Don’t Believe The Hype About Egypt {Guest Post}

About two months ago I ran into Mindful Wanderlust on Facebook, and after reading some of Giselle and Cody’s posts I became very interested in their blog as well as their exciting travels. We exchanged a couple of emails and I learned about their upcoming six-month trip to four countries that I have never been to- Egypt, India, Nepal & Vietnam. Since Egypt has long been revered as one of the world’s top attractions, I thought that Mindful Wanderlust’s input on Egypt’s safety would be valuable information for any world traveler, especially since they recently visited.

Here is their post and I do hope you enjoy:

If you’re someone who has ever thought “I would love to go to Egypt”, Or “Egypt is my dream vacation”

Ask yourself: What is stopping you? Visiting Egypt in your lifetime is an absolute attainable goal.

We tend to get stuck in our own little bubbles and believe everything we see and hear in North America or on the news.

I also believe that people fear travelling to Egypt because it is mainly a Muslim country, and one of the first things that enters many peoples minds is terrorism.

Open your mind.

The people of Egypt, like the millions of Muslims around the world want what most of the worlds population want. To live in peace. To put food on their tables for their families.

To live in freedom. Most everything that is fed to us is a negative portrayal of a small number of people. As soon as we entered the airport, we started receiving welcomes.

“Welcome to Egypt” “You are most welcome” And my personal favourite, “Welcome home.

The people of Egypt are struggling. Yes there is political unrest, but we feel it is very much contained in one area, and very under control. Any violence that has been reported has had nothing to do with travellers. The violent footage you see on the news is replayed, over and over again, which then makes it seem like there is a lot more violence and turmoil then there really is here.

These people are fighting for freedom. We have had the absolute pleasure to speak with some locals regarding their struggle, and we are more than happy to support it.

This is Cody’s 2nd time in Egypt, and my 3rd.

We will most definitely, without a doubt, be back.

If you want an experience you will never forget, let go of fear, and explore.

From beautiful ancient structures, to a feluca ride on the river nile, to a traditional Bedouin coffee ceremony, to Egyptian men trying to lure you into their shops, with clever questions like: “How can I take your money today?” Or “I don’t know what you need, but I know I have it”

To be honest, it can be overwhelming at times. There is some hassle, and if you are a woman, you will get cat called and stared at, but dressing appropriately goes a long way. In Egypt, the positive always greatly outweighs the negative. We were invited into a beautiful antique shop to sit, chat, and have tea without one word about purchasing something. We learned that the owner of the shop has a pet crocodile named Steve. We stepped into a lovely restaurant and museum along the Nile, called Panorama, and didn’t eat anywhere else our whole three days in Aswan. Our server was a quiet, gentle man, by the name of Hossam, with a dry witty sense of humour, around the age of 75.

He gave us his Facebook on our last visit.

We met a lovely man at The Pyramids selling post cards. We declined his offer, then for some reason, quickly changed our minds. We purchased a pack of postcards and probably made his week. We called him back for another pack and most likely made his month. Unlike other mobile vendors at The Pyramids this man gave us zero hassle when we showed no interest in what he was selling.

When we decided to call him back, he was elated, and so genuine. We ended up taking photos with him, walking, and chatting for a while about the state of Egypt, and how it really is safe here. He was so full of joy that he was able to speak with people that lived outside of Egypt.

We may have many differences that we all tend to focus on, but one thing we all have in common is the need for connection with each other.

Sex, race, age, religion, will never separate us from being human and connected.

Waving at a bus load of people, smiling at the muslim girl on the passing boat, sitting with bedouin children that are so excited to see the photo of them that was just captured.

All of these passing moments are so important, well at least to us.

So please don’t let fear hold you back from doing what you really want to do.

You may feel uncomfortable for a small time, but you’ll grow from every experience.

Shukran

By Giselle and Cody from www.mindfulwanderlust.com