IS EGYPT A SAFE COUNTRY FOR TOURISTS?

CAIRO TOWER

Because I know that many of those who have not yet visited this country but have made plans and are looking for information about this place, I have decided to answer some of the possible questions that you may have and same questions that I have had before I went to Egypt.

And I will be very sincere in these articles about Egypt, I do not intend to praise or lie about how beautiful and good it is, but not even to create a negative image about this place. I will tell how my experience was, as a 25-year-old young woman with 100% European education and mentality, who cast herself into a predominantly Muslim Arab country without any prior connection with such a thing . You will discern what is good for you, but know that eventually every experience is unique and until you go there to make your own experience, you do not take everything from the net as totally real.

Let's get back to the idea of ​​the article ... How safe is Egypt for tourists?

Frankly, Egypt is not a safe country, but the authorities make it to seem safe. Also I think that at the moment there isn’t a country 100% safe and secure.  You will see police or military patrols on the streets, you will have checkpoints from every passing city to city, you will go to official institutions such as embassies and you will see strongly armed security guards, you will notice that the police or any security guy is very suspicious of anyone. All this they do to make you feel secure, especially to tourists. Now it also depends on the area where you come from Egypt. If you just go as a tourist in the most eminently tourist areas like Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab or simply in Cairo you will see that there are tourists, security is assured, but you will not live the true Egyptian experience. I'll make an article about what it means to live like a genuine Egyptian.

And yes, it is known that Egypt is a country that has gone through some street fights, a revolution, in the north of the country in the Sinai area, the army is in the 24/24 alert due to the threats of those who want to enter the country in various goals. And believe me that the Egyptian army is one of the best and most trained armies in the world. Today is quiet, the world on the streets is seeing their own businesses, it's a lively country.

Many women have questions about clothing, if it is a safe country for women, if you have to dress in a certain way on the street or when you go out. My answer is that if you are decent in your country, you will be fine in Egypt too. And when I refer to decency in Egypt, I mean to cover your body as much as you feel good and not to provoke a scandal in the street because of attitude and appearance. Eventually, we go to Egypt, having no idea what it is like; We see clips on the net with stories of others, but our reality may be different. The point is, we have another mentality about what's out there. We will not understand certain things that they do or don’t, and vice versa, they will not understand us.

As a recommendation, it is good if you go through crowded places, on going out during the evening, to not go alone on the street, but with other people. I'm not telling you to depend on others, but it's a safety measure. Do not take unnecessary risks by going alone at night on the street or with strangers (for, yes, there will be many "good people" who offer to help you, although it is common for them to offer to take you by car if you are walking down, especially among men, do not accept such offers as a woman).

Take care about taxi drivers! Their taxis are white, so you recognize them either after the long horns and the insidious eyes or pssss of the drivers. As tips: do not get in the taxi before negotiating the rate and the price. Do not expect it to be like in your country, get in, tell the destination, turn on the meter, pay for how much it does, and that's it ... NO, not at all. Before you go to the destination and offer a price, he will ask for more and so on until you reach a price. Then go up and enjoy the trip.

The traffic is a living hell, crowded, and there are no traffic rules. There are no traffic lights, no signs, no indicators, nothing much. A traffic light is very rare thing, there are absolutely no crossroads, very few indicators and no one respect them anyway. That is chaotic and this was my first cultural shock.