Middle East - Anthony Ham [168]
USA (Map; 02-2797 3300; http://egypt.usembassy.gov; 8 Sharia Kamal el-Din Salah, Garden City, Cairo)
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Surprisingly, there aren’t very many headline events on the national cultural calendar. The most notable are the Cairo International Book Fair in January/February, the Ascension of Ramses II at Abu Simbel on 22 February and 22 October each year, and the Egyptian Marathon (egyptianmarathon@egypt.net) in February, when competitors race around the monuments on Luxor’s West Bank.
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GAY & LESBIAN TRAVELLERS
While homosexuality is not actually illegal according to Egypt’s penal code, arrests on the charge of ‘debauchery and contempt of religion’ do occur. The website www.gayegypt.com is a good source of information.
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HOLIDAYS
In addition to the main Islamic holidays (Click here), Egypt celebrates the following public holidays:
New Year’s Day 1 January
Coptic Christmas 7 January – only Coptic businesses are closed for the day
Coptic Easter March/April – only Coptic businesses are closed for the day
Sham an-Nessim (The Smell of the Breeze) First Monday after Coptic Easter
Sinai Liberation Day 25 April
May Day 1 May
Liberation Day 18 June
Revolution Day 23 July
Wafa’a el-Nil (The Flooding of the Nile) 15 August
Coptic New Year 11 September (12 September in leap years)
Armed Forces Day 6 October
Suez Victory Day 24 October
Victory Day 23 December
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MONEY
The official currency is the Egyptian pound (E£) – in Arabic, a guinay. One pound consists of 100 piastres (pt). There are notes in denominations of 5pt, 10pt, 25pt and 50pt, and one, five, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 guinay. Coins in circulation have denominations of five, 10, 20 and 25 piastres. You should try to hoard as many E£1 and E£5 notes as you possibly can, as these come in very handy for baksheesh and taxi fares.
See the table for the rates for a range of currencies at the time of going to press.
ATMs
These have spread rapidly throughout the country; you’ll find them everywhere in Cairo, Hurghada, Luxor, Alexandria and Sharm el-Sheikh, and less commonly in Aswan and Dahab. They are very rare in the Western Desert and in smaller towns throughout the country. ATMs are run by a number of different banks and not all are compatible with credit cards issued outside Egypt. In general, those belonging to Banque Misr, Egyptian American Bank, Banque du Caire, the National Bank of Egypt and HSBC will accept Visa and MasterCard and any Cirrus- or Maestro-compatible cards.
Credit Cards
These have become widely accepted in Egypt over recent years, but keep in mind that they usually aren’t accepted in budget hotels and restaurants, nor in remote areas such as Siwa and the Western Oases. Visa and MasterCard can be used for cash advances at Banque Misr, the National Bank of Egypt and Thomas Cook offices. To report lost cards in Egypt:
Amex ( 02-2480 1530) In Cairo.
Diners Club ( 02-2578 3355) In Cairo.
MasterCard ( 02-2797 1179, 02-2796 2844) In Cairo.
Visa ( 02-2510-0200) In Cairo.
Moneychangers
Money can be officially changed at commercial banks, foreign exchange (forex) bureaus and some hotels. Rates don’t tend to vary much but forex bureaus generally offer marginally better rates than the banks and they usually don’t charge a commission fee.
Look at the money you’re given when exchanging and don’t accept any badly defaced, shabby or torn notes as you’ll have great difficulty offloading them.
Taxes
Taxes of up to 25% will be added to your bill in most restaurants. There are also hefty taxes levied on upmarket accommodation; these have been factored into the prices we have quoted.
Tipping & Bargaining
Bargaining is a part of everyday life in Egypt and people haggle for everything from hotel rooms to clothes. There are rare instances where it’s not worth wasting your