🇪🇬 🐫 EGYPT – 1st touch on the ancient world

My childhood dream has come true as I come to touch one of the seven ancient world’s wonders and also the only wonder that still exists today: the Egyptian Pyramids

Another first is riding camel through the desert.

Egypt was also the first African country I visited. So I spent time exploring the cities along Nile River: Cairo, Giza, Luxor and Aswan.

It was the first time accompanying the Vietnamese team attending the 46th and 47th ICPC World Cup. The first time being exposed to the talents of my homeland in the place where human civilization originated. It has become the most unforgettable experience in my journey of learning and discovery the world.

📌Itinerary summary:

1️⃣ Day 1: – Flights (Los Angeles / HCMC- Istanbul – Cairo)

2️⃣ Day 2: <Explore Cairo>

– Mosque of Muhammad Ali جامع محمد علي

– Lunch at LE Grillon Restaurant & Garden Cafe مطعم وحديقه الجريون

– Meet up with rest of Vietnam ICIC team members

– Cairo Tower

– Visit Khan el-Khalili ancient market

خان الخليلي 3️⃣ Day 3: <Explore the wonder city of Giza and the capital Cairo>

– GIZA PYRAMID COMPLEX (one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world)

+ THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA

+ STATUE OF THE GREAT Sphinx SPHINX

– EGYPT MUSEUM

– Lunch at 9 Pyramids Lounge 9 صالة بيراميدز with beautiful views of the PYRAMID complex.

– Dinner on (Watching the sunset) NILE RIVER CRUISE

4️⃣ Day 4: <Explore Luxor city>

– VALLEY OF THE KINGS

– TEMPLE OF QUEEN HATSHEPSUT

– LUXOR TEMPLE

– KARNAK TEMPLE

5️⃣ Day 5: <Explore Aswan city>

– Edfu Temple, Faucon Horus

– Kom Ombo Temple

– Crocodile mummy museum

– Abu Simbel Temple

-Nefertari Temple

– Looking at Sudan 20km away by Lake Nasser

• Drive back to Luxor

6️⃣ Day 6: End of the Journey – return home (Luxor – Cairo – Istanbul-Los Angeles/ HCMC)

📌MUST KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

🛑 Egypt and “special” things:

– Anyone who helps you has a reason to ask you for a tip (So it’s best to be smart and happily reject the unnecessarily help)

– When booking hotel, star ranking must be downgraded by at least 2 stars. From our experience, the 3 star hotel in central of Cairo have ancient elevators , with very limited lighting. There was no clear sign and lights in the front so we were so confused when we get there at night.

– Exchanging money at the bank has a much lower exchange rate than exchanging money with locals.

– People love US dollar so much. You will see many services only accept dollars (If converted into Egyptian currency, it would be a huge loss). Another thing to keep in mind is that it is hard to convert back(Even the bank will not accept it).

– All tour tickets can be purchased via Visa card (Cash is not accepted).

– The Police Force is equipped with modern equipment everywhere.

– The art of price bargaining is thoroughly applied. At least 30%-70% depending on the product. No matter what you buy, you will fall through the net.

– When going to the toilet at temples or airports, you need change to pay the fee: 10EGP/time.

– You will notice a lot of unfinished house. The houses will either have no roof or the wall are not painted so that they can avoid property taxes.

🛑 How to transport around:
– Fly from HCMC to Cairo , with transit in Istanbul ( via Turkish Airlines)
– between cities
+ Cairo – Giza (20km) – Taxi/Uber
+ Luxor – Cairo (650km) – Airplane/ Train
+ Moving around the city – Uber
– Uber is often difficult to catch, so I use Uber prices to hail a taxi.
– Tourists must follow with the curfew and are not allowed to move from 5 pm to 6 am.  Lots of checkpoints along the way from one area to another.

– Flight ticket are at similar price as a train ticket depending on how late you book. Flight from Cairo to Luxor takes about 2 hours while overnight train takes roughly 10 hours.

♦️ Book tours with trusted local company. Fortunately we found a Egyptian tour agency that have a Vietnamese guide to help us planning our day tour throughout our trip. So our experience around Cairo and Giza has run smoothly. I would definitively recommended her. Her Facebook name is Anthea Quỳnh Anh.

♦️ Car rental (with driver) – Because the traffic here is quite chaotic, driving yourself will be a bit tricky, so you can rent a car (with driver). ♦️ Ride-share application: – Most popular UBER and REEM. In general, transportation in Egypt is quite cheap. Just pay attention to one thing: the license plate is also written in Arabic, so you need to look closely.

🛑 Entry procedures:
– You need to apply for an Egyptian Visa to enter the country (Check visa application procedures on Google).

🛑 Ideal time:
– Best time (November – April): this is the most pleasant weather of the year, cool afternoons and evenings, clear blue sky.

🛑 Ideal time to stay:
– I spent 7 days exploring this place.

🛑 Hotels and resorts:

– Use the Booking and Agoda apps to compare prices and choose a suitable hotel or resort. You should reduce the star rating for hotels in Egypt to 1-2☆ to be realistic.

We state at Sonesta St. George Hotelفندق سونستا سان جورج الاقص. My room is very spacious with balcony and a Nile river view.

🛑 Exchange currency:
– You go to the gold shop to change from VND to USD and then go to the airport to change to EGP (Pounds)
– Note:
+ Change very little and then go to the city to exchange at a very high exchange rate (Because people prefer USD).
+ Egyptian Pounds cannot be exchanged after returning home (even if it is a bank), so please be careful.
+ In Egypt, tour tickets can only be purchased with a Visa card (no cash).

– Billionaire like this:
+ Bank: 1 USD = 45-48EGP (exchange rate April 2024)
+ Citizen: 100 USD = 4800 EPG

🛑 Sim: – You arrive at the airport and go to the counter to buy a SIM from Estisalat for only 1/3 the price when buying in Vietnam. (About 140k/1 4G sim with 20 GB)

🛑 Eating and drinking:

– Egyptian food has a strong Arabian flavor and is rich in spices.

– Specialties:

+ Ful medames (Fava beans cooked in olive oil)

+ Koshari (Pasta, rice, beans, tomatoes)

+ Hamam Mahshi (Stuffed pigeon)

+ Dawood Basha (Meatballs)

+ Mouloukhiya (Chicken or rabbit soup)

+ Aish Baladi

– Toast

+ Umm Ali (Bread, milk, toasted nuts)

+ Karkadeh – Hibiscus tea

♥️SUMMARY♥️

My Journey to the great ancient civilization of Egypt is One of the most valuable and memorable journeys checked off my bucketlist.

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