Classic Egypt: a cruise down the Nile

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 20th April 2014:

Philae Temple, Lake Nasser

I remember reading about Egypt as a child; it was a place of pyramids and Pharaohs with a history that’s as ancient and as long as the Chinese.

Over the years I read books, watched films and visited museums that featured snippets of ancient Egypt but had no real concept of what Egypt was in modernity. Until the last few years that is, when media coverage gave us an Egypt filled with revolutions and terrorism. So widespread were these reports that I had all but forgotten the Egypt I first encountered.

But there is that duality about Egypt, of the ancient and the modern, as I discovered on a recent trip there.

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How to stay safe while travelling in Egypt

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 29th March 2014:

Luxor Temple

Since the events at Tahrir Square, many tourists have been reluctant to travel to Egypt. Each time a new incident arises, tentative travellers would cancel their plans with renewed concerns. The result has seen the country’s visitor numbers fall by some 90%.

With international press holding a dim view of safety in the country, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou has even spoke of promoting Egypt without Cairo.

But is Egypt too dangerous to travel to? And how can you stay safe whilst there?

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Egypt hotel goes alcohol-free, creates women-only floor

Published on CNN on 2nd May 2013:

Egypt’s first ‘dry’ hotel has been unveiled in the popular Red Sea city of Hurghada, according to news site Al Bawaba.

Les Rois, a 183-room three-star hotel, has been voluntarily alcohol-free since Saturday when it held an official ceremony that involved pouring alcohol away and smashing bottles. A video posted on YouTube shows the event.

Earlier this year, the Egyptian government announced plans to curb alcohol licenses in parts of the country.

Read more at CNN

Luxor balloon flights set to resume

Published on CNN on 17th April 2013:

Hot air balloon rides at Egypt’s popular tourist destination of Luxor are set to resume Wednesday, according to a statement on the Egyptian Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission’s (CARC) website (Arabic).

President of the CARC, Mohamed Ibrahim Sherif, confirmed balloon flights would restart, the Egypt Independent reported.

Hot air balloon rides were banned in Luxor after a February 26 accident that killed 19 tourists.

Read more at CNN