First I have to admit that I have not visited Cairo nor have I seen the pyramids closer than from the airplane window. We went to Hurghada on the west bank of the Red sea in January when Egypt is warm for Scandinavians but cold for the locals. Hurghada has grown from a small fishing village to a tourist trap with large hotels and a shopping street, from where locals try to tempt tourists to leave their hotels for a glimpse of the “local life”. This was one of the few package tours that I have done.
The best of Hurghada is definitely experienced on a snorkeling tour to the Red sea. Day-trippers are brought to a nearby island where you snorkel among corals and tropical fish in clear water. Another reason to visit Hurghada is that they arrange tours away from Hurghada. We rose at 4 am in order to go to far-away Luxor and manage back to Hurghada late at night. All the tourist buses were gathered to one place, from where they continued with police escort through the desert to Luxor. Since the trip was long and boring, the drivers amused themselves by competing and passing each other in a ridiculously high speed.
Luxor is an experience for everyone that is even slightly interested in Egyptology. Tombs, memorials, the temple of Karnak, the Nile – there is everything in Luxor. And of course vendors. Their tactics seemed to be based on giving beautiful stones as presents but when accepting the present, there would be a fee for it. My travelling companion accepted the gift but instead of a payment he offered a lecture in English on the meaning of presents. The lecture was not well received.
Egyptian food is not particularly remarkable. Grilled sheep, falafel, shashlik rotisserie, hummus and fish taste the same as in other Middle Eastern countries. What makes Egyptian food special is that westerners easily get stomach flu there. This is said not to be because of lacking food hygiene but because the bacteria is so different in Egypt than elsewhere.
Africa, Egypt, exotism, food, travel, travel experiences
