tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post4683731998123248419..comments2023-10-02T09:39:35.896+02:00Comments on Totally Frenched Out: The pratical side of EgyptKsamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991667611234163617noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-43949974815964299862010-03-27T11:20:15.949+01:002010-03-27T11:20:15.949+01:00@Anne - that is funny! I bet it meant you guys got...@Anne - that is funny! I bet it meant you guys got harassed a lot less in the streets. C got lots of "Lucky man, lucky man" because I'm blond. <br /><br />@pinklea- I guess if you really want to bring Egyptian money, make sure you get small bills (like 10 & 20 pound notes). We had 50's and 100's and no one wanted to take them. Everyone wanted to be paid in euros or dollars - so American money would definitely be fine too. If you do have both currencies, maybe consider having two coin purses to keep them separate (and be on the look out for the scams I mentioned when getting money back). <br /><br />And about 5 pounds sounds about right for any kind of service person (doorman, baggage carrier, etc). We had the same guide the entire trip, and he handed out envelopes at the end and each couple chose how much money to put in there. We didn't give a ton because our guide wasn't exceptional (plus I thought he'd gotten enough already from all the places he'd made us stop at).<br /><br />I saw very few women wearing skirts - most of the women were wearing long linen pants or cropped pants. One day, one girl wore very short shorts out and it caused quite the ruckus, and I guess I'd been told that skirts had the same effect. On the boat or at the hotel it would be fine though - there were women in bikinis and whatnot with no problems. Most of us wore tank tops/sleeveless shirts though, and it was fine as long as they weren't low-cut/v-necks. It wasn't necessary to cover my arms/chest with a scarf, but I usually did to 1)protect from the sun and 2)at least somewhat limit all the comments from men in the streets. <br /><br />As for footwear - I brought two pairs of sandals and one pair of shoes. It's true that the sand was pretty hot already in March, so it might be absolutely burning by July!<br /><br />And I was just thinking, maybe an umbrella might be good too? There isn't really much protection from the sun when you're visiting the temples and whatnot, and I saw a lot of Asian women with umbrellas, which I thought was a pretty smart idea. <br /><br />@MadameK - I think C found it quite exhausting as well, especially the haggling. He says he's happy he went, but that he doesn't have any desire to go back.Ksamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991667611234163617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-38317756906945144542010-03-27T09:36:20.352+01:002010-03-27T09:36:20.352+01:00After reading your post I can only imagine how the...After reading your post I can only imagine how the "Enquête Exclusive" makes Egypt look. I love that show! They are total drama queens.<br /><br />Still, it sounds exhausting! I don't think I'll be going to Egypt anytime soon.Madame Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10711262100071626133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-59896629373332066512010-03-27T06:41:11.898+01:002010-03-27T06:41:11.898+01:00Lots of awesome info there! Very timely for me - ...Lots of awesome info there! Very timely for me - thank you! Our upcoming trip covers most of what yours did, but since ours is 12 days, Cairo, Alexandria, and Abu Simbel are included. We're only on the Nile cruise for 3 days, as well, and travel by train, plane and coach the rest of the time. It's a little more expensive for us, coming from Canada, but I've wanted to see Egypt for a long time now, so I'm not too worried about that!<br /><br />Don't bring any Egyptian money at all? I know they won't take my Canadian dollars, so I'll have to change currency anyway, but I've been told that American money is fine. Any thoughts on that?<br /><br />That whole tipping culture is kind of a concern to me. I've been told that you have to tip for almost everything, usually about 5 Egyptian pounds at minimum. On an excursion, I suppose you have to tip the guide. How much per person, generally? Does everyone in the tour group contribute to make one large tip for the leader?<br /><br />I was hoping to wear skirts, just not skirts above the knee, since our trip is in July, so it will be quite a bit hotter than it is now. And tank tops are okay? That's surprising - and a relief, because I have loads of them! I can add a scarf as necessary quite easily, I think. Can you wear anything you want on the ship (swimsuit, shorts, etc)? What about footwear? I was told that walking sandals were a bad idea because the hot sand will get into them, but I wore them (and flip flops) all over the ruins of Greece last year and managed just fine. What do you think?<br /><br />Thanks for any insights you care to share with me, Sam!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-17381977331514795162010-03-26T13:14:33.916+01:002010-03-26T13:14:33.916+01:00This is all really useful info. I think you defini...This is all really useful info. I think you definitely got a good deal there - I'll look into similar things when I get back to Europe! I remember during our (brief) trip to Egypt everyone assumed I was Egyptian. Complete strangers would walk up to Jonathan and congratulate him on scoring an "Egyptian wife"!Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12378641793670728610noreply@blogger.com