Hawkers and hassle, Cairo

Beware of the sellers around the pyramids. They will try to offer you "free" gifts but I'm pretty certain that these gifts are not for free and you will get harrassed.

There are also people offering to have their pictures taken with you but I'm pretty sure that they will want money for their time.

We have also been warned about the people who own the camels who will take tourists far away on a camel ride and then won't bring them back until they pay them lots of money, way above the agreed price.

Its nice to be friendly and interact with the locals but unfortunately, as we were warned by our guide, they are only interested in one thing and that, my friend, is your wallet.

When a friend and I were walking along the fence beside the Cairo Museum towards the front gate a very well dressed and well spoken Egyption man said to us "The Museum is closed between 12 - 2 but I can show you a government run souveneir shop while you wait". I was a little suspiscious but my friend wanted to go as she is a keen shopper. Well he led us across the road into a tiny little shop which was obiously run by his wife/mother as they knew him well and once inside they shut the door behind us and it was very difficult for us to get out. Eventually we managed to get out and when we got back to the museum we found that it doesnt shut between 12 - 2 at all.

Although overall the people of Egypt are wonderful, warm hearted people, there are definitely those who put the "gyp" into Egypt! You need to be on alert at all times and aware during your trip. This is not to suggest that it is unsafe in Egypt but rather hawkers and vendors will do everything they can to trick and pressure you out of your money. The following is a list of scams:

TAXI SCAMS: Cab drivers will almost always over charge tourists so be prepared to negotiate your fare before you get in the cab. If you are taking a cab to the Pyramids they will try and drop you off by the stables near the pyramids where hawkers will pressure into a horse or camel ride. Tell the driver you want to be dropped off at the entrance.

PYRAMID SCAMS: No I don't mean a pyramid scam like Amway but rather scams at the Pyramids. After you buy your ticket and enter the site, hawkers will come up to you and either ask for your ticket or try and take it out of your hand. Do not give them your ticket...they do not work there...they are simply trying to trick you into paying them for a "official" tour. Hawkers will also come up to you and welcome you to Egypt and then try and give you a "gift". Do not accept the "gift" under any circumstance. If you have to, put your hands in your pockets, because they will literally force the item into your hands. If you accept the "gift" they will then hit you up for a big tip and believe me when I say they are persistent. Save yourself the trouble and simply keep on walking. Often times the security guards at the Pyramids will motion for you to follow them and they will take you to a place with a nice view and offer to take your picture. Then of course they ask you for a big tip. If you say no (as I did several times) they get really mad. The viewpoints were okay but I would have found them on my own. So be advised the security guards are harder to say no to then the hawkers...the guards after all have guns.

EGYPTIAN MUSEUM SCAMS: If you are walking to the Museum there is a very good chance you will get stopped by someone telling you that the museum is closed for a "special event" for an hour. They will then invite you into their shop to have tea and or say hello to their wife. They will then proceed to pressure you into buying their worthless souvenirs for the next hour. So accept the invitation at your own risk. As far fetched as this scam seems it happened to me (I said no) and three other people I talked with (they didn't say no and ended up buying crap they didn't want) so don't be surprised if you get the pitch.

2 more images

Yes, you need to prepare and pay exact amount if possible. If you are handing 10 Egyptian Pounds to buy snacks and refreshments in stalls on the street, more often than not - you are not getting your change. Seems normal to some vendors like the guy I posted here, he did not give the change to my family. It happened and he still have the guts to pose for a picture, lol. It is small amount of money but still.......he'll gonna do it to each of his customers???

Nevertheless, I still love Egypt and still like the people!

We didn't experience much hassle in Cairo, mostly just people asking if we wanted boat rides on the Nile or hashish, but a simple 'la shukran' said with a smile and while continuing to walk on, mostly did the trick. People may fall into step with you for a while, but if you keep on walking eventually they'll go back to their pitch.

Annoying, aggressive hawkers and "guides" at Egypt's tourist sites are well known, but one stupid scam really annoyed me. At the Pyramid, Saqqara and other sites we were often approached by officious acting people who would sternly demand to see our entry tickets so they could "check" them. Upon seeing that they were valid, their expressions would soften and they would act apologetic before launching into "guide" mode (and then of course want a "tip"). These guys are not official and there are no ticket "checks" after you enter. If someone approaches you and asks (demands) to see your ticket, ask to see THEIR ID. When they can't produce one, tell them to go away or you will report them -- that's what I always did. One of these guys actually had a police whistle that he used to enhance his official site police act. I didn't show him my ticket either and told him to have me thrown out if he had these official powers. He just kind of walked away.

If you're not going there with travel agents (i.e. on your own), chances are that you'll be approached by people who want to offer camel ride to move around in the area of pyramids. They're so persistent. Fortunately, we were warned by friends about this, that they were agreed a price but after a distance, were asked for additional money. You can just ignore them if not interested.

In our case, we actually took a cab from the hotel to the pyramids. Some two kilometers before, a man stopped the car and joined us. We thought the taxi driver simply allowed a ride for the local. They had a chat and suddenly we were brought to the camel agent's place quite close to the entrance - it was kind of the HQ for the camels. They tried to persuade us, but we just refused. We had to walk some 500 m to get to the entrance area. Even to reach to that point, a man approached us on his camel with his offers.

You visit Cairo and inevitably see the mighty Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx. But somehow you'll be led to the perfume shop nearby. It seems to be a bargain (something like half the price of the original French version) but somehow when you are back home the smell of your perfume is gone. Must have been left behind with the genie. If you must still buy suggest you just get the bottle and fill in your favourite perfume yourself. Pictured here is the man making a perfume bottle at the factory. But the beauty of the pyramid lingers on - a truly ancient monument wonder!