OOT - I just had the urge to go to Egypt.

[Soya]

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I would go to Sharm El Sheikh. Supposed to be gorgeous that time of year.

Is March really impulse?

fyc

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I hear the coral reefs at Sharm are bleaching out and dying horribly, partly due to the resorts pumping cement into the sea to extend out. Ugh.

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This is true. I did a lot of Red Sea diving in 1994-95 and every dive site was stunning. I went back in 98, 2000, and 2002 and it was discernably worse every time I went because of all the dredging that was done to build more resorts. There are still some pretty good areas, though. Ras Mohammed is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen.

[boscoboy]

best i could find - i remember the stella of the 80s - came in an old brown clorox bottle with no label. it was a beer not for the timid [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

[Cancuk]

Don't got to Sharm. Go to Dahab up the coast. Quieter, more backpacker feel and (supposedly) better diving. Spent two weeks there. Good times.


I [censored] hated Luxor, but I was there in the middle of July.. which I think added a lot to it. Tombs were cool though.

[theweatherman]

I have been in egypt for 5 weeks and will be so for the rest of the semester at AUC in Cairo. What I have come up with to go to is Cairo, Alexandria, Sinai, Western Oasises, Luxor/Karnak, and Aswan. I will be heading to Alex tomorrow for the weekend and I will let you know what its like if you want.

As for the rest of egypt i have seen a lot (too much?) of Cairo. Huge city, dirty as hell, and full of annoyances. But hell this is Egypt after all.

Sharm is for pussies who want to dance all night with girls who have no intention of laying them. Go to Dahab, as the poster above said. Much, much sicker. My current retirement plan is to make 40K and move to dahab for the rest of my life. If Cairo is considered cheap, dahab is like a charity.

However, DO NOT come to egypt if you want to get laid/ drink in more than the 7 bars around, or witness a functioning state. Cairo at least has none of these things. Although right now is ramadan so it is especially brutal on these fronts. Ramadan is barely half over and we have already drank the closest bar out of beer (which they cannot buy more of until ramadan is over) and have been banned from another (the Odeon palace, not that great of a story). Things should improve once this ramadan BS ends in two weeks.

One other thing, dont be afraid of the language barrier. I took Arabic for two years before coming here. Totally usless. not that I cant speak it, just that the egyptians dont. they speak egyptian arabic which is so far removed from MSA that it is not even close. Unless you want to talk about things like medicine or politics, MSA will get you no where. You are better off speaking in english.

I could write lots on this as I live it every day. Write back with specifics or PM me for more if you like.

Salam allekum

[OnYourBike]

Travelling on impulse is taking the next plane to Cairo. That's balla. 6 months ahead of time so you can get a cheap flight isn't.

[john voight]

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Travelling on impulse is taking the next plane to Cairo. That's balla. 6 months ahead of time so you can get a cheap flight isn't.

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Post in BB4L kthxbye

[chopchoi]

I was in Dahab in 97 and loved it. Snorkeling was the best ever and the divers all said the same about the dives. Not sure how much it has changed.

[vanwely]

Man #1: This guy just sold me a discount plane ticket to Cairo

Man #2: How much did you pay?

Man #1: $5,000

Man #2: Egypt you