Mai Linh (33 years old, Thai Nguyen), is currently the manager of the Hippo Tour travel company. Although she has been to many places, this trip to Egypt was truly different. Mai Linh witnessed unique scenes never seen before in the Muslim rituals. She also realized that the prejudices about people, security, and culture here were not the same as her previous imagination.
Mai Linh took photos with local people.
Is it safe to go to Egypt?
"Before going to Egypt, I felt that this was a mysterious country and was very excited to go and explore it during Ramadan. But when I first arrived here, everything was not as I imagined. Right in the city center, there were many police officers standing on the streets. I felt a bit uneasy because I didn't understand what was happening," Mai Linh confided.
At that time, not only Mai Linh but also many other guests could not hide their anxiety. But when they understood that the presence of the police force was only to maintain order during the holy month, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone also felt more secure and began the 11-day journey to explore Egypt during the holy month of Ramadan.
Le Thai Binh (40 years old, Ho Chi Minh City), a tour guide with 15 years of experience, currently working at Fit Tour, shared: "In addition to money, time, and health, luck is also an important factor in deciding whether you can go to Egypt or not. The political situation in Egypt tends to be unstable. But in the past year, politics has become more stable, so I feel secure to organize a trip to Egypt."
Le Thai Binh has 15 years of experience as a tour guide and also loves Egypt.
Impressions of Muslim religious activities in Egypt
Luckily, Mai Linh was able to go to Egypt during Ramadan, witnessing and experiencing this month clearly. She said that she had previously had the opportunity to study in China and meet international friends, so she knew a little about this festival. But it was only when she came to Egypt that she truly understood how important and influential this ritual is to the people in a country where more than 90% of the population is Muslim.
Mai Linh shared that Muslims here will perform prayers five times a day. Therefore, she often encounters the scene of hundreds of thousands of people bowing down while performing prayers and reciting the Quran in unison. "Because more than 90% of the population is Muslim, when reciting prayers, the sound of the prayer echoes throughout the entire area - a sound that is hard to describe. They are devout and absolutely adhere to not eating or drinking after sunrise and before sunset," she emphasized.
People eat and drink in the market after sunset.
Sneaking into the markets, she began to see up close the lives of the people who buy, sell, and work here. After sunset, they spread out mats, set out food and drinks, and happily dance to the music as if to "enjoy" and recharge their energy after a day of fasting. Because they adhere to such strict observance, it is easy to notice changes in their physical appearance. "Our local tour guide is also a Muslim, so after a few days of fasting, he looks completely different from the first day we met," she gave an example.
Of course, only Muslims have to fast until sunset. Mai Linh herself still eats three plates of salad every day: "Just imagine, three meals a day, each meal has a plate of salad. 11 consecutive days will be... 33 plates of salad." She also added that most of the food here has a distinctive taste quite similar to the smell of Indian curry, the main colors are yellow and brown, the dishes always have a thick consistency. Restaurants in Egypt during Ramadan have very few customers, most of them are tourists. The main dishes in Egypt are mostly lamb, chicken, and beef.
A meal of the day for the group.
Going to Egypt, is it necessary to go to the Pyramids?
"Almost everyone who comes to Egypt wants to visit the world wonder - the Pyramids. But it is a very crowded tourist destination, with countless visitors, so I'm not really excited," Mai Linh said.
She felt more excited when crossing 800 km of highway surrounded by desert to reach Siwa oasis. Here, she and the group visited the ancient town of Shati, experienced soaking in the cool Salt Lake - which used to be the bathing pool of Queen Cleopatra. Then, she and the group visited the mineral lakes and Amoun temple, El Dakrour mountain. She emphasized the magnificent beauty of the temples in Egypt - a place that anyone coming here should not miss.
Mai Linh happily reads a book while soaking in the Salt Lake.
What made her constantly "haunted" after this trip was a day and night in the world's largest desert, the Sahara. She had also experienced walking on sand dunes, but when she set foot here, she really shivered because of the terrifying giantness and harshness of this place. Adventuring on roads without roads in the Sahara was an extremely strong feeling that she had never tried before.
More than an hour of off-road driving on steep sand dunes, precariously perched on 'dinosaur spines', the result was worth it when watching the sunset here. The breathtakingly brilliant landscape in the middle of the vast, arid desert as the sun gradually set in the West left everyone in awe. As night fell, she and the group spent the night in the Sahara - an experience she would never forget in her life.
"Offroad" in the Sahara desert.
Sahara desert sunset drinking mint tea with Arab friends.
Mai Linh added that this place is right next to the Libyan border, so any group of tourists coming in and out must always report. Each group of tourists always has a police officer accompanying them to ensure their safety, so people do not need to worry too much about security issues when traveling here.
The Egyptian people were far from what we imagined!
"Before going on the tour, I had prejudices about people in Arabia and Egypt. But it was only when I came here, met and interacted with them, that I felt the friendliness and loveliness of the people here," Mai Linh confided.
She cited that when she arrived in Alexandria on the weekend, many families and students were present at the amusement parks. When she encountered a group of tourists, they approached her and wanted to take pictures with them, expressing their love for the Vietnamese people. Or on the train from Cairo to Aswan, the train attendant also approached her to start a conversation, then turned on his phone to introduce interesting information about the month of Ramadan to the whole group.
The sales person is polite and gentle with customers.
100% of the sales people are men.
Mr. Thai Binh added: "When leading groups to shop at the markets, the vendors here are also very cheerful and gentle. They are extremely polite in approaching customers and gentle when customers bargain. What is special is that in the markets here, 100% of the vendors are men. The women appearing in the markets are only tourists or local people wearing black scarves that cover only their eyes."
Another impression of the people here is also unforgettable for Mai Linh. She said that when she was cruising on the Nile, many children "ran" after them on surfboards to beg for money. In the middle of the second largest river in the world, sometimes she herself was scared because there were sections where the water was still flowing rapidly. However, the children still persistently sang to beg for money from tourists. Through this experience, she somehow understood the difficulties and deprivation of people living in the southern region of Egypt.
Take a cruise on the Nile.
This was probably the most memorable trip of Mai Linh's life. She could not hide her happiness and pride when she had the opportunity to come to this land. Mai Linh also praised the travel service organizer FIT TOUR with professional, knowledgeable guides and good customer care. She was satisfied with the trip, feeling it was "worth the money" for an experience.
"Everyone should go to Egypt once, to know how 'amazing' it is!", Mai Linh concluded.
