I've read about traveling experiences in Egypt from writers in my country (Thailand). All of them have good impression about its amazing anciant civilization world. But most of them faced some bad experinces from taxi drivers and street vendors there. For the taxi drivers, they may drive u to the wrong place and ask for more money to get u to the place u actually want to go. and some time, they approach u with the cheaper price and when u agree and got on the car. they ask for the higher price and insist that it the deal u made before. For the street vendor, esp. souvenir shops. they 'll cheat u by giving u the lower quality of goods instead of the goods u decided to buy. I am sure that not all of them are cheating. But I'd like to hear form another tourists whether u face the same experince or not?
Ola Kimsiri
I've had the exact same problems as you describe above. There are very easy ways to deal with it though.
If they drive you to a wrong place, just stay in the car, and don’t pay anything until he brings you to the right place,
If the driver suddenly does nor respect the deal you made when getting into the car, just get out if the car has not left yet, or if you are at the destination, get out and throw the first agreed amount of money on the seat.
For the street vendors, just keep insisting that you will only buy the things YOU pick.
Just for the record, most taxi drivers and street vendors are ok, but sometimes you get the ones that are not, a problem everyone can relate to I think.
Yuri
Look at
http://wikitravel.org/en/Cairo#By_taxi<BR><BR>There are some basic guidelines here that every Egypt traveller should know. In brief, either agree on a price beforehand (always for tourist places like the pyramids etc.) or don't agree at all, i.e. pay through the window at the end of the trip.
The advice found here pretty much goes for all of Egypt, of course prices vary, more in tourist places like Luxor (although here, you might be able to negotiate) and especially Sharm and Southern Sinai, less in the countryside and Alexandria.
1: Never throw money on the seat. This is rude. Push it into the hand of the drivers and drop it, thus making him responsible of the money falling on the seat, not you. This is a bit theatrical, I know, but it will save you some hassle.
Remember this as well:
You don't have to accept any driver offering a lift. Be picky and trust your feelings. Egyptians does this, so why shouldn't you?
Try to have a general idea of where you're going. Ask if it looks like the driver is going the wrong way etc.
I agree with Yuri that most of the drivers are good folks, and especially outside of the tourist centers. And yes, one time or another, we invetiably run into the bad ones and yes, this is a heckle, but using these tips will save you lots of hassle. Be street-smart.
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