Culture Shock! Egypt - A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

(Brent) #1
First Impressions 5

I have not been totally successful at stopping this. This is
your fi rst experience with what is fondly termed ‘running
the gauntlet’. Sometimes two or more people will seemingly
fi ght over which one carries which bag, all the time yelling
at one another in a language which you don’t understand
(unless you came to Egypt well prepared with a knowledge
of Arabic). Each will try to take you to a special taxi driver
that will undoubtedly give you the ‘best price, no problem’.
The important thing to remember is to negotiate the price
before you get into the taxi and before you let someone store
your bags in the taxi. This can be diffi cult because you are
tired, confused and in the midst of a torrent of people all
trying to get your attention and ‘help’ you. It can give you
the feeling of being a morsel of food on a hot summer’s day
with fl ies circling. Just hold your ground and continue saying
‘la’—the Arabic word for ‘no’—if you don’t want assistance.
Be prepared, however, to pay a tip for any service you accept
(and sometimes even if you don’t want help, they will just
pick up your bags and run—and will still expect a tip). This
is where having small Egyptian notes can come in handy.
The going rate is about E£ 1–2 per bag.

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