Old Islamic Cairo - Egypt 2008

After I had enough money for the initial deposit, I called Adventure Center back. I spoke to the same woman as before, Maz. Since my trip is one of the least expensive, the $300 deposit was more than 3/4 of the total cost. I planned on paying the remaining $90 in another few weeks. I printed out copies of the forms from the web site, and faxed them off. I also asked Maz to find the best airfare possible for my trip.

While the advertisement for the trip states you’re flying in and out of Cairo, the truth is that is only if you take the 16 day trip. In my case, with the 10 day trip, I will be ending in Luxor and therefore need to find a way back to Cairo. Maz estimated the airfare from Luxor to Cairo to be $125.

The next communication I received from Maz included confirmation of my trip booking, and reservations for a round-trip flight, including the Luxor-Cairo trip and all applicable taxes. The total cost came to $1075. I saw that as a great price, however I wanted to dig around on my own as I had yet to purchase an airline ticket online.

After checking out big sites like Expedia and Cheap Tickets I realized I wasn’t going to beat Maz’s price unless I found a budget-minded site. I searched Yahoo for consolidator sites and came across Airlineconsolidator.net. I entered my trip dates, and came up with some great results. The cheapest airfare was offered by TWA. Next, I called the consolidator and asked for the details of the flight (times, cost including taxes, layovers). A day later I received a phone call that the flight I was interested in wasn’t available, however there was another one with space but at a higher cost (about $200 higher). Since I still had to buy a separate ticket for the Luxor to Cairo leg, I knew it wouldn’t be worthwhile to take that ticket. Also, like the flights Maz found, this one had layovers in European airports. That was something I wanted to avoid, if at all possible.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Luxor Temple - Egypt 2008

By now I’m convinced I need to go visit Egypt, and soon! After reading the ad, I wanted to check and see if the tour operator, Adventure Center, had a web site. I went to http://www.adventurecenter.com and sure enough it was the tour operator’s site. I clicked on the About Us link first. I was excited to see they had been running small tours, to destinations around the world, for 24 years. I began to feel much more comfortable about giving them my money.

Next, I wanted to find the specific trip that was advertised, so I clicked on the Our World link, and then the continent of Africa. I was surprised to see so many different trips being offered. I began reading about all kinds of different trips, but I realized I better focus in on what I can afford, so I found the trip that was advertised on the Frommer’s site. At first glance, there was a lot of great information including:

• Day by day tour itinerary
• Methods of transportation
• Accommodations and Meals included
• Size of the group
• Tour staff and support
• Departure dates
• Cost
• Picture of the sailboat we are to take down the Nile

Still hungry for information, I clicked on the site’s FAQ link. I cruised through about 20 questions and answers, and decided the next step would be to call and find out about the availability of my trip. After work, I called Adventure Center. The woman who answered had a strong English accent. Adventure Center was located in California, so this raised my curiosity.

Feluccas on the Nile - Aswan, Egypt 2008

I mentioned the specific trip that interested me, as well as where I saw the ad for it. I commented on the fact that there seemed to be a trip leaving every week of the year. She replied that while that is true, they tend to fill up quickly. After mentioning the time period I was interested in traveling (October/November 2001), she ran through the dates that were available.

We went to Adventure Center’s web site together, and she pointed out additional information was available for the trip. I clicked on the View Dossier link on the left hand side of the page, and Adobe Acrobat opened to show a more detailed itinerary.  I asked the woman if she had ever taken a trip through her company, to which she replied “yes.”  We spoke briefly about what the experience is like. She mentioned that most of the people on the tour groups are English, as it was an English company. There were however some Canadian and Americans as well.

For some reason, I found the idea of taking a trip through them even more appealing. Not that I have anything against us American travelers, but sometimes we can be a bit obnoxious and less interesting than our foreign counterparts. I asked about the general age range for the travelers that choose this trip. She said they tend to be of varying ages, but on the younger side since you will have to sleep on the deck of the sailboat for part of the trip. The thought of sailing down the Nile, asleep on the deck of a sailboat, under the Egyptian sky, quickly filled my mind.

I was about out of questions, so I told her I would call back when I was ready to book my trip.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Preface:  9 years ago, I was actively planning a trip to Egypt for the first time.  I started documenting the process on this site (long before this blog), however my plans would come up against the shocking events of 9/11.  This is a four part series, with the first three parts having been written in 2001.

The Great Pyramids - Giza, Egypt 2008

Wednesday, August 8, 2001 was a day like any other. I woke up and went to work. As I was spending some downtime checking out travel sites, I came across a deal that caught my eye on the Frommer’s site. My decision was instantaneous – I was going to Egypt, and soon! Things seemed to come together for me, as if stars were coming into alignment for some great event. First, I had some money coming my way thanks to a bonus at work, a tax refund, and some auctions on Ebay. Second, I had over three weeks of vacation time saved, and had yet to go anywhere in the year 2001. Third, the deal just seemed too good to pass up. Here is the exact text I saw that morning:

If there is one indispensable visit, it is to the ancient culture of Egypt. And a famous tour operator has now created a nine-night visit there for only $390 plus the cost of round-trip air to Cairo. You visit the Pyramids the Sphinx, and the Egyptian Museum downtown, and then go by overnight train to Aswan where you board an Egyptian felucca–a sail driven riverboat–for a three night cruise to all the classic sights of Upper Egypt and back to Cairo. Since a round-trip ticket to Cairo can be purchased for about $700 from various airfare consolidators, you enjoy the entire experience for about a thousand dollars, as low as such costs go.  — Adventure Center

It wasn’t only the price that attracted me. Let’s take a closer look at the well written ad that helped convince me to go to Egypt for the first time. The first sentence refers to the trip as “indispensable” which makes it sound like I’m less than a world traveler if I never make it to Egypt.

Second, the words “ancient culture” bring forth images of a time long past. Culture is a buzzword for us travelers. We love immersing ourselves in foreign culture. Why else would we travel! The second sentence helps build my confidence in the deal by stating that it’s not just a normal tour operator offering the trip, but a “famous” one. By now I’m feeling safe that this is a reputable operator, even though I will do some homework on them later. The second sentence also states the length of the trip, nine days, which seems like a good period of time to spend there considering the distance I will have to travel. It also states the cost, and what is not included (airfare), as well as the destination city (Cairo).

The third sentence gives me a feel for some of the things I will see and do on the trip, as well as our modes of transportation (rail, river). The fourth sentence helps push the deal by giving an estimate of how much airfare will cost, which helped me estimate the total budget I will need for the trip. The sentence ends by reinforcing the fact that the trip is a great deal. The last piece of information is the name of the tour operator and a phone number to call so that I can follow up.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The perfect day in Aswan and Egypt’s Nile Valley starts with the usual breakfast of coffee, bread, and egg. Progress onward to further readings of Paul Theroux’s “Dark Star Safari” while the symphony of Egyptians’ daily lives delight the ears. Honking taxi horns punctuate the call to prayer sounded over mosque loudspeakers. Glancing up from my book, Egyptians smile at one another during friendly interactions, horse-drawn carts clack by in search of their next foreign customer, and the local women walk by with their bright, gossamer head scarves occasionally catching the breeze. Lunch, strong Turkish coffee, and a few puffs from a sheesha add to the enjoyment. A breezy felucca ride along the Nile River in the mid-afternoon completes a day in my kind of Egypt.

Highlights -

• taxi ride from airport to Berlin Hotel upon arrival in Cairo
• Egyptian Museum, specifically King Tut’s room and animal mummies
• touring the Great Pyramids and Sphinx on a camel
• Valley of the Kings and xxx
• Luxor Temple
• my clean, comfortable, private, modern room with bath on the cruise ship
• Edfu Temple
• watching the landscape as we cruised up the Nile River Valley
• Kom Ombo Temple
• hanging out with the Korean guys, Darcy, Gary, Amy, Joe, Natalie, Nate, and Jim on the cruise and associated tours
• Aswan and High Dams (for their views)
• Temple of Isis at Philae
• smoking sheesha and drinking tea
• walking through the Aswan market
• the early morning convoy to Abu Simbel
• felucca rides
• the Nile cruise in Cairo (even if the bellydancing was a letdown, at least I saw the city at night and stuffed my face with good food!)
• couchsurfing with Megan
• exploring Islamic Cairo with Tim

Lowlights –

• dealing with the hassles of souvenir salesman
• avoiding the scams and hustles of guides and felucca captains
• negotiating for a Ho-Ho, Twinkie or bottle of water (some things should not require bargaining!)
• picking up a case of traveler’s diarrhea after the cruise

Eating -

Tea, Turkish coffee, Stella beer, falafel, chicken shawarma, hummus and tahina and baba ghanoush with pita bread, lots of kushari (mixture of noodles, rice, macaroni, lentils and onions in tomato sauce – chili optional), kofta, stuffed pigeon, cucumbers, and various cakes and desserts from the cruise ship buffets.

# of Days Couchsurfing -

1

Average Cost Per Day -

$90

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

My last day in Aswan was all about killing time until the night train back to Cairo. Normally I could occupy myself for hours on end with a solid internet connection, but I had been informed that high speed access was down throughout the country. The 1st class ride back to Cairo was much more to my liking than the ride to Luxor. Instead of semi-private compartments, the carriage was open, but the seats were wide, comfortable, and almost fully reclined. I got 5-6 hours of sleep, arriving in Cairo at 6:30am, no more than one hour late. I took a taxi back to the Berlin Hotel where I slept much of the day in the little room I had my first night in the country.

In the evening, I attended a dinner cruise on the Nile, only as a means to see some bellydancing. As in my guidebook, the hotel manager warned against local clubs for such entertainment, as they had numerous ways of hiking up the bill. Unfortunately, the bellydancer on the cruise performed far less than I expected. Once we set off on the river, a musician began to play and everyone started to feed from the excellent buffet dinner. Then, the bellydancer from Norway burst onto the scene, and shook her moneymaker to the crowd of predominantly Asian guests. There were some Arabs too, but I was the only white guy, and I was certainly the only backpacker to attend. Not that I notice these things! Between the two bellydancing sets, the second of which was all about photo ops with the guests, a guy dancer in a colorful costume whirled in a circle for his full 5-10 minute performance. Like an ice skater in a perpetual spin, I was amazed at how he kept his balance, and ultimately enjoyed his show more than the bellydancer.

The next morning I packed up my stuff and took a taxi to Megan’s apartment in the international (wealthy) part of the city. I had been in touch with Megan since my arrival in Egypt, but was only able to manage my last night on her couch. She is the country director for Operation Smile, a worldwide children’s charity. Also staying with her was Tim, a Brit slowly working his way back to England from a teaching job in Thailand, via the Middle East.

Tim and I spent the day walking around Islamic Cairo, the old part of the city where you get the feeling life hasn’t changed much over the centuries. We walked through mosques and observed daily life. We saw a runaway donkey drawn cart bash into the back of a parked mini-truck, resulting in the inevitable argument. Walking through the various markets selling everything from fresh fruits to live rabbits, I was reminded of a similar stroll I made through the historic part of Kathmandu.

For those who fancy photography, the unique opportunities are limitless. I was glad Tim liked to take photos too, as we didn’t mind waiting for one another, but I found it hard to manage the light. Little kids would pass us by and say “welcome to Egypt” which was endearing. Demolished and crumbling buildings were a standing testament to the 1992 earthquake.

When I was feeling tired, I signaled to Tim that we should start to head back, but not before one more cup of tea. I loved the tea, and the little individual metal tables set up by vendors for their customers on the sidewalk. He must’ve been tired too, because I convinced him a taxi back to the apartment was in order (on the way, we walked for an hour, and used the subway, to save a dollar or two each in taxi fare). On our way to find a taxi, we saw a child pinned under a large bag, possibly of grain. A bunch of bystanders rushed around to pick the bag up, and of course, the mother began to give whomever was at fault the riot act.

While waiting for Megan to return from work, I watched “Superbad” on her laptop. I first watched the movie while it was pouring rain on a little island in Indonesia, Gili Trawangan. I still found it funny.

When Megan returned, we headed out to one of her favorite restaurants for dinner. We went all out, ordering several traditional Egyptian foods including stuffed pigeon.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Upon our return from Abu Simbel, Gary, Darcy, Amy, Joe and I went to lunch at a floating restaurant recommended by one of the guidebooks. The prices were higher, but you couldn’t beat the ambiance. The food was good too. Afterwards, we set about trying to find a fair minded felucca captain. Joe and Amy took the lead on negotiations, and after a few duds, we met a nice guy who gave us the price we wanted – about $5 total, for the five of us, for one hour.

When the boat went with the current, we cruised along, and when it was time to go against the current, we zig-zagged our way back and forth across the width of the river. It was a relaxing way to end a busy three days and nights of sightseeing. I had opted to spend two additional nights in Aswan since it seemed a lot more picturesque and tranquil than Cairo.

Aside from smoking sheesha, and watching Indiana Jones in my hotel room, I was excited to hire a felucca on my own for a few hours. My solo experience was not quite as pleasant as the group trip the day before. I should have made an appointment with the first captain, but I was lazy, and paid the price in the form of constant nagging for baksheesh (a tip) by the Nubian captain I hired. He had a lot of nerve bringing up money again, considering I already caved at the beginning and agreed to pay a certain amount of baksheesh on top of the price we had agreed upon.

Then again, this was the same captain who had his pants up over his head, exposing his boxers, as he tried to push his boat out of a muddy embankment to get u started. Twenty minutes later, we had yet to set sail and it would’ve been longer if he had not obtained the help of another man nearby. Adrift on the river, he handed me the rudder to steer while he scrubbed the entire boat. I admit it didn’t occur to me that when a captain advertises his boat as “clean,” it doesn’t necessarily mean it is clean when you first step aboard. Taking a turn at the rudder was fun though, and when I grew tired of the responsibility, I gave it back to the real captain.

The last thing I wanted to do was let my captain off the hook without having to work the whole three hours, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to climb the big sandy hill of temples and tombs that sat directly opposite Aswan along the Nile. So, I climbed up that big sandy hill in my flip flops, and was rewarded with a great view, and the offering of some food from a Nubian family enjoying a picnic. The father spoke good English, the result of his time in the tourism industry.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!