Egyptian Time
We spent the rest of the week on a short three night Nile cruise, it was a trip goal of mine to sleep on the Nile. They had organized group tours from the ship, buffet meals included, etc. Ours went from Aswan to Luxor, from Wednesday to Saturday. It had no WiFi. In fact most places in Egypt did not have WiFi. I would not suggest it as a place to work remote from. I’m very lucky that I took PTO for it. Because it would have failed miserably.
Reaction
I’m not sure I would ever return to Egypt again. I know it’s a harsh opinion to a country I barely scratched the surface of. But it was a stressful and difficult week. The country is doing very poorly economically and it shows. I haven’t been accosted like that since Cambodia, and then I was young, not “in charge”, and Asian (blending a bit better). In Egypt the targeting like that was utterly exhausting. Us being an interracial couple, with the combination that Chinese is now a highly desirable tourist segment and the classic beautiful white woman in a non-Western country, it was highly uncomfortable and depressing to have to be so aggressively negative towards locals. But tourism seems to be their main economic source, and they could use the money. And with the aforementioned power of the US Dollar, you can really stretch it and get quite an experience.
It is home to one of the most remarkable civilizations ever. It is absolutely ridiculous how many ancient temples, statues, monuments, etc. have been preserved for thousands of years from Ancient Egypt. And there’s plenty more to be found. If you’re even remotely interested in this. You absolutely have to go, I just have some ideas that may help your trip be a bit smoother and more effective than ours. And feel free to reach out for background and details.
Recommendations
Important things to consider if you plan a trip there.
How into Ancient Egypt are you?
We hit quite a wall and sort of lost interest in many of the legends and stories we were being told. It’s incredible what’s preserved, but it’s a lot of the same. I’d highly suggest for most people who can’t list more than 10 Egyptian Gods off the back of their hand and have a background in antiquities, a lot of what we did could be skipped, and you should just focus on the best highlights.
How much do you hate large crowds of tourists?
It can get bad in certain areas. Wake up early to beat the crowds there. And I mean get to the site as it opens. Not just wake up early. Or go at the very end of the day, but with Egyptian Time, they could just decide to close shop early and go home… so a bit riskier.
Go on the opposite schedule as the cruises / tour groups. For Abu Simbel, it’s go in the afternoons. Hard to predict for others, but perhaps there’s some research elsewhere. This can be done by going solo / private guides. It’s probably worthwhile.
What are your goals?
I, for example, wanted to sleep on the Nile and have a private patio view of the pyramids. We achieved both. List your goals and I can try to help you.
Do’s
Get a Great Guide
As I mentioned before, Enass for Giza / Cairo / Saqqara was fantastic. Nour from Egypt Tours Portal was incredibly helpful and flexible with our rogue nature. But a bit less interesting for us from a tour perspective. However, it’s not his fault, it was a group and he had many kids to keep engaged. He was also seemed a bit overwhelmed. Mohammed who took us to the Aswan Botanical Gardens and on a Felucca ride was incredibly friendly and we greatly enjoyed our discussions about modern Egypt with him.
Stay at Mena House
It’s just the best view. There’s nothing like waking up in the morning and just staring at the Pyramids. Sitting on your patio drinking sparkling Egyptian wine in their shadow. You get access to a separate entrance into the Pyramids which is way less crowded too.
Visit the Pyramids of Giza
Nothing else like it in the world. There’s not much to see on the interior, but I think it’s worth it just for the feeling.
Visit Luxor
Valley of the Kings
Best preserved art, hieroglyphics, and tombs.
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
Beautiful temple, that felt very different than the others.
Karnak Temple
This was the largest and best temple we saw. Do this one. We didn’t have time, but the light and sound show here is considered the best one. So if you’re going to do one, try it here.
Walking around. It felt safe at night. Plenty to do and see. Get a drink at the Winter Pavillon’s Royal Bar, eat the best falafel sandwich I’ve ever had for 40 cents (10 EGP), eat with a river view.
Take a Felucca on the Nile
These sail boats are iconic and really peaceful. Set aside an hour and go for a ride.
Bring lots of cash in small bills
Whether it’s US Dollars or Egyptian Pounds, credit cards are not widely accepted. And while guides cover a lot of fees and payments, tipping is on you and you’ll need to cover a lot. Most of the historic sites as well, do not take credit card, so be prepared to burn through cash. We brought 4,000 EGP, another 2,000 EGP we took out at an ATM. Went through at least a $100 USD in tips.
Be Aware of Egyptian Time
Egyptian Time is not slow/delayed/late. It’s just flexible. Egyptians were incredibly hard working… when the thing showed up. For example, we waited an 1.5 hours to get a hot air balloon, but once it arrived, the grounds crew flew into action and they got us up in the air in no time. Same goes for the airline or tour, a lack of interest, until suddenly everything is flying. Just try and relax, I did so by drinking and listening to the Always Sunny Podcast, and you’ll get through it.
Dont’s
Go to the Markets / Or Shop
Honestly, they’re all awful and there’s no reason to go into them. If you want souvenirs of a certain type, just let a guide pick a recommended one and bring you there. It was a terrible hassle dealing with the markets. The quality was poor, the haggling annoying, and the prices were incredibly inconsistent. Never pay more than 50% of the asking price.
Go on the Nile Cruise Shore Expeditions / Random Towns along the Nile
As I mentioned before, we hated the quick 1 hour shore trips that a half dozen cruises would do simultaneously. Skip them all. Relax on the cruise, visit only the best temples, because they eventually blend and only the most Egyptophile folk will care. Kom Ombo, Edfu, Philae, and other smaller spots can be skipped. Aswan as well, could be skipped. They’re nice, but not necessary.
Take Egypt Air
Or at least do so with a grain of salt and be very aware of any changes to your flight. Check-in online early and be flexible. We had the cornucopia of flight issues: the standard delay, the “we’ve consolidated this flight with others for tomorrow”, and the “what you’ve booked isn’t real, so try this one instead.”
Use TripAdvisor
This is one of those things that the internet has sort of ruined. When one website like this is the life and blood of the tourism industry, they’re obsessed with the score more than your experience. They all seem slightly doctored, because why not? It’s so valuable to be on the top pages. Wish there was a better alternative.
Maybe’s
Go to Abu Simbel
We really liked it, but it was mired by difficulty getting there through Egypt Air, and the only alternative is a drive from Abu Simbel, that sounded terrible from our fellow cruisers aboard the ship. It’s far, and probably not a “must-do” for a trip. But if you do, we recommend the Eskaleh Nubian Ecolodge. And you have to do it solo, not with a tour group.
A Nile Cruise
The Nile Cruise industry is very strange. It was nigh impossible to get solid information from operators to plan. Again, speaking to other cruisers, it was all done on a hope and a prayer. Yet upon arrival, it’s a well-oiled machine, with many ships doing these routes up and down the Nile. They’re easy and a safe option, however they leave a lot to be desired. There are few activities and things to do on the ship, the food is plentiful but repetitive, mediocre, and at narrow windows, and the whole thing is just a bit tired.
Pay for a luxury cruise or probably don’t do it. They look a lot more expensive and have longer travel times, but if I were to do it again, I wouldn’t go budget. Though I had a very very limited window and specific travel time, so it was actually the only option available to us. Many of the tour excursions on the agenda were swamped with the flotilla of cruises that we moved with. So only consider a cruise if you really want to see a lot of Ancient Egypt. The coolest ones are on smaller ships that often you have to fully charter, Below Deck style. Either way, try to go with a dahabiya-type ship or the Sudan (Agatha Christie style steamer).
Hot Air Balloon
It was delayed and cramped. I didn’t think it was worth the early call and expensive ride. Certainly thrilling, and a beautiful view, really highlighting the aerial layout of Egypt’s reliance on the Nile.
Final 23 Hour Day
05:00 - Hot Air Balloon
Our Saturday started at the break of dawn with a hot air balloon ride over Luxor. It took a while to get going due to police and organizational delays which was quite frustrating, but it was quite enjoyable once the approval went ahead and we were up in the air. Upon our descent, which happens much faster than we thought and yet never felt out of control. We had a good spot in the basket, but there isn’t too much of a view. The best part is that you have desert / mountains starkly clashing with Nile / green, but most the monuments become too small to really see.
Upon landing, kids on donkeys raced towards our landing site (which is random depending on the winds?). And started begging and harassing us as we got out / waited for our shuttle. Credit to them for being so aggressive, but this just added to the general discomfort of the trip. I know their outlook is dire, but there’s little to do for them with some pocket change, that I don’t have enough to give to all of them either.
09:00 - Breakfast and Checkout
It has to be noted that Luxor does not have a convenient bridge across the Nile. I have no idea why, my best speculation is that the gentlemen who operate ferries, both informal and formal across the East and West banks are a cartel, and they obstruct any potential developments to connect them. If you ever have the choice, take a boat cross. Otherwise it’s a half hour detour south of the city to the crossing point. Adds a lot of time since many attractions are across the river.
11:00 - Valley of the Kings
Go. This place is incredible. There are tons of tombs hidden in the valley. They’re incredibly well preserved and there are definitely more to be found. The finest art / hieroglyphics you’ll find. You get three tombs in the standard ticket, but you can get more. We did Ramses I, IV, & IX (yes, you have to get better at roman numerals). And paid extra for King Toot’s (what we started calling him) and Ramses V/VI. There are many more. You could spend days here, but those 5 were a great highlight, that took 1-2 hours. And it’s quite easy to get whole tombs to yourself.
15:00 - Lunch on near Banana Island
Tasty lunch, but unnecessary boat ride. Got to spend a lot of great time with our cruise friends, Russlet (that’s their couple name), and their family. Really cool Australians who were just so fun to interact with. We spent a lot more time on vessels than we thought we would even though we were on a cruise. Had to be on at least 6 different boats at certain points.
16:30 - Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
So… this closes at 17:00, and we arrived with just a few minutes to spare. Our guide, who for some reason scheduled us to waste time going back and forth for some reason, had to fight to get us inside. And while we only had a few minutes, honestly it was enough for me, simply because I was burnt out. But many of our group, including Mattos, were frustrated that we didn’t give this impressive woman king more time. It’s a fantastic monument, you should go see it. We were a bit lucky because it was the end of the day, we were the only ones there! However, that did come with a guard with a submachine gun, who constantly growled and tried to egg us along. Mattos never wanted to provoke him, I assured her the weapon wasn’t for us, but she’s more of a rule follower than I am.
19:40 20:30 - Luxor to Cairo
Egyptian time strikes. I drank beer in the airport to calm my nerves. Mattos is a trooper for putting up with me and this chaos trip. We had a short window to make our separate ticket connection, so we were antsy and nervous, when the flight got delayed and we were just on a wing and a prayer. Ended up departing about 1.5 hours after the scheduled time.
23:40 00:00 - Cairo to Doha
Even Qatar Airways isn’t immune to Egyptian time. We rushed through the terminals, tried our best with the multiple security check points that always became a hassle because Mattos was forced into the family / women’s line. Which was always longer and slower than the rest. (Yes, Fox News, stop complaining that only happens in Qatar, it happens in many countries). But geez, did we pick the right lanes when we could, have our Hayya cards out ready, fought with so many people who tried to cut us at every turn (Middle Easterners do not respect a queue), and we flew through it. Not sure how we absolutely crushed it and made it on the flight, but we sat in our seats watching these stragglers who were moving at glacial paces that sorta made us feel like idiots, but we were on the plane, and that’s what mattered.
04:00 / 05:00 - Arrival to Doha and Check-In to Hotel
Arriving in Qatar was a very strange feeling. It had an energy of returning home. Perhaps knowing it was my second to last flight for this trip. My fifth time entering Qatar. The confidence that I would not need cash. That no one was heckling us, trying to sell us on something, or take us somewhere. I knew the map of the city without Googling it… it was just relaxing. Even Mattos felt significantly calmer when we arrived. Passport control was a breeze, no wait taxi stand, and checking into the hotel. Where we promptly fell asleep to try and get some rest before the big day.
Final Thoughts
Go to Egypt. Just stick to the best sites. Set expectations about many of the vendors and beggars you will interact with. Enjoy Ancient Egypt. Eat falafel.
