Africa,  Independent travel,  Photography,  Travel Blog

Egypt So Far: The Not-So-Good Bits 

Three weeks into this North Africa adventure and we guess that in a way we’ve hit the pause button. Followers will know that we are now in the previously uncharted ground of a resort hotel, out here on the Red Sea coast, kind of into international tourist territory and outside of authentic Egypt. This is most unlike us, we never thought we’d be taking the resort hotel option, not in a million years.

Apart from the practicalities – it was indeed hard to find a viable alternative – it’s fair to say that there have been other influences on this decision which mean that taking a break from Egypt isn’t such a bad thing. North Africa brings with it the inevitable hassle from hawkers of all kinds, which we’ve always previously learned to live with and in fact come to embrace at least to some degree, but there have been additional challenges here.

In Egypt, after three weeks’ experience, we can put this into three categories: haggling, hassling and one other. Let’s take them one by one.

Haggling is a way of life out here, and actually we quite enjoy it. It’s almost always good humoured, and it isn’t difficult to learn to smile and enjoy the experience, it’s all a bit of fun. In truth, the only grey area comes in working out where it’s not appropriate to haggle: generally, jewellers and restaurants and grocery stores…although haggling when buying food in a market is fine. The actual process of haggling is good fun once you embrace it.

The hassle thing is one step up on the intolerance scale. Horsemen, taxi drivers and boatmen can be quite invasive, whereas shopkeepers are generally fine and usually good humoured, in fact often witty (“I don’t know what you want but I think I have it”, “I am your helper, I can help you spend your money”, “It’s your lucky day, I have Asda price today only”) and are only very occasionally aggressive. It does though become a little tiresome dealing with it all day long.

And then there’s Egypt’s third, and most distasteful, element: dishonesty. It’s at a different level here, and Aswan was the worst. Let’s use an analogy. You could be world champion at dodging tennis balls, but if everyone is throwing balls at you from every direction, then sooner or later one’s gonna hit you. We consider ourselves to be savvy travellers who don’t get scammed easily, but we’ve been hit several times here.

It’s more than dishonesty, it’s threatening as well. Several times our path has been blocked, our space invaded, by those doing the dirty business. Such is the constant barrage that when we found an honest operator (like Abdul our boatman and Nabil who took us to Philae) we breathed a sigh of relief and felt uplifted. The rest of the time, our days were blighted by dealing with rogues at every step. We ended up being constantly on our guard, constantly thinking that every single transaction is another battle against being shafted.

An example? We agree a fee of 100LE for a ride; halfway along he tells us it’s 100LE each, not 100LE overall. We argue, he shrugs and agrees; we decide not to give a tip because of this. We hand over a 100 note. With sleight of hand, he shows a 10LE note and claims we’ve given him a 10 by mistake. We know we haven’t, we know it was 100, but he’s aggressive and threatening, he’s barring our path, and his mates are loitering just behind him. We are significantly outnumbered. There is no option but to hand over the money. He’s won.

That’s just one example. There were more.

So, as far as we’re concerned, haggling is fun, hassling is palatable but wearing. Add this level of dishonesty into the mix and actually the cumulative effect becomes too much of a bind and after three weeks we are more than a little sick of it all. 

As seasoned travellers, we pretty much love everywhere, but it’s hard to love somewhere when every move of your day is a test of your ability to spot and deal with lies and dishonesty. 

We’ve always hated the thought of a resort hotel. Arriving in this one actually feels like sanctuary. That’s a huge statement for travellers like us.

36 Comments

  • Annie Berger

    What a terribly sad but honest tale you wrote of your experiences. Being the brunt of dishonest and threatening or intimidating people is lousy for you and other travelers as well as extremely shortsighted for the aggressors because as the word gets out, it will ONLY further limit visitors with money from wanting to visit Egypt. I’m glad that you were able to find a property where you feel safe from the constant negativity as a result of the hassling and dishonesty. Hoping for happier travel days ahead for you both.

  • Gilda Baxter

    I totally understand what you are saying, since we experienced something similar when we did the Nile cruise. Although we were to some extent protected by our travel company and guide, we still got a lot of hassle. It is such a shame, since it is a beautiful country and most of the people are so lovely, welcoming, kind. I hope you enjoy taking a break and will feel energised again.

  • Toonsarah

    I understand completely, this sort of thing can be so draining. We’ve experienced it the most in Gambia, where we stayed in a small but decidedly upmarket hotel and were glad of it. It was a relief after each venture outside the property to come in through the gates and think, they can’t get us here. I imagine that’s how you’re feeling at that resort hotel? And for me the worst aspect is that then you start to suspect everybody of trying to cheat you and look for scams where there are none, which in turn makes you feel guilty for suspecting the person.

    Enjoy the break and don’t beat yourselves up for taking it!

      • Andrew Petcher

        Travelling is for relaxing not for constantly having to watch out for trouble. I ran into trouble in Essaouira when a man offered me a look around his boat yard and then wouldn’t let me leave without handing over a ridiculous amount of cash. Morocco is off my visiting list.

        • Phil & Michaela

          To enter Cairo station with luggage, we had to put our backpacks through an airport- style security point. Before we could get through, two guys had picked up our bags and were carrying them away. Calling themselves “porters”, they carried them to the (thankfully correct) platform and then demanded a fee before they would give us our bags back. We had no choice. Again.

  • WanderingCanadians

    Always being on your guard can be stressful and very draining. Plus it can take away from the experience to the point where you’re not having fun anymore. I don’t blame you for staying in a resort. I would do the same. I hate that feeling of getting swindled and cheated.

  • wetanddustyroads

    That is what we have also understand from other travellers when we initially planned our holiday to Egypt … one of the reasons why we have opted to stay (also for the first time ever) in a resort hotel in Hurghada. We had very little experience of the haggling and hassling on our short stay in Egypt, but it was there … and I remember telling my husband not to leave me one second alone, because I did feel threatened some times. Unfortunately …

  • Alison

    It doesn’t sound very pleasant at all, you will need a holiday to get over this one. At least in your all inclusive resort you know what you are getting, including bad cocktails! Egypt has never been on my list because I’ve heard stories like yours before. They don’t do themselves any favours behaving like that

  • grandmisadventures

    What tricky interactions to maneuver through all the time. I don’t like the in your face hassle of people trying to get your business. And haggling just makes me nervous because I’m so unskilled at it. My co-worker from Egypt just yesterday in regards to a middle eastern dinner we are hosting said to call the restaurant owner and haggle the price with him. I didn’t even know how to begin to haggle with him, especially over the phone. The cost may be higher from my lack of haggling skills.

  • Linda K

    Loved your honesty in this post. I’ve never been to Egypt and part of the reason is exactly what you mentioned. I think that a break sounds perfect for both of you at this point in your travels!

  • mochatruffalo

    Google : YouTube Egypt Travel Nightmare! Why I’ll Never Go Back. We follow this food blogger, Sonny, and he makes a very good argument that if they don’t treat tourists like tourists, then why should we spend our $ (or £) in that country.

  • leightontravels

    Sounds absolutely exhausting! After having similar experiences in other countries, I can relate and empathise with you completely. Though Egypt seems to be next level compared to India and Thailand. It saddens me to read this piece, since is somewhere I haven’t been and would love to visit. I find the bit about the driver so annoying (not to mention potentially dangerous) that it’s enough to make me forget about Egypt and turn to other countries where I might feel relaxed and safe. The threatening and dishonest behaviour strikes me as short-sighted since once the travellers learn of it they will either avoid the place altogether or choose brief, guided a sheltered visits.

    • Phil & Michaela

      Agree on every level. The ancient sights are absolutely well worth it, but our advice to everyone would be to keep your visit short and just do the main sights, then get out. Sadly they don’t deserve any more than that.

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