Advice for a New TV Show on Egypt

I have a New Year’s tradition: I lay all my travel dreams on the table, sort them out, prioritize, and begin the process of turning those dreams into reality. My spring 2013 trip will be, as always, heavy on the Mediterranean (Egypt, Israel, Palestinian territories, Turkey, Italy, Spain, and Portugal). I’ll be scouting TV shows in the Middle East, shooting two shows in Turkey, and then updating guidebooks.

What I’d like is a little advice on Egypt from my good travel buddies here on my Blog.

I know Egypt is in a bit of turmoil and that tourism is way down, but I expect it will bounce back when things stabilize. A decade ago I did a single TV show on Egypt (featuring the predictable tourist attractions in Cairo and Luxor). This April, I hope to scout there for 10 days and then, in a year or so, take the film crew there to shoot two shows.

Here’s what I featured in my last show: Pyramids of Giza, a camel ride, Khan el-Khalili (medieval bazaars,   including a spice bazaar), smoking a sheeshaw, Cairo’s Egyptian National Museum, the night train to Luxor, great temples of Luxor, Valley of the Kings, a Nile ferry, a bike ride into village Egypt, and sailing in a felucca on the Nile at sunset.

In the next show I’ll have double the time and want to include the great city of Alexandria.

So, if you have any first-hand (or second-hand) experience from the road in Egypt, I’d love to hear about it.

Here are my questions:

• What’s it like for a Western tourist in Egypt right now?
• In what condition are the big, obvious “must see” sights for tourists?
• In Alexandria, Cairo, and Luxor, what would be some great sights and experiences (beyond the ones I listed above) to work into the script?
• Do you know a good and reliable local guide in Cairo or Luxor?

Thanks for the help and Happy New Year,

Rick

Comments

7 Replies to “Advice for a New TV Show on Egypt”

  1. If you’re headed to the Middle East, how come you’re skipping Lebanon and Jordan? Petra (needs two days) has to be one of the world’s great sights, and besides Beirut, Lebanon has plenty to see, too. At the very least, you could cover Petra as a side trip from Israel. I chose to visit Lebanon, Jordan and Syria in preference to Israel, and I don’t regret it. While Syria is sadly off limits right now, Jordan and Lebanon should still be safe.

  2. I like the idea of traveling around Egypt. In fact, a Rick Steves guide recommended it. But as long as the current degree, or anything approaching it, of instability persists, I wouldn’t think of exposing my family.

  3. My husband and I traveled to Egypt 2years ago during our Christmas holidays. Coincidentally it was 2 weeks before the revolution. We luckily met up with a taxi driver guide in Cairo. His name is Mohmed Abou Soud. He made our Cairo part of the trip ideal. Without a guide, it would have been extremely difficult to have found our way around. We were walking dollar signs to most people. In the tourist areas we felt that we had to combat our way around. Sightseeing was more of a battle but with the guide Mohmed, however he paved the way to an extraordinary, exotic vacation where we could take in the sights and sounds of the amazing ancient and modern world of Cairo. My husband and I are teachers. We travel extensively during our holidays. Egypt is a highlight in our travels for its uniqueness and history but also it’s challenges. We sailed up the Nile to Luxor and visited Abu Simbal. Egypt is not an easy trip to do independently. For most casual tourists, a guide is a must!

  4. Having been to Egypt I would actually recommend you NOT do a show on it. When I was there 3 years ago, Egypt was amazingly corrupt. Everytime I was at a sight and wondered-away from the big concentration of tourists I had someone (including the “tourist police”) try to extort me. At the step pyramid a tourist policeman insisted that I stand in one particular spot and take a photo of the desert, then demanded a tip. I refused, but most people would have complied as he had an AK47 slung over his shoulder (it didn’t phase me; I own multiple AR15s and am used to seeing them). At Abu Simbel photography was forbidden inside, but the guards at the door told me (without me asking) that I could take a photo from the door, then demanded payment afterwards. There are several more examples. I’m fit and agressive looking; I image women docile men have it much worse. I’ve taken 12 big trips all-over the world (including Italy and Israel) and nobody has tried to extort me anywhere except Egypt. Don’t get me wrong; most of the people were nice people, but Egypt is the only place that has left a nasty taste in my mouth.

  5. I was on a Trafalgar Tour in Egypt in 2008 with my parents. We did pretty much most of the tourist things. We too took a Nile cruise and saw Karnak, Luxor, Valley of Kings, Temple Hatshepsut, Amenhotep III Colossi of Memnon, Temple of Isis, Kom Ombo and Abu Simbel. Had a look at the Aswan damn.

    We also took a small boat the the Temple of Philae and a botanical garden. But we were without wind power and where stuck on the water until a small motor rescue boat came. The boat came not for all of us just some of those who were going on another small side trip to a nomadic camp. The rest of us waited a few more hours (I’m probably exaggerating the wait time I don’t remember) until we got towed by a motor boat.

    In Cairo we of course went to the Egyptian Museum (one of my favorites), visited Church of St. Marys, Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hasan, Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali, Saladin’s Fortress, Tut Ankh Amun, Giza Pyramids + Boat museum + Sphinx, Memphis, Sakkara, Imhotep Museum, Step Pyramid and Giza light show.

    I do recommend visiting Alexandria. However it was just my parents, me and two others from the main group that went. We visited Pompey’s Pillar, a Roman Theatre, Alexandria National Museum, Qaitbay Citadel, and had a look at the modern Library.

    My family skipped most of the tourist shopping stops like Alabaster workshop and instead went t-shirt shopping. I had no problem tipping some the workers at the sights who offered to let me walk/take pictures in the out of bounds areas as long as I didn’t use flash or wander too far. I avoided the camel rides and refused to pay for doing nothing but get a camel stick placed in my hand. Oh, and we too skirted the no photos inside Abu Simbel by way of taking a photo from just outside the door and we didn’t have to pay a tip. However the workers were asking people to hold a giant key that “opens the door” for a tip.

    All in all I had a great time and was not intimidated by workers asking for tip money. But I do think that some try to push it too far.

  6. If your going to Alexandria, Please read Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff, she explains how the Greek Macedonian family of Alexander and Egypt melded their cultures and impacted the Roman world…Egypt is incredible and is so important in the role of western civilization…Egypt and Greece inspired one another, they did not copy one another….the two great cultures who impacted western civilization the most…just an incredible country…seeing the Pyramids is awe-inspiring….As a tour guide at the Louvre said to us while viewing the Venus de Milo, he said you can call her Jane, Mary or Venus, but she will always be Aphrodite and born in the Foam of the Aegean….

  7. If you plan to include Aswan in your visits, segments about Elephantine Island and the small Nubian museum are worth considering. Another interesting possibility is lunch at the hotel across the street from the Great Pyramid. It’s a former royal palace and you can look at the pyramid while you eat. As I recall, it was only moderately expensive and the food was quite good.

    My experience in Egypt was quite different from some of the others who’ve commented. While there were some annoying vendors, I found the Egyptian people to be generally VERY nice and those that spoke English loved to chat. It might be interesting to talk about the concept of bakshish (sp?). As I understand it, it’s the tradition of offering a small gratuity in appreciation for a service rendered, although I’m sure it’s more complex than that. It might help explain the tipping rules (and requests). How to negotiate for a taxi at the airport might also be an interesting clip, as would how one will need to adjust their travel during Ramadan (i.e. sights close earlier, sales of alcohol suspended in many restaurants, etc). If you’re there during Ramadan, expect to be invited to join in one of the many dinners you’ll see set up on the streets for workers when the fast breaks at sundown.

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