Egypt Travel Blogs on RealTravel

Cairo journal: Egypt, the land of hassle

2008-04-07T12:50:01Z

a entry by Nancy17 from a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

Hello!

If I hear "Canada Dry" or "You walk like and Egyptian" one more time I am going to crack! What a place! Not for the good either. Not sure if it is Egypt itself or the fact that I am tired of traveling and not feeling 100%. First lesson I learnt, never have any expectations when traveling, you will just be disappointed in the end. Things started off okay. Had a easy time crossing borders. Had breakfast in Jordan, lunch in Israel and supper in Egypt, not bad for one day. When you stand in Aqaba, Jordan you have Saudi Arabia to your left with Israel and Egypt across the Red ...

[Read full entry]

Cairo journal: Travel Hints on Traveling to Egypt

2006-03-27T13:15:02Z

"Travel hints"

a entry by terry from a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

Here are some travel hints from my wife and I for people travelling to Egypt:

1. If you book a tour, check alternative airlines to the one offered in the tour package. With tours you often arrive at night and begin the next day early, while you are still jetlagged. Find a flight with reasonable arrival and departure times. Do not go through Paris if you can avoid it, Charles DeGaulle Airport is the transfer airport from hell. If you can't avoid it, make sure your flight arrangements leave enough time to transfer, because you will probably have to transfer terminals. The airport is ...

[Read full entry]

Cairo journal: The Egyptian Museum

2008-01-29T18:41:38Z

a entry by 6 Joaly street from a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

The Egyptian Museum Housed in a an impressive fortress of a museum and guarded by eight lanes of bloodthirsty cars and buses lays the awe inspiring collection of the Egyptian museum. The layers of metal detectors add to the ominous expectation but are nothing next to the sight that greats the visitor upon entrance to the museum itself. There arrayed before them in no apparent sense of order, is a grade indoor courtyard presided over by a huge pharaoh and wife and cluttered with sarcophagi, sculptures, and mosaics. The madness does not stop here however for the tumble down, roughly ...

[Read full entry]

Cairo journal: Pyramids & Sphinx

2008-01-27T17:16:48Z

"its fascinating and spine tingling"

a entry by KJ30 from a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

Got up at 1.20am to get a coach tour into Cairo from Hurghada, this is miles and miles and hours and hours... Firstly we go round all the hotels and pickup other guests then head out to the edge of the desert where we about anothere 100 tour buses all meet up and head off accross the desert in one huge convoy. The meetup takes forever and its geting on in the day before we even start.

The coach journey takes 9 hrs and we finally get to The Pyramids after a long drive and messing about picking up the tour guide and changing drivers etc in Cairo itself. As we congregate atthe front of the ...

[Read full entry]

Luxor journal: Luxor Temples

2008-01-27T16:59:09Z

"Temple itself is Beautiful, the obelisk, statues and carvings in the stones are amazing, the fact that the sun was setting just made it even better"

a entry by KJ30 from a trip to Luxor, Egypt.

Visited Luxor on a coach trip from Hurghada, started early and headed first to The Temple of Amenhotep III. this is two great big statues out in the desert, they were pretty magnificent, especially the size of them. All of the statues in Egypt are very damaged from the many wars that have been in Egypt over the decades.

Next stop was Valley of the Kings, the heat here is so intense and the place is bright white, sunglasses and a hat are a must! There is about 17 tombs here including Rameses, Amenhotep and Tutankhamun, the boy king. All the treasures & coffin have been removed from the ...

[Read full entry]

Hurghada journal: Red Sea

2008-01-25T18:38:53Z

"sealife again was amazing, saw blue spotted rays, lionfish, squid, clownfish"

a entry by KJ30 from a trip to Hurghada, Egypt.

Stayed in the Hilton for 2 weeks in Hurghada, this hotel is right on the beach, so you can have your breakfast then wander out the door into thr Red Sea.

We went on about 3 boat trips from here, one to a beach somewhere with straw umbrellas and snorkelling equipment all laid out. This was the hottest place i'd ever been, the sealife was amazing thoughm it took my breath away, there is a lot of tour boats come here, but the beach is plenty big enough for everyone, and the sea doesn't get crowded. A very enjoyable, yet tiring excursion!

The boat trip just went out from the pier to do ...

[Read full entry]

Cairo journal: I Missed My Camel Ride

2007-12-05T19:42:43Z

a entry by 1sweetjourney from a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

We arrived back in Cairo at the Giza train station at about 5:45 in the morning and were met by none other then Ahkmet. He and George were waiting for us to arrive and when we came in we walked to the van and loaded our bags in the back. We boarded the van and got the run down on our “last” day in Cairo. We figured out on the train that we accidentally booked our return flight on the wrong day so we either changed our flight or spent an extra day in Cairo. We talked with Ahkmet about it and he would check and see if we could stay in the hotel an extra night. He said it wouldn’t be a problem ...

[Read full entry]

Luxor journal: Ancient Thebes and the new city Luxor

2007-12-05T12:06:51Z

a entry by 1sweetjourney from a trip to Luxor, Egypt.

We arrived in Luxor at about 9:15am and met our new guide Hossam who was waiting for us at the train station. He picked us up and walked us out to the tour van where we loaded our bags and climbed in. They drove us to the hotel we would be staying at which was the Sonesta St. George in Luxor. It was a beautiful hotel and I thought by far the nicest we stayed in while we were in Egypt. We checked in and went up to the room and settled in. Hossam told us we had a break and he would be back at 3:30pm for our tour of the temples. After settling in we went downstairs and hit the end of the ...

[Read full entry]

Aswan journal: Relaxation by the Nile

2007-12-03T14:43:28Z

a entry by 1sweetjourney from a trip to Aswan, Egypt.

I woke up to my alarm at about 7am and thinking we would be arriving at 8am I got up and got dressed before breakfast came around. Leon continued to sleep as I got ready and repacked my bag. He finally got up at 8:30am and we were still on our way and breakfast hadn’t come yet. I saw the train guy and asked him he said the train got delayed and we wouldn’t be getting in to Aswan until 11am. The same guy came round about 9:15 with breakfast which was decent but not great. It was mostly bread based things; 2 roll, pound cake slice, and cheese and crackers. We even got coffee and/or tea with it. ...

[Read full entry]

Cairo journal: Another Wonder Down!

2007-12-02T13:46:43Z

a entry by 1sweetjourney from a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

Leon and I arrived in Cairo on Wednesday November 7th at about 2pm. We got off the plane and made our way down the corridor to find our guide waiting and holding a sign for “Miss Amanda Siegert”. I loved that he used my name! He introduced himself as Ahkmet and he was the person arranging our tour. He helped us buy our visas and get through immigration. So now I have an Egyptian visa and stamp in my passport. When we got through we went to baggage claim and picked up our bags then walked out to the tour van. We loaded up and piled in to drive to our hotel. Ahkmet told us that since it was ...

[Read full entry]

Alexandria journal: The Things We Do For Love

2007-11-26T08:58:42Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Alexandria, Egypt.

By Christina

Being the good mother that I am, I have taken a keen interest in one of Grayson’s greatest passions: war history. As you know from earlier blogs, we have made a point of visiting a number of battle sights and military museums in the countries through which we have traveled. My involvement dates back to before this trip, however, when I attended a Civil War reenactment and traveled to Lexington and Concord for the Revolutionary War reenactment with Grayson. So, it is not surprising that I agreed to accompany him out to El Alamein, sight of a decisive WWII battle, while Abby ...

[Read full entry]

Cairo journal: Hatshepsut’s Story

2007-11-29T13:40:58Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

By Abigail

In ancient Egypt, there was once a queen called Hatshepsut. They knew about her first burial place, but there’s one thing they didn’t know: where Hatshepsut’s mummy was, presently. Nobody knew where she was. So, scientists decided to try to find her. Their first stop was Tomb 368 (or whatever it was). Earlier, scientists had found many mummies of pharaohs there, including the mummies of Tuthmosis II, III, and I. But one of the most interesting finds was Hatshepsut’s wet nurse. They had taken her to a museum, but there was also one more mummy in there. This was a female mummy ...

[Read full entry]

Bahariya Oasis journal: Midnight at the Oasis

2007-11-27T15:37:03Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Bahariya Oasis, Egypt.

By Christina

Grayson recently remarked that the world was much larger than he realized and that traveling for many days resulted in very little movement on our world map. His comments came on the heels of three long days driving through the Sahara Desert with little to do but watch the sand blow, so I am not sure he meant them to be positive. Nevertheless, I was happy to hear him say this, since one of our goals for this trip was to help the kids realize the scope of the world and appreciate the breadth of its cultures.

Our trusty guide Yahya arrived at Siwa Shali bright and early ...

[Read full entry]

Luxor journal: Buried With a Donkey, He’s My Favorite Honky

2007-11-28T14:03:07Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Luxor, Egypt.

By Dan

You knew that we couldn’t go all the way through Egypt and not title one of our entries from Steve Martin’s song, right? Dear readers born too late to enjoy Saturday Night Live in its heyday, well, I’m sorry. . . .!

What a culture shock to arrive in Luxor after our days in the desert. From an extremely sleepy life, few tourists, and endless miles and hours of land without a tree, building, or person in sight, we suddenly hit what feels like a different planet. Because huge tourist attractions such as the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Karnak are here, Luxor has an ...

[Read full entry]

Cairo journal: Cairo, Egypt

2007-11-03T14:06:53Z

"16 million people in this city and it feels like everyone one of them is driving at the same time!"

a entry by Shane S from a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

I took an overnight flight out of Morocco and into Egypt. No food at the airport so I ended up eating a box of cookies I found at the duty free shop. Felt quite sick after that. Never fly with a box of butter cookies in your belly.

I got to Cairo in the early AM and took a taxi into town. My first impression... Cairo is dirty! Sort of like Bangkok but much dirtier (which, if you've been to Bangkok is an unbelievable statement!). Cairo is also hot and dusty. And because its a muslim city, no shorts. Yup - long pants are a must unless you want to seriously stand out (and trust me ...

[Read full entry]

Siwa Oasis journal: I’ve Been Through the Desert on a Bus With No Name

2007-11-26T10:25:45Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Siwa Oasis, Egypt.

By Dan

If you’ve had your fill of crowds, noise, pollution, and chaos, what do you do? You get away from it all. What’s one way to do that? Put yourself in the middle of the desert, 300 km south of the coast, 600 km west of the Nile, 50 km east of the Libyan border, and just around the corner from the middle of nowhere. Of course, to get there, it requires some quality bus time. So, we spent some time hanging out at Alexandria’s New Bus Terminal on Sunday the 18th, waiting for our ride to Siwa to depart. This is real Egypt at its finest, with ladies in burkas, men in their long robes, ...

[Read full entry]

Cairo journal: Walk Like an Egyptian . . .

2007-11-25T16:07:40Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

By Dan

. . . which means do an absolutely amazing, death-defying sort of limbo between passing cars, buses, taxis, and donkey carts. I knew I should have spent more time playing dodge ball in third grade! I especially like that at night, many cars drive without their lights on, as a way to save on the battery or something. (That adds to the degree of difficulty a little!) As Christina mentioned in her last entry, it’s really quite an amazing process. You just take a deep breath and wade in – and if you freeze up or lose your confidence, you’re dead. We’re starting to feel pretty ...

[Read full entry]

Cairo journal: Talkin’ About A Revolution

2007-11-25T06:10:10Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

By Christina

Driving into Cairo after the relative tranquility of Istanbul was shocking to the senses. Everywhere you looked, there were people; lots and lots and lots of people. Some were just hanging out watching the world go by, many were crossing the street putting themselves in fate’s hands, but most were pushing and shoving to get where they wanted to go. There are 80 million people in Egypt, 20 million of whom live in Cairo. Parts of the city contain the highest density of people per kilometer in the world. This mass of humanity is extracting its toll – the city has terrible ...

[Read full entry]

Cairo journal: I Can See My House From Here!

2007-10-19T17:18:47Z

a review of The Great Pyramid Of Giza, a thing to do in Cairo, Egypt.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now Cairo, Egypt in Africa and is the only remaining original member of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is believed to have been built as a tomb for Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu and constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2560BC. Being the tallest structure in the world for over 3,800 years, it is sometimes called Khufu's pyramid and is the tallest of the three pyramids (the other pyramids being that of 'Khafre' and the smallest being that of 'Menkaure' who ...

[Read full review]

Cairo journal: Cruising To Egypt

2007-10-18T19:07:43Z

a review of The Serenade, a place to stay in Cairo, Egypt.

The Cypriot registered 'Serenade' cruise ship is a part of 'Louis Cruise Lines' which is one of the biggest cruise companies in the Mediterranean. Built in 1957, The Serenade is host to around 662 passengers a time and over 332 entertainment and crew members who do a fine job keeping everybody entertained and fed throughout the journey.

After going through passport formalities, we went to relax on deck around the swimming pool area and watched The Serenade depart from Limassol Port, Cyprus (coaches usually arrange to pick you up at your hotel). You can decide to go to your cabin early ...

[Read full review]

Cairo journal: A Guided Tour Of Cairo

2007-10-18T18:49:44Z

"To finish off, we then went for a cruise along the Nile for lunch and entertainment and up to the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx to finish off in style"

a entry by ChrisDefiance from a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

Cairo (or Al-Qahirah which is the official name for the city) is as breathtaking, as it is magnificent in history and architecture. I went to Cyprus as part of a two week holiday intent on taking the two/three day excursion to Egypt which was advertised at the travel agents (there was the option of going by aeroplane or travelling by Cruise Ship which is what my friends and I had opted for). Arriving in Port Said from Limassol in Cyprus, my friends And I were driven by coach accompanied by a guide who stayed with us the whole day (escorted by armed guard for protection as it was around the ...

[Read full entry]

Luxor journal: Luxor, Egypt

2007-11-04T18:07:00Z

"The temples are awesome! Ridiculous. Amazing to think they built them 4,000 - 5,000 years ago!!!"

a entry by Shane S from a trip to Luxor, Egypt.

I wanted to take a boat down the Nile from Aswan to Luxor - but they don't really have boats that do this as day trips. It would've taken about 3 days to do the trip and unfortunately I already booked Luxor and Dahab and couldn't reschedule easily. So I ended up joining into a minivan that was heading to Luxor. It left at 1:15pm. I wanted to leave earlier but the minivans don't leave earlier. Why? Because to drive tourists around Egypt, we must be part of a Convoy with police! Apparently it isn't overly safe to allow cars to drive the countryside here. In fact, a policeman with a crazy ...

[Read full entry]

Dahab journal: Dahab, Egypt

2007-11-07T17:24:10Z

"Dahab is cool! Clearly my favorite spot in Egypt."

a entry by Shane S from a trip to Dahab, Egypt.

Dahab is cool! Clearly my favorite spot in Egypt. For those that have been its similar to Ko Tao - although not quite as cool (primarily due to the food which is worse, and the lack of partying due to the culture). But don't confuse this with being anything less than great. Dahab is no worse than an A (i'm just comparing it to a place that is an A+)!

One of the cool things about Dahab is you can see Saudi Arabia right across the Gulf. It just feels so cool to be sitting in one country looking across at another.

For those that haven't visited it's a divers paradise... with ...

[Read full entry]

Dahab journal: Nice Dive Shop

2007-11-07T19:20:19Z

a review of Blue Beach Dive Club, a thing to do in Dahab, Egypt.

Very friendly shop, good instructor (I completed my Advanced Open Water Dive cert here). All shore dives from Dahab (nice if you get sea sick). Slightly older equipment - could use a bit of an upgrade on their wetsuits, and definitely should stock more sizes, but overall a good dive shop. Priced slightly above other shops in the area (about 15% more). Not sure why - it certainly isn't because of the attached hotel which is adequate at best. If you are diving in Dahab I'm sure you could do worse than BBDC. But if you are on a budget - it pays to shop around.

[Read full review]

Dahab journal: Nice Dive Hotel

2007-11-07T19:16:29Z

a review of Blue Beach Dive Resort, a place to stay in Dahab, Egypt.

An OK dive hotel off the main drag in Dahab. Only a 5 minute walk to all the action however street rooms are a bit noisy and the place is expensive for what it offers and especially for Egypt. The hotel service is sub-par. It is adequate if you are diving every day and just sleeping at night. But just barely. Find an alternative but dont be afraid to stay here if you are stuck.

[Read full review]