"Hello, money, money, money, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY (as someone is holding out their hand for money)." "For you, NO HASSLE (as someone is speaking two inches away from your face)." "You very beautiful. What you do for work? (as someone is trying to decide if you're worth kidnapping)"
A city of 10M surrounding the Great Pyramids of Cairo.
The hassling started in the Cairo airport. I'd been in Egypt a total of 5 minutes when an airport worker followed me into the bathroom, grabbed my arm, and started stroking my hair saying how beautiful it was, which was a total lie since I hadn't washed it in days. Then, she held her hand out for money. What exactly was I paying for... the compliment or the bathroom stalking?
This type of harrassment didn't stop until I was back in America... 6 days later. But, I do have some really good news! I finally found something I wasn't even looking for: my least favorite country on the planet!!!
Egypt sucks. Don't go. Ever. Period.
My trip allowed for two stops: Luxor and Cairo. In Luxor, we hoped to tour the Valley of the Kings, the Karnak Temple, and the Luxor Temple. We arranged transport with our hotel at a fixed price for the day. At the end of the day, the driver charged double. Why? Egypt.
Tombs inside the Valley of the Kings.
Hatshepsut's tomb. The "Luxor Massacre" occurred here in 1997.
If you want to go inside a tomb, you have to pay. If you want to take a picture, you have to pay. If you need to use the toilet, you have to pay. All these "fees" are on top of your entrance ticket, and you're paying them to a random local, military police, or a "historian," who's standing inside and totally unaffiliated with the sites.
Every Egyptian I encountered in Luxor asked for money. Every. Single. One. They didn't just ask for money. They grabbed your arm, your clothes, your bag and demanded money. The kids in the street surround you holding out their hands repeating "money, money, money, money." The adults - including their cops and military - stalk you in the bathroom, at the sites, in their cabs, at American resorts, restaurants, museums, and anywhere else you can think of and demand money.
Look, I get the haggling - especially in a poor country. It's to be expected. What I do not get, nor do I enjoy, is how aggressive the people are about getting paid. When they stand in front of you giving you zero room to breathe and order you to pay them for absolutely nothing, my patience becomes nonexistent.
A military cop took this pic after telling us to rub the wall for good luck. Then held his hand out for money while pointing his loaded gun at our feet. We paid the man.
Here's the thing Egypt: you could be more epic than Rome. You've got the history; you've got the sites; you've got the monuments. You literally have the most iconic pyramids in the entire world. Your economy should be booming! But, corruption, civil unrest, and religious conflict have been detrimental over the years.
Most people don't feel safe because of bombings in a mosque in Sinai, shootings outside a church in Cairo, and dead tourists all over the country.
Soldiers, tanks, and riot police are all everywhere. Yes, their guns are loaded, and yes, they're there to make you feel safe.
You have to pass through multiple metal detectors no matter where you're going. Bomb and gun checks are standard.
Knowing all this, I still chose to visit because what country doesn't have their problems? Islamic Extremists aren't targeting Coptic Christians and shooting up their churches on a daily basis in America, but we all know we have our issues.
Besides, I didn't want to be deterred from fulfilling my dream of riding a camel through the pyramids in Cairo, which I did do but did not enjoy.
Even with a local we were hassled on buying things - like camel rides.
Cairo isn't as bad as Luxor because it's a much larger city, so the harassment is spread out among the tourists sites. Plus, we paid a guide to stay with us since Luxor was such a nightmare.
That still didn't make the trip worth it. The people ruined it. The tombs. The camels. The hieroglyphics. The pyramids. Everything.
I never felt unsafe while visiting Egypt. The military presence and overall security was enough for me. I did feel inferior because I'm female, disrespected because I'm "Western," and borderline insane because of the haggling. Personally, I'd rather have all my toenails ripped off than ever set foot in that country again.
I would only recommend Egypt to someone who A) speaks Arabic, B) can travel with a local, or C) has paid a guide to stay with them 24/7. Even with those prerequisites, be prepared to walk down the street like you cannot see or hear anyone who's talking to you.
If the Middle East is in your future, skip Egypt's nonsense. Go to Jordan instead.