April 17, 04.30! After more than a year, I checked in again at Otopeni Airport, this time to Egypt. The land of the pyramids became the main attraction for Romanian tourists immediately after the reopening of the borders. Among the hundreds of Romanians waiting to be comforted by the over 30 degrees Celsius, a group of 45 young people stood out due to their mummy-like luggage. It is the first time we go on vacation with such a large group, and the active getaway that you will read about in the lines below is also a first.
Prepare tip money, it will save you a lot of trouble
The chosen destination was El Gouna and not Hurghada as you might have guessed if you read this far. The travel package cost 750 euros/person for accommodation/flight tickets/transfers. El Gouna is a private resort located on the shores of the Red Sea, preferred by water sports enthusiasts: kite, wake, snorkeling. In other words, you will not encounter the same type of tourist as in an area intended for all-inclusive tourists, and on the beach you may make friends with young people from Germany, the Netherlands, Spain or France.
Let's get to the tip story! As soon as you land in Egypt you will feel how the locals simply pull on you to receive a euro or a dollar in exchange for the service they are willing to do. They are not aggressive, just extremely insistent! Whether you wake up with your luggage forcibly taken on a trolley, or they simply want to carry your bag to the bus that transfers you to the hotel, Egyptians let you know that tipping is the key to solving any desire. And I admit that the 10 euros left in the passport, when we checked in at the hotel, lit up the receptionist's face, and our double room turned into a triple with a spacious balcony and a view of the palm trees.
Sparkling poverty, private getaway to the Valley of the Kings and a boat trip on the Nile
For the first two days, El Gouna was deprived of the wind we expected for the kite and then we looked for alternatives. You have at your disposal a lot of activities, all outdoors, to spend many hours in nature. We chose an ATV escapade in the desert, but also a trip of many hours to visit the Valley of the Kings. 50 euros cost the experience among the stone mountains mixed with dust, and the last 30 minutes spent at night in the middle of the wilderness raises your adrenaline level. I recommend that you wear clothes that you will forget about for the whole vacation, if you don't want to send them to the hotel for washing.
Let's get to the trip to the Valley of the Kings. If you went to sleep on this holiday then you better stay at the hotel! The wake-up call is at 04.00 because the distance traveled to the monuments "melts" in about 4-5 hours of travel. Together with two friends, we chose the private transport option (bus for 8 people, for 4) bearing in mind that the SARS COV2 virus is still waiting to infect you. 110 euros was the private getaway, but for groups of more than 15 people the price of this trip drops to 65. I had an extremely nice guide, an archeology graduate, who was struggling to learn the Romanian language. "You came here by the thousands and we only have six guides who also know the Romanian language".
Part of the journey through the Valley of the Kings takes you, of course, to the shops with which the guide has agreements. He took us to a perfume factory, but the smells of car wood did not convince us. And also included in the rate is a lunch! Now either we arrived too early or too late, at the restaurant where we were led the most attractive dish was...the view from the garden located on the banks of the Nile. And also from here you are notified that you are going on a little trip on the Nile. It's actually a boat crossing, and the only crocodiles you can see are the ones you search for on google.com And if we still got internet and telephone! I used a local Orange card taken from Hurghada Airport. 14 euros for 28 gigabytes of internet! They were enough for instagram, facebook, whatsapp and other apps. Whatsapp audio doesn't work, but you can use facebook audio without problems to call, even video.
Perfect conditions for those who want to learn to kite
Our vacation was organized by WEGO Adventures, a group of young people from Constanța , Bucharest and Brașov, kite instructors who helped me discover this sport. In the summer you can find them at WEGO Kite Spot on Zoom Beach , and in the cold season in the warmest countries in the world or in Poiana Brașov if the borders are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. If you want to control the beautifully colored canvas attached to you with tens of meters of long threads, then set aside 600 lei for discovery. If you feel like you can become a rider, it would be a shame not to finish the course.
They chose El Gouna as their destination because the conditions are almost perfect to learn this sport. The water is a meter deep, the wind blows quite often, and the instructors can stand beside you to help you glide on the board with the power of the kite.
And they also had the brilliant idea of organizing a trip to an uninhabited island in the middle of the Red Sea. The paradise of beginners, advanced, but also of those who came to admire the unreal color of the sea. Don't worry about food or water! You arrive at the island by yacht, and the crew will provide refreshments, even beer, plus breakfast and lunch. The experience cost 55 euros per person.
Instead of ending, I would like to leave a message to a co-worker who said to me "it will be miserable in Egypt". No way! It depends on where you go, who you go with, what you want to do and what kind of tourist you are! We loved it and are already planning our next kite vacation, also in Egypt.
Pingback: Egypt is not just all inclusive and pyramids - newsromania.info
Pingback: Happy Easter, wherever you are! Funytravel greets you - Funky Travel