Tips for all going to Egypt

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mania

Cousin Itt
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More and more SB users are traveling to Egypt and asking the same questions so I thought I would write some tips.
Egypt is a safe country and very friendly to foreigners – whatever nationality they are.
After all the major state income comes from tourism.
So now the useful tips – wherever you are going there.
The bacteria in this part of the world is different than ours and is causing stomach problems – the points below are the way to avoid it.
1. Don’t drink tap water – use bottled mineral water even for washing teeth. Avoid drinks with ice – ice is made of tap water
2. Don’t eat fresh vegetables and fruits
3. Go to the local pharmacy and buy a medicine called ANTINAL (no prescription needed) – this is the best remedy for stomach problems
4. Bring from your home country a bottle of alcohol such as vodka or whisky – small shots do help.

Hotels:
1. Be aware that everything takes time. So if you think that bellman will come immediately – you’re wrong. Simply be patient – they do have a lot of time
2. If you want to – tip the staff. They are all earning almost nothing, so in this way you are helping them. Bakshish – a word used by all of them (it means tip) comes from the religion – in Islam you are obliged to share with others – bakshish is one of the ways.
3. When ordering anything extra in the hotel (drinks) you sign a check with your room number and pay at the end.

Traveling in the city:
In different places it differs. All hotels have shuttle buses taking you to the city center.
1. In Hurghada there are mini buses – the price shouldn’t be higher that 2 Egyptian pounds.
2. In Sharm el Sheikh are taxis – let’s say that from whichever hotel to Naama Bay it shouldn’t be more than 20-25 Egyptian pounds.
Be aware of their way of driving – there is no code and no rules. Everything is allowed.
Money:
1. You can exchange it everywhere – in the hotels or special places.
2. Rates (made even):
a.1 US $ = 6 Egyptian pounds
b.1 Euro = 7,5 Egyptian pounds
3. There are cash machines. But most of them accept only credit cards.
4. Hotels accept only credit cards

Shopping:
1. Always try to get smaller price than you are told. Standard bargain should be – finally even down to 50% of the original price
2. Worth buying there – besides Cleopatra and camel’s figures – cotton clothes (Egyptian cotton is one of the best), coffee and spices.

Diving:
1. It’s better to contact diving center before going and book diving in advance.
2. If you haven’t done this be careful with choosing the center – better seek advice
3. Standard for Egypt are 12 liters alu tanks, mostly INT (with the possibility to change to DIN).
4. The price of diving includes air (nitrox costs extra), weights, soft drinks on the boat and transport from the hotel to the jetty and back.
5. Lunch can but not everywhere is included in the price
6. After you are done with diving – give some tips to the boat crew
7. Standart prices for 5 days (10 dives) in Hurghada - 150 US$, in Sharm - 200 US$ but note that most of the diving centres moved to Euro with the rate 1 US$=1Euro
Partying:
1. Hurghada – Papa’s Beach – the best bar&disco
2. Sharm – Pacha (Sanafir Hotel Naama Bay) and Bus Stop (they are together)
3. Sharm – Camel’s Bar – it’s a bar mainly occupied by foreign divers working in Egypt
4. Drinks (alcohol) are expensive – there is 400% tax on alcohol

Usuful expressions (I tried to write them phonetically)
No = La (or if you need to stress it you can say Laa)
Yes = aiwa (pronounced as the Japanese electronic equipment producer)
Thank you – shokran
You’re welcome (answer to thank you) = aphwan
What’s your name = easmak e
My name is = ana (as the girl’s name Anna) easmak
Go away = emshi
Good Morning – Salem Aleykum
Good Morning (the answer) = as salam aleykum
Good Bye – ma salam
OK = meshi
Water = maya
Please (said to a man) = mean fadlak
Please (to a woman) = mean fadleak
Stop it = halas
how much is this - Beckam di or beckam dah
Boat - Markeb
Tomorrow - Bokra
Today - Enaharda
Yesterday - embare'h
cool (as in "everything is cool") - Esh'ta

Popular expressions:
In shallah – If God permits
Hamdulilla – Thanks God
A note for Italians, Spanish, French and Portuguese – you have to pronounce “h” which in Arabic is the strongest vowel said from the depth of the throat!!!!!!

Ok, I think I’ve captured the most important things. Hope it will help at least some of you going there for the first time. And I'm sure that once you go there you keep on coming back.

Mania
 
mania:
Good Morning – Salem Aleykum
Good Morning (the answer) = as salam aleykum

I was under the impression that Salem Aleykum is a greeting that translates as "peace be with you". The response is usually "Aleykum Salam" - "peace be you" back to the initiator of the greeting.

Another thing to remember: women should not wear shorts in public. A short sleeved shirt may be acceptable, but not bare legs. Also, women should remember that in Egypt you may not have much authority: some men simply do not acknowledge you if you are female.

Learned the above from several "interesting experiences" in Hurghada.

DSDO,
 
SubMariner:
I was under the impression that Salem Aleykum is a greeting that translates as "peace be with you". The response is usually "Aleykum Salam" - "peace be you" back to the initiator of the greeting.,
You are wright - it was mine mistake that came from doing it quickly and via copy/paste. But I can't change it because I can't edit this post - don't ask me why. But thanks a lot!!!!

So once more:
Good Morning - Salem Aleykum
Good Morning (an answer) - Aleykum as salem

SubMariner:
Another thing to remember: women should not wear shorts in public. A short sleeved shirt may be acceptable, but not bare legs. Also, women should remember that in Egypt you may not have much authority: some men simply do not acknowledge you if you are female.

Well that's really depends. You have to be decently dressed when visiting pyramids or mosques. But honestly speaking this is not necessary when going around the town as a tourist. I've seen almost naked woman there (not to mentioned top less on the beaches). Nobody will say anything to you about it but as a women you will attract more attentions - as simple as that. I don't wear shorts there but that's because I don't wear shorts at all. And I do wear sleeveless shirts.
I wouldn't put so much stress on the dress - not in Egypt. In other, more conservative Middle East countries yes. SubMariner - go to Cairo and have a look how some of the Egyptian teenagers are dressed!!!!!
Mania
 
Thanks for the tips Mania! We may go there next month and I found them useful.
 
mania:
I've seen almost naked woman there (not to mentioned top less on the beaches).

Now where did I put my passport...... :wink:
 
We just got back from two weeks at Makadi Bay, 30 km south of Hurghada.

I can pretty much confirm what Mania wrote (except the Arabic!!)

U.S. tourism, at least along the Red Sea, has just about disappeared since 9/11 and the Iraq War. And the local economy has really felt it. We didn't run into a single other American family while there, even in Luxor or the pyramids. And every single Egyptian whom we told we were Americans, was surprised and absolutely thrilled. "You're back!! We love America!! OK, we may not be so thrilled with Mr. Bush, but we love America..."

We felt absolutely welcome and safe everywhere. Security is extremely tight. Tourists travel from the Red Sea coast across the Eastern Desert to Luxor in 20-bus police-escorted convoys. (Mania -- tourism is apparently only the second-highest source of foreign income -- the Suez Canal is the first!)

Regarding ATMs for Americans... The machines at least belonging to one of the largest banks there, Commercial International Bank of Egypt, do take debit cards that are on the Plus and Cirrus networks. And at least the dive operation we used, Extra Divers, accepted cash $, Euros, and/or Egyptian pounds. Three percent surcharge for credit cards, but that apprently varies between operators. (Extra Divers is a large German operation; they're also in Sharm and several other places around the world.)

I did get Tutankhamun's Revenge while we were there, for about 24 hours. Came on after about five or six days. Kept me flat on my back in bed, except for when I, um, had to get up. :icoeek: The pharmacy there said Antinal wasn’t available… something about a supply problem. At first, they recommended capsules with lactobacillus acidophilus, the stuff sometimes added to milk. But I thought I needed something stronger, and they sold us Imodium... over the counter. Worked great.

No one else in the family (wife, son, daughter) had any stomach problems. We were at a five-star resort. We did only drink bottled water, even for brushing teeth; no ice; etc.

If you've got INT regulators, Mania's absolute right that they've got screw-in INT adapters for their 3,000psi/200bar DIN tanks. Just make sure they know when you're signing up, and during the divemaster's briefing. And be a little careful -- there seem to be two slightly-different types of the adapters, that can't be distinguished by casual inspection... the flange diameter is slightly different. At least with our Sherwood second stages, the regs wouldn't mate well with the smaller type. You could tell by feel when you attached the second stage; or at the latest when you turned on the air. Not necessarily a bad o-ring, just the wrong adapter. Check before the boat leaves the dock!!

The standard at Extra Divers was 12-liter steel tanks (don't know how many cubic feet that's equivalent to -- 64 or 72? They're short and fat). Aluminum tanks, and 15-liter tanks, were available upon request.

--Marek
 
Marek K:
(Mania -- tourism is apparently only the second-highest source of foreign income -- the Suez Canal is the first!)
According to the CIA fact bookt tourism is before Suez Canal but on the other hand we already know that CIA knows almost nothing about Middle East. :wink:

Marek K:
The standard at Extra Divers was 12-liter steel tanks (don't know how many cubic feet that's equivalent to -- 64 or 72? They're short and fat). Aluminum tanks, and 15-liter tanks, were available upon request.
Tha really suprised me - maybe because it's German centre because in Hurghada, Sharm and Dahab they use alu tanks. 15 liters are available but you have to pay extra ( I think in Hurghada it was 5 US$ per day or something like that)
and thanks marek for confirming that there you are probably safer than in Warsaw's streets in the middle of the day (not to mention the night). They are waiting for you Americans to come back.
Mania
 
mania:
According to the CIA fact bookt tourism is before Suez Canal but on the other hand we already know that CIA knows almost nothing about Middle East. :wink:

Hmmm... Where do you see that? CIA's 2004 World Factbook on-line (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/eg.html)only says that "Egypt's balance-of-payments position was not hurt by the war in Iraq in 2003, as tourism and Suez Canal revenues fared well."

My authority was the tour guide on one of the busses. :egypt:

Tourism fared well? Not what I heard while down there. Your opinion of our intelligence system may be right...

--Marek
 

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