Nguyen Phuong Mai (28 years old) lives and works in Dubai. Because of her dream of photographing one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, she made a trip to Egypt from March 18 to 27.
Different from what was found on the internet about a chaotic, slashed, and unsafe Egypt for solo female travelers, Mai had a very happy and peaceful trip to Egypt. Not only that, this is also the “most laughable trip ever” of the 9x girl. She met many cute things, everywhere she was favored because she went alone, the tour guide, the hotel owner… always asked enthusiastically. At Abu temple, a local old man talked about his homeland Vietnam and gave her an apple as a gift.
The itinerary Mai chose is to go to Cairo – Siwa – (yacht) Swan – Luxor. The Siwa Oasis is the most memorable and truly leisurely cruise days. In Siwa there is no internet, it is too cold and she is often asked by the local staff “are you cold? do you need to light a fire to get a blanket to warm up”. It was also here that Mai made friends, chatted and laughed until the night with many new friends. Meanwhile, while on the Mai cruise, you can enjoy the scenery on both sides of the legendary Nile River and meet many new friends.
Detailed itinerary for 9 days in Egypt
Mai enjoys the view of the Nile. The cost of traveling to Egypt for 9 days is about 1,500 USD (excluding two-way flight tickets Dubai – Cairo).
Enter and buy 4G sim card
On the first day when she arrived at Cairo airport at 6:30 pm, she went through the counter to check PCR results, vaccination certificates, passports, visas and entry. Egypt does not require guests to test during their stay. Mai opened the phone to access wifi but tried many times to no avail. Right in the airport, there is a 4G sim counter, so she consulted and chose the 18 USD package to use 43 GB for 9 days in Egypt.
After the bombing that blew up a tourist bus in 2018, many people thought that Egypt was still rioting, but the reality is completely different. Mai said, “just move on the road, at any junction you will see a police station. In Cairo, Aswan and Luxor are the same, so you can travel with peace of mind”.
Local guide
According to Mai, traveling to Egypt should hire a local guide because they have a car to take you around easily and the locals traveling with you will feel more secure. Before leaving, she was recommended by her friend Tyher, a guide that provides cheap and enthusiastic service.
When I took the bus from Siwa to Cairo, there was no internet for the first 7 hours and it was not until 2 am that I could send the location to Tyher. However, he still made it on time and booked her first-class ticket on the flight at 8:30 without taking any more money. The local guides in Aswan and Luxor who work with him are also very enthusiastic. Every night when they come back, they text Mai and ask “is everything okay, are you satisfied, if there is anything wrong, please report back”.
Place of stay
At the Cairo pyramid, Mai booked the Guardian Guest Hotel for two nights with a window overlooking the sphinx and pyramid. The hotel does not have an elevator, but the owner enthusiastically welcomes guests from the door and carries luggage to the room. In addition, Pyramid eyes Inn is also a suggestion for those who want to see the pyramids from afar because of the terrace.
In the Siwa oasis, the 9x girl booked a room at Mountain Camp – the most famous accommodation in the region. Traveling alone, Mai is favored by the staff and boss, serving a lot of drinks, fruits and willing to take pictures.
During her trip to Egypt, Mai spent a few nights on the Palace Cruise to explore the Aswan and Luxor areas. The reception often calls guests to get up early to prepare breakfast and go down to the attractions. When the yacht is floating on the Nile, afraid of lonely guests like Mai, the staff also call to remind you to come up to the deck to enjoy free tea and coffee.
Mai eats and drinks at the hotel’s terrace area near the pyramid.
Note when traveling to Egypt
– If you go to the pyramid on the weekend, you should watch the light show in the evening.
– Should check the weather of each destination before coming. Going tomorrow at the end of March, the weather in Egypt is still cold, but Luxor alone is very hot. You need to bring a full hat, clothes for both cold and hot weather, sunscreen, and moisturizer.
To enter the attractions you have to go through the security check. At pyramids and some temples, tripods are not allowed. Remote control drones can be brought on entry but cannot be used, if used, you will be severely fined or may go to jail.
– The price for one time to ride a camel, rent a carriage at the pyramid is 20-30 USD. The camel driver will take pictures for the guests.
– The Cairo – Siwa bus has a night bus that will pass through three police stations to check documents such as passports and visas. Same way back.
– Go on the road or in the temple area, do not answer the invitations of the shops because even if you say “no”, the seller still follows. It’s best if there is no gesture or word in response, then take 5-10 steps and they will leave.
– To store things comfortably and get more Mai prepares a large canvas tote bag.
– Mai divides the cash and puts it in four wallets in four different locations. When going out, she holds the most convenient wallet, containing small denominations of money to easily buy things and not be noticed much.
– Hotels, resorts, yachts in Egypt often do not have slippers in the room, the bathroom is quite small, the drainage is a bit poor, so to avoid slipping when taking a bath, you should bring a pair of anti-slip slippers. . In addition, toothpaste, brush, most of the accommodation are not included, you should prepare in advance.
Mai (centre) joins other tourists on a picnic in the desert.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
