A few weeks ago I returned from a wonderful trip to Israel and Egypt over the holidays. I was in Israel for about 10 days and Egypt for about 6. I'm not writing a full trip report for this trip but instead will give you a basic idea of our itinerary and some highlights and notes.

In Israel, we visited Jerusalem, Eilat (only for a day), spent a night camping with Bedouins in the southern Negev desert, visited the Dead Sea, the north and the contested Golan Heights, and a couple days in the major city of Tel Aviv.

Jerusalem was fascinating, but it struck me as a very conservative city religiously and it is divided up into religious quarters. We visited the major religious sites of course, but I really enjoyed our time outside of the city in the surrounding Jerusalem Hills, where we visited a small family winery. The Jerusalem market was also a highlight, it was packed full of locals and very colorful, a great place to get some good deals and experience the local flavor.

In Eilat we snorkeled the reef (though the water was pretty cold at this time of year), and the highlight was climbing a mountain outside of the city to a vantage point where you could see Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Had wanted to scuba dive here but our busy itinerary didn't allow time, but I've heard Red Sea diving is much better further south in Egypt anyways. Also of note here you can easily cross the border into Jordan to take a day trip to Petra. You can cross into Sinai and Egypt but my understanding is at the border crossing they will only issue you a Sinai-only visa, not the regular kind you would need to go on to Cairo or elsewhere in Egypt. There is an Egyptian consulate in Eilat that should be able to issue a regular Egyptian tourist visa, or you can do this in the States before you arrive as I did.

Dead Sea was, well, interesting. The water is thick and slimy and greasy and sticks to your skin, but you do in fact float on top of it. I think this is a must do, but just make sure you take a very good, long shower afterwards or you'll probably be itching for days.

The north of Israel was I think my favorite part of the country. It is mountainous and very scenic. We visited a Druze village to learn about this fascinating and secretive religion, and we visited Safed, a beautiful city in the mountains that I think has ties to kabalah (sp?) and Jewish mysticism. The Golan Heights were also beautiful, and we were able to make it right up to the demilitarized area at the Syrian border. I figured it was a good idea to see this area now, as it is quite possible it will be back under Syrian hands at some point in the future. Evidence of past wars is visible in the north. There are areas to avoid because of land mines, and there is some isolated damage due to the summer's conflict with Lebanon.

We felt safe in Israel. We didn't ride public buses and we avoided travel to the Palestinian areas of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. I know people that have traveled in those areas, but you must exercise great caution.

The military presence in Israel is everywhere. Military service for young adults is required, and it is very common to see kids who look to be 18-20 yrs old walking around in civilian clothes with M-16s slung over there shoulders. This includes in the mall, out to dinner, at movies, etc. There is a great deal of security obviously as well. Most hotels, many restaurants, etc. utilize metal detectors. You will be screened and questioned at a checkpoint before you even arrive at Ben Gurion airport. We had an armed escort for portions of our trip and two armed escorts in the Golan Heights.

I was surprised by how secular Israel is. You learn about the country's significance in regard to three major religions, but I don't think it actually occurs to you that people live and work there until you actually arrive. Tel Aviv in particular is a very young and modern city with a real Mediteranian style to it. Even though Israel is secular, keep in mind that many things close for the Jewish sabbath which is Friday night to Saturday evening (equivalent of our Sunday) and it can be difficult to travel at that time as well.

Food in Israel is great...very middle eastern, a lot of hummus, shwarma, fresh pita bread, olives, etc. Really good stuff.

If you intend to travel to Israel and then certain countries such as Syria, Kuwait, possibly UAE though apparently it is not enforced, you may be prohibited from entering if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport. Just ask politely at Israeli immigration and they will not stamp your passport. Make sure you do it on your departure as well. I did this a total of four times and it worked every time. If you do happen to get or have an Israeli stamp in your passport, and your travels will take you elsewhere in the Middle East, you can apply to the state department for a second, temporary validity passport due to hardship. My friend who I was traveling with had one of these and it was not a problem for him to obtain.

We traveled from Israel to Egypt on Royal Jordanian Airlines through Amman. I wish we had more time to visit Jordan and in particular Petra. Amman airport was interesting. There are many flights into Iraq leaving from Amman, and the airport was full of US contractors. Israel has full diplomatic relations with both Jordan and Egypt and Americans can generally travel freely between the three countries (except for the visa issue I mentioned earlier). You don't need a second passport and an Israeli stamp is also okay.

In Egypt we visited the sights in the city of Cairo, as well as the pyramids and sphinx in Giza(which we were shocked to find is really a suburb of sprawling Cairo), we then took a sleeper train south to Luxor and visited the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's Temple, and a number of other sights. We then continued south to Aswan and visited a number of sights including a Nubian village, more temples, and the Aswan High Dam. Next day we awoke VERY early (around 3 AM) to travel in a "tourist convoy" south to Abu Simbel, which is only about 12 miles from the border with Sudan. Then flew back to Cairo from Aswan, another night in Cairo, and flew back to Israel to connect home to the States.

In Cairo...Egyptian Museum of Antiquities is a must see...the pyramids and tombs have beautiful hiroglyphics but most of the interesting artifacts, including the mummified bodies, have been moved here. Give yourself plenty of time. We wanted more time in Cairo to see more of Islamic Cairo and tour some of the famous mosques.
Giza and the pyramids are obviously on everyone's itinerary. There are plenty of people there to hassle you and try and get you to buy overpriced souveniers, camel rides, etc. We did take a camel ride, but only after shopping around and a LOT of bargaining. Bargain early and often in Egypt. If they won't go lower just try walking away, chances are they'll come following after you and keep lowering their price. It can be annoying (at times we were followed around for 5 or more minutes by the same person) but just be VERY PERSISTANT and you can get a good deal.

The train ride down to Luxor was GREAT. Don't take the budget trains, the deluxe sleeper cars are still budget by American standards, but the service was excellent and we woke up in Luxor feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. My friend and I had a private sleeper cabin and we had two full meals included in the price brought to the cabin. Saw some great scenery when the sun came out in the morning as well. Of course, if you have time to do a Nile cruise down to Luxor or Aswan, do that instead. But if you're short on time as we were, this is a good way to travel overnight, get some sleep, and be ready to go in the morning.

The Souq (market) in both Luxor and Aswan is not to be missed. And I don't just mean the tourist areas either. You need to wander around until you don't see any more tourists and everyone is looking at you wondering what you're doing in their neighborhood. You'll get better deals, and you'll really get the local flavor. Just ask for the directions to the souq and wander around. You'll be amazed at all the stuff on sale. Once again, you will be pestered (particularly in the tourist areas) pretty much continuously. Bargain if you want, and if you're not interested say no very firmly or just say thank you (shukran) in Arabic and walk away. They might follow you, just keep walking. This, by the way, is something we noticed all over Egypt. Foreigners are like gold. You'll be treated exceptionally well, but everyone will want a little something in return for it. Random kids in bathrooms will try and hand you a towel after you wash your hands and then want a few Egyptian pounds or a dollar for it. You name it, people will try and help you and then want some money. Someone demanded money from me for taking a picture of him (and he wasn't even the focus of the picture). Just be careful of the type of assistance that you ask for and what will be expected in return.

In Aswan we took a ride on a felluca (one of the local sailboats used for travel on the Nile) to a Nubian village in the middle of the river, which was fascinating. Got a great tour of the village. That morning animals were slaughtered in the streets for the Islamic holiday of Eid (sp?). Very interesting.

We also took the tourist convoy down to Abu Simbel, which is worth doing once but a VERY long drive (maybe about 3-3.5hrs) for only about 2hrs at the site. If you are driving you must travel in this escorted convoy, so your travel times will be limited. You can also fly down there, but we were on a budget.

Most of our tour in Egypt was loosly arranged through an Egyptian budget tour operator. They booked us in budget hotels (I would want nicer places next time....budget in Egypt is off-the-charts budget by US standards, a little more money will get you a lot, like hot water and towels in your room). They also booked our train and flight within Egypt (this could be hard to do on your own if you don't speak the language). We had guides meet us in each city for a tour of the major sites, and then had plenty of free time as well. If you book your tours in Egypt or with an Egyptian tour operator like we did be careful. They will quote you a price as the full price but then you will discover that there might be hidden "admissions fees" etc. Also they will put the hard sell on for add ons, dinners, etc. AND, they will definitly try and take you shopping so you can see "authentic Egyptian papyrus" or "authentic jewelry" or whatever. Well obviously they'll be getting a commission of some sort for this, but it can still be a good opportunity because they will take you to quality places where you know you'll be getting the real thing. Just don't be afraid to bargain as usual. I picked up some beautiful papyrus and gold jewelery with hirogliphics for not too much by US standards.

Food in Egypt is great IF YOU AVOID THE TOURIST PLACES. Some of our guides would try and take us to a tourist buffet, so by halfway through the trip we were pretty much demanding to go where the locals eat. If you do that, you'll pay almost nothing for a big and authentic Egyptian lunch. Try pita bread stuffed with some sort of bean mixture (I think it is called fuul) and another really delicious meal that consists of pasta, beans, and other assorted stuff all mixed together (can't remember the name now but ask me and I'll try and find it).

We felt relatively safe in Egypt, but I was traveling with my best friend and we never left eachother's side in public. One reason we felt pretty safe was because of the lack of alcohol. Plenty of people drink in Egypt (it is a fairly liberal country in the Islamic world), but you can't but locals can't buy alcohol everywhere, and we never saw any drunkenness except amongst the tourists. Be careful for pickpockets in the souqs and keep a close watch on your stuff wherever you go. Take a TSA lock to lock your bags in your room if you'll be staying in budget places, and a small cable lock is also handy to keep your bag secure.

When we met people, we tried to get a feel for their attitudes first before we brought up politics. We did want to talk about politics in both Israel and Egypt because, obviously, there are huge issues in the world right now that have bearing on both of these peoples. Just go easy, and most people (at least the English speaking people) will talk surprisingly frankly with you about their attitudes towards Israel and the United States. You might be surprised by what you hear. We were asked repeatedly if we could help people obtain a US visa. It is the dream of many people to come visit the United States, even just to talk to an American. Don't go with preconcieved notions about what people think, you will likely be proved wrong.

I might add that I felt the same way in Israel. Many Israelis are very conflicted about the plight of the Palestinians and legitimately hope for some sort of agreement as they have with Egypt and Jordan. Again, be open minded and listen to what people have to say. I suppose that applies everywhere.

I have to get going and cut this report short...Let me know if you have any questions. You can find my pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sseana1/sets/72157594458064353/

Sean