Egypt

Going home

Zsolt Stenger — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 19:25:40 +0000

After a short sleep I was already up early because it was my last day on the road and I headed back home. I took my tickets said bye to Gaby and got on the bus which one is headed back to Hurghada.
Since I spent my last cash on the bus tickets I had nothing on me to get a bus to the airport so I decided to take out some money but of course the ATM’s didn’t worked again so I had to take a two km walk to the airport where the guards looked at me like I’m a completely idiot walking in the dark at 11 pm to the airport but after looking at my passport for ten minutes they let me in.
At the airport during the checks they took all of my small screw driver I was flying in the past years because safety reasons. At the end I got on my flight at 1 am and I was on the way to Istanbul to catch my next flight.
In Istanbul I had a few hours layover between the flights so I decided to grab a coffee and some snack just to stay awake until I board my next flight. Finally I was at home.

The journey to Abu Simbel aka how far would you go to take a photo?

Zsolt Stenger — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 18:52:26 +0000

We left Luxor in the really early morning by a local train to Aswan. I was eating the rest of the watermelon in the open door of the train while enjoying the view.
We arrived around 11 am so we were in hurry and we had to take a taxi to the minibus station. Where we got a guy who didn’t want to leave us and just kept telling things about their tours tomorrow but after we told him like 20 times we have to go today finally left us.. But we had another one who doesn’t spoke English (none of them anyway) after 1,5 hour negotiate so much hesitating and thinking we decided to go and we are not going back from here!
We were 2 in the car for like 30 seconds until every local just jumped in and a few soldiers too but none spoke English. That way wasn’t so long (it was) but in the no mans land. Nothing in sight in every direction. We stopped only once on the way but that was needed.
When we got there thankfully we still had 40 minutes before the site closed but that was enough. There wasn’t a single tourist or travellers outside of us only a small silent group. The temples are amazing both outside and inside. Everything is still in a good condition there!
Before we went inside our driver left us and went to take some fuel with our backpacks. When we were already outside he was nowhere but he showed up after a few minutes and started driving us mad.
He wanted us to pay more (we already paid for both way what we agreed before what was a stupid move). And he wanted so much for the way back we negotiated for more than 40 minutes until we got a still high for them but low and “good” price for us and we were on our way back to Aswan finally.
In Aswan we were so lucky. We had more nearly 10 minutes before the last train leaves to Luxor so we got there just in time.
On the way back we tried to book something for the last night but there was nothing open at our arrival time somewhere 1 am so when we got back we decided to knock hard on the door at the closest hostel to the station and we won, got a room!
That was a really long day with more than 1000 km in that really hot weather.
We deserved a few hours of sleep.

Are we crazy?

Zsolt Stenger — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 18:51:40 +0000

We made our craziest plan which was going to Abu Simbel on the next day from Luxor and back! Just sayin more than 1000 km within less than a day. did we lose our minds?

Maybe.

Exploring Luxor

Zsolt Stenger — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 18:50:40 +0000

The time we arrived we went straight to the Luxor temple. What can I say already at the entrance we had a great laugh after the checkpoint. The guard said I have to gave my tripod to them so I’m not able to take pictures (we had normal tickets) so I left my tripod there and used the camera all around of course. It is an amazing place like nearly everything in Egypt.
After we explored the temple we took a ferry to the other side of the Nile and walked about 5 minutes to our next hostel which one was also a great upper room with a view to the Nile. Before night we were looking for food market around the half city until we found it finally and we got some peaches and a big watermelon and headed back to the hostel with the ferry. We ate a good pizza right next to our hostel but when we arrived back I still ate nearly half of the watermelon what was almost 4 kg but so tasty!
At night we had to think about our next moves because we didn’t had so much time left.
We made our craziest plan which was going to Abu Simbel on the next day from Luxor and back! Just sayin more than 1000km within less than a day. did we lose our minds? Maybe.

Cairo, the capital of Egypt – The most photogenic view to photograph the Pyramids of Giza

Zsolt Stenger — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 18:48:56 +0000

After arriving around 10 pm we realized our hostel is still more 12 km away from us so we took an uber. Wasn’t that easy of course.
When we arrived and filled the check in documents they said it’s all good but our hostel is more ->5 minutes away by walking<- because they have 2 place with nearly the same name. He said he will take us there.
Outside he took out from the shadow a small rickety tuk tuk and started the engine successfully after 5 minutes. It was funny with all our backpacks. The way there to the other place was like more than 10 minute ride through small alleys, horses and so on but we finally arrived. The guy showed us around and then he said let’s go to the rooftop!
We already know what’s waiting for us up there but when we saw the view directly to the pyramids.. it was amazing even at night.
At the morning we started early to avoid most of the tourists at the Pyramids and walked the whole place around for the best views. This place is huge too and the Pyramids are incredible in every moment whenever you see them. I always wondering how did they built them back then.
At the afternoon we took an uber to the Egyptian Museum. This place is so big, really it is. You can spend there like a whole day. The best room is of course Tutanhamon’s room but the whole museum is interesting and breathtaking with a lot of information!
After an active day when you spent your time by exploring the city what can be better than take a sandwich break in your hostel on the rooftop and enjoy the view to the Pyramids?
Next day we were visiting the biggest open market, the endless Khal el Khalili market but sadly wasn’t open everything on that day but still was a good experience and a local market feeling on the small streets. After the market we were just walking and exploring the city without plans and took a seat at the shores of the Nile near the sunset where 2 friend of Gaby from Israel just found us and we had a nice talk and shared some ideas.
Later on we took a bus from Cairo to Hurghada. It was half failure time again.

The plan changed

Zsolt Stenger — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 18:47:41 +0000

It was a good walk in the sea at the beach again, exploring the city and chill a bit. At night we met with two friends of Gaby from Korea in bar and drunk some beer and talking after a while we ended up going their rented apartment, met with their flat mates and played a new (for us) card game .
It was a great night and we also got some bad news because the ferry wasn’t running between Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada so we decided to go straight Cairo instead. We took a bus next day and arrived around 10 pm.

How are we going to Dahab now??

Zsolt Stenger — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 18:47:01 +0000

We started to walk to the only road from the beach but at the checkpoint, halfway between our camp and the road some police man with a prisoner transportation car just stopped us. One of them held out his hand through the window and I shook his hand with reflex but the only thing he said was
“Passport please!!”
WoOops
They asked a few weird questions and said they are going to take us somewhere where we can get a transport to Dahab. They even had a prisoner too behind the locked door..
Well after driving around a while we got some free cola and managed to leave them and took a minibus to main Nuweibaa.
When we jumped out from the car at the crossroads it was like a ghost town. None was there. We saw a bus like 300 meter away from us and started to walk but we realized they got flat tire and trying to fix it.
There were other police mans again and they didn’t let us leave also without taking a minibus/taxi so after a while we were on our way to Dahab again and finally got there around mid day.

The messy border crossing to Egypt

Zsolt Stenger — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 18:46:03 +0000

At the morning we started our journey with a bus to the border and cross it at Taba.
But. There was a few problem like we forgot to get dollars for visa and the paper for the visa request from the embassy too so we had to pay at the border more 800 Egyptian pound over the visa (which one was the same price) per person. That wasn’t so nice at all.
After we crossed the border successfully we’ve got a new problem:
No buses today from the border.. We had to wait on a checkpoint for a taxi or minibus and we got the second one so we were on our way to Nuweibaa! Yaaay!
After a while we arrived to a place where the other passengers left and we showed to our driver where is our place ad he said “Oooo it’s just on the other side of the fence! Let’s go!
Would be funny to go straight to the center of Nuweibaa because this place is 20 km before the main city so we were there!
Of course none is spoke English at our place and we got our own bungalows 15-20 meters from the sea!
It was a beautiful place, good beach and warm water. The most important thing is there were like none outside of us. The whole place was ours only a few local kids were swimming around. It was a perfect chilly day after all.
Late night I figured out that I had a new roommate called CRAB. It was the beginning if a new friendship. But after a few try I managed to take and escort him back to the beach and in my bed!
At the morning we had some good breakfast, gaming time (I won finally hahahah!) and a few new problems like still no buses god knows why. We wanted to go to Dahab on that day.