We're Canadian

Our tour package for Egypt had ended, but we still had a few more days in Egypt. The hotel we were in could not accomodate us however, due to the influx of high season tourists. We called around and found a few options, the first of which was rejected after a brief visit due to ongoing construction on the available floor. We went to the second option, which wasn't quite as nice as some we've stayed in, but would do for two more days just fine. At registration, we got the usual "Where are you from?" and answered what has gotten to be a standard - "Canada". We find that as soon as we say "America" to that question, people are less nice, and charge 20% - 50% more. We agreed on a price for three people in one room, paid for the two days up front, and went up to our room.


They require photocopying our passports at the registration desk, which is standard. From that, they learned that we were actually from the US. So... two minutes after we got into the room, we get a knock at the door. They were asking for more money! They wanted way too much more for the room we had. We argued, and they tried to negotiate with us. We said we had already paid upfront. They tried to pull some bit about not knowing we had three in one room. We maintained our position seeing as all three of us stood at reception when we paid, and were very clear about there being three of us in the room. They continued demanding more money. We said we agreed on a price, had paid it already, felt they were trying to cheat us and we wouldn't pay any more. After much arguing, they backed down, and said it was fine, while trying to make it seem like they were doing us a big favor and giving us the room at a loss to them.

Now we were irritated though, so we decided to go to another hotel. Only problem was, once we got to reception, they wouldn't give us our money back! They simply would not do it, saying we had already been "oriented". We continued to try and get our money back, steadfastly saying we had not stayed there, and wanted a new hotel. Mikol and Natalie went so far as to explain the whole manipulation bit, and said it made them sad, and made sad faces. Still, they would not give us our money. We had a guy offering other rooms at that hotel, other rooms at a different hotel, and basically anything but returning our money. While trying to figure out what to do, Jeremy suggested trying to get the police, as this amounted to theft. Mikol quickly spoke to security, and got a Tourist Police officer to come in. He couldn't understand us, as he only spoke Arabic, but his involvement changed things rapidly.


Reception got the Manager on the phone, who hurried from another hotel. He came in and fixed everything! He immediately got our money back, and then drove us in his car to an excellent hotel. He gave us a room there for only $5 more than we had agreed to at the previous hotel. This amounted to an upgrade from a 2 or 3 star hotel to a 4 star hotel for a mere $5. The whole process was pretty nutty and took about 3 1/2 hours. It was ultimately worth it, but wow. Just, wow.

While Egypt has some great tourist attractions, the above is just one of many examples where the locals have tried to rip us off in one way or another. Granted, not every single person has been of that nature. Yet, the typical attitude seems to be that if one of them sees you walking by, they deserve a tip for saying "hi" to you. It's been great being here, but we are all excited about leaving... asap.

Natalie has left us as of last night, and is heading to Amsterdam before returning to the states. Mikol and Jeremy leave tonight for Israel, where we will both be meeting up with our parents, and the Israeli family at large for a belated wedding celebration. The timing is excellent, for while we've only been married a little under two years, today (3/9) marks us being together for 7 years! = D