I spent two weeks in Egypt with my 17 year old daughter. A weeks cruise, three nights in Cairo and three nights in Luxor. We were spoilt rotten on the cruise. The food was fantastic, the service could not be faulted, and we were looked after so much that we did not want to get off the boat! The temples are magnificent, and we saw so many while on the boat that I can't remember the name of all of them. The best one was Abu Simbel (see my opinion on it). The hotels in Cairo and Luxor were also fantastic. Egypt is worth going to. However, we did have major problems. My daughter was 17 at the time, and every single day I got asked to sell her. Half the men we met offered me money to marry my daughter off to them. It was funny at first, but we got stopped several times every day. The most amount was 9million US dollars that I was offered. We laugh about that now, but at the time I found it extremely rude. We started to tell them she was engaged but that didn't stop them. I then went and bought her a wedding ring and that didn't stop them either. On top of that everywhere we went the men were begging, although they didn't see it as begging. The stand in the tombs saying "watch your head Madam" and hold their hand out for a tip! The women we spoke to were courteous, polite and friendly, but I can't say the same about the men. We would not go out alone. Everywhere we went I made sure that there were other people with us.
If you plan on going to Egypt with a young daughter I would think twice about it. It is unfortunate but the men were pig-ignorant beggars - and I'm being polite.
The temples are, as our guide said, "a legacy to humanity". Some are nothing more than ruins, while others still retain a big part of their former glory. The talent and skill of the ancient people of the world is very evident. I was very impressed with the temples and very disappointed in the way they are looked after. There are warning signs in many places not to take photos or touch anything because of the age of the artefacts. But the guardians of the temples/tombs were more than willing to take bribes and turn a blind eye. They would even take photos for the tourists even though the flash could damage items. On top of that in many temples, it was quite clear in some of the chambers, that people had used the room as a toilet. If that wasn't bad enough, we went to the Citadel in Cairo and were instructed to cover our heads and take off our shoes in respect! It's a pity they couldn't show the same respect for the temples of other people.
In conclusion Egypt as a country and ancient monument is fantastic. The temples are fantastic. They have been standing for thousands of years, many of them were built thousands of years before the birth of Jesus or Muhammed, and are a testament to the skill that humanity is capable of achieving. They are a legacy to all of us the world over.
The male population of Egypt however, are disrespectful, ill-mannered, beggars, and should all be shut in their homes and not let out.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
The men are awful around the tourist areas, I know. We needed a bit more on Egypt itself, though, as that is the title. Food ? Weather ? Prices ? If you add to this, let me know and I'll be happy to read it again.You could read some travel ops by others, and see the kind of information given. Good luck.
water-witch 08.12.2002 00:12
It is the one place in the world that I would really love to visit!
LostWitness 07.12.2002 23:18
I suppose it's not until you travel that you realise how different some cultures are. I find Egypt fascinating but am rather nervous of actually visiting the ocuntry - not safe enough for me!
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: Close to the Egyptian Museum and other interesting places Disadvantages: Compared to the other hotels it was on the expensive side - but well worth it
Steven_Holroyd 07.06.2007 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Nile Hilton, Cairo
Are you the manufacturer / provider of General: Egypt? Click here
Dec 7th, 2002
helpful by (100%):
