Stacey’s Mini-Extravaganza to the Middle East

A collection of the most commonly asked questions…

1.  What is the Mini-Extravaganza?

The Mini-Extravaganza is the name I’ve given my three week trek through Egypt and Jordan in May 2010 and this blog is how I hope to chronicle said trek .  It is modeled after the much longer 30th Birthday Extravaganza I took three years ago.  The link to the original blog is below:

http://blogs.bootsnall.com/stacey11

2.  Is this blog going to be just like the old one?

The format is very similar mostly because it makes my life easier since I’m already familiar with the software.  The glitches with the map have been fixed and there’s now a Facebook-style status update line.  Since this trip is so much shorter than the last one (and I just bought an expensive camera I need to justify the expense of) I expect the posts will be shorter but more frequent and with more pictures than text.  That’s the plan…we’ll see how it goes.  I’m carrying a netbook this time around so (fingers crossed) I won’t be spending vast amounts of time in Internet cafes like I did the last time.

3.  What are you going to do in Egypt and Jordan?

I expect to be viewing lots and lots of monuments, tombs, markets, pyramids, temples and the like.  I also plan to do some diving in the Red Sea and some trekking through the desert.  For the complete itinerary, check out the link to the Itinerary page on the right side of the page or check out my first post “Pre-departure.”

4.  Is this part of the Middle East dangerous?  Aren’t you scared?

Is New York dangerous?  Is Rome dangerous?  Is Beijing dangerous?  It depends on who you ask really.  Regardless, people still visit these places every day and a little bit of danger is not going to keep me home.  In all seriousness though, tourists are a protected commodity in Egypt because tourism has been so vital to the country since the beginning of time.  Violent crime against tourists is rare because the punishment is very severe.  Petty crime (pickpocketing, etc.) occurs but is not as prevalent as in other developing nations.  I am likely going to be scammed and overcharged a lot for tours, taxi rides, etc. but that’s par for the course.  As for the terrorism threats…who knows?  Yes, there have been terrorist attacks in Egypt.  Yes, there have been terrorist attacks in New York. Will there be again?  Potentially, but that is still not a good enough reason to stay home.

5.  Will you have to wear a head scarf like Muslim women do?

Have to?  No, not in most places though in mosques I will be expected to cover my hair.  Tourists are given some leeway in rules of dress though I always try my hardest to respect local customs.  Thus I have packed a rather drab and unfashionable wardrobe of over-sized shirts (to hide my form), below-the-knee skirts (to cover as much skin as possible) and a hat (for shielding me from the brutal Egyptian sun as well as cover my yellow hair.  Yellow hair has a tendency to attract a lot of attention).

6.  How can you afford to travel so much?  How much do Egypt and Jordan cost?

People love to ask me this and my answer is:  I travel cheaply and am attracted to developing countries.  Mind you, I don’t travel the absolute cheapest way possible and many a backpacker would find my costs a little high but there is a great big happy medium between rock-bottom 20-person per dorm backpackers and Hilton dwellers.  I find myself somewhere in the middle and often in local guesthouses, hostels (with my own room) and cheap hotels.  Egypt is pretty reasonably priced…I expect to pay somewhere between $15 and $30 per night for single rooms.  I expect Jordan to be more expensive…not quite European/North American prices but still higher than Egypt…probably in the $35+ per night.  Eating in local restaurants and from street vendors also keep the costs down as well as minimizing the amount of transportation necessary and using local transport rather than expensive tours.