Driving Back To The Port

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On the drive back to the port, we passed by a mosque.

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and an open air marketplace,

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and an unusual building - but what a beautiful blue sky as a backdrop, eh?

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Tried very hard to capture some street scenes from a moving vehicle.

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And another mosque.

When I was doing research on how to go about DIY tours of Rome, Athens, and Cairo/Alexandria, I stumbled on website after website full of warnings to tourists about how not to be taken advantage by taxi driver.

These sites cautioned the tourists to be aware of the scam that taxi drivers use to take advantage of people like us. They noted that only pay what you initially agreed upon at the beginning of the tour. And that if all else pays, yell POLICE.

When we agreed to take these two taxis among the six of us the agreement was 100 Egyptian pounds for 2 taxis. 50 pounds per taxi. Our driver spoke English, but there was another mediator who helped them understand the deal. They said yes. Of course, the deal was only a roundtrip to the Library. But as you see, we were taken to the Citadel and the Mosque.

When we were dropped off at the port, the fare became 100 euros per taxi. Yap! So the males in our group, most notably my husband, argued to stick to the initial agreement. So a bartering ensued. The drivers wanted more but our group steadfastly held on to the deal, which seriously is a steal.

And so we decided to give a little bit more since we were shown a few more sights than what was agreed upon. But the non-English speaking taxi driver was adamant that he be paid in euros, and 100 euros at that.

So we had to use the tactic that the internet and other previous travelers on travel forums suggested, we yelled POLICE and a mediator immediately appeared on our side. He inquired what the matter was and when both sides presented their sides, the mediator told us to pay whatever was initially agreed upon. Please do not be afraid to stand your ground.

In Barcelona, when a prospective pickpocket (a female no less) tried to snatch an Eastern European woman's backpack, she yelled POLICIA at the top of her lungs and the pickpocket and her accomplice disappeared in an alley so fast. We stopped to talk to the girl as she inspects if something was taken from her backpack - the zipper was open. And I asked if she read the forums advising people to yell POLICE, she smiled and said yes.

Comments

  1. It's like in our country too watch out for taxi drivers and snatchers lol...Beautiful photos.

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  2. Wow. Great idea, Maria, about yelling POLICE. Good for you for standing your ground...and getting some great photos while at it!

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  3. Thanks for the traveling advice! Also great scenes around the area!
    Do you have a pic of the driver, so we know which one to avoid.
    please join me on My Path

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  4. In Malaysia, I had a little bad experience with the taxi driver. Trying to charge more but I didn't give in. It's good that it was only a few times that we needed to ride the taxi. Singapore's taxi drivers were all nice, based on my experience.

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  5. the mosque in the last photo is nice. i wonder if you can actually enter and take some shots (with permission)

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  6. Excellent advice. It's so important to know your rights when traveling.

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  7. this is one thing why i've not used taxis while on travel and even here in DC...lol. thank you for the advice; that's certainly helpful.

    i love the last photo of the mosque.

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  8. Right. Yell POLICE!

    The market looked interesting, but I don't think I'll take my credit cards and wallet with me.

    How are you enjoying the summer?

    Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your comment. Come visit again tomorrow!

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  9. Ugh. That's why I'm always wary of cab drivers. Although, I don't know what alternative modes of transport there are for Egypt.

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  10. These are interesting shots of the streets. Nice the two mosques. The atmosphere there is so different from ours!

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  11. You look like you were on CBS Amazing Race, travelling in these countries, and shouting Police.

    Sorry I didn't get back to you on my Silo. They are concrete silos, I don't know if they hold the cement powder or ready mixed concrete. I see a lot of their trucks on the road.

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  12. Great series of photos. The first stands out with that white spire against the very blue sky. The street shot is incredible, so much going on. Good advice for travelers also....

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  13. I travelled in public mini vans when I was a tourist in Alexandria. Lovely photos. I enjoyed going through this post and your recent previous posts too, thanks.

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  14. thanks for the tip! now i just have to list down how to say "police" in every major european language! haha.

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  15. What a wonderful trip you have been sharing. I doubt that I will ever get to the middle east and am enjoying it through your eyes. The mosques are beautiful as are many of the buildings.

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  16. im so in envy here, when can i visit such a lovely place :)

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  17. Love the new layout (sorry wasn't here for really long)! Yeah, beautiful sky blues! Katakot pala jan... :( sayang naman ang ganda ng lugar dahil mga pangit ang tao hmph! :(

    Ps. Yes, hubby and I met in college...

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  18. tnx for the heads up! ^0^
    i think whenever you travel, one must be prepared by these kinds of situations.
    it's inevitable, if it's not the driver then it must be the tour guide or the vendor.
    one needs to be constantly reminded.
    btw, the fotos look gr8, even the unusual bldg. looks interesting.

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  19. Fantastic pictures. I have enjoyed looking at them. Brilliant travel advice as well :)

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  20. Nice serie, I love Egypt wich is a really special country to visit

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  21. In a country like egypt they always try to rip the tourist off. Imagine: you are a young strong man with a suitcase. You do not need someone to carry it for you. Some egyptian man starts hanging onto your case and refuses to let go even after you explain that you don't need the help. A tug-of-war can ensue. All this happens in the hotel foyer to a great degree of embarrassment. The young man also didn't budget a sizable amount for idiot tips during the 5 day visit to egypt where this thing happens a number of times per day.
    The rare exception is when you are on board of a Nile cruise, but get off during a stop ...

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