Cataclysmic Cairo

Trip Start Sep 01, 2005
1
81
163
Trip End Dec 04, 2006


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Egypt  ,
Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Our time in Cairo was memorably spent reporting sexual harassment charges at the police station (or room) of a shop keeper who made lewd comments to Amber. After much fanfare on behalf of his brothers, cousins and uncles who apologised for the 20 yr old boy's foolishness and rudeness we decided to let him off on the guarantee that he will never say such things again. After all he is only young and it would scar him for life and hopefully he will learn from this.

And on that note I am proud to say that we are leaving Egypt and are not looking to come back (unless just to dive) for a very, very long time. The country and its people have tried and tested our patience. The fact that they openly try to rip you off in every aspect from anyone and everyone that you interact with whilst they smile and be smug about it when you catch them out is a lesson in self control because you do have to eat and you do have to sleep. The fact that you have to go to at least 3 street vendors to get the normal price for water is absurd, the police aren't much of a help either as they ask for tips, the shop touts walk in front of you and sometimes even try to drag you into their stores (don't they realise that it's wrong!) and people just won't leave you alone ever. I've been to countries that are much much poorer then this but the difference is when you open up your arms they embrace you with open arms too but if you open up your arms in Egypt, they will rummage through your pockets, steal your money and take everything of value off you and anyone near you in a 5 mile radius whether you like it or not. You shouldn't scare away your target market like that, especially when the number one industry is tourism. Don't get me wrong...the Egyptian sites are amazing and the diving first rate but unless you have the skin of a rhinoceros and you don't mind paying through the nose then Egypt isn't for you.

That is my experience and I hope that others have had more pleasant ones. I know I don't speak for all the Egyptians and indeed we have met some genuinely nice people but they are way too few and too far in between (something like 1 out of 100). Goodbye........
Print this entry Cairo hotels