We returned late last Thursday from what can only be described as an epic and amazing trip by ABD to Egypt. Calypso has already written a spot on trip report, but I will highlight some other areas. The trip did not run according to schedule, as almost everything was moved around. My understanding was that with tourists fleeing Egypt due to the Israeli/Palestinian growing conflict , airlines were cancelling/consolidating flights and with multiple in-trip flights, we were at the airline's mercy. I recommend this trip. While it doesn't bump the original New Zealand trip we took, it is a close tie for first place of the 10 trips we've taken.
A couple of points that need to be addressed - safety and security. There are police everywhere in Egypt. They take security very seriously (between two and five security checks to get on an airplane). We had a great group of about 27, and everyone agreed that at no point did they feel unsafe. Watching the attention paid to security was refreshing. Egypt provides a police escort with tour groups. They do not interact with the group, their focus is looking for problems. There are repeated check points for vehicles, including us, to make sure things are safe.
The peddlers. These folks were everywhere, but they were not hostile. They presented some very entertaining sales pitches, and it always appeared in good fun. Persistent, yes. As long as you are walking and not engaged, they moved on. If you did engage, it was easy to walk away. One vendor was hawking, "My stuff is not made in China - we don't like China things" to which my fellow traveller told him - "Hey my wife is from China." The vendor bowed his head and said "Ouch. Sorry." With a smile, he then offered the man a discount in his booth. It is no different than the markets in Peru, except some of this is good Egyptian cotton.
The Guides. These two were the best ABD guides we've had in ten trips. Chris and Karim. Our Egypt specialist was also the top of her game as an additional guide. We swear none of them ever slept.
Special touches - a daily delight and amazing. The Visa/luggage/customs service was much appreciated and terrific. Indeed, the assistance through all of the airports, including the departure (at 1 in the morning) was WAY beyond anything we've ever seen. I'll post some pictures shortly that do not duplicate what others have posted. We also had two parties. One which was very much an adults only party and the farewell party, which was quite different than any we've experienced.
The people of Egypt that we encountered everywhere were friendly, engaging, and appeared very nice. We took note of the efforts made to rehab the country and countryside, and efforts to clean and maintain cities and rural areas. Much on this to follow.
To end this first post I say that if you ever wanted to go to Egypt, go and go sooner rather than later. With the rest of the world falling apart, Egypt to us was like a safe haven dream. Your presence there is appreciated. Your money goes much further than you think, and the food is really really good! And the history, the sights, the views, and, well everything. ABD, you hit a rare home run in my book with this trip.
I hope the wife forgives you!
