Post by 3girls3xsthefun on May 22, 2015 8:00:10 GMT -5
You were all so helpful last summer when I was planning my 60-day trip to India for work, and now I need help again.
This summer I'm going to Cairo. I'm looking for any useful info & tips.
I'm mostly worried about gettign around alone (as a western female). I'll have a driver to get me to and from my office but any travel outside of work hours I have to arrange by myself.
I plan to wear the same clothes I did in India (dark color linen pants and modest 3/4 length sleeve shirts) but I never covered my (blonde) hair in India -- Google tells me I should in Egypt. I'm wondering if that's true.
I also have blonde hair, and I was never under the impression that I needed to cover my hair there. I did dye it more of an auburn color just for my comfort but never felt like it needed to be covered. I also wore conservative clothes and felt that was fine.
We had prearranged transportation for our entire visit so I can't offer any tips there.
Enjoy! It's been a few years, but we really enjoyed our time in Egypt.
The private driver is a very good idea. Cairo is the craziest city I've ever been to in terms of traffic/transportation.
I was in Cairo in 2010 and dressed as you described but never covered my head. I have dark blonde hair. I never felt out of place or that I needed to cover my head.
I didn't cover my head in Cairo. I also recommend a driver if you have access to one. We used taxis and my friend who was living there at the time did all the rate negotiations for us. I would have been lost without her help.
Post by udscoobychick on May 25, 2015 9:49:36 GMT -5
Agreed on not needing to cover your head in Cairo. When we were there, our guide, who was probably in her early 30s, said that it was a personal decision as to whether or not to cover her hair as an Egyptian woman, and she had just started wearing a headscarf in the last couple years. Everything I read said that there was zero expectation of Western women covering their hair, so I didn't, and I was fine. I wore mostly long skirts and long-ish sleeved shirts in Egypt, which worked out well for me, so I think what you're planning is fine.
Hire a driver or take taxis, as the traffic is the worst I have ever seen.
If you get food poisoning (I did in Cairo), Antinal, the local antibiotic of choice for stomach trouble, will clear it up quickly.