So proud to be an Egyptian. Have never been more proud of my people, they reaffirmed their national pride and 7000 years of civilization was on full display for the whole world to see. I don't remember ever witnessing a true, organic and massive pro-democracy revolution with this level of sophistication and civility on a mass scale, and against one of the most entrenched dictatorships and security apparatuses in modern history! All the more amazing, and all things considered, this was overwhelmingly peaceful in nature. This has changed things so dramatically for me, and I am now in the process of planning my return to Egypt to help rebuild my homeland and return it to its former glory. I may not be able to contribute much like scientists and great politicians can, but I will do my absolute best even if it means helping clean the streets with the rest of the youths like they have been doing for a couple of days now. I just feel like it would be absolute betrayal if I don't do something, I could not live with myself! Hooray Horriyyah (Freedom)!!!
Next year will be a milestone birthday for me. To celebrate the occasion the wife and I thought it would be a marvelous idea to travel to Egypt for a couple of weeks to check out the sites and pump some money into a new economy! what's Cairo like in March? congrats Pharaoh King! To a new beginning!
yeah their tourism industry has got to be crippled now. When I was there last month it seemed they were hurting, even then. Now 2-3 weeks with absolutely no business....probably a serious issue. All this press coverage could end up being a net positive in the end, though. A lot of people never even consider going to Egypt.
Thanks brother! And Cairo is AWESOME in March, the weather is very pleasant. Tell you what, if I happen to be there by then, you just let me know and I would be more than happy to show you around this great old city.
really? according to Wiki Egypt is the #1 travel destination in Africa. Seems a lot of people think about going there. but thanks for the post
tallest midget award I enjoyed my time there, however. Cairo is not the prettiest, cleanest, or friendliest city on Earth, but the pyramids at Giza make it worth visiting.
Certainly beats Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Congo, and, surprisingly, Sudan! Thanks for looking up this valuable piece of information.
I think bigtexx was referring to people from the United States. Egypt has been a major tourist destination for people from Europe (particularly Germans and Russians).
That's true and yes, their tourism business has to be in the toilet and apt to remain there until there has been an extended period of "normalcy." And yes, not a lot of people from the States go there, in comparison to Europe, certainly. When I spent a couple of weeks there a few decades ago, we had a fantastic time. Rode camels around the Sphinx, went inside the Great Pyramid, which was a real trip in itself. Back then, I could have climbed to the top of it, but didn't, much to my regret now. We took a boat up the Nile, which was amazing. There is so much more to Egypt than Cairo, although there's a heck of a lot to do there, of course. The museum will blow anyone away that hasn't seen it. I hope it wasn't too badly damaged. The country is a great place to visit. I hope things return to normal soon.
I really really want to see Victoria Falls, which also happens to be in Zimbabwe. Regardless, Southern Africa is my next vacation destination.
awesome article by Fisk http://www.independent.co.uk/opinio...rak-clings-on-what-now-for-egypt-2211287.html
I was just there. There is so much to see in Cairo and other parts of Egypt. I also went to Lebanon, Israel and Jordan while I was there and I'd highly recommend making stops at the surrounding countries as well while you're there. (Who knows when you'll have another opportunity to stop by those places again.
Speaking of tourism, I wonder how New Egypt will treat Saudi Arabians like going forward given the comments made by the king. They are big spenders in Egypt, probably more than any other country.
They'll take their money and smile. The King isn't the country's people. I've traveled all over the world, when Nixon was President and we were in Vietnam, when Reagan was President and was seen as a joke overseas, and Bush Junior, who needs no explanation, having some very interesting conversations and no problems worth mentioning. Folks want to make a living and, more often than not, enjoy talking to someone from another country. I can also tell them honestly that I voted against them all.
I think you'd be surprised. Nevermind holiday seasons, Saudis are there even on weekends, and many of them own humongous homes. Per person, there's no doubt they exceed the average by a ridiculous amount. We're talking about people who come over and rent a driver + bmw x6 + 5 star hotel + book out whole clubs lol. Also people who bring entire families of 15-20 people, along with nannies and chefs. Compare that to people who come over and have budgeted for the trip and try to avoid getting screwed in every restaurant, club, tour, cab, etc. If I were to guesstimate, I'd say Saudis on average spend at least 4-5 times the average tourist in Egypt. That would mean for another country to top them, they would have to be sending at least 4-5 times the number of tourists. Hard to imagine I think? I've never been there, but from the tons of Emirati people who have been there, I'd say they probably spend damn near $1,000 per day per person. Ofcourse I'm just estimating here. Who knows.
