Ancient Jerusalem and beauty Petra, tour from Taba
Dear tourists, all those who will read my review! I am writing specifically for you about the current situation in Egypt, because now everyone is more concerned about it than the number of types of sausage for breakfast. I returned from Egypt two weeks ago, I will describe how it was.
So - I flew to Sharm el-Sheikh - everything is calm at the airport, it works as usual, there is no enhanced security. A pleasant surprise for everyone was that the Egyptians themselves (the meeting party) dissuaded us from buying a visa and immediately sent us to passport control to print the Sinai stamp. I emphasize once again - if you are not going to go to Cairo, Luxor and a few other places - you do not need a visa, put a Sinai stamp for free. All information is on the Internet, read! By the way, there was still a queue at the window with a visa, people either didn’t hear it, or didn’t believe it and stubbornly bought a visa. Well, it's everyone's business. I asked the locals for information about Cairo - guides, hotel workers. Everyone unanimously says that the situation is calm, you can go, there is nothing to be afraid of. However, with one caveat - the plane. The roads may not be safe. The Egyptians themselves are waiting for the presidential elections and a new bright life. You decide whether to go to the pyramids or not. Next, a transfer to Taba and a check-in at the Movenpick Hotel were planned. Now information for those who are going to repeat my path to Taboo. The transfer there takes an average of 3 hours, but our bus drove all 6, so the arrival was already late in the evening and the first day for rest was lost. It turns out that now it is forbidden for buses with tourists to travel unaccompanied, and this escort takes another part of the time. It looks like this: the bus drives up to the checkpoint (there are a lot of them in Egypt now, they meet approximately every 20-30 minutes of the journey), the guide comes out, negotiates something with the locals and there is a wait from 15 minutes to 2 hours. What the expectation depends on is a mystery to me. Then the bus, accompanied by a police detachment, moves to the next post, where the situation repeats itself. According to some tourists, their bus drove unaccompanied for 3 hours, so here you are lucky. However, it is not known what else is considered luck in the current situation in Egypt? In general, I felt absolutely safe, even looking at these guys with machine guns, constantly meeting on the way.
Briefly about the tour and important information.
Jerusalem, day one.
After the buses arrive at the border, tourists fill out migration cards. Further - as lucky. The Egyptian side releases quickly, the Israeli side is in no hurry to let it in. They slowly look at the passport, rummage through things, ask questions about nothing - after all, you are loaded onto a bus and driven for about 4 hours to Jerusalem. The bus is comfortable, it turns out even to doze off, outside the window is night. Already in Jerusalem itself, the guide sits down. If you are lucky with the guide, you can quite have time to visit all the holy places, if you are not lucky, only a part or stand in line for a long time. We were lucky and we all made it. The tour itself ends at about noon, then lunch at the hotel and we were taken to the Dead Sea, swimming took 1.5 hours, after which we headed to the border with Jordan. We arrived in the evening, crossed very quickly and easily, check-in at the hotel also did not take much time. Then dinner and long-awaited rest.
Well, now the nuances. Jerusalem is a very visited place, during the season it is not overcrowded. Hence - a lot of pickpockets, be careful! It depends only on the guide at what price and where you will buy magnets, candles, icons and other souvenirs. Unfortunately, they didn’t give us free time - it’s very easy to get lost in the city with its narrow streets and crowds of tourists, so the groups are led to pre-arranged outlets. Women need to have headscarves, don't forget about it. It is advisable to immediately write notes for the wailing wall and when visiting churches - they can be given to the priest by paying a certain cost. In order not to waste time on this there, when from what you see, all thoughts to one scatter in different directions... Bathing in the Dead Sea also has its own characteristics. If you want to smear yourself with mud, you must first buy it for $ 5, because. natural under the onslaught of tourists has long ended. The dirt is sticky and difficult to wash off, do not forget to take shower gel with you. Stay in the sea for no more than 15 minutes, while water should not get on the mucous membranes, otherwise a burn is possible. Rinse your swimwear well after leaving the sea. My favorite swimsuit, alas, has spread from caustic salt right before our eyes...
Second day. Jordan.
A few words about the hotel in Aqaba - the hotel is an ordinary 3, located in the center, the city is very calm, you can walk even at night. The food is mediocre, but no one got sick? The next morning we were allowed to sleep, have breakfast and loaded into the bus. Travel time -1.5 hours. At the entrance to Petra, a beautiful mountain landscape awaits you, the driver will stop at the observation deck. The path to the ancient city passes through the gorge, which is quite cool. It will not be superfluous to take a jacket, a jacket. Is it hot in the sun? The hiking route is about 7 km, but there are horse carts, donkeys and local Bedouins who will offer you all this. And not only that, by the way. They will still pester, ask for change and sweets. Keep valuables with you. Such an audience is not conducive to a serene walk. In general, for two days you will be repeatedly offered to buy something, sometimes actively imposing.
About the customs duty. This information applies to residents of the Hilton and Movenpick hotels. Tourists staying in border hotels will need to pay £.105 upon departure. Take it seriously? A specially trained local native will carefully flip through each page of your passport, hoping to stumble upon a border crossing stamp. And whoever seeks, as you know, will find? ? They charge a fee only in Egyptian pounds, so you should take care of them in advance.
Well, in general - a two-day excursion is somewhat tiring, but has a number of advantages - for a short trip (like mine, in 5 days), this is an excellent and only option for visiting two countries. If you are in the mood for a long vacation - take these excursions separately, my advice to you. But be sure to take it! Such unique, such different two days, filled with a special meaning, will remain in your memory as small particles of the ancient history of our Earth…
