The Egyptian Government here...Who's gonna come to the Grand Egyptian Museum? Will open in 30 days lmao
>>2828956It is on my bucketlist.
>>2828956buy an ad
>>2828956Sorry but now that I'm in a relationship with a woman I will never visit Egypt. Wish I could've visited before but oh well.
>>2828978Over there you can sell her for five camels
any experiences with Egyptian girls?
>>2828956How many times will we get scammed from the airport to the museum?
>>2828978I'm friends with a couple that went to Egypt for their honeymoon and they had no issues besides the usual pushy salesmen
>>2829090>I'm friends with a couple that went to Egypt for their honeymoon and they had no issues besides the usual pushy salesmenIf you spend enough money the resort staff serve as protection from the tsunami of cunts that you ordinarily have to deal with
>>2829081Egypt is nightmare mode, but Morocco/Tunisia are very possible.>>2829085Uber works fine, just refuse all extra offers from the driver
>>2829099>Uber works fine, just refuse all extra offers from the driverUber made the world magnitudes better to travel in. So much tension and drama used to come from taxi drivers. Booking.com and fear of bad reviews has also dramatically changed how shitty travel can be. Egypt is still horrible cunts ground zero though
just came back from a resort in egypt, i mean the resort was okay nothing special, the staff was nice but i couldn't imagine going back or outside a resort, just for egyptians they are literally the definition of scum, even people from the goverment/ariport staff feel like scammers everyone shouts at u in the airport and everything is so caotic and stupid that it's even hard to understand if it's someone from the staff or some random scammer, beautiful place but the people are insufferable plus from what i've heard it's not that cheap like it was 10 years ago. Talking with other people at the airport a lot of them had really horrible experiences, so i'm happy that i had a good time but for me i think it's enough. Too bad because there's a lot of cool stuff to see. For me it's a pass
>>2828956Yeah, sure, make direct flight from Dubai to a resort near your musem, without having to interact with any egyptian local, and we have a deal.
>>2828956Think I actually will, due to seeing this thread. Made a Siwa thread, but nobody replied. Thinking of the following itinerary:>Land in Cairo at midnight>Uber straight up to Alexandria>1 nights>Try and get train along coast to Marsa Matruh>2 nights all inclusive are similar>Local bus through desert to Siwa>4 nights with private pool and desert view>Propose to gf next to Siwa Lake under full moon>Night bus back to Cairo>Hotel with pyramid view>Go to museum>Flight home
>>2830506It's a great place to travel. the problem is that it's a 3rd world police state, and people just aren't used to that. If you get past the filter, it's epic as fuck for travel. It's like being transported to another world. I unironically love Cairo, just for the sheer chaos and vidya vibes.Being able to firmly say no, and learning basic Arabic helps immensely, too. Basic transactions, answering 'where are you from friend', numbers, general pleasantries with a smile, etc will transform lots of negative situations into 'Arabic practice', and you'll have endless opportunities to improve your game.>>2828978If you're not an absolute fucking pussy, your girl will be absolutely fine as long as you're with her, and she's covering her ankles and wrists. The hencher and richer you are, the less she can wear.Went to a Haloween party at the Swiss Embassy grounds once. Girls were dressed like it was Europe, kek. A literal horde gathered by the gates, and upon leaving we were all mobbed, with girls getting groped, etc. Basically had to dive into a taxi asap, which then proceeded to go full throttle into a huge crowd which miraculously didn't get injured.Was scarier than hanging out at any of the protests on Tahrir.
Veteran traveller writer Kapuściński wrote about his Egypt experience (and he was in Kongo during civil war etc). Some guy told him he would show him "amazing view" then he lead him through the stairs at the top of the tall building (forcing him to go all the way through as he was behind him and stairs were narrow) then guy threatened him to stab him and throw off the building if not paid
>>2830514I've only read Shah of Shahs. Anything else you'd recommend? Something on Egypt would be good.
>>2830515Ive only read Lapidarium (blogpost like aphorisms, not very interesting), and Travels with Herodotus, where he talks about ancient greek history and Herodotus and he contrasts it with his own "modern" (as in 50s) travels to India, China, Kongo and other countries. Fragment about Egypt is also from this book. It's cool
>>2830517Cheers man. Travels with Herodotus sounds pretty based, gonna give it a download.
>>2830512Doesn't Cairo look like this? Delhi and Lagos are similar too I think. And before you call me racist, so is Athens.
>>2830548Cairo looks like an abject shithole, but that's why it's kino. The historic centre is an absolute labyrinth which is so dense, that GPS effectively doesn't work. It's one of the most cyberpunk places I've experienced. There's random workshops making random shit, people on motorbikes criss-crossing through you, people shouting everywhere, locals selling absolutely everything, and every type of noise possible.Remember the first time cutting through that I started to panic as I was utterly lost, and I felt I could disappear into the night here. But when I just 'let go', put away the map, and larped as a local, just taking whatever street felt right, and taking my time to absorb the madness, it was an amazing experience.Lots of Cairo is like this. You just have to let let go all your 'western training' about socia norms, lose the pretense, and just blend into the city. It's hard to describe, but when you manage it, it's like steppping into another world.You've also got the British/French centre parts where you can still larp as a colonist, which is fun. There's a whole string of effectively white-only clubs and rooftop bars which feel like leftovers of the 19th century.As for racism, Friday morning is the best time to explore Cairo, before the Friday prayers. No Egyptians on the streets is a breath of fresh air. It's like having your head stuck in a bee hive, then all the bees just disappearing. The silence is deafening, and simply just being in a taxi with no traffic feels like freedom.
>>2828956>Grand Egyptian Museumit looks amazing. definitely a bucketlist museumbut i guarantee that within 10 years if not sooner it will be a crumbling chaotic mess with loads of exhibits broken, lost or stolen
>>2830548Cairo is a shit hole, with lots of really cool stuff scattered throughout
>>2830782Some great mosques, all that sandy colour that the whole city is
>>2830782There's literally an abandoned palace right in the middle of the city lol. You can pay the bawab doorman guy some loose change and just wander around:https://scenehome.com/Architecture/The-Haunting-Beauty-of-Said-Halim-Pasha-Palace-in-Downtown-CairoIt's quite hillarious given it's absolutely primo real estate, surrounded by high rise povertyblocks.30.049061377740195, 31.237332095584243
>>2830797While we're here, there's also a """Hindu Palace""" in Heliopolis, a district of Cairo. It's fucking beautifu. The spiral staircase is Harry Potter tier. >After the Baron's death in 1929 and the 1952 coup that took place in Egypt, the palace was left abandoned.>Decades later, in the 1990s, there was social revolution against many conservative values of Islam and young people began to trespass and vandalize the palace. >They were mostly doing drugs and throwing parties in a counter culture; however, the conservative backlash would insist these young adults were practicing Satanism based on previous rumors of the past and a prejudice against nontraditional values.[6]tfw you'll never attend drug counterculture parties in a Hindu palace in Cairo and get accused of Satanism by Islamists.
Thinking about traveling to Egypt, it would be my first time traveling to a non western country. I don't mind having to be rude to shoo away scammers but still kinda wondering if I'm ready for it.
>>2828956As long as it isnt raided by braindead muzzies by that point I will probably visit in about 3 years
>>2831229Draft itinerary? Interests? Looking to achieve? Time? Budget?
>>2828956It's interesting to watch Egypt doing this mirror of what Iran was trying to do in the 70's before the coup with the obsession and glamorization of their ancient history. The Shah of Iran did all the same lavish spending on random Persian history shit and that got his government overthrown and replaced with a bunch of violent kara bogas. Wonder if Egypt is propelled towards the same fate...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,500-year_celebration_of_the_Persian_Empire
>>2831241Think Egypt is always destined to flip flop between islamic retards and corrupt generals.The islamic retards will never touch the tourism industry though, unless there's an IS style revolution in the region and Saudi collapses. As retarded as they are, they know that tourism is 10(?)% of the economy, and prayers and beads don't pay the bills.The current investments in tourism are an attempt to win back the mass tourism markets from Europe, and to attract a growing gulf market into spending more.I think the government are very aware of the attitudes towards Egypt, and are trying to clean the contry up. Slowly, the entire area around the pyramids will be turned into a modern tourism Dubai-esque hotspot, as they relocate the Giza slums in the way. There's a few projects which might cater this:>the north sinai relocation project>the new capital project>the various develpmments happening on the med coastWith Saudi/Gulf cash coming their way, it's actually quite possible they reach Turkeyish levels of development in the coming decades. The lives of the ruling military class depend on it.
>>2831234I was thinking about staying for 6 days in a hotel in Giza because it seems very central and cheap, Four Seasons for a weekend after that. Probably want to do days trips to Alexandria and Luxor, the big new museum, other days spend exploring the city for good food and sights. I'm thinking about going for 8 nights, but willing to extend. I have a big budget.
>>2831247>seems cheap>Four Seasons aftersorry lol, made me laugh when I first read it quickly.6 days in a hotel in Giza is a waste. The value here is in a hotel with pyramid view, and for quick trips to excursions:>giza 'mids>new museum>saqara & dahshur (imo a MUCH MUCH better day that the famouns Giza Pyramids which are better just being looked at from your balcony)2 nights should be enough to 'soak up' the desert and pyramids. The 'city' of Giza is a fucking shithole with no nightlife. More time in the centre is recommended.I toured all the hotels looking for a year spa membership back in the day. Four Seasons is insanely high end. Made me feel like a turbopoorfag. I used to hang out at the pool in Sofitel, which is an infinity pool in the River Nile (south of Zamalek island). Picrel. There's something insanely beautiful about swimming in the 'centre of the Nile'. It's like all of Africa/Egypt is centred around you at this point. It's a surreal experience.Cairo also has:>khan el khalili chaos market and old historic centre (possible trip to the park/gardens ovelrooking the city for the eery sound of 10000000 call to prayers at once)>old coptic cairo >downtown at night>falucca journeys at sunset on NileThere's a host of rooftop bars and stuff downtown, too, which makes for a cool night.You might actually want 3 nights to soak up the mayhem. Try and get a Friday night in so you can experience Cairo with no Egyptians (before prayer time).Alex is a bit shit. Train up and back for a daytrip isn't the worst idea. Hotel in centre is better here as you'll be closer to station. You can also get an Uber to Alex for pretty much fuck all.Day trip to Luxor = lol. You'd have to fly, and by the time you've fucked around in airports, it'll be ogre.If you have bank, fly in to Luxor (train is grimy overnight, unless there's some elite version nowadays?).........
>>28312622 nights in Luxor. It's a bit hassly compared to Cairo. Just book a Valley of the Kings trip and see the Karnak Temple. Tehre's a few decent bars around town for the evening.Nile Cruise = MUST DO. Epic journey. Then you get to cap it off by staying at the Old Cataract Hotel (where Agaatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile iirc). Evening Falucca journey in Aswan is beautiful as it feels like you're kinda at the end of the old Roman World, before the cataractcs, and the chaos of 'real Africa' begins. Aswan is fucking chill too. Nubians > Arabs.Fly back to Cairo and voila.Brings you to like:>giza 2 nights>cairo 2/3 nights>luxor 2 nights>cruise 3 nights>aswan 2 nights>==10/11nightsGoing 'down' the river will give youa a certain heart of darkness type vibe to the journey, too. And when you fly back you'll get to see the desert and the river from above to take in the sheer scale of it.
>>2831262>>2831269Yo this is very helpful, thanks man. Forgot to add I wanted to go for a Nile trip since I heard those are amazing, glad to see you would recommend it too. I'm probably just gonna copy that list for how many days to spend where.
>>2831272100% on the cruise. Depends on whether you value time or money more, but you can just go up to boats in Luxor and Aswan and haggle receptionists for spare rooms. Me and the gf got a """""""5 star"""""""" boat all inclusive for like $70/night on the spot, including excursions and evening entertainment. Fags on the boat said they'd shelled out thousands, lmao.It does involve being humiliated a bit though, as you have to spend ~3 hours walking into boats, being looked at, being told "no were full", having to haggle, dealing with shit English of confused staff, trying to find decision makers, etc. Basically you just go down the river, get meals included, hang out at the pool where you watch the Nile go by, and jump off for excursions here and there. At night you'll get belly dancing, singers, and other 'ethnic stuff', whch is kinda cool. Watching the Nile go by is really really magical. Done it twice before, would still go back. Protip is to find the duty free shops in cities to stock up on shitty spirits and stash int in your cases, as booze is expensive on board.
>>2831269>>2831262I'm planning to go to Dahab for diving but I have literally zero interest in antiquities. What's the one experience that might convert me, philistine that I am?
>>2831495Dahab is a great place. The only old shit nearby iirc is St Catherine's Monastery, where the 'burning bush' is. If you want to see the old shit in Egypt you'l lhave to either:>fly from Sharm to Cairo/Luxor/Aswan>get overnight bus for 10 hours to Cairo>IF it's operating (I think it's not), get the ferry from Sharm to Hurghada, then 4(?) hour bus to LuxorNote that Sinai and Egypt are 2 different places for visa purposes. You MUST ask at Sharm Airport for a full Egyptian visa when you land to cross the Suez Canal to 'Egypt'. (Else you'll be fucking around in police stations). It's €/£/$20. Can also be done online now I think.----Regarding 'converting' you. Most faggots just turn up, look at old shit, take photos, and fuck off, and it's a bit of a waste of time.There's 2 routes I'd suggest:>1. Learning the basics of the history, so when you see shit you can actually appreciate it in context. I'd recommend listening 'Fall of Civilizations' podcast on Egypt for 'the story' of the nation. If you get into it, it'll be 'relatively' exciting seeing old shit for real, and piecing things together.>2. Larping as Indiana Jones. Get fucked up, watch the movies, then go larping as an archaeologist. Just do shit off the beaten track and don't worry about what you're looking at, just imagine it's kino, and you're based for looking at it. Number 2 is actually very fun in Egypt if you go full solo traveling around the country. Shit is actually challenging to pull off sometimes, and there's ahuge reward in looking at busfags with red faces walk around, as you blitz by on a bike going 'cya'.
>>2831495>>2831531The '''experiences''' I can recommend from experience are>1. Sleeping Overnight at Abu SimbelYou get a convoy down to the Sudanese border from Aswan, and most fags get 4 hours or so looking around. Far more kino to get an Airbnb, then have the entire place to yourself in the evening. You can get a boat ride on Lake Nasser and see Abu Simbel from afar at sunset. It'll pretty much just you, on the border of the Roman world, with Rameses to keep you company.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Simbel>2. Dahshur and Saqarra.Everybody goes to Giza Pyramids. But there's looooaddss of others. Dahshur and Saqarra complexes host the older iterations of the pyramid and you can actually see them in various states of technological advancement and condition.Also there's nobody there. You get to have a pyramid pretty much to yourself. You can also pay '''''''police''''''' hadly anything to pose with their guns, ride their quad bikes around, or climb them. You can pay a tuktuk to take you back to the city for dirt cheap, and actually see the real Cairo zipping through traffic.>3. Cycling Valley of the KingsFuck the bus. Just rent a bike in Luxor and cycle there. Cycling through the desret feels boss. And you can stop off wherever you want along the way. there's loads of random shit people just drive past. On the way back, you go downhill and it's pretty nice being in the desert heat going 'weeeeeeee' at huge speed hoping no Russian tourbus is coming round the next corner.>4. The islands/temples in AswanAswan is really chill. You can pay kids to take you over the river. There's loads of forgottten temples and things dotted around, and you can just hike around looking at shit.>5. Nile Cruise Like I mentioned earlier, larping as a character in Heart of Darkness and going down the river, stopping off at ancient shit = amazing.In short: learn a little for context, watch some vidya/kino, then just yolo around the desert larping as Indiana Jones.
>>2831495If you wanna stay in Sinai, I haven't actually done it. But some people hike up Mount Sinai. Apparently it's where Moses received the 10 commandements. It's near St Catherines Monastery.https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Mount_SinaiIt's arguably the birthplace of Abrahamic faith, so is pretty important. Would be closer and easier for you to pull off.You've also got Petra nearby. You can get the ferry from Nuweiba to Aqaba (nice journey) and feels adventurous. Haven't done it but heard if you AirBnB in Petra, you get 'local advice' on hidden places and paths, and can totally avoid the tourist crowds.Fall of Civilizations podcast has an episode on the "Nabataens" which is kino, too.
>>2831495I'm the other guy asking for Egypt advice, but have you seen any videos on the new museum? Maybe check if that sparks something, it's pretty damn impressive, it's the biggest museum in the world.
>>2831604Have you seen any actual videos? They all seem to be from the seem faggy entrance hallway. I don't trust Egyptians.
>>2829099>Egypt is nightmare modeIt's that conservative or what? Why are Morocco and Tunisia better?
>>2834876He's watched some convincing vlogs. Islam is practically the same everywhere.
Egypt officially opened on Saturday the Grand Egyptian Museum, a long-awaited, billion-dollar showcase of pharaonic grandeur!
let's say I don't care about antiquities at allI don't care about statues or old rock thingies, I want to see the most interesting things in Egypt built in the last 100 years - where would you send me?
>>2837075define "interesting"
>>2828956I won't, because:1. I'm English and they are a very Anglophobic nation;2. I'm Christian and they are Islamists;3. The new museum looks dogshit, even with the amazing artefacts
