Crossing the Middle East - the green way

Tom Hart's dream was to follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia. Not the classic trip you see advertised in tour brochures, but the authentic way - overland through Egypt, Jordan and Syria then across Europe back to the UK. As he travels across the Middle East, he's reporting back to GreenTraveller on how he does it. Here's his first report, from Cairo to Dahab...

Cairo, Egypt
Well if I didn’t like flying before I really dislike it now. I needed to take one flight to get to Cairo to return overland and it was cancelled creating all sorts of hassle. Wish I hadn’t bothered... In the end I had to take a flight with another provider and got to Cairo at 12.20am. On leaving the airport I managed to find a taxi and bartered a bit to get the price down to Egyptian £70 (just over £6). On subsequent trips to the airport I realised you can do this journey much easier and cheaper. Just get on the transfer bus outside the terminal and go to the car park drop off. Then walk across the road and take a black taxi from the side of the road. The taxi should cost no more than E£30. Be firm, say 30 or walk away - its amazing how effective it can be. I stayed in a hotel for the first night then onto a hostel the next day – Lialy Hostel which offered clean rooms and bathrooms and a good location near the Cairo Museum with a nice but noisy view from the lounge over crazy Cairo.

The next day I went to see Islamic Cairo. A very interesting quarter, especially the old city wall which is currently being restored. Friends who I had been put in touch with via Your Safe Planet took me to a great place for food on the Nile and I chatted with them to find out more about the real Egypt. We discussed politics and their thoughts of the current political leader. Interesting to get to know what people think of their country and society. They also gave me useful information on how much to pay for taxis and how to get the best price – very useful and wish I had had local advice before I arrived. Two of us then went off and smoked shisha on a side street. I was the only Westerner around.

On the Saturday I visited the infamous Pyramids. I went in the afternoon which was a mistake because it was all closing - however it did mean I had the place to myself, which I don’t think many can boast. Beware though, the guidebook says it is open until 5PM. I was told I had to go to another entrance which felt uncertain. Before I knew it I was on a camel for £30 and already angered by the whole system. I was then walked around the pyramids by my guide who just took photos of me posing in front of the pyramids looking like an idiot. Although the Pyramids are amazing feats of engineering, this is all eclipsed by the fact that there was litter everywhere and you are continually harassed. In short the whole thing could be done better to protect and enhance these unique wonders of the world. Maybe that is the inherent problem of major tourist attractions, and the real gems are the ones that only few know about?

I got the 5PM bus to Dahab from the Turkoman bus station which is currently been refurbished and is clean and well run. The bus to my next stop took almost 9 hours. (NB there are also buses between Cairo and Dahab leaving from Abbassyia bus station)

Dahab, Egypt
Dahab is a good place to chill out after Cairo. It’s a quiet little place with a few more backpackers than I had encountered so far, and many families as well. It’s a real hot spot for diving and snorkelling. The place I stayed was not great but the Nesima Resort, although more expensive, was beautiful and had a good dive setup. Another highlight is the Jasmine restaurant, great staff and fantastic food!

I left at 10am to get the ferry to Jordan. After getting there early and paying my US$60 I waited for 6 hours for the boat. The system was really quite shambolic but I didn't mind, I got chatting to a nice Jordanian guy and read my book. The ferry itself was quick and took just one hour.

Tom's next leg of his trip is from Dahab to Jordan. You can follow his overland trip across the Middle East on his Google Map.