Egypt holiday - now double-entendre free

[lo_freq_geek]

My family and I just returned from a 13 day tour of Egypt. My now-closed thread with the title referring to a desert-dwelling mammal's anatomy was supposed to be a segue to our experience there. I guess my sense of humour is not in sync with that of the mods - sorry if I offended or broke any rules - I didn't think I had.

Any-hooo.. Egypt was amazing. My wife and three sons (9, 10, 12) spent 13 days all over the country. Here are some highlights...

* Pyramids and sphinx are every bit as awesome as they are made out to be. Feel kind of insignificant in the shadow if these 4k+ year old monuments to human achievement

* Egypt Museum containing the remaining treasure the looters explorers didn't already steal.

* Felucca ride on the Nile river.

* Temples and tombs carved out of mountains including Abu Simbel built by Ramses II in 1300 BC and moved about 70 meters in the 60s.

* My kids loved the camel ride... I did not. I concur with D.M.N. from my other thread. Very unpleasant experience.

* Khan El Khalili market in old Cairo dating to 1300. If you like to haggle, this is the place to be.

* Snorkeling around coral reefs on the red sea.

Not so pleasant: the litter EVERYWHERE, heavily armed military presence wherever you go, horrid poverty, everybody hustling for a tip (called baksheesh), the unbelievable traffic in Cairo (3 lanes of cars in 2 lanes of road + donkey carts and motorcycles, no turn signals, no headlights, lots of horn honking, pretty much a free-for-all), and 24+ hours in airports and on planes on each end.

[Schlyder]

There is an orb(ufo) in the first photo.. top left corner. :P

[lo_freq_geek]

Yeah... UFO = unfortunate frickin object... I guess some dust got in my nikon when I changed lenses and I didn't notice until we got home.

[stevetx19]

Originally Posted by lo_freq_geek

* Pyramids and sphinx are every bit as awesome as they are made out to be. Feel kind of insignificant in the shadow if these 4k+ year old monuments to human achievement

...more like a monument to extra-terrestrial achievement

[lo_freq_geek]

"...more like a monument to extra-terrestrial achievement"

Hang on while I fetch my Mulder-issue tinfoil hat...

[mrpackerguy]

Any good bass shops in Cairo?

[lo_freq_geek]

"Any good bass shops in Cairo?"

If there were I never would have found them. The closest thing would be finding a handmade oud in the market that was 2000 LE (around $400). The musical entertainment we saw was karaoke western pop songs and traditional Egyptian folk music (oud, some weird bowed thingy, & tamborine). Sadly I didn't even see a bass for 25 days.

[MJ5150]

I would like to visit Egypt someday. Sadly, the terrorists have won and have me totally spooked about traveling there. Did you all ever have any moments where you were nervous for your safety?

-Mike

[D.M.N.]

Nice. I'd love to visit the pyramids and really the rest of Egypt at some point. And snorkelling the Red Sea? Too cool man.

But yeah, Camels.......no fun. I rode them while in the Thar Desert (western India) and the idea and prospect of telling friends I rode camels was REALLY cool, and then the pain began. I'm not sure I'm ever going to be able to have children.

Originally Posted by lo_freq_geek

"Any good bass shops in Cairo?"

If there were I never would have found them. The closest thing would be finding a handmade oud in the market that was 2000 LE (around $400). The musical entertainment we saw was karaoke western pop songs and traditional Egyptian folk music (oud, some weird bowed thingy, & tamborine). Sadly I didn't even see a bass for 25 days.

Funnily enough, the same holds true in India. I went to numerous music "shops", and though there were plenty of "Givson" guitars and other knock offs, not only did I never SEE a bass, but when I asked the proprietors if they had any basses, they had no idea what I was talking about. Like the instrument doesn't exist. Not "oh, we don't have one now", just "No such thing." The closest I found was a Guitarrón..... Seriously, you have a Guitarrón, but have no idea what a bass is? Quite entertaining.

[Deluge Of Sound]

I'd really like the opportunity to see the Pyramids. From everyone I've talked to, they're too big to be appreciated unless you see 'em in person*.







*I was going to make a joke here, but this thread's entendre-free.

[lo_freq_geek]

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Did you all ever have any moments where you were nervous for your safety?

-Mike

Nothing specific but I reckoned that the soldiers with MP-5s and AK-47s were there for a reason. 12 million tourists visit Egypt every year and they want to keep that cash flow. The day we left Cairo, however, there was a bombing at a a Christian church in Alexandria that left 21 dead and close to a hundred injured. You could always be in the wrong place at the wrong time.