Text/Wen Jie
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The following are my views and experiences on my years of travel and life in Egypt, most of them are personal experiences, not long, I hope it will be helpful to you!
1. Walking on the streets of Egypt, because you are Chinese, it is easy to be surrounded by Egyptians of all kinds of shouting around. They will say "From China?" in broken English. Korea? Japanese?” As long as you take the stubble, they will stick like a dog skin plaster. What is excessive is that there are even people who ask you for money directly, and in the eyes of Egyptians, the Chinese are representatives of money and gold.
Streets of Egypt
2. When visiting Egypt, it is best to have US dollars, Egyptian pounds, etc., which are mostly used to buy accommodation, food and beverages, and tips, while Egyptian pounds are used to buy local street food or go to the toilet. That's right, you need to pay for the toilet in Egypt, and the person who pays for it depends on the food, if you need 1 dollar, just ignore him, usually 10 Egyptian pounds.
Egyptian pound
3. Egypt, the country, even in the capital Cairo, reveals a tattered and old smell everywhere. Basically, you can't see the modern buildings of the new century, and most of them are dilapidated old Egyptian buildings. After the construction of the houses is completed, the locals have to pay a high tax, and as a result, many buildings can be seen that are "suspended" in the middle of construction.
Overlooking downtown Cairo from the hotel
4. Egyptians often talk about bad words, obviously talking about good prices before, but as soon as they turn their heads, they regret raising the price. When many locals see you as a foreign tourist, they will always try to find ways to make money from various aspects. Because they have lived for a long time, they are now commonplace, and a tougher attitude in communicating with them may work wonders.
Egyptians asking for money on the streets
5. Whether it is a street vendor or a store employee, Egypt will more or less speak a few simple Chinese; let you hear familiar Chinese thousands of miles away and have a good impression of them; and even some merchants will speak a few words of boastful Chinese, so as to attract you to their stores to consume, and sell you things that originally cost $1 to $10.
Egyptian traders
6. The monthly salary of ordinary people in Egypt is about 1,000 yuan, and their work attitude is very casual, and getting off work at the end of the day is the most basic. No one cares about the work and doesn't finish overtime, and immediately runs out to spend money after paying the salary, which is very flat.
Working Egyptians
7. Most of the vehicles on the streets of Egypt are all kinds of old cars that have been used for more than ten years, including second-hand cars from China. Rags, no doors, no mirrors are the norm, and traffic lights are rarely seen on the road, but people are not impatient to drive, but they don't pay attention to traffic rules.
Egyptian buses
8. The local accommodation conditions in Egypt are still okay, the price of ordinary hotels and B&Bs is between 100~500 RMB, and the better star hotels are at least between 1000~5000 RMB, but their location and scenery will be much better. Holiday rates will increase slightly, not by much.
Interior view of the Egypt Hotel
9. In Egypt, you can experience camel and carriage rides, the ordinary price is 100 Egyptian pounds per person for camels and $1 per person for carriages, and if you meet dishonest Egyptians, they may say that it is 100 dollars after sitting. In such a situation, if the 100 Egyptian pounds are not collected, you can go directly to the local police.
Camel ride in Cairo, Egypt
10. It is recommended to use online software for taxi hailing in Egypt, and pay cash to the driver according to the price given by the software. Because if you use a credit card, you will use the international exchange rate, which is not cost-effective. If the driver says that he can't find the money, he will be asked to find the money in a tough tone, because many local drivers will be careful about this.
Egypt taxis
11. When traveling to Egypt, remember to prepare travel slippers and toiletries, as these will not be provided in hotels in Egypt. When going to the main local scenic spots, it is best to give the locals the original price of cash to buy. Because the tickets for the scenic spot are swiped by foreigners, coupled with factors such as international exchange rates and handling fees, it will be much cheaper for locals to buy them.
Interior view of a B&B in Cairo
12. Taking pictures in front of the pyramids should be the choice of most people, but what is disturbing is that there will always be Egyptian photographers who take the initiative to take pictures of you, and they are very enthusiastic when they take pictures.
Near the pyramids
13. Egypt scenic spots are full of all kinds of scammers, there will be people pretending to be staff to explain to you (ask for money afterwards), there will be people who take the initiative to lead the way (ask for money and tips), free maps or scenic spot information (ask for money), before getting on the camel is 100 Egyptian pounds, and it will cost 100 Egyptian pounds when you get off the camel, protect your wallet, and someone will take money from it when you pay.
Interior view of the pyramid scenic area
14. In most restaurants in Egypt, service charges and taxes have already been added when dining and checkout, so you can refuse in the face of the waiter's request for a tip. And be sure to check the bills yourself so you don't get ruined. If you come across any locals who recommend you a restaurant, don't be gullible, it's likely to be a commissioner.
Checkout for a restaurant in Egypt
15. When staying in a hotel, remember to lock your valuables and put them in your safe, because it often happens in Egypt that waiters steal customers' things. And when you check in, the front desk will ask you to spend money to upgrade the room for reasons such as no air conditioning and no hot water.
Front desk of a hotel in Egypt
16. The consumption of popular attractions, the ticket to the Pyramid of Khufu is 600 Egyptian pounds, the Lucasso hot air balloon is 30~40 US dollars, the Red Sea diving is 20 US dollars / time, the Lucasso sunset sailing boat is 200 Egyptian pounds chartered, and the chartered bus from Aswan to Abu Simbel is about 70 dollars, and the charter fee is clearly stated in advance, including parking fees, high-speed fees, etc., so as not to get off and make you make up. (The above is the normal price, if you encounter something more expensive than this, you will cut it according to the price)
17. Before entering Egypt, it is best to exchange part of Egyptian pounds and US dollars in advance; except for large public places such as airports, there are few ATMs in Egypt that support foreign bank card withdrawals, and even if they can be exchanged, they will be exchanged according to the international real-time exchange rate, and they will lose a lot of money.
Currency exchange ATM machines at Egypt airports
18. There are all kinds of souvenirs on the streets and scenic spots of Egypt, and the funny thing is that a large part of them are produced in China. The price of Egyptians is often several times or even dozens of times, if you really want to buy, half cut is the basis, cut to one-third of the opening price may be the normal price, and it is also important to shop around.
Souvenir shops in Egypt
19. Before departing from Egypt, you can apply for an "electronic visa" online, which saves a lot of troublesome steps, and the visa will be issued in about 24 hours. When you arrive at the airport, you can also apply for a visa on arrival for $25. Apply for a local phone card at the airport, the traffic is 40G, and the fee is 40~60 RMB. Sun protection equipment is very important!
Visa on arrival at Cairo Airport
20. There are thousands of pyramids in Egypt, large and small, among which the three most famous are the "Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Havre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure", all of which are located in the Giza district of Cairo City, next to the city of Cairo. They can be seen in many hotel windows. The relationship between these three pyramids is also a peculiar relationship between grandfather, son, and grandson.
View of the pyramids from downtown Cairo
21. Egypt has a peculiar "flatbread subsidy", in which the Egyptian government pays a subsidy for each loaf to reduce its price to 0.05 Egyptian pounds, in order to make it affordable for the poor, a measure that has been in place for decades. But because the cost of a large pie is about 0.5 Egyptian pounds, Egypt pays a huge subsidy for this, resulting in a financial emptiness.
Egyptian flatbread on the streets
22. Egypt's population has grown extremely rapidly in recent years, with an average of one child being born every 10 seconds or so, and now Egypt's population has reached more than 100 million! However, 95 percent of Egypt's land is desert and unsuitable for the population to live in, resulting in nearly half of the population living in a narrow strip of less than 24,000 square kilometers, and Cairo, the capital, has a population of more than 20 million.
Cairo street view
23. Half of Egypt's population is engaged in agriculture, and even so, it still needs to import more than 10 million tons of grain from abroad every year to meet domestic demand. However, domestic grain can only meet the shortfall of about 20 percent, and the grain self-sufficiency rate is very low, and 20 percent of the poor people cannot even guarantee three meals a day.
Egyptian peasants
24. The current situation in Egypt is: the more subsidized, the more the population, the more the population, the more unemployment, the more unemployment, the more subsidies. In this way, it gradually fell into a circular quagmire. At present, the poverty rate in rural Egypt has reached more than 50%, and these people can spend less than 2 US dollars (about 14 yuan) a day.
Rural scene in Egypt
25. The Zawiya Gate Twin Towers, located in a prime location in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, to the south of El Khalili Market, are a group of magnificent twin towers and one of the important symbols of modern architecture in Cairo. Here, you can feel the collision of European and Arab cultures, and the twin towers have witnessed the historical changes of Cairo from ancient times to modern times.
Zavya Gate Twin Towers
26. Luxor hot air balloon, hot air balloon is generally divided into the first flight and the second flight, the difference is that the first flight can see the sunrise, so many tourists will want to rush to grab the first flight before the sunrise. In addition, in order to ensure that people from all directions can see all the scenery, the driver will always adjust the direction by controlling the hot air balloon, and even stay above the attraction to watch. Approximately 200 RMB/person.
Hot air balloon in Luxor, Egypt
27. Karnak Temple, was built in 1446 B.C., it took nearly 90 years to complete, it was the second largest temple in ancient Egypt at that time! After entering the second tower gate, it is the famous multi-column hall, the hall covers an area of about 5,000 square meters, 134 giant stone pillars are divided into 16 rows and stand here, the height of the central two rows of giant pillars reaches 21 meters, and the diameter is close to 4 meters. The first time I saw it, I was shocked!
Traveler II
28. The Sphinx, an ancient statue located on the Giza Plateau in Egypt, has the characteristics of a lion and a human face, and is one of the symbols of ancient Egypt, often considered to be a portrait of Pharaoh Hafra, echoing the Great Pyramid near it. Admiring the majestic Sphinx, you can't help but take your breath away.
sphinx
29. The National Museum of Egypt is one of the most important archaeological museums in the world, with a collection of more than 120,000 cultural relics. The museum is divided into two floors, the first floor is placed in chronological order, and the second floor is exhibited according to the theme, where the Tutankhamun exhibition hall and the mummy exhibition hall are located. There are a lot of artifacts here that you can get up close and personal, and you don't even have a glass cover.
The golden mask of Tutankhamun in the Egyptian Museum
30. Valley of the Kings, located in the desert on the west bank of the ancient city of Luxor, where more than 60 pharaohs of ancient Egypt and their relics are buried, but the main mausoleums that can be visited at present are the tomb of Tutankhamun, the tomb of Ramses III and VI, the tomb of Seti I, etc., most of the walls and ceilings of the mausoleums are covered with murals, and some are also decorated with gold reliefs, with bright and gorgeous colors.
Teiodani
31. Koshary "Kusari", this dish originated in the mid-19th century, when poor Egyptians mixed leftover rice, pasta, chickpeas, lentils, fried onions, tomatoes and vinegar into a sauce to eat, and the result was unexpectedly delicious. The selling price is between 30~50 Egyptian pounds.
Koshary "Kusari"
This dish is almost a must-order on the table
32. Egyptian roasted pigeons, Egyptians will stuff the pigeon's belly with rice, broad beans and spices, and roast it over charcoal, so that the roasted pigeon has tender and juicy meat. Another way is to stew pigeons, tomatoes, onions, and rice in clay pots. The resulting pigeon is a well-known dish in Egypt because of its fat and lean meat, which is eaten with meat and bones, and has a crispy and delicious taste.
Egyptian roast pigeons
Grilled pigeons inside the flavorful rice
33. The dessert "Konafa", which looks very similar to the domestic dragon whisker candy, is made of thousands of silk cakes, which are kneaded with butter and spread on a baking sheet, plus a layer of cream cheese, sprinkled with a layer of thousand silk cakes, and then poured with syrup and nuts after being baked in the oven. This is probably one of the favorite desserts of Egyptians and should not be missed when visiting Egypt.
Egyptian dessert "Konafa"
34. Egyptian sugarcane juice, which is considered the "national drink" of hot Egypt, and the streets of Egypt are full of freshly squeezed sugarcane juice shops. The clerk directly uses a machine to physically juice the washed sugarcane, and some can also add ice cubes to quench thirst. Prices range from 5, 8 and 10 Egyptian pounds to small, medium and large cups. However, the price is at least double in popular scenic spots.
Freshly pressed sugar cane juice on the streets of Egypt
35. Because Egypt is close to the Red Sea, seafood is abundant and cheap, and dining in local seafood restaurants is between 100~300 yuan per person. If you go to the seafood market and buy it yourself, it will only cost $4 for 1 pound of crab, and only $12 for the palm of your hand. The shrimp meat is too big to eat in one bite. After purchasing, you can find the nearest processing shop for processing, and only charge the table fee and processing fee.
Prawns in an Egyptian restaurant
Well, thank you for your patience here. I hope you can learn more about the world through this article.
Understand some customs at home and abroad, increase your experience and enrich your life.
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