For stories from my Egypt trip, read this blog and this blog
For my story published in Jet Airways' in-flight magazine JetWings, read this
For my story published in Jet Airways' in-flight magazine JetWings, read this
Travelled in: November 2008
About Egypt:
Egypt
is located in North Africa. Its northern boundary is the Mediterranean
Sea. To the South is Sudan & Libya is its western neighbour. To the
East is the Red sea & Saudi Arabia. The country is roughly square in
shape. The river Nile runs North-South & cuts Egypt into 2 halves.
Thus, all towns along the Nile are demarcated into the East bank &
the West bank. The ancient Egyptians believed that since the sun rises
in the East & sets in the west, the East bank is the side of life.
People lived & worked on this bank. The West bank was the bank of
death / after-life, so they built all the tombs there. Till today, the
east banks are where people live & where shops & businesses are.
Nowadays, people also live on the west bank; however, it is very quiet
here with very few hotels & shops or restaurants.
Almost
80% of Egypt is un-inhabitable. People live only along the Nile, which
can be considered the ‘Life of Egypt’. Western Egypt is a hot & dry
desert; with a few scattered oases where people live. These people are
known as Bedouins. The east also has a much harsher desert with a few
nomadic Bedouins. The area along the Eastern Red sea has people,
primarily surviving on tourism. The Red sea is very popular for water
sports, Scuba diving & Snorkeling. The reef here is the second
largest & the best; after the Great Barrier reef off Australia.
Egyptians in Aswan & to the south of Aswan are called Nubians.
Nubians & Bedouins have a slightly different culture from the rest
of the Egyptians.
The
first known written record of the Egyptian civilization goes back to
3000 BC i.e. 5000 years ago. Egypt became an Islamic country in 7th -
8th century A.D when it was invaded by the Arabs, followed by the Turks.
Currently, the official religion is Islam & there is a small
Christian population. Egyptians speak Arabic (which, by the way, is
different from that spoken in the Middle-east). English & French are
also spoken. Their currency is 'Egyptian Pounds'. In 2008, 1 Egyptian
Pound was equivalent to 9 Indian rupees. Tourism is the main industry in
Egypt. Besides this, there's cotton production & farming.
It
does not rain at all in Egypt, except in the Northern Mediterranean
coast. So, a lot of the houses in rural Egypt have no roofs. The weather
is extremely hot during summers & cold during winters. In Nov/Dec,
when we travelled, the days were 40 to 45 degrees Celsius. The night
temperature ranged from 2 to 15 degrees, depending on the place. Also,
in this season, sunrise was at 6 am but sunset was at 4.45 pm! It was
very disorienting to have such long hours of darkness.
I
found Egypt a safe country to travel in; we were told just to guard our
bags from thieves & pickpockets, like we would in any country.
People are friendly. All towns & cities are active till well past
midnight; we would walk around freely at all times. Southern Egypt
(Aswan & Luxor) & Eastern Egypt have faced a lot of terrorism by
extremist groups (bombings & kidnappings), specifically targetting
tourists. Due to this, the government keeps an eye on all foreigners
travelling in Southern Egypt. We’re allowed to travel between cities in
this region only in a police convoy, at fixed times. In the rest of
Egypt, there is no restriction. But, there were plans for this
restriction to be lifted in the future.
Our Itinerary:
To
summarise, we travelled along the Nile from South to North (from Aswan
to Luxor to Cairo). To the west, we went to an oasis. We also went east,
to the Red sea coast & the mountains.
Day 1 (Friday, November 14th, 2008 ): Fly
out of India on day 1 (morning). Arrive in Cairo in the evening. Catch
connecting night flight to Aswan. Overnight stay at Aswan.
Day 2: Aswan – Nubian village, Philae Temple (sound & light show). Overnight stay at Aswan.
Day 3: Morning convoy to Abu Simbel. Nubian museum in the evening. Overnight stay at Aswan.
Day 4: Aswan – Elephantine Island (ruins of Abu), Botanical gardens, Souq. Overnight stay at Aswan.
Day 5: Leave for Edfu & Kom Ombo. Travel on, to Luxor. Overnight stay at Luxor.
Day 6: Luxor – explore the west bank. Overnight stay at Luxor.
Day7: Luxor – Balloon ride. Explore the west bank. Overnight stay at Luxor.
Day 8 (Friday, Nov 21): Luxor – explore the east bank. Overnight stay at Luxor.
Day 9: Luxor – explore the east bank. Overnight stay at Luxor.
Day 10: Fly in the morning from Luxor to Sharm-El-Sheikh. Reach Dahab before noon. Go to the beach. Leave at night for Mt. Sinai. Climb Mt. Sinai.
Day 11: After sunrise at Mt. Sinai, visit St. Katherine’s monastery. Go to the beach. Overnight in Dahab.
Day 12: Dahab – Beach. Overnight in Dahab.
Day 13: Dahab. Evening flight to Cairo from Sharm-El-Sheikh. Overnight in Cairo.
Day 14: Drive to Bahariya Oasis in the morning. Explore. Overnight at Bahariya.
Day 15 (Friday, Nov 28): Explore Bahariya Oasis & surrounding deserts. Overnight camping at the White desert.
Day 16: Drive back to Bahariya Oasis. Return to Cairo by evening. Overnight at Cairo.
Day 17: Cairo – Giza, Citadel & Egyptian Museum with guide. Overnight at Cairo.
Day 18: Cairo – Saqqara, Memphis & Dahshur with guide. Sound & light show at Giza. Overnight at Cairo.
Day 19: Explore Cairo. Overnight at Cairo.
Day 20: Explore Cairo. Overnight at Cairo.
Day 21: Explore Cairo. Overnight at Cairo.
Day 22: Departure for India by noon flight. Reach India on Saturday, Dec 6th, morning.
Hotels we stayed at:
Aswan:
Keylany Hotel.
The
hotel is very conveniently located and a short walk away from the corniche.
There are many feluccas docked near the hotel. You also have a lot of
restaurant options around. The souk is right next to the hotel. The Nubian
Museum too is walk-able, albeit a slightly long walk.Some of the rooms may be noisy so choose one that is tucked away. The room did not have a window, but, with the air-con on, we were fine. The room is very basic, but clean & functional. They have a lockable safe in the room, which is extremely handy. The mattress is comfortable. The bathroom is clean.
Breakfast is served on the terrace - juice, tea/coffee, toast, butter & preserves, eggs & fresh fruit. When we took the 4 am convoy to Abu Simbel one morning, we had asked for breakfast boxes, which were promptly ready in the morning, with a plastic butter knife, fork & bottled juice too.
A few negatives - there is no elevator and some of the rooms being 3 storeys up, it is very difficult for the elderly. Also, some of the ground floor rooms are a bit dingy so ask to see the room before you take it.
Luxor:
El-Nakhil.
The location,
in the West bank, worked brilliantly for me – relaxingly far away from all the
tourist hustle & bustle. But, if you do want to get into the thick of
things, the East bank is close enough. It's a 5 minute walk from the hotel to
the public ferry. It takes 10 minutes & 1 LE to get across to the East
bank, right opposite Luxor temple. The ferry runs late into the night & we
used it extensively. We also felt quite safe walking to the hotel late at
night, as the locals are quite friendly.The hotel is cozy - just the right size and family-run. We contacted them via e-mail & had swift responses. Our room was extremely large and spacious. The bathroom too, was almost as large as a small room. This was the only proper double bed (without putting 2 singles together) in all the mid-range places we stayed at, in Egypt. And, the only bathroom in which you could shower without wetting the rest of the bathroom. Both the room and the bath were spic & span.
The owners, Mr. Salah & his wife Birgit, add a personal touch to the hotel by being there. They also enquire after you and ensure you have no problems. The hotel staff deserves to be thanked
The
only disadvantage to staying here, if any, would be the lack of options to eat
out in the West bank. There are just 4 or 5 small restaurants around this
hotel. For more options or for a vibrant night-life, you need to head to the
East bank.
Dahab:
Dahab Coach-house.
This cozy place is run by an extremely friendly
couple, Nina & Mikkas. We loved it here, right from the minute we arrived. It's
an extremely convenient 2-minute walk from the coast (the Assalah stretch). There
are a lot of restaurants, convenience stores & diving outfits around. It is
a good stretch of the coast for snorkeling and diving. 
There are 7 rooms - comfortable, clean and cozily-sized. The bathroom is
functional and very clean. The air-con is effective. The courtyard makes for a
relaxing place to have breakfast each morning; freshly prepared by the owners, right
down to the bread they bake. We had heaps of fresh fruit, warm bread, pancakes,
butter, preserves, yoghurt, fresh juice & tea/coffee - this breakfast was
the best we ate during our 3 weeks across Egypt.
They have a well-stocked fridge with water, soda & beer, working on an
honour system of payment. The kitchen is available for guests’ use after 10 am,
which is great if you want to cook your meals. They also have wi-fi and TV. We
used their laundry service, which was good. They also arrange for airport pick-up
& drop; we didn't use it, though. All in all, a highly recommended stay-option.Cairo:
Osiris Hotel.
For Cairo, Osiris
was our unanimous choice, based on the glowing reviews it received on both
Tripadvisor & in our guide book. Having been there, I'm wondering how it
earned those reviews.We booked via e-mail, almost 6 weeks in advance and received prompt replies. We were asked to re-confirm our arrival 2 weeks before, which we did. We arrived at 11pm one night, tired from our journey to Cairo. We filled out the check-in forms quickly, hoping to call it a day soon, as we had to leave for Bahariya Oasis early next morning. The owner Nabil asked us to pay immediately, in cash, for all 6 nights of our stay. We were taken aback, as this was never mentioned to us in any correspondence. When we told him this, he launched into a lengthy tirade of how guests had 'run away' in a couple of days, leaving him in the lurch and about how it was November end and he had to pay salaries. He said that he was going to include this point in his website immediately. We did not appreciate being brusquely asked for money like this, at an un-godly hour, when we were tired and hungry. We paid him whatever Euros we had, which was a little more than 2 days’ advance and checked in. This experience put me off as I got the feeling that only we were asked for this ‘full advance' payment. We had some repacking to do for Bahariya and were supposed to leave most of our luggage behind at the hotel. But, we left the next day with the entire luggage as we didn't have the energy to re-pack after this welcome.
When we came back 3 days later, at night, we were met by another hotel staff member. Before giving us the room keys, he again asked us to pay the balance amount immediately. There is an appropriate time and a way to ask for money, which Osiris doesn’t seem to know of. This time, we were so tired and upset that we refused and told them that we would be paying only at the end of our stay. We stayed for 5 nights after this. I wanted to switch hotels as their behaviour was annoying me. Unfortunately, all other places in this budget were full, so we stayed put.
We had a room with a private bath & balcony. It was spacious & clean - there's no faulting that. The bathroom though, had the shower at the entrance, so, once you have a shower, the whole bathroom is wet. The room does not have a proper wardrobe, just a wicker one. For long stays, it is inadequate and makes is uncomfortable to unpack. The room air-con worked well. The mattress was comfortable. The laundry service was efficient. The hotel has a paid internet facility, which is convenient. They have a pet, which didn't bother us in any way. The oft-criticized elevator didn't bother us much – it is a bit rickety but there are no holes in the floor as some reviews said.
Breakfast is served on the terrace - fresh juice, tea/coffee, toast, Egyptian bread, pancakes with bananas, yoghurt, preserves, & butter. On some days, fresh fruit as well. It's sufficient. On most days, we would ask for extra toast. Always, these extra slices would be the end slices of the loaf or cold, rubbery left-overs from other tables. It was humiliating to be treated like this. It would have been better had the management charged us for extra toast rather than pretend to be hospitable and serve such quality for free. But, going by our previous interactions with the owner, we would be in no mood to complain, just to avoid ruining our mood for the day. We would ask the staff to replace the toast and they would un-willingly do it.
The only thing that worked for us is the location. We could walk to Midaan Tahrir and the Egyptian museum. There are plenty of eating-out options available around this area, most of which you can walk to. And there are convenience stores and pharmacies too, nearby. The road below is always bustling, so you feel safe going out at nights. The noise did not affect us in our room, though. It's also easy to get taxis downstairs, to travel on your own around Cairo.
The hotel also offers tours, which we did not use, so I don't have any feedback on it. At night, you can also eat dinner in the hotel, on the terrace. As we found the 60LE cost per person steep, we didn't eat there. Service is by no means friendly. The staff hardly smiles; some of them politely wish you, though. The owner Josiane never spoke to us, maybe because language was a barrier. Her husband Nabil would give us a cursory look and smile when we returned at the end of each day. It was the most un-welcoming place we have ever stayed in, not only in Egypt, but, all over the world. There was no polite talk, no kind enquiries, and no warmth - something you expect in a family-run hotel. Nabil’s brother, despite the language barrier, would be the only person to offer a warm smile. When we did ask Nabil for some restaurant recommendations or some directions, he did help with some names and a map. That's about it.
To sum it up, I would not recommend Osiris to anybody. Only the location and the rooms are value for money. The owners did seem to chat a lot with some other guests, so I wonder if it was selective treatment. As an overall experience, we liked the hotel’s location and cleanliness. But, we really disliked the treatment and wish we had stayed elsewhere.
Bahariya:
Old Oasis Hotel.
Hotels in Bahariya are usually booked by the operator you choose to camp in the White desert with. Ours booked us in the Old Oasis Hotel, which was basic and comfortable. There aren’t any great points to be said about the hotel, nor did we have major complaints.
Hotels in Bahariya are usually booked by the operator you choose to camp in the White desert with. Ours booked us in the Old Oasis Hotel, which was basic and comfortable. There aren’t any great points to be said about the hotel, nor did we have major complaints.
Websites & Traveller articles that helped me plan my itinerary:
Websites I looked at for tour ideas, for hiring guides & booking transport:
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