Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
Hitchhiking in [[Egypt ]] is actually quite easy. When visiting areas outside of Cairo, it may be easier to hitchhike than to search for a taxi. In places such as [[St. Catherine's ]] (Mt. Sinai), [[the SiwaOasis]], and the [[Sinai Peninsula ]] there are numerous opportunities to hitchhike. These are great places to hitchhike since the taxi drivers there have a pseudo-monopoly on transportation, a steady flow of unsuspecting tourists, and are often times difficult to deal with. The people, on the other hand, are often times very friendly to foreigners and willing to help in any way. On one occasion a taxi driver refused to drive me a half kilometer to the hospital for 5 LE. I simply walked up to a local, told them that I needed to go to the hospital, and they took me for free. Nonetheless, it may be better to catch a bus, a minibus, or take a taxi on long trips since they are relatively inexpensive and do not require the use of Arabic. If you do not speak Arabic, the opportunity to hitchhike may be limited. Most people in Egypt do not speak English. The people that do speak English often times are not quite as excited by the prospect of giving a ride to a foreigner because much of the time they were educated in the British or American school systems.
If you have ever been to Egypt, you understand that many people might expect money from you in exchange for them giving you a ride (especially if you look like a foreigner). I suggest letting the driver know before leaving that you either do not have money or tell them a price. There have been occasions in which I had people refuse to give me a ride because they expected me to give them rediculous amounts of money. Around Sinai, many people with normal cars consider themselves as taxi drivers even though they obviously are not.
Another place that you can hitchhike is the Siwa Oasis. If you are hoping to go out to the [["Great Sand Sea" ]] much of the time you can look for a work truck driving in that direction and ask them for a ride. This is far less expensive than hiring a guide for the day if you only want to sandboard and aren't hoping to see some of the sights in the desert. Much of the time there are areas in which work trucks are gathering sand to use for various reasons around the city. If you are hoping for a ride back, stay relatively close to the construction areas or you may end up stuck in the desert.
Here are some helpful phrases for people that do not speak any arabic.
