alexandria port said cairo saqqara dahshoor amarna - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**space virgin** · 07-27-2004, 10:08 AM

Ever since I got back from Europe in April I've been wondering where to take my next trip, then it hit me-- duh! Egypt! Cripes, I have TWO friends living in Cairo that I can stay with, and I've always wanted to go. Probably I'll go around March/April, my usual travel time, and probably for no more than 3 weeks, if even that. Woo hoo!!! Now that I have a specific destination I can start getting serious about saving & planning. Any Egypt stories & info will be appreciated!

**Canadian Dude** · 07-27-2004, 12:03 PM

OH my!! What a great frik'n trip that sounds like!!! how long do you thnk you can carry me on your back?

**space virgin** · 07-27-2004, 12:12 PM

how much do you weigh? lol

the airfare is going to be a bitch, prolly around $1000 to $1300 depending, with British Air being my preferred airline. Although I keep seeing a reported price of $700 or so on Aeroflot, but christ-- a 22-hour trip with a 5-hour layover in Moscow! Yikes!!! A direct flight from Seattle to Moscow on a 767 sounds like a nightmare. haha.

**worldwidemike** · 07-29-2004, 07:12 PM

Hey SV,

I know I mentioned this on the other thread, but if you are at all open to having someone go with you, I'd seriously be interested. If not, I certainly won't be offended...what with you having friends there to stay with and visit. That and the whole traveling with a guy you've never met!

Anyway, you're right...airfare from Seattle could be kind of crazy. And you know...Aeroflot...you're one brave person if you fly them. AeroFLOP, I call them....

worldwidemike

**omisan** · 07-29-2004, 09:00 PM

I'm so f'in jealous right now, this guy isn't green enough to demonstrate: :greenguy:

Oh, and after hearing my mom's Aeroflot stories, there's no way I'd fly 'em. 'Course, that was the 70's, this is now... I'll pay a little more for BA and their cute little blue utensils any day.

**space virgin** · 07-30-2004, 09:53 AM

I really thought the name AeroFlot was a joke at first. haha! Hell no, I'd rather pay an extra 700 or so to NOT have to go through what sounds to be complete purgatory. British Air is looking like the most likely candidate-- only one layover in London.

Mike-- I'd be down for that!

I'm probably going to start in Cairo for about a week (saqqara and dahshoor are easy day trips) with my friends. You'd be more than welcome to join me there or wherever. I'm looking at probably leaving in the earlier part of March as the airfare seems to be better. I was planning on 3 weeks-- one week in Cairo and 2 weeks going down and back up the Nile.

Oh, the excitement is starting already...

**U2fan** · 07-31-2004, 06:43 AM

hey space virgin! your trip sounds awesome, i went to egypt in march and i want to go back!!!!!!! i don´t have much time right now as i am still in europe, seville for the 3rd time this trip and oh yeah, morocco was great, but when i get home next week

i will think of some things! and really you should not pay more than 900 for a flight. i think mine was 850.

love,
lauren

**space virgin** · 08-02-2004, 11:05 AM

^ I'm definitely going to shop around for my ticket, and I'm not going to buy it til after Christmas anyway (unless I find an amazing deal, NOT on AeroFlot-- yeah right.

) But the problem is that airfare from Seattle is *always* more expensive than just about anywhere else, unless you're heading to China or Japan.

**U2fan** · 08-05-2004, 04:07 AM

oh yeah, i forgot you are coming from seattle. I was coming from Cincinnati......but hopefully you can still find a good deal!

**worldwidemike** · 08-09-2004, 06:12 PM

Wow, that's really tempting, SV! I have three weeks of vacation, and I could use two of them for that, and maybe drop a few days on either end of the trip if my buds at work will help me out...hmmmm.

Keep in touch on airfares. I think I will go to the relevent websites and punch in to Cairo on their e-mail lists. I'll go ahead and list from Seattle, too, just in case I come up with a find.

"Born in Arizona, moved to Babylonia...King Tut!!!!"

worldwidemike

Turtle · 08-29-2004, 06:35 PM

Hello! I'm planning my own trip to Egypt and have immersed myself in information about it. I did run into a cool forum that has tons of info about traveling... if you search the archives you can learn TONS about what it's like to be in Egypt... even language and cultural etiquette (things I never would've thought about)... go ahead and snoop around Egypt Talk. The rest of the forum is filled with a lot of drama but I've made quite a few online buddies and lots of expats to show me around when I get there.

As far as airfare goes... if you don't want to fly to Russia

then scope out tickets from Seattle to NYC then from NYC to Cairo... it's usually a lot cheaper that way... at least by a few hundred bones... more to spend on yummy Egyptian food!

My plan is to be there by mid-November and I just plan on hanging out for awhile... be a wandering gypsy for god knows how long.

sillymouse · 12-17-2004, 06:22 PM

Hey Space Virgin... I'm leaving for Cairo in 12 days... OH MY GOD!! .. from Seattle and I found an awesome ticket on Travelocity. Seattle to Amsterdam with a 12-hour layover (enough time for a quick day of play) and then a quick 5 hour hop to Cairo. I only paid $750 for roundtrip and I'm staying for a month.

Granted.. you are going when the season starts to pick up but I'm sure you can find a great deal.

**space virgin** · 12-20-2004, 09:41 AM

wow, that's a great deal!! This is a good time of year to go as well.

Sadly I'm going to have to postpone my trip til the fall / wintertime. Oh well.

But have a great time and let me know how it goes!! (and it goes without saying that you'll need to post pictures.

)

sillymouse · 02-10-2005, 09:34 AM

I had my month in Egypt and sadly I'm back home. Egypt is so polluted and dirty but after being there for a month you notice all the other things that make it so amazing. The people are unbelievablly kind and welcoming and I never once felt intimidated or in danger. I'm so used to the way of Americans where we are so wrapped up in self-sufficiency and fending for ourselves that it was awkward making a shift into a warmer culture.

I am now planning how I will make my return ASAP and live there for at least a year. I miss Cairo! Perhaps it was that Nile water I drank....

Check out my blog (still in progress.. delayed by worms):
A-la-peanut-butter-sandwiches!

sillymouse · 02-16-2005, 08:56 PM

Added another section to the blog. It's very picture heavy so beware if you are on dial-up!

**LiveFreeorDie** · 02-17-2005, 10:40 AM

Quote:

I'm so used to the way of Americans where we are so wrapped up in self-sufficiency and fending for ourselves that it was awkward making a shift into a warmer culture.

That is a pretty good observation. I have similar thoughts about Asia vs the U.S. People in general are so much more communal in spirit in Asia. Families live together, neighborhoods are much closer as a community of people. I have on many occassions seen one person who barely has a dollar to their name still help out someone else less fortunate. People are much warmer and are much more likely to help someone else. I do think the U.S. places so much emphasis on self-reliance that we have lost a lot of community spirit...help your neighbor kind of thing. It is definately an eye opener to see how other cultures live.

**joanofarc** · 11-16-2005, 02:18 PM

for sure. the dependence training of eastern individuals is one of my favorite things about traveling through asia. i know i'm a pig, no denying that - BUT i seriously think that food stalls and street eat culture does a lot to strengthen community as well.

**Tadpole** · 11-16-2005, 03:05 PM

Yall should visit the south sometime