Text and photo: Adisa Novalija

When you leave the aircraft, you will be welcomed by soldiers with guns. Not a pleasant feeling, even when your guide explains that Egypt is a military country and that it is a completely normal thing. A great tip in choosing a hotel is to take away at least one star they officially carry with each of them - in that case, you will not be disappointed. These are mostly long-established hotels and resorts, during the season full of Russian and German tourists, who have no resemblance to luxury hotels and hotel concepts, such as in Turkey. Your room won't be a bad and dirty room, but with smaller expectations you will be much better off.

Hashish: The world famous tourist city of Hurghada, which was our tourist destination, has only one promenade located by the sea. It's filled with cafes, restaurants and hookah bars, while the rest of the coast is flooded with huge resorts and hotels. With each bill in any of these cafes, without any problems, you will get exactly a certain amount of money that you leave as a tip to a waiter who will, if he notices that you are wide-handed, even offer and get you hashish.

The Red sea, on which lies the eastern side of Egypt all along its length, it is warm enough that, even after spending two hours in the water, you will not feel the cold. Color of the sea is beautiful enough to be compared with images from postcards. At different times of the day it has a different color, which ranges from emerald to turquoise. So, every time you go out to the terrace to look at the sea, you experience a different scene from the previous one. Be sure not to miss diving with bottles, or snorkeling, around the coral and the big crests in this dusky sea. During every dive, you will see the other kinds of fish, which are not afraid to approach close enough to touch you. The sun is always strong enough for good protection, even when you do not feel like you are burning, you surely are! The wind that usually blows from the sea, very often is replaced with the warm wind coming from the opposite direction - from the Sahara.

Haggling: If you decide to go into this incredible desert, you are offered to visit Bedouin villages along the four-wheel drive. Here you will meet a completely different world that you can hardly believe is there until you experience it yourself. In case you are planning a visit to the city of Hurghada or its center, do not worry about the organization of excursions - you are literally coming to the beach by people who offer them at very decent prices throughout the year. And of course it is with them, and with all those in Egypt, you can haggle. Be sure to avoid haggling in stores that have fixed prices, in restaurants and hotels. But in any other case, you can reduce the price and more than half are initially offered. This also applies for a taxi ride. Always arrange a price before entering the vehicle, but ask how often cost to go to a specific place.

CAIRO: If you want to visit Cairo from Hurghada, agencies are organizing excursions, but be sure that you will never get everything  they offered. Nevertheless, you will not waste money in vain - Cairo is the place you have to see! A multi-million city that is in constant construction, where there is no traffic lights and offers so much that you have never had a chance to see. Starting from dirty streets, houses built on one of the ordinary bricks, incredibly chaotic traffic, up to the Keops Pyramid, one of the world's wonders. When you see close-up pyramids and when you climb at least one of its stones, you realize that all that you've been watching in the reportages, television shows, movies, or reading in encyclopedias is there before you. All this will make your heart beats stronger. But there is something that will spoil you that feeling, and you can not escape from it. These are incredibly naval merchants of souvenirs and camel owners who may be tempted to offer you their products and services no matter how many times you refuse them. Anyway, it's an unusual experience that can not be compared with anything else. Generally speaking, Egyptians do not steal as in other tourist countries, but one has to be careful. Mostly, hotels offer a service of preserving more valuable things. In Cairo, be sure to miss the Egyptian Museum, although there is not enough time to visit all of the important things. It is a good idea to take away from the group and, in most cases, an inexperienced guide who speaks English very badly  and to determine what you want to see first. I suggest a room with Tutankamon's tomb, a sarcophagus, a golden mask and his personal belongings,  a beautiful statue of Goddess Tauret, and a room with an incredible collection of mummies. For this collection you have to pay extra, but do not complain because you have the opportunity to see the mummies of the great Egyptian pharaohs. This is surely something to think about when one speaks of Egypt.

The contrast: Do not miss the cruise to the Nile, which does not last long, but it's certainly unbelievable. In Cairo, you will spend most of your time driving in crowds, if you visit it with a local agency from Hurghada. But, as there is hardly any other way, and you have a great desire to see all of this, get ready for a six-hour ride in one direction and on a day that will exhaust you. However, everything ends up paying off, because when, after all, you return to the hotel room, you will not be able to escape from the feeling of satisfaction. However, everything you see on the streets of the capital city of Egypt can shake you. You do not have to be particularly sensitive to affects of poverty and the conditions in which most people live here. Of course, there is also a part of the city with incredibly large villas and property on which rich people live. The contrast is huge and unbelievable. There is no middle class, nor these two extremes touch each other. Do not avoid contact and get acquainted with local people. Although they do not speak English well, they will certainly try to answer all your questions, and this is the best way to find out everything you are interested in about Egypt.

Strange flavours : If you decide to eat outside of your hotel in Hurghada, although there is no need for that, as all hotels generally offer a wide choice of dishes, do not miss a market located near the Great Marine. Rice, which is daily on tables in Egypt, has no taste of the rice accustomed to our kitchen. Meat, which is rarely eaten here, has no known tastes, either because of spices, or the way it is cooked. In any case, prepare the stomach for unknown tastes of known foods. Drink only bottled water or water from dispensers in hotels, because our body is not used to their drinking water. That's why all juices and other drinks, including milk, have a very strange taste. Be sure to start drinking some probiotics before the trip, during a visit to Egypt, but also a couple of days after that, because it is very difficult to avoid their water. Although it is completely safe for hygienic use, you can not choose which water will be used to wash the fruit before lunch or make coffee after lunch. If your choice of vacation is exactly this destination, you really must prepare for an adventure you will remember your whole life.