, but the area has been populated for at least 6,000 years, and has even served as the capital of ancient Egypt. Today Cairo covers almost 300 km². Industrial areas are stopping further growth of the city in many directions.
Cairo has more than 500 mosques and at certain hours during the day the prayers can be heard echoing around the city.
The city is split into two parts Islamic Cairo and Cairo; I cannot begin to explain just how big this city is.
Cairo is great value. It is possible to get by on as little as £10 a day if you're prepared to stay in the cheapest hotels and hostels, and eat local vendors' food. I always tended to rent trips, camel rides etc off the locals, it is also always best to find a few friends and do things in groups to bring the prices down, also they see haggling as a friendly sport as its there way of life.
Just be aware of pickpockets as in all big cities and don’t openly display wads of money, try to keep it hidden.
Well I was settling down quite well in my hotel and I would often visit the bar to chat to other travellers. One morning I got a knock on my door and it was two people from New Zealand and Ireland. They asked me if I knew how to get to see the pyramids and as it was I’d been reading up on it all just previously, I seemed to have a good idea how to get around there. Well I love meeting friends on my journeys so later on that day we took a bus and we where off on the first stage of visiting the Giza pyramids: (More to follow later ............)
All visitors to Egypt are required to have a visa and a passport valid for six months. Visas can be arranged through Egyptian embassies worldwide. Visitors from the US, Canada, EU and GCC countries may be able to purchase a visa stamp upon arrival at many large airports. One-month visitor's visas can be extended.
