Sharm el sheikh and prices in general
Hi
I read t5his thread with great interest. I have been on holiday in sharm several times and been advised by the rep that a normal price from sharm (near ocean college to be precise) to Naama Bay is LE20 each way I have been happy to pay this and have still had to haggle sometimes to get them to accept this price. I was not even aware they had meters!!
It seems this is overpriced, what is a good rate
what is a good rate to
Naama Bay
El Tur (this is the government offices yes?)
Dahab
any other places of interest
Now on a personal note - I accept the comments that this is still cheap compared to UK but one of the attractions of Egypt like many other places is how far you can make your money stretch and at the same time benefit the locals and their economy. We are constantly told not to give money to beggars or street kids because they start to expect it and become a pest. Why then hand over extra money to a taxi driver or give a waiter or barman £10 - £20 tips over a holiday period.
These are the people we are in contact with day to day, much more often than street kids or beggars. And THEY come to expect it, prices go up, service goes down unless you pay more and more. You ruin it for yourself, others that follow and eventually the locals themselves as people stop goig, get suspicious, have bad experience. many Brits dont like to haggle that much and when they feel exploited they vote with their feet and dont go back. the only time they complain is to others thinking ov visiting and put them off.
It's not a case of being tight, its maintaining the status quo as much and for as long as possible so we don't erode the very lifestyle, customs and society that attracted us in the first place.
I dont want to look at Egyptians as money grabbing and I dont want to be seen as a mug, an open wallet. I respect the Egyptian people and want them to respect me. i want them to respect the fact that I know about their country, their religion their prices. I dont want to be seen as a soft touch, my only value being the money in my pocket.
I recently had an excellent evening with a couple of guys I met, they showed me around, made sure I didn't get pestered. we got on really well and I made 2 very good friends. Then the next day they came up to me and asked me to pay them for the time they spent with me and told me I was rude for not offering them money the previous night. This was not Egypt i add.
Lets not ruin the places we visit for ourselves, other visitors and the locals themselves.
If you want to give more and really help there is Oxfam or many other worthwhile charities that will do a lot more good.
At the end of the day it's not about being tight, it's about being responsible, being respectful and respecting one's self and values. If you want to give more money to the economy or a taxi driver - hire him for the day at a proper rate. Get good local prices at the local shop and then go there every time and recommend it to others.
As I say my opinions, be glad to get feedback and don't forget my question about taxi fares in and from Sharm
Cheers all - if I offended anyone it was not my intention
