is no tourists.
I am in Luxor and my heart is breaking. Tourism is dead.
When I travel I want to find places where there are only locals, but one accepts and expects that it will not be possible in Egypt. Yet there is absolutely nobody on the street here, nobody. Hundreds of cruise ships, feluccas, taxis, caleshes, etc. sit idle. The shop owners still open up, but only to gather, play games and chat. They all still welcome me... and they apologize for what is happening. Goodness, please don't apologize.
I just hope tourists recognize that this is an issue between the people and their gov't and that the tourists don't delay their return too long. I have had waiters insist on walking me to my hotel to make sure I feel safe. Yesterday an old man picking rubbish off the promenade came back with a little bunch of flowers for me. And today... I needed some passport sized photos to get my visa extended (I am not ready to leave Egypt yet). For $2.50 I got 8 photos and I burst out laughing as she gave me a "present"... a 3x5 of me! I have no idea what I will do with this framed photo of myself, but we shared a wonderful laugh and I thanked her very much.
They treat their tourists like gold. The industry has suffered enough in the past already.
1 comment:
I'll take the picture! lol... That's a good deal on photos. Yes, my heart breaks reading that too! I never thought of how that must be for their livelihoods. I hope the tourists will start coming back now. In Myanmar, there's a travel advisory but it's pretty much a standing one. A friend mentioned that and sanctions, I said staying away will not help the people inside the country. Hope all is great! Jeff.
Post a Comment