Down to Egypt

[Yehoshua]

Thanks.
 It never did get finished and the pics are lost...

Well if this helps you finish even picture-less that's great!

[MosheD]

Well if this helps you finish even picture-less that's great!

Fine
Lets see what I remember

[MosheD]

Day 4 - Shabbos
Was spent in hotel where we enjoyed wine and other delacicies we shlepped in from IL

Satarday Night

IIRC After Shabbos ended on the recomendation of someone we hit up the Old Market. It is literally the same 6 stores 100x over. We strolled around for a bit and bought a bunch of Sheesha (Hookah) to bring back to IL. (I actually eventually brought to Goa in Ben Yehuda and the workers (Shebobs) there were massively impressed by it.)

We then realized we had a decision to make. We still REALY wanted to make it to Cairo, so we went to one of the dozen tourist shops that dot the area. Over our stay we had already found one guy we liked so we went to him. After a lot of back n forth (probably multiple trips, I can really barely recall how it all went down) We booked a full-day boat ride with scuba diving for sunday, and a full Cairo package for Monday. Im sorry I do not remember prices. The Cairo package included Early (and I mean early) morning flight, Egypt Muesuem, pyramids, and a bunch of tourist traps to kill time. It also included what looked like a nice lunch, which we of course did not partake in.

[MosheD]

Day 5 - Sunday

We woke up bright and early davened and checked out of hotel. They were very kind and let us keep all our stuff in a locked closet thing until we came back from excursion. (They were a little taken back by our 3 shisha's    ) We got to the boat and were actually impressed, it was Largish yacht and on the trip was maybe 30 ppl plus instructors. Here is where we met our first American (fine, Canadian) tourists but almost. They were seasoned world travelers but knew nothing about cc/points. 

The scuba diving here was even better than by the hotel. It was really very cool. This forum is crazy about snorkeling (which is cheaper, can be done on your own, and doesn't require a ton of gear), but seriously anyone who enjoys that should definitely try scuba if they can. It is absolutely incredible to be entirely submerged and surrounded by this wonderful world of color. Even if you only get 15 minutes at a time (the max for unlicensed) it feels so much longer down there and is sooo worth it.

IIRC the boat made three stops. I had paid for two dives so chose the first two stops to do them. My friend, being a licensed diver took one uber long dive (30 min IIRC), so he left at the second stop and was picked up later on the way to the third stop. Lunch was served on the boat, which again we did not partake in. But there were unlimited refreshments (bottled soda/water) and we brought instant oatmeal/protein bars for lunch.

We got back to sharm tired and homeless. I used my data to book cheapest hotel for the night. It was $20/night and was awesome. Firstly, guy working the counter was awesome 18-year-old who was high off his rocker. They got our reservation by fax (!?) which we both found amusing, and the room, lobby and property were surprisingly nice. (hotel link- it’s actually 15 now) and crashed for the night. In an honest review of the hotels we stayed, I would rank the service here the best. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention when we checked in there was live band (guy at his keyboard - but hey Ive been to weddings that have the same) playing music for the guests.

Correction- Actually thinking back I think we booked Cairo now...but makes no dif

P.s. Some of you may be wondering how we still had rations now. You are correct we were dangerously low, but figured we could rough it out for one more day in order to see Cairo

[MosheD]

Day 6 - CAIRO

Again we woke up early and were picked up to go to the Airport. This time we got our Visa's before boarding pass, and I think that may have made the difference, although with all the made-up rules I cant promise. We actually paid for the Visa in Egyptian Dollars and that worked out cheaper. Plane ride was 40 min and uneventful. We met our tour guide in the airoport, a Muslim (no suprise there) lady with an annoyingly high pitched voice. But overall she was a good informative guide, actually fluent in English. The other folks on the trip are what really made it fun. What still stands out to me, is this one tall back-packer dude, below is what I recall of actual conversation;

Me: So where you from
Him: Uhhhhm (pause) well if I had to answer I'd say LA but I havent been there in like 4 years man. Ive just been all over the place (Lucky style, without the hotels and first class cabins, so more like Suave style)
Me; So if you had to pick a place to live, where would it be?
Him: Up in Northen Canada with the Eskimoes  (He was being honest, I swear) After a while, I'd start going crazy, so I'd go back to La, but then I'd come right back...

Anyway back to tour, first stop was Egypt Muesuem. Basically all the stuff from pyramids in one big building, really cool stuff. Probably the one stop besides the actual pyramids that is worth it. There are no pictures allowed in the muesuem, so this is where a GoPro came in handy. Alas it was my friends so I dont have pics, sorry. After a while our guides tour was getting boring so we dithced and started wandering around muesuem on our own. We found this posh professor type giving what seemed like an expensive high-class tour so we started asking him questions. He was obviously very knowledgable and got into a long winded explanation of which Pharoah was the one by Moses but caught himself and basically told us its inconclusive.

Next, was lunch, which we ditched and roamed around Cairo. It really is 3rd world, even the business parts are slumish and the roads are just wow. We tried to get bank to trade our $$ but it was no-go. After we made to the pyramids. Besides being an ancient wonder, they are really a tourist trap. You go there, take pictures, get hounded by vendors, maybe take an uncomfortable camel ride and leave. But we enjoyed it and got a bunch of good pics. Everything else from tour, besides from driving through Cairo was boring imho.

Anyway, after tour we made it back to Sharm for one more night. 

[Yehoshua]

Wow, that's for taking the time to write all that. Sounds like it was a lot of fun, and for $20 that hotel looked really nice!

[yochiek93]

And hence the CRC has published a list of which museums kohanim can go to
http://www.crcweb.org/kohain_guide_museums.php

I know its off topic but if you look at one of the museums thats "problematic" it says there is a חלל טפח and that is good according to everyone.

[D93]

Thanks for finishing it up! Great stuff!

This forum is crazy about snorkeling (which is cheaper, can be done on your own, and doesn't require a ton of gear), but seriously anyone who enjoys that should definitely try scuba if they can. It is absolutely incredible to be entirely submerged and surrounded by this wonderful world of color.

+1

After I went scuba diving once, I never enjoyed snorkeling again.

Even if you only get 15 minutes at a time (the max for unlicensed) it feels so much longer down there and is sooo worth it.

Unless you're referring to diving in Sharm (which I've never been to), that is not true at all, I've done 1 hour + dives and I'm unlicensed.

[MosheD]

Unless you're referring to diving in Sharm (which I've never been to), that is not true at all, I've done 1 hour + dives and I'm unlicensed.

I'm probably wrong

[yakrot]

Thanks for finishing it up! Great stuff!
+1

After I went scuba diving once, I never enjoyed snorkeling again.
Unless you're referring to diving in Sharm (which I've never been to), that is not true at all, I've done 1 hour + dives and I'm unlicensed.

Was this anywhere besides Eilat? Bc from what I understand they are abnormally lax about standard scuba diving protocol there. I've been told you can not get away with that stuff anywhere else in the world.

[Jm1248]

Was this anywhere besides Eilat? Bc from what I understand they are abnormally lax about standard scuba diving protocol there. I've been told you can not get away with that stuff anywhere else in the world.

Not true at all. I went scuba diving in Greece and they barely even had anyone watching us. There was one instructor per 4 ppl. In Eilat they have an instructor holding on to each person. In the Bahamas they were also more relaxed. If anything Israel had the strictest standards of anywhere I've been

[D93]

Was this anywhere besides Eilat?

Yes

Not true at all. I went scuba diving in Greece and they barely even had anyone watching us. There was one instructor per 4 ppl. In Eilat they have an instructor holding on to each person. In the Bahamas they were also more relaxed. If anything Israel had the strictest standards of anywhere I've been

+1

[Emkay]

Unless you're referring to diving in Sharm (which I've never been to), that is not true at all, I've done 1 hour + dives and I'm unlicensed.

i have been to Sharm and had longer then 15 min

[Ergel]

I know its off topic but if you look at one of the museums thats "problematic" it says there is a חלל טפח and that is good according to everyone.

Except there is a question about sof tumah latzeis. So they are just letting you know the metzius.
You think the CRC doesn't know about chalal tefach? Seriously?

[Emkay]

When I went to Taba we spent hours at the border each way.
Don't try to bring an Israeli car into Egypt

Why not? I did.

when was this? was able to drive past the border area?

[Elite]

Can I ask:

Ive bneen into Taba from israel, and when leaving israel, if only going to  the casino in Taba, they don't make you pay anything, but to Sharm, you have to pay approix 100 shekel.
If i say im only going to taba, whats stopping me from going to sharm, then flying back to tlv?

[Emkay]

Can I ask:

Ive bneen into Taba from israel, and when leaving israel, if only going to  the casino in Taba, they don't make you pay anything, but to Sharm, you have to pay approix 100 shekel.
If i say im only going to taba, whats stopping me from going to sharm, then flying back to tlv?

Sharm doesn't have flights to TLV

[Elite]

Sharm doesn't have flights to TLV

Not direct.

[Emkay]

Not direct.

How would you route? Through CAI?
In which universe would that be worthwhile?

[Elite]

How would you route? Through CAI?
In which universe would that be worthwhile?

yeh.

How unsafe is it really to visit CAI now? I'd love it.

OK , you do hear of bombings and stuff about once in 2 months, but come on, its rare.