Miffa’s Bunny Travel Guides: Hurghada

Miffa writes his second travel advice post: hurghada – Egypt

Several weeks, actually several months after I visited this city finally I have decided to publish my travel guide.

I must admit that everything started when a friend of Father Bunny (FB) asked him for advice while visiting Amsterdam. Since them at least a hundred people from such different origins as Seychelles, Canada, Andorra, etc has sent us an email asking for a Miffa Chan’s guide to Hurghada.

The amount of information that I have collected is not very suitable for a blog hosted here, so may be I will need to split it into several post or to guide you to a link in our main page www.miffa.net

1. How to arrive there from Europe
2. Some information and questions you should answer yourself prior to go
3. Accommodation
4. Want to dive? Red sea
5. Places to eat
6. Places to go
7. A Guide to avoid Rip Offs : Important

1. How to arrive there

Traveling from major European cities it’s not a problem, provided that there are big travel agencies that operate several charter flights every day of the week. This is the best option, good prices, new planes and direct city to city flight. Travel time is about 4 to 5 hours from any major EU city.

Traveling from Barcelona or any origin not Madrid is kind of tricky. First no charter are available except on summer – or they told us that- so expect to pay big bunny bucks and to do some scales in your flight.

A week or two before Eastern Mother Bunny (MB) called some Travel agencies that said to her she was insane. “Everything there is booked and prices are high”

Using her frequent flyer program points he got a free (hehehe) ticket from BCN-CDG-CAI-HRG. An amazing journey that started in BCN at 5:00 AM and ended 20:00 in Hurghada.

We flew from BCN to CDG (Paris) and from there to CAI in business and to tell you the best part of it it’s not the fancy lights, electric leather seats, personal TV, extra room. The best – by far- is the Business lounge where you can eat, drink, whatever until boarding.

There I had Champagne, several sandwiches, coffee, fresh carrot juice and read some newspapers and trend magazines as abusemagazine.com

We were waiting more than three hours for the CDG-CAI Flight so imagine the tedious waiting without all this stuff.

Needless to say it’s that this is the first time I had had this luck in my short life. I did not own my private yet – by the moment- like Mr Varsasky, and FB is member of a secret society called “Closed Fist Brotherhood” so this show off is totally unmoral and unethical from his point of view.

Cairo airport

Cairo airport is not very nice and people are not very friendly. You must buy a special stamp –Your Visa- that it’s a few American dollars. Compared to the entry fee they charge you in Belize, this is pocket money.

There’s no internal connection between International terminal and Domestic one. So if you are carrying a lot of luggage, and if you plan to dive with you own equipment, you surely will, take a cart.

Carts are crappy and when loaded with more than 50 kg handling them is not easy. All those circumstances and no help from Mother Bunny ended in me badly dropped onto the ground…

Father Bunny was very sad, but my eye was purple (mostly because of the dirty ground) and this fact really marked my holidays.

Cairo airport domestic terminal it’s not a nice place to wait and we were there two hours. No shops, no duty frees, no bars, nothing. It’s like an obscure bus station.

From CAI to HRG you fly Air Egypt and apart from the old Boeing interior design (not even in mainland China I have seen something so bizarre) everything is ok… Wait, our meal was bullsh*t, but at least they feed us.

When arriving to Hurghada airport do not expect nothing less, nothing more that you have seen in Cairo. Ok, may be luggage belts are working fine and you won’t need to get into – yes for real- into the thing to recover your stuff.

We have been bitching around for 15 hours and we’re tired, but as usual FB is mad, so when we were assaulted by several Taxi drivers he decided to go directly to a guy who was waving a Conrad Hotel sign.- our Hotel-

That was a good idea, but we were not the Hammerhead Family. Anyways it worked and we saved time and money.

So the first Smart Bunny Traveler Advice (SBTA): Try to identify anyone with your hotel sign or any closed spot. Then tell them they told you a car will be there to pick up you and your stuff. Avoid taxis, and if you end up in one make a clear statement about how much they will charge. More than one or two euro it’s a rip off.

To be continued… (actually the following has neen added 21/06/2006)

Prior to travelling there

Some information and questions you should answer yourself prior to go. And valuable info about your destination. Mostly based on FB’s manias that, as you know, tends to overdo things badly.

First, all the shit rough Guides, Travel fuckers etc will tell you (by Father Bunny)

Money

The official currency in Egypt is the Egyptian Pound (LE), is about 6.5 to 1 Dollar. But don’t be silly they accept Euros, even coins, so forget about all that mesh. Some cash can be converted directly at the airport, or in any local banks some of them have ATM machines, and most hotels also provide banking services. Banks exchange cash or travellers cheques, and provide advances on credit cards. There are many other foreign exchange offices. Please note that Banks close on Fridays and Saturdays.

Banks are – among the robbers- the nicest ones so forget about obscure spots and black markets if you really need to exchange money

Electricity

Power supply in Egypt is 220 volt. But who really cares with those nokia dual voltage AC chargers.

Comms

Internet in most hotels is about 6 euro per 15 minutes so posting will be something only available for The Pajeros Network. I a
m not sure about GSM coverage but as you know CE has announced actions against major EU telcos that were charging several thousand (or it was hundred) times their cost.

Weather

Sun is high and sun lotion there is higher. Tip buy your stuff at home

Films and Storage

Only if I see Michael Jackson nude inside a donkey milk pool I had consider buying a single roll.

Water & beverages

Water is not cheap and alcohol is not allowed in restaurants and shops. So do like Russians use to, grab a six bottle box of vodka in the Duty free and then enter in the Restaurants and bars with attitude, grabbing the bottle with one hand and some chicks with the other one

Exotic Fauna

A year ago Egypt suffered several terrorist attacks

When we talked to our hotel Sales Manager during an informal encounter he told us that this fact has been crucial in Egypt’s tourism composition.

Mother Bunny was in Hurghada three times before in the past 10 years. During that time Hurghada, a former fisherman village, became a hot diving spot populated by Italian (mostly), German and Dutch people.

Now, after that incident, Russian are everywhere… Italians changed their diving destinations and Germans do not like very much to share time and places with them.

SBTA 2: Be prepared to share your time and spaces with a lot of Russian people. And if you think English and German guys with white socks and sandals drinking barrels of beer was something annoying… be prepare for more fun!!!

Domestic Fauna

Father Bunny apart from being president of the Closed Fist Brotherhood it’s also a notable member of the Oysters Do Not Need To Socialize. Just an example will deliver you some info: If father bunny gets lost he will try to read maps, GPS, try to use a sextant, everything except asking someone (even if they speak the same language)

So if you are the kind of person who really are not always in the mood to be assaulted by other than want to communicate with you (and sell you crap, cheat you, rip off you, etc) think about it, SERIOUSLY

Almost everywhere, every time… they will ask where are you from, prior to a nice attempt to rip you off. When you say “I am from Andorra and My Bunny Child from Hong Kong” they really show that Geography is not something they master.

SBTA 3: Be almost rude, do not say thanks or answer any solicitation.

Bargains & Dealing

The firsts ones are not real and the second it depends of you. Personally I love it (I am from Hong Kong) but FB hates it, so I have decided to include some personal opinions from him.

You’re walking around after a hard day diving with all that nitrogen in your blood so you decide to go for a walk, you don’t smoke and if you do water pipes are not something you would like to take back home…

No way, street hawkers will try to convince you desperately need one and their pipes are the best in town, and they only cost 10 euros.

FB: Man, you just have been caught by a couple of evil brothers that will offer you tea, coke and whatever if you fiancé or little bunny just say “It’s a nice piece” prior to feed themselves with your blood.

Not taking the above argument seriously – It’s FB- if they offer you something for 100, offer 25 and try to deal close to it. If you are really like my father that do not understand the fine tradition of commerce (Even in my home town I have seen him losing his nerves), I must warn you that people love to deal and if you try to fix a price – even higher that the one they expect- you have no options.

For those of you that really need to buy some souvenirs (friends, family, etc) there are some fixed price shops where may be you pay a little more but at least you do not loose you time.

FB: “what the fuck you mean telling me this is special grade, made by hand and all this bullshit, I told you I will pay ten fucking dollars and that’s it, Whaaaat??? Tomorrow, I am leaving today…

What you will encounter there… well in one word: crap. Papyrus, coppers crafts, cotton fabrics, water pipes, stupid souvenirs are nice in the mega illuminated windows around the center but, Do they will fit in you home…? Ask this question prior to any decision

A very funny anecdote happened when we were in a shop and a very rich Russian lady came into, she asked for the price of a copper lamp and the guy told her it was a very special item that surely she can not afford. The poor idiot did not realized that that lady was wearing more gold that all the city citizens together and the minimum face value of the notes in her purse were 500 euro.

Safari and adventures

I will discuss this later on in the “places to go” section but as a general rule get all the info at home or try to figure up something in advance. Chances to be ripped off are high, but chances to loose your more valuable asset (time) are enormous.