My First Trip to Cairo, Egypt

There is nothing quite like traveling, like visiting a new place for the very first time
or returning to a favorite one. People of all ages, from all around the world, go to
foreign places for different reasons mainly, for work, family, and for trip. Whether by
plane, train, ship or by automobile, traveling is generally a pleasurable experience, at
least for the people who can financially afford comfortable and safe methods of
travel. But it has more benefits than satisfying one’s need to make money, like, for
example, to see loved ones and enjoy oneself on vacation. There are other benefits of
traveling worth mentioning and trying out.Travel is generally a pleasurable
experience. It is a kind of activity, which almost all the people love.it is the best way
to have fun and to enjoy with our friends and families. I love travelling and going
around the world to visit many places.

Traveling is an extraordinary experience every person needs to try. It reveals a

whole new and exciting world out there, opens out your inner strength, and
presents with unforgettable adventures

I chose to visit Egypt for this project because there is so much to see
and do with all of the history that is there. It is truly amazing how much we can relate
to the ways they took care of things during those days. Their culture and ways of life
was extraordinary, from the cloths to the way they built each building. Egyptians
have always been interesting to me and this gave me an opportunity to learn more
about them.

Before I can even plan my trip I have to go and see what medical
precautions and stipulations I need to be aware of. I decided to go online and I found
that I actually have to have my routine shots, hepatitis a and b shots, typhoid shots
and my rabies shots [ CITATION Cen12 \l 1033 ]. I have most of these shots already, but
it is recommended that I see my doctor at least four to eight weeks before attending
this trip. I have to get two shots. I do not like shots at all, but I am really excited
about this trip so I am prepared to get them. After receiving my shots my doctor told
me to keep following up before I go on my trip so that he can prescribe the correct
prescriptions for me to take with me.

In order to leave the country and enter Egypt I must purchase a visa

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and passport. With this being my first time out of the country, I had to research this
topic. I did not realize that it would be so expensive. It turns out that visas cost about
sixty dollars and a passport cost about three hundred and fifty nine dollars [ CITATION
USD12 \l 1033 ]. The visa is only good for ninety day then it expires. Each time I leave
the country I have to renew my visa. The passport is the help me get back into the
states.

The next thing for me to do is decide when I want to go and who I

want to go with me. I asked my sister and our mom to go with us and they said yes. I
looked up many prices and times. The best price and time for departure was for
seventeen thousand seven hundred fifty eight dollars and fifty cents for the three of
us. Luckily, this is the price for three roundtrip tickets. Orbits showed this price and
it is for first class and business class seating. The only bad part about this trip is the
long flights. It takes fourteen hours and twenty minutes to get there without
connections; with connections it will take seventeen hours and forty minutes. This
will be my first time being on a plane so hopefully it will be a memorable experience
for me. While looking up plane tickets I looked up rental cars and found a SUV for
one thousand five hundred forty nine dollars and ninety cents for the two weeks that I
will be in Cairo. Believe it or not gas is only sixty nine cents a gallon over there as
told by the CNN [ CITATION CNN05 \l 1033 ].

The currency from U.S dollars to Egyptian Pounds converts into five
point eight pounds for every one U.S dollar. They do not use the same term as we do
for change. We refer to change as “cents” and they refer to it as “Piastres.” The
exchange rate is determined by the Swiss Stock Exchange [ CITATION OAN03 \l 1033 ].
I learned something new while researching this because I didn’t really understand
how the exchange rate was determined nor did I know how much of a difference the
money is once converted.

We three of us discussed whether we should stay in a hotel or if we

would feel more comfortable living in an apartment for two weeks. It was a
unanimous decision to rent an apartment. We started narrowing down what we
wanted in the apartment. Our requirements were that the apartment has three
bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, wifi, a washer and dryer unit, a television, and
it be fully furnished. We found just what we were looking for. This amazing

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apartment had all of our requirements plus so much more and an incredible view on
top of all of this. The apartment only cost a total of one hundred two dollars and
eighteen cents in American money, but it cost six hundred thirteen Egyptian pounds
and seventy four piastres [ CITATION Vac12 \l 1033 ].

While there we want to try some of the foods there. There is one food
that we have all agreed not to try, that food would be pigeon. Pigeon is a traditional
delicacy that is cherished there. I mean no disrespect, but I do not think that I could
eat that. There are other fools such as Koshari,Taamiya, and Fuul that look
appetizing. Koshari is a macaroni, bean, and herb topping over rice. Taamiya is type
of traditional wrap for them. Fuul is a bean paste that has sour cream and diced
tomatoes on top. To top it all off there is a delicious drink called lemoon, which is a
fruit tasting water with lemon in it [ CITATION And11 \l 1033 ].

You may be wondering what we will be doing during our time in

Cairo. We plan to unpack and relax on the first day that we arrive. For the next
several days we will take tours all about the historical capital. Between all of the
touring we will have a spa day and take time to venture around our selves for a while
and go shopping. We decided to take about one million five hundred one thousand
six hundred ninety Egyptian pounds for shopping. We wanted to take some real
Egyptian cotton sheets home for our beds back home. We started looking around and
found the store that we were looking for. Right next door to it was a crafts shop, we
were in luck.

Most of the customs and traditions are the same, but different at the
same time. We both have customs such as baptisms and marriage. For us a baptism
happens in a church when a person claims their true love for Christ. Baptism’s for
them are done some much more different. Seven days after a baby is born, family and
friends come to visit the mother and the father washes the baby. Marriage to my
surprise is basically the same for both countries. One exception is that they fast and
pray for three days after they are married. I thought that was kind of odd until I read
the story behind it. A woman by the name of Tobia was married several times, but
each of her husbands were killed the first night by the devil. When others heard of the
deaths, they started to talk about her and give her a bad reputation. Through all of the
gossip, she managed to get married once again to a man by the name of, Tobit. The

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day they married, her father prayed with her new husband to god to protect their
marriage. One day an angel came to him and told him to pray and fast for three days
to protect them from evil. This story started the tradition that is still used today
[ CITATION Cop12 \l 1033 ].

Other customs that are similar, yet different are Easter and New Years.
Easter is completely different for us than it is them. They call Easter “smelling the
breeze”, we just call it Easter. For fifty five days before “smelling the breeze”, they
pray at church every day and they do not eat “food with a soul”. The Friday before
everyone wears black and drinks vinegar like Jesus did. Jesus asked for water and
they brought him vinegar instead. The Sunday before no one drinks or eats anything
from midnight to six o’clock that night. On the day of the event, everyone eats fish,
eggs, wears new cloths and visits with everyone. New Years is almost like Christmas
for them. Before Christmas, they fast for 43 days, and once again do not eat any
“food with a soul”, but they are allowed to eat fish. Everyone goes to church on New
Year’s Eve and prays from eight at night until midnight. At midnight, all of the
indoor lights are turned off and candles are lit. Sweets and toys are handed out to
everyone [ CITATION Cop12 \l 1033 ].

When it comes to gestures, there are several things to avoid doing.

One thing that you should avoid doing is showing someone thumbs up because they
tend to take that as we would if someone showed us their middle finger. Never keep
your shoes on when entering someone’s house or a Mosque. If you eat, gesture, or
shake hands with the left hand it is considered to be unclean. Do not bring flowers to
someone as a gift when visiting their house. Flowers are only for weddings and ill
people. Bring sweets and small gifts for children. Women are not to show their knees
or shoulders, because that shows disrespect towards their culture. Avoid drinking
water unless it is boiled or in a sealed bottle. Avoid eating uncooked vegetables as
well [ CITATION Cen12 \l 1033 ].

When it comes to knowing the type of government that is in charge it

can be tricky. The Muslim Botherhood won the last election but the government is
refusing to relinquish power, so they are still in charge. This is a third world country,
which means they are less developed and have lower middle income. Something else
I did not know is this is a dictatorship country [ CITATION Kev12 \l 1033 ].

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 Other facts to know are about the language, religion, and safety tips.
The official language is Arabic, but English and French are widely spoken. The
religion is predominantly Islam, they worship Muhammad. The police are
trustworthy, there is a low crime rate, but be aware of the terrorist attacks. To avoid
terrorist attacks it is best to stay away from tourist areas with packed people. After a
long two weeks it was time to pack everything up and return the rental car to the
airport and wait for our flight to leave. Time for a sixteen hour and three minute
flight.

Works Cited
Cairo, Coptic. Web. Customs and Traditions. n.d. 20 April 2012.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. Health Information for travelers

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 to Egypt. 20 January 2012.

CNN. Web. Gas prices around the world. March 2005. 4 April 2012.

Humphreys, Andrew. Book. Top 10 Cairo & The Nile. Great Britain: Dorling
Kindersley, 2011.

OANDA. Web. Egypt Currency Converter. 2003. 29 March 2012.

Perk, Kevin. Class. "Third World Countries." Covington, 2012.

U.S. Department of State. Web. Egypt Country Specific Information. n.d. 2 April
2012.

Vacation Home Rentals. Web. Vacation Home Rentals. n.d. 19 March 2012.