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Keti's Sphinx Festival tips for travellers to Egypt |
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Visas and entry |
What to pack Nov in Egypt is mild by day with cooler evenings, so a sample packing list would be: 2 pairs trousers/jeans, 3 tshirts, 2 long sleeved shirts, knee to calf length skirt for ladies or knee length shorts for ladies/men, jacket, scarf or pashmina style wrap plus 1-2 sets dressy clothes. Tracksuit will be good for morning yoga and classes. A pair of sports shoes, sandals, dress shoes, sunhat, sarong, beachdress, sunglasses, swimsuit, notebook, pen, mobile phone, camera, vitamins, toiletries, antiseptic wipes, sunscreen. A copy of itinerary and passport. Laptop and ipod optional. |
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Taxi travel In Cairo, there are two types of taxis - the new yellow or white metered taxis (fares are cheap), or the older black and white cabs. For the latter prepared to negotiate a price or simply jump in and when alighting, give the driver money as though you were a local! It is aprox 5 le for a trip in the same suburb, 10le for 2 suburbs, 15 le for 3 suburbs, 20-30 le for a trip of 30 min to an hour respectively. In El Gouna there is a cheap public bus system to all areas, the tuk-tuk or set price taxi service. |
Save on phone bills and internet Get an Egyptian sim card in Cairo (they are cheap) plus some credit. You'll feel safer - store all Egyptian contacts on this phone. To sms overseas from Egypt cost local prices. There is a Vodaphone store on Mohumed Mazhar St, Zamalek. There are many great cafes with wireless internet in Zamalek too, cheaper than the hotel - it just costs you a cup or coffee and you can take as long as you like! In Gouna, Moods cafe has free wireless and hotels usually charge a fee for daily/weekly wireless internet. |
Keep fresh wipes, water and tissues with you Arabic food is often eaten by hand - bread, dips, etc. Its a good idea to carry wet wipes with you and wipe your hands before eating. Antibacterial foods help; raw ginger, ginger tea, garlic, lemon are all available at shops in Cairo and Gouna. Carry water with you, avaialble at local delis, to keep refreshed during the day, or to wash your hands. When travelling in Cairo, take toilet paper or tissues! El Gona has good bathroom facilities throughout. |
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Pack light - shopping in Egypt is great! You can buy cotton clothes, shoes, costumes, Bedouin rugs, trinkets, Islamic lamps, leather goods, handbags, music cds, henna, spices, apple tobacco, perfume bottles, perfume oils, Arabic music, dvds, shishas, fabrics, weavings, ramadan tent fabric and so much more! Khan el Khalili is the best place for trinket shopping, but there are fixed price shops around too. Gouna has an Arts village and nice bedouin handicrafts as well as ecclectic Egyptian home items. |
Tipping Tipping is a way of life in Egypt. it's polite to give 1le to toilet attendants in hotels, shops and road houses. Porters usually get 20le ($4) for carrying bags to the room. Bus drivers are tipped, the easiest way to do this in a group is for each person to give 10le ($2). A small tip goes a long way in Egypt and the people are grateful. It is customary to give a tip of 10% of the bill at a restaurant. It is a good idea to try and keep small change in your wallet. |
Bargaining tips Practice your Arabic, smile, have a joke with the shop owners before you start bargaining. When they give you a price, cut down to a third and say - "but its much cheaper in that other shop". If you still don't get your price, say thank you and walk away. This usually works. The trick is to not look too interested. Keep a sense of humour when bargaining at the markets and aim for 50% of the initial price. Use your intuition. |
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Service charges and taxes Dining out? Food at restaurants and hotels often carries an additional 22-25% service charge and tax, often this is not shown on the menu price, so be sure to add it if it is written in fine print at the bottom of the menu. |
Currency You can withdraw money from most atms with your bank or credit card, in LE (Egyptian pounds) converted at the daily rate. There is usually a bank fee involved. You exchange foreign cash at any bank. Hotels have safes. |
Manners Please "Min fad luk" and Thank you "Shokrun" will get you better service and the Egyptians will say "Ah! You speak Arabic!" At cafes - to call a waiter, say "lau samahkt". Egyptians are friendly, open-hearted and like to joke. |
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Counting and Numbers 1 wahid, 2 etnein, 3 talata, 4 arba, 5 khumsa, 6 setta, 7 sabba, 8 tamania, 9 tessa, 10 ashra, 11 hidasher, 12 etnasher, 13 talatasher, 14 arbatasher, 15 khamastasher, 16 settasher, 17 sabatasher, 18 tamantasher, 19 tessatasher, 20 eshreen, 21 wahid wa eshreen, 27 sabba wa eshreen, 30 talateen, 40 arbaeen, 50 khumseen, 100 meyya, 125 meyya wa khumsa wa eshreen |
Basic Greetings Hello and welcome - ahlan wa sahlan, answer - ahlan bik! - hello back! Good morning - sabah el kheir Good evening - misae el kheir How are you? - Izzayak/izzayik? I'm fine thank God - Ana kwaiss/a el hamdulilah Where you from? - enta/enti minein? I am from... - ana min... What is your name? - ismak/ismik eh? My name is... - ismi... Goodbye - maasalema |
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LEARN 250 EGYPTIAN WORDS CD (with easy-to-follow Booklet) Easy Egyptian colloquial language for Music, Dance & Travel by Keti Sharif Keti's easy to follow CD teaches basic colloquial Egyptian for travellers. Keti has selected the 250 most useful words for local travel spoken in the "Cairean" dialect. This project was overseen by one of Cairo's top Egyptian language teachers, Elia Dilernia. Plus you will have a support booklet to read and reference as you study. |
What you will learn: |
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For inquiries Contact Festival Organizer, Keti Sharif: Email keti@sphinxfestival.com...... ........Return to Home Page.................. See Previous Festivals  |
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