Trevs Thoughts on Egypt
To summarize Egypt for me would be to say it was a shit hole with a few amazing sights.
But then I have to look deeper, the Dead Sea was amazing the Town of Dahab and Hotel we stayed in for Christmas was perfect and the staff were top notch. We both really enjoyed our time there and like always our conversations with the people who live and work there revealed a lot of surprises. They are a very kind and gracious people who love their country just the same as we do. There is a lot of respect for their elders which I must say I feel are missing in the western world today and I don’t say this just because I myself am getting older. I think that the respect they give is also returned and that is what makes it so noticeable. Our trip up Mount Sinai was a spiritual journey taken by many just the same as climbing up Mount Batur in Bali and to watch the sun rise even in that cold mountain air was a goose bump event for me.
As we left the coast and headed to Luxor I was excited to see the sights we have all seen pictures and read the history books now I was going to experience it for myself and I was excited about it, it was after all one of the major destinations on this journey for me. The police road checks didn’t bother me and most the time the guys pulled us over to chat rather than check out our papers. But on arriving in Luxor things changed. The corruption and the dirt got to me very quickly and I had to remind myself that I was the observer and not to let it get to me. I felt that all I was to these people was a big cash cow and it made me quite angry I like to talk to people but here they weren’t interested in talking to you they just want your money and when you manage to negotiate a price for their service when you have finished they always want more. It is worse than Mexico. I even got asked if I wanted a taxi outside the hotel as we were loading the bike to leave. That really got to me. I had been told by Ronnie and a couple of other people that I would need a lot of patience in Egypt and they were right.
We rode down the Nile with a police escort part way to Cairo before they would let us go on our own again that was ok and the guys where very friendly but again on touring the sight in Giza and Cairo there we were again we are just a big cash cow and it is very difficult to find respect for people when all they want is to take, I have not felt this anywhere before quite like in Egypt.
Other things I noticed… well I think Morocco got all the old Mercedes Benz while Egypt got the old Peugots there are hundreds of them here and most we would not want in the scrap yard never mind the road. The safety standards here are nonexistent you really take you life in your hands just to cross the road never mind head out in traffic. I think if we had landed here with the bike first there would be no way I would head out in it but because we have seen it in other cities on our trip we have become acustomed to pushing our way through and I might say we are getting good at it, it dose however help having the extra eyes on the back and the intercom system
So as we left I think I was happy to be going I always get excited about new countries and next was Israel so one more time we blasted across the Sinai and headed to the boarder it was an easy check out late in the afternoon and then we were in Israel.
Would I go back?? No I don’t think so but should you go?? Yes the history there is amazing and the real people of Egypt are super but like I was told take a lot of PATIENCE with you, but where else can you get pictures like these.
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