AnasMohandes - OK - now I understand about the Eid part. Thanks for clarifying.
I definitely agree Egypt should not be considered a carefree vacation spot at the moment. And if you come you should pay attention to what's happening around you. Although Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh seem to have escaped any problems so far. From everything I've heard it's very normal there.
cochin321 I stayed in Aswan for 3 nights at place called Nublian Oasis Hotel Awan. They have rooms starting at 40 pounds per night which is what I chose. Ambu Simbiel IS OPEN even though most "tour company's" will tell you otherwise. I payed 400 pounds for a private car to take me down and back. The trip needed to be in a police convoy due to security it did not include a guide or entrance fees. I also took a fluicca north to Edfu 3D and 3N. I sailed with a man named Cpt Ziggy. He is nice, you can trust him not to steal your stuff while you are asleep. He speaks English pretty well but does not know much about the facts / history of anything. He also smokes a lot of cigarets which kinda sucks. Anyway if thats for you, you can easily find him by walking on the bay and asking for Ziggy.
chicarica I cant say what will happen in Nov but I doubt they will close the pyramids. I was there during the "feast" when almost everything else was closed.
fear_rua and AnasMohandes ctoncc of course you guys are right no where is 100% safe. What I meant to convey is that in my paranoia and extreme vigilance of looking out for my own safety I did not once feel unsafe while in Cairo or anywhere in Egypt for that matter. Of course you still need to be aware of what is going on around you and keep your wits about you. Believe me I did a lot of research before coming here and Anas we have talked before in a different thread on this topic. I was slightly worried about my safety when I got here and now that worrie is all but gone. 100% is of course an exaggeration and yes I know what and why there was a feast. It was the 2nd one after Ramadan. I am not trying to advertise and I am not wondering around aimlessly / carelessly in Egypt. I am simply trying to let people (fellow travels) know how I feel and where I come from so maybe they can relate and if they have any questions I am also here to help out. If you dont like my advise or how I feel about my situation thats ok. Just trying to help.
There are loads of threads on Tripadvisor about how safe Egypt is and what a wonderful time it is to visit.
There was one recent post made on the 6th of October by a tourist making a visit to Cairo claiming how safe it was and there was no violence. At the very same time, literally only a block or two away from him 50 people were being killed by the army and he never a noticed a thing.
Sure foreign tourists are safe. They need the the tourist money. But do you want your tourist money to prop up a military regime that has killed over a 1000 of it's citizens in the last few months?
I work in hostels in Egypt. That money may eventually get to the government but first it takes care of many, many people that work in the tourism industry. Normal people that just want to be able to feed their families.
I know hostels that have had to close because they can't pay rent, and a lot of the stables at the pyramids have also been hit very hard. There was a charity that was helping to feed and care for the horses for some time but I don't know if they're still able to do it. I can find out, if anybody is interested in donating to them.
Plus there's all the other businesses that are supported by the tourist industry, like restaurants, shops and everything else. The whole country loses when tourists stop coming, not just the government.
This Eid (Eid al-Adha, feast), by the way, is celebrated in remembrance of Ibrahim being willing to sacrifice his son.
I did think whether to boycott or not.
BUT
1) The army owns about 40% of the Egyptian economy including Hotels and Holiday resorts. And a major reason it made the coup is so it could keep economic control. So supporting tourism and the Egyptian economy is directly supporting a military coup.
2) I don't know the numbers or percentages. It certainly wasnt anything like the 330000000000000 billion trillion people claimed by sections of the Egyptian Media. However a lot of Egyptians support the army over throw of a democratically elected President , the massacres of hundreds and hundreds of fellow Egyptians, imprisionment of journalists and those who dont support the current regime, censorship of the media , martial law, closing borders to Palastinians. The reason for this mainly economic and that tourism didnt recover quick enough under Morsy. So as a tourist I don't want to reward that by spending my money on people that don't care about repression and mass killings along as a few tourist bucks are coming in.
3) At same sectarian divsions are growing again part population thinks it's OK to blame Christians and target them. Not that the army and Sisi cares. It's all good propaganda for him.
I love Egypt very much. Unfortunately a collective madness has fallen over lots of the Egyptian population. I don't think it helps Egypt in the long run to support them in this folly.
The sacrifice of freedom , humanity and so many innocents in the name of the army is too much.
On a practical note. Tourists should be careful because the situation is volatile. Life is currently seen as cheap. And there is a current guerrilla insurgency in North Sinai which could overspill into tourist hotspots. It is not outside the realms of possibility that extremists could appear again and target tourists.
Hopefully there will be democratic elections and stability and prosperity.
I came from Egypt few days ago and I can tell you first hand that Egypt is completely safe if you avoid demonstrations. I spent few weeks there and hardly noticed a thing. Yes I was mainly in residential area and It was only the curfew that pain in the neck. People were going on with their life. The big negative for me was the absence of train travel
I don't think that the OP was engaging in "irresponsible advertisement" as AnasMohandes said but OP describes the situation as I saw it. Just avoid the flashing points and you'll be OK. I agree you'll need to be aware of yor situation all the time and it is better to visit Egypt some other time when things back to Normal.
My impression Egypt still safe -even cairo-if you avoid demonstration. If you want to go to Luxor it is a golden opportunity . I wanted to visit Luxor but decided NOT due to the train situation
Well, ahmd, I live in a residential area which is usually very safe and quiet, and a couple of weeks ago a couple of dozen protesters got killed nearby by the security forces. On another day the army was shooting tear gas and I think birdshot overhead down the street next to my house. Yes, we were unlucky, but it shows that you really need to know what is going on and where it is going on. I agree that generally the city is safe, but this sort of thing is not what most people want to be having to take account of on their holidays, and to say that you can walk around at night and feel 100% safe is only part of the story.
Fear_rua
while what you are saying is true that does NOT mean the OP was engaged in false advertisement for stating his observation. A tourist is more mobile and can easily change his area or even the city while a resident can NOT do the same in disturbances.
I know that you did NOT point a finger at OP but others did which is inappropriate. Non of us is carrying a pom-pom and cheering for Egypt, or its government. I personally do NOT like the current political regime in Cairo but that does NOT mean I am going to describe any thing but what I saw during my visit, I have NO doubts that you describing what you are seeing in your nick of woods so the reader would get a clear picture of what's happening on the ground
my impression was exactly as described by OP based on my recent travel. Would that make me engaged in false advertisement?
I feel 100% safe as OP so should we lie about it? feeling is a personal thing. "100% safe" is NOT exact science so why are some people are so literal about the word.
