Travel Guide to Greater Cairo, Research Paper Example

There best day of travel will be on the 13th of November. This will be a month away from today 13^th October. A one month difference between the date of booking and the intended dates of flight ensures that the round trip costs 1007.1 per person. The trip will be a seven day affair and the date of the return flight to MIA Miami will be on the 20^th of November. That said, it also worth noting that this will be a Swiss air flight having one stop in Zurich. It departs at 7.45pm from MIA Miami and arrives at 2.50 pm at CAI Cairo. The will take 36 hours.

As a traveler, you need your travel visa. This is obtained at the Egyptian embassy in the US. This will have to be done in advance. There is also a cheaper option. It will set back the traveler 25 dollars per person. This process takes 20 minutes. The stamps for the visas can be obtained at 24hour s bank exchange booth located just before the passport control. One does not need a photo for this. The single entry visa is valid for a period of 3 months, and it holder can be in Egypt for one month (Firestone 15).

A six months and one year visa extension for tourist persons can easily be obtained from passport offices. The requirements are a photograph, photocopies of the photos and visa pages of the passport. Care should be taken not to exceed the period of grace (14 days) for the application of an extension once ones a visa expires. If one does, he/she will have to pay a fee of E£100 and get a letter of apology from the American embassy.

Health, safety and dressing

A month before departure one should be vaccinated against the following, Hepatitis A and B, and Typhoid. It is also wise to be vaccinated against rabies since exploration of the pyramids and spending time outdoors in Egypt may expose one to animal bites (Lababidi, 35). Vaccination against Measles, Mumps, and rubella is also recommended for travelers born after 1956. One should also be vaccinated against Tetanus – diphtheria.

Egypt is a conservative Muslim society. The dress code for Egyptian women by western standards is conservative. It is prudent to obey the dress code. Men have nothing to worry about, Trousers –shirts and shirts are ok. In Cairo short shorts, tank tops and sleeveless tops are unacceptable. Short artier is recommended in the resorts like Sharm El Sheik Sinai among others (Lacovara, 23). When one venture into the market areas, caution should be exercised such areas are like the market places like Hurghada. The general rule for men is to stay in trousers when mixing with the locals at public places like the markets but in Sea Side areas to dress as one pleases.

Women, on the other hand, have to be more cautious. To avoid unwanted attention from Egyptian men, women should dress more conservatively. The basic clothes one may carry include loose linen/cotton trousers and below the knee skirt and blouses with sleeves. Tight clothes and low necks are should be avoided for those planning to ride camels. Transparent clothes have to be avoided since they draw unwanted attention and comments from young men (Ludmer, 77).

For dinning, smart clothes and shawls, to cover bare shoulders, are good ideas. When t comes to shoes, keep in mind comfort. Scandals are OK, but one will be exposed to dust and sand, and the streets are not clean. One may step in mud puddles also so closed shoes are the better option. Heals are out of the question due to the sandy nature of the desert.

The winter season usually comes with cold nights. The streets are warmer than in buildings. Having a Jacket or a shawl will be very handy. The buildings are designed to be cool and central heating is a reserve for big hotels and classy places.

Climate of Egypt

Egypt has a hot desert climate. The weather is generally dry; temperatures are hot in the summer days and warm to mild in the winter. Summer nights are warm while winter nights are cool. The thin coastal strip that lies to the north of the country has more moderate temperatures due to the prevailing winds from the Mediterranean Sea. The temperature average 9.5 degrees centigrade at night in the winter and 17 degrees centigrade during the day. Summer temperatures average 23 degrees and 31 degrees during the night and day respectively. The desert region experiences varied temperatures. Summer nights experience 7 degrees centigrade and days experience 40 degrees centigrade.Winter temperatures do not fluctuate as much. When it does, it reaches a low of 0 degrees centigrade at night and reaches 18 degrees centigrade during the day (Mobile Reference 20).

The mountain areas in Sinai have cooler night temperatures. March, May and June usually experience a hot and dry sand storm called Khamsin. It blows from the South-West. Egypt gets less than 80 mm of precipitation annually and almost never rains in the summer. The region of Alexandria receives much more rainfall. An average of 200mm to be exact.

Historical Geography

Egypt lies to the North of Africa. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea. The name Egypt is derived from the Greek Aegyptos which mean the house of the spirit of Ptah, an early God of ancient Egypt. It thrived for thousands of years with it culture being famous in science and religion. The history of Egypt goes back to around 4000BC. The kingdoms of the upper and lower Egypt were highly sophisticated. They were also united. The country’s golden age was during the 18^th and 19^th dynasties. Persia conquered Egypt in 525 B.C. Alexander the great took over it in the year332 BC. The Ptolemies took control of the country and ruled till 30 B.c when Cleopatra committed suicide (Mobile Reference, 2007.

Egypt became a Roman empire from this time until the year 1517 when the Turks took its control. Napoleon armies were next to rule the country. After the Suez Canal was completed, in 1869, the French and the British became more interested in the country. They took over the country in the year 1882 and later it became a protectorate of Britain. The country became a republic in the year 1953 when king Farouk abdicated the throne.What resulted was the abolition of the monarchy system and Naguib became the president and prime minister. Under the next president, Nasser, the country has been in continual conflict. Recently it had the Arab spring which has made some areas of the country dangerous.

The population

The country has undergone major population growth over the years. It is the most populated country in the middle- east and the third most populated nation in the African continent. The 82.5 million citizens of the country reside in three major areas of the country. These are Cairo, Alexandria and along the banks of the Nile. Small communities are spread out throughout the desert regions and are clustered around oases, historical trade and transport routes.

 Life Today in Egypt

Most of the people who stay in the towns live in apartments. Only the wealthy reside in free standing houses since space is difficult to find. Men and women stay at home until Marriage age. Previously extended families lives together but with houses being abandoned for apartments, nuclear families are more common. It is inappropriate for a man and woman who are neither related nor married to reside together (Streissguth 66).

The population is predominantly Muslim. The government observes Friday as a day of rest. Work is done from Sunday through Thursday.

Transport

The modes of transport will be the national rail system operated by the national rail system. The road system is poorly maintained. Be very careful on the roads since Egypt has the highest incidences of road fatalities per miles driven in the world. There are few if any road markings. The traffic lights are not operational. I would recommend boat transport for travel to some sights. Taxi will be my choice for moving from place to place.

Accommodation

The hotel of choice will be the Barceló Cairo Pyramids. It is easily accessible from the Cairo International Airport, just 26.5 km away which charges 38 USD per night and has been rated 7.9. It is a four star hotel. This hotel is located 4.2 km from the Great Sphinx and the Pyramid.It is located 5.1 km from the Cairo Zoo and 5.1km from the Pyramid of Menkaure. The total to be spent on the hotel will be 532 USD.

Activities

The top attractions in Giza are the great pyramids. These are three in number. They are the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramid of Kafhre and the much smaller pyramid of Mnkaura. The pyramids are tombs to different kings of Egypt. At the front of the pyramids lies the Sphinx. It is an enormous cat-like structure. The pyramids and the Sphinx can be traced to the fourth dynasty of the old kingdom of Egypt. This civilization is the first great civilization on Earth. The pyramid like, that of Khufu, is a product of the efforts of 20000 laborers who used 2 million block of stone weighing about 2.5 tons each(Tignor 88).

Getting around the pyramids is done by walking, use of a horse and buggy or taking a camel ride. For the best deal before getting on the camel bargain hard. Also be aware that when one takes photos of the camel he/she will be required to pay for it. The antique policemen are there to assist so when you are harassed, seek their assistance.

It is advisable to venture into the pyramids after all

Total Costs

Conclusion

The political atmosphere in Egypt is currently unstable. One should be very careful and not deviate or wonder too far from the guides

Works Cited

Firestone, Matthew. Egypt. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet, 2010. Internet resource.

Lababidi, Lesley K. Cairo’s Street Stories: Exploring the City’s Statues, Squares, Bridges,  Gardens, and Sidewalk Cafe?s. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2008. Print.

Lacovara, Peter. The Pyramids, the Sphinx: Tombs and Temples of Giza. Hawkhurst: Bunker Hill, 2004. Print.

Ludmer, Larry H. Cruising the Mediterranean: A Guide to the Ports of Call. Edison, N.J: Hunter, 2002. Print.

Mobile Reference,. Travel Cairo, Egypt. Boston: MobileReference.com, 2007. Internet resource.

MobileReference. Cairo Sights: A Travel Guide to the Top 25+ Attractions in Cairo, Egypt. Includes Giza Plateau, Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. Boston: MobileReference.com, 2011. Internet resource.

Streissguth, Thomas. Egypt. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications, 2008. Print.

Tignor, Robert L. Egypt: A Short History. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011. Print.