© irene waters 2018
My approach to travel is normally lazy. I generally don’t research anything before leaving, I pack the day before or the day of departure and I don’t take a lot with me. This trip was an exception to the rule. We had been visiting Egypt in 2011 but the uprising against Hosni Mobarak put an end to that trip. Prior to that in Luxor we knew that 18 tourists had been killed at the Luxor temple. That hadn’t stopped us preparing to go in 2011 as that kind of thing could sadly happen anywhere in the world. You wouldn’t travel to the United States, Paris, London and even these days Australia’s own Melbourne if you were worried about that kind of thing. In 2011, however, the Australian Government put out travel warnings and our tour operator cancelled the tour. Perhaps a good thing as it was costing us three times what we paid for this trip which we bought as a scoopon (online cheap deals).
So whilst Roger read about the pharohs and Gods and Goddesses, heiroglyphics and cartouches I researched some dos and don’ts for the visitor to Egypt.
Both men and women should wear long sleeves and long pants. A man can get away with it but it is not a good idea for a woman. Anything I can get in Australia with long sleeves is hot and I knew that I would struggle if I was trussed up in 50 degree heat. Luckily we chose the right time of year to go. Temperatures were less than they were at home with an average around 25 degrees. No rain. If any comes it arrives in winter (Dec, Jan, Feb). In fact it was perfect weather for the gruelling tour task we had undertaken. The best months for weather and for less tourists is March to May or September to November. I would have struggled if we had gone in the heat of summer. I accessed bamboo clothing and light cotton long sleeved shirt dresses. Roger said that I looked as though I belonged in Egypt in the clobber I chose and to tell the truth I would have felt uncomfortable in less.
photo courtesy of our guide Bassem
Our research showed that we could obtain our Egyptian visas at Cairo airport as long as we had $25 US. It also said that we should passport photos to give them and birth certificate. We obtained these items but found they were unnecessary. All we needed was the money and our passport and it was done in a flash.
How much money to take was our biggest quanderry. We rang the operator that Scoopon directed us to and she said ” you have paid for everything so you shouldn’t need anything more than a bit of spending money.” NOT TRUE. We took her at her word and as we are not big buyers of market items when we travel we organised US$200 with around a quarter in $1 notes. I had read that these were essential for toilet tipping, and the odd other unexpected thing. Apart from that we could withdraw Egyptian dollars in cash from ATMs using our keycard and for any purchase made there would always be our credit card. In reality we needed around $1000 Au cash for tips. As an Australian I am not used to tipping and this came as a big shock. Our tour was very cheap but did not include tips. The more expensive tours did include the tips. It is something you need to check when you sign up for a tour. Our trip was still cheaper when the tips were added on but it became an issue for all the Australians in our group by the end of the tour when it was realised just how much extra money they had to find – and everyone is on a budget. You don’t chose to go cheap if you aren’t. That aside, if we had been prewarned it would not have been an issue. We also found that there were additional tours that could be bought and you are only there once so you tend to take up most of them. Each person needs to allow around $500 US for these.
The final preparation I had to go was prepare my camera. I knew there would be much I wanted to photograph and I worried about battery and memory. I purchased a battery charger and an additional battery. We already had power converter for our Australian electrical plugs (Egypt uses the EU round plugs)). I purchased four memory cards – 2 x 32 gb and 2 x16 GB. This was worth it = particularly the battery. Every day I found I had to change my battery. I used the 64 gb but as my camera will download to my ipad I could have wiped the memory card and survived with just the one 32gb. I like a margin of safety and will keep the photos on the cards as well as on the computer.
With not enough money, our small bags packed with long sleeved items, tickets, camera and passport we were ready to leave knowing that we needed to take with us a relaxed attitude and a sense of humour to Egypt. We would also be sensitive and respectful to Egypt’s customs, traditions, culture and different religions. As an Islamic country men and women who are not from the same family are not permitted to touch each other and any public displays of affection are offensive. This was going to be difficult for me as we often hold hands but we were prepared to try. I also had to try and remember to be one handed as in Egypt the left is used only for sanitary purposes. It would be an insult to hand money over with my left hand or take a handful of crisps with it. I knew I would do my best with these things but would I remember not to drink from the tap?
© irene waters 2018 We travel light. This was our checked in luggage. Roger had no carry on and I had a small day pack.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Enjoy your trip! There are so many wonderful things to see in Egypt. Lived there for 7 years. MZ
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You would have some tales to tell. Whereabouts did you live? We have just got back so of course it is uppermost in my mind and I have oodles of photographs to share.
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Lived in Cairo, near the Nile River. Please do share your photos – looking forward to them. Thank you.
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Cairo was such a busy, traffic laden city but what a wonderful place to live. I guess in time you would learn how to cross the roads. I can assure you there will be more photos than you probably want to see.
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Thank you!
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Fascinating, Irene. And a most helpful post. The tipping would be shocking to learn at that price. But I’m curious — why do you tip at toilets?
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It was $500 AU each which might not sound as bad to you Charli. At the toilets you are met by a lady (occaisionally a man) who hands out a few sheets of toilet paper. There is none in the cubicle. When you come out and wash your hands she rushes over and hands you another couple of sheets of loo paper for you to dry your hands. I did this once only to look like a man who had blotted his shaving accidents with paper. On leaving the area you tip the person for a) keeping the premises clean b) giving you the necessaries and c) because they look like they need it more than you do.
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That’s an experience I have not had, but I know how Anne Goodwin supports World Toilet Day to bring awareness to modern plumbing and amenities not being so readily available around the world. Funny image though, of loo paper stuck to your hands like a man blotting after a shaving mishap!
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Yes I only accepted it once. What else are trousers for.
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You immersed yourself in Egyptian culture – what a unique way to see another country. I travel infrequently but I plan ahead. Usually something goes wrong anyway. Not enough money, wrong clothing, wish I’d brought something I left at home. I like your outfit – you look comfy and the color is great on you. And you brought the most important things – your camera and support supplies.
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Years back I wouldn’t have done so but in this day and age where people are insensitive to others in more ways than clothing I thought it was prudent to know the dos and don’ts. I actually felt very comfortable wearing my garb and will probably wear it here in non summer months. The camera goes without saying.
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Hi Irene! I hope you enjoy your trip. Great post and pictures. I just posted a 3 day itinerary for Chiang Mai, and would appreciate it if you take a look and let me know your thoughts (https://dolcegal.com/2018/12/06/budget-friendly-3-day-itinerary-for-chiang-mai/) Thanks and have a great day!
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Thanks for the link. I have commented on your post. Have a good weekend. cheers Irene
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Great Post! If you have a moment check out my blog as well!
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Thank you. I enjoyed my visit to your site . Thanks for the link.
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What an adventure!! Makes my life seem so boring 🙂
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It was an adventure but no life is boring, not if you are living it. 😀
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Irene, thanks for your comments! I plan to add more adventure to my life!
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Totally on my trip list. 🙂 Thanks for sharing. Here are some flight tips if you nedd for next time 🙂 Best greetings from Croatia 🙂 http://mementoadventures.com/how-to-beat-flight-anxiety-tips-tricks/
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A place well worth visiting. Thanks for the tips on anxiety when flying. I don’t get anxious about it but I have a girlfriend who does so will pass on the link to her.
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Great read Irene! I myself visited Cairo 7 years ago for a wedding during the
Arab spring. Beautiful city but we of course had to be very cautious.
Can you check out my new blog https://anitaalovestravel.wordpress.com/ when you get a chance. Thanks
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Hi Anita. We saw a lot of weddings whilst we were in Egypt and will do a blog on them in the near future. It must have been fun to be a guest at one.
Thanks for the link to your site. I hope I followed you but not sure. I’ll know when I see you in Reader. I have been to Switzerland numerous times as my brother lives in Geneva. He is now a swiss citizen and won’t return home for more than a holiday. It is a lovely country but I totally get you saying do your research. There is so much red tape associated with Switzerland and I know renting in Geneva is hugely expensive. I’ll continue just to visit. I couldn’t find where to comment on your site which is why I am commenting here. Cheers Irene
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Yes it was a nice, colourful wedding in Cairo… I enjoyed it for sure! Re: Switzerland, the bureaucracy did take some getting used to, but once I settled in it was great
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