Ashraf our tour
guide near the base of the great pyramid. I have a great liking for just about every
Egyptian I've come across in my now 5 visits to the
country and Ashraf sums them up. He is pleasant,
personable and incredibly knowledgeable (and proud)
about his city (Cairo) and country. Egyptian tour guides (the
best ones) do a University course on being a tour
guide, then when they pass get an official card that places
them in an elite position in terms of service they
can offer.
We arranged our trip
to Cairo from Sharm el Sheikh ourselves rather than
through our tour company. For about £120 each (in
2004) we had a return flight, were met at the
airport by tour guide and driver in an
air-conditioned MPV. We were ferried around for the day
with individual attention, taken around all the
sights we saw and expertly informed of each. We
discussed the Arab world, terrorism, war, Islam,
you name it - Ashraf spoke at learned length and
listened with interest too. We had lunch on a boat
on the Nile, went at our own pace and had a truly
memorable day, leaving our hotel about 7 a.m. in the
morning and returning by 9 p.m.
Our tour company for
the same price offered a trip leaving at midnight on
a coach, arriving in Cairo the same time we did, but
in a group of about 20 and then another 8 hour coach
trip back again. Don't go with what the rep
recommends!
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