Egypt Travel Guide

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Good News: It's Not the End of the World

Where: Egypt
November 11, 2011 at 10:35 AM | by | Comments (0)

It's Veterans Day today, and it's also 11.11.11 as the date goes. Naturally tourist sites have been preparing for both, but with the major difference that Veterans Day takes place in the US and focuses on looking at history and remembering while 11.11.11 happens around the world, with a focus on the future.

For some however, it's actually a lack thereof (the future) with the belief that the world will end today. Well it hasn't yet, and Egypt's Great Pyramid can attest to this. Fearing negative attention and spiritual ceremonies, the Great Pyramid was closed to tourists. The AP notes that only the pyramid was on lock-down:

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The Oprah Show: Live From Tahrir Square?

Where: Egypt
February 28, 2011 at 9:06 AM | by | Comments (0)

Cairo's Tahrir Square is clear of the makeshift dwellings of the protestors who were in it for the long-haul before Mubarak stepped down, and now, as the site of another event in the country's history, Cairo is looking to capitalize on the Square's popularity...and fast. So fast indeed, that they've invited lovely little Oprah Winfrey (and other famous faces) to come and do shows in the Square.

The brainstormer behind this is Egypt's freshly appointed Minister of Tourism, Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, and he's got designs on more than just the queen of media. Nour is anxious to dip into social media as well, as Egyptian paper Al-Masry Al-Youm reports:

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The Egyptian Pyramids Re-open for Business, Even If Only 10 Tourists Show Up

Where: Egypt
February 22, 2011 at 11:55 AM | by | Comment (1)

Woo—who wants to go to Egypt now that the revolution's most violent days are behind us? No one? Yea, we didn't think the traveling public would be so eager to jump back into Cairo when they've barely cleared the makeshift protestor shacks from Tahrir Square. Still, the portion of the country that earns their income from tourism still needs to eat, and thus the pyramids have reopened to visitors.

This Voice of America article that interviewed some of the locals who work at the pyramids is quite eye-opening, especially with excerpts like this:

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'An Idiot Abroad' Visits Cairo, Luckily Before the Recent Turmoil

Where: Cairo, Egypt
February 21, 2011 at 8:35 AM | by | Comments (0)

This week's episode of An Idiot Abroad landed Karl Pilkington right in the middle of the one world destination most people will be avoiding for the next few months: Cairo.

Obviously, the episode was filmed long before the recent turmoil in Egypt, not that it would have mattered much to the show's producer Ricky Gervais, who purposely tries to make each journey as uncomfortable as possible for his sidekick Pilkington.

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Developers Make iPhone Apps Free to Help Travelers Stuck by Cairo Protests and US Snow

Where: Cairo, Egypt
February 3, 2011 at 10:53 AM | by | Comments (0)

This may be a long shot, but for those whom it touches, it could be a lifesaver:

The maker of one of our favorite favorite iPhone Travel Apps (Tokyo Teleport), is offering their newest app, Cairo Taxi Guide, for FREE right now in order to aid any foreigners in Egypt who are perhaps not so well-versed in Arabic.

The premise is simple; search a glossary of landmarks, museums, and really everything else in Cairo in order to discover how to say that you'd like to go there, in Arabic. The app provides clear taxi cards to show to your driver, so that you aren't literally just taken for a ride. They've also released similar Taxi Guide apps, priced between $5.99 and $9.99 each, for Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

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Where Exactly is Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt?

Where: Cairo, Egypt
February 1, 2011 at 3:58 PM | by | Comments (0)


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It's located right at the Sadat metro station in the center

Conflicting reports from major news outlets today tell us that anywhere from 200,000 to 2 million protesters have converged upon Tahrir Square in Cairo, where the anti-Mubarak chanting and demonstrating has reached a fever pitch on this, the ninth day of protests in Cairo. And, in the news, it's all Tahrir Square, Tahrir Square, Tahrir Square...but what is the significance of this spot, where exactly is it, in relation to the rest of Cairo, and why are the protesters coming here?

The answer is simple: protesters are gathering at Tahrir Square because, in a bustling and crowded city like Cairo, Tahrir is one of the biggest open expanses in the city. Plus, it's located at a major traffic nexus, for subway and other transportation. But most importantly, Tahrir is the historical site of past protests, including that against the War in Iraq. If you want to know even more, Tahrir is very important to the modern Cairo, as within the vicinity of it are many western 4- and 5-star hotels (like the Hilton, Intercontinental, Kempinski and Four Seasons), the Egyptian Museum, the American University, and essentially, the heart of tourism.

If you, like us, are curious about exactly how many people are in Tahrir Square today, check out WIRED's great article that works out approximating it.

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Wherever You Are, Be Happy You're Not at Cairo International Airport

Where: Cairo, Egypt
January 31, 2011 at 10:35 AM | by | Comments (0)

Where are you right now? Since it's Monday, you're likely back to work and daydreaming of somewhere else. Well, take a moment today to be thankful for the fact that you are not one of the desperate thousands trapped in the humanity of Cairo International Airport as the place has broken down into chaos. MSNBC noted one particularly crazed moment at the airport: "By midday, an announcement filtered through the crowd instructing groups of Danish, German, Chinese, British and Canadian passengers that their governments had sent planes to evacuate them, prompting a nervous stampede toward the gates."

With many airlines temporarily cutting off their Cairo routes "until further notice" and a large percentage of both airport and airline employees unable to even make it to the airport to carry out their jobs of getting people out, CAI more than qualifies as a complete sh*tshow. Let it also be known that with the internet down, for those travelers still in Egypt rearranging travel plans is no small feat.

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Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore Jump for Joy in Cairo

Where: Cairo, Egypt
December 16, 2010 at 12:35 PM | by | Comments (0)

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore took some time out from their usual hectic schedules of punking TMZ, taking pictures of themselves, and saving the world, to visit the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

The couple was in Egypt to attend the End Human Trafficking Now International Forum on behalf of their own foundation, DNA. The conference was held in the southern city of Luxor last weekend but, as soon as it ended, Demi and Ashton headed north to Cairo for some R & R.

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Obama Takes The Pyramids of Giza Tour, But Skips Camel Ride

Where: Cairo, Egypt
June 5, 2009 at 11:07 AM | by | Comment (1)

After a typical date night escape brought President Obama to New York City earlier this week, we can only imagine that he was all warmed up to play tourist on his Egypt jaunt.

He may be in Dresden today addressing issues of Holocaust denial, before he rounds out this week with a visit to the D-Day beaches of Normandy, Obama made sure to drop by Cairo University to deliver a hotly debated speech. Thankfully he brought his khakis and set aside enough time to day trip out to the Pyramids of Giza and the 600-year-old Sultan Hassan mosque. During a private visit to the Spyhnx, Obama even joked that were he a typical visitor, he'd get on a camel.

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King Tut, You've Got Mail

Where: Cairo, Egypt
March 17, 2009 at 2:15 PM | by | Comments (0)

Need to check your e-mail before heading to the Pyramids? Let your stomach show the way at Cairo International Airport to free WiFi.

The airport's own Aviation Information Technology Company offers a free signal in the terminals, but the best signal is in the Terminal 2 food court. Just like in Santiago, no purchase is necessary to partake.

Eat up all the free bandwidth you want, but make sure to tell us afterwards.

Related Stories:
· Natural Wonders Travel: The Green Returns to Egypt [Jaunted]
· World's Greatest Train Travel: Olde Africa, Bathtubs Optional [Jaunted]
· Airport WiFi Map [Jaunted]

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How Many Pyramids Are There In Giza? Seriously?

Where: Cairo, Egypt
October 29, 2008 at 4:45 PM | by | Comments (0)

Marriott is running an online contest right now that asks "How many major pyramids are located at Giza?" If you couldn't figure it out from the photo they show right next to the question, the answer is three.

The two previous questions in the game asked why they celebrate Carnival in Rio (to mark the beginning of Lent) and who officially opened the Sydney Opera House (Elizabeth II). Tomorrow's quiz is about Rome, and judging from the difficulty of the questions so far, we're throwing out these potential answers: The Forum, The Colosseum, Romulus, Julius Caesar, Trevi Fountain and Italy.

Related Stories:
· Marriott World of Rewards [Official Site]
· 3-D Models of the Pyramids for Google Earth [GEHacks]
· The Giza Pyramids World Heritage Site [UNESCO]
· Giza Pyramid Complex [Wikipedia]

[Photo of the famous Giza Pizza Hut: noaman]

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Possible Museum Travel: Egypt's Underwater Treasures

Where: Egypt
September 17, 2008 at 9:50 AM | by | Comments (0)

Serious hidden treasures from Cleopatra's palace lie beneath the waters of the Mediterranean, off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt. And a proposed underwater museum will showcase these sunken wonders if UNESCO determines that the project is feasible.

Cleopatra's palace was built on an island in one of the largest human-made bays on the planet. Earthquakes unfortunately submerged her opulent lair until the 1990s when archaeologist-divers found the thousands of precious objects.

The museum could be truly astounding, showing off 26 sphinxes, statues bearing gifts to the gods, Roman and Greek shipwrecks and pieces of the Pharos of Alexandria lighthouse--one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.

Related Stories:
· Underwater Museum Planned for Egypt's Alexandria [National Geographic]
· Egypt Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Seven Wonders of the World coverage [Jaunted]

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