 Travel in the Middle East - How much money do I need? |
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| Want to go but don't know how much I should have for 3 months accross the Middle East. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
peachylu lucy peach Post Count: 14 Msg: #1 145 days ago, June 18th 2009 | is it possible to do it on the cheap? (answers in GBP equivalent would be very helpful). oh! and whats the best and cheapest way to travel? |  The Travel Camel Shane Dallas Post Count: 1006 Msg: #2 145 days ago, June 18th 2009 | Hello Lucy | It depends on what part of the Middle East you want to go to. For example, Turkey and Syria are cheap, Egypt and Jordan are a bit more expensive, but still well priced. Lebanon is getting into the pricey range. However, the Gulf States (Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE) are much more expensive. During my recent trips to the Middle East, I was staying in my own room with my own bathroom and in Syria I was paying about 10GBP a night, in Egypt it was a bit more, but at one point I was able to get a room (without bathroom) for 1GBP per night (yes, that is one GBP). However, it was pretty disgusting, and I cannot believe I stayed there for a week. Heading into the Gulf States, UAE will be about 25GBP for a cheap place, but anywhere in Kuwait or Bahrain will be about 30-40GBP, and Qatar starts at about 40-50GBP. All of this is for your own room with bathroom. Food is cheap everywhere except the Gulf States - you can eat well for about 1-2GBP a meal from a hole in the wall/street vendor. Restaurants will of course cost more. If you are in the Gulf States, triple that amount - but you will not find street vendors in these places. With regards to transport, the best way is by bus within the Cairo-Aleppo geographic area, and a bus trip will cost you 1-2GBP per hour of travel - it is very cheap. This does not apply to cross-border journeys which cost more. Bus in Turkey is also the cheap option but distance is a lot bigger. You can also take a train down the Nile, and it is cheaper than a boat. If you want to go to the Gulf States, you must fly - as you cannot cross by land through Saudi Arabia. These prices are very general, but at least it gives you an idea. [Edited: 08:37 - The Travel Camel ] peachylu lucy peach Post Count: 14 Msg: #3 144 days ago, June 18th 2009 | excelent Mr Dallas. | basically if the place is expensive then im not going (so gulf states are now off the list.) i would be eatting off the streets (not literary) and lodging in disgust (literary not emotionally) to save every dime. thanks that really has given me a good idea for budget. do you think you could hitchhike in Turkey Egypt and Syria? do you have any suggestions of things to put on the "my life depends upon doing/seeing this" list? The Travel Camel Shane Dallas Post Count: 1006 Msg: #4 144 days ago, June 18th 2009 | I would not hitchhike in any of those countries, definitely do not isolate yourself in that way in countries such as Turkey or Egypt. | As for must sees in the countries you will visit: Let's start in Turkey - Istanbul (Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace) and Ephesus are wonderful, and Pergamon, Aphrodisias, and the Underground Cities of Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu (base yourself in Goreme for the underground cities) are all worthy of a stop. When you get to the Turkish/Syrian border, see if you can head east a bit and get to Sanliurfa (also known as Urfa) it is a great little town with lots of character - but not to everyone's taste. To cross the border into Turkey, you will stop in Antakya - it isn't the most attractive of cities, but it used to be called Antioch, and it is the site of the world's first church (St Barnabas' Cave) and an amazing mosaic museum (supposedly the second best in the world behind the one in Tunis). Into Syria - an absolutely fantastic country - would rate my second favourite behind India and be equal to Egypt. Sites to see include the Citadel and souq (market) in Aleppo, Palmyra, Krak des Chevaliers (the finest crusader fort in the world), the Roman Ampitheatre in Bosra and of course Damascus - where you must see the old city, which includes the souq and the immaculate Umayyad Mosque. You could go to Lebanon here if you wish, and the Temple of Bacchus in Baalbek is great. Beirut is a nice city, but a troubled one. I have not been to Israel yet (planning to go within 2 years) so cannot comment on that. Remember if you go to Israel and there is evidence of visiting that country in your passport, you will have trouble getting into places such as Syria and Iran and a few others. Jordan is a much smaller country and it has two standout sites - Petra (stay at least two full days and definitely hike up to the Monastery) and the Wadi Rum - home to some of the most stunning desert scenery in the world. Actually, Wadi Rum is the most beautiful scenery I have ever laid my eyes on. Onto Egypt - and if you like your ancient history, then you'll be salivating with excitement in this country. My highlights would be the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Pyramids of Giza, the Temple of Seti I at Abydos (getting here could be difficult), Temple of Hathor in Dendara, the Nubian Museum in Aswan, Temple of Isis at Philae (near Aswan) and the Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel. Now if you think that is a lot of temples, I haven't even included Luxor which has the fantastic Temple of Karnak and all of those tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Queens and the Nobles! If you have seen too many temples, head to the Siwa Oasis - a real pain to get there, but the desert scenery of the Western Libyan Desert is nothing short of breathtaking. I have been to the Middle East three times, and will make it four when I visit again in a couple of years - it is my favourite part of the world. Can you tell?  [Edited: 11:34 - The Travel Camel ] peachylu lucy peach Post Count: 14 Msg: #5 144 days ago, June 19th 2009 | Dearest Spitting Hobo | After that I feel possitivly dishartend, sounds rubbish! HA! IM QUITE HONESTLY STANDING AND TYPING IM SOOOOOOOO EXCITED. [breath and sit] thank you, great info. love history-the older the better so the temples and pyramids have be dribbling with joy. i have seen some stunning mountain, forest, city and beach scenery in my time but never the desert. (did see the desert in Rajasthan however as far as deserts are concerned it felt more like a calf than a mammoth.) I get a distinct feeling that the desert and I have some kind of misapprehension that requires a stand off worthy of its (and my) reputation. Im guessing the treks into the desert are possible? excellent excellent excellent. all that left now is to get the hell out of Taiwan. oh! I have another question but i understand if your bored of answering question. do i need to take a sneaky hip flask or (like the dry states in india) is booze about as difficult to find as our friend the cockroach- waiting to surprise you everywhere. ally The Travel Camel Shane Dallas Post Count: 1006 Msg: #6 144 days ago, June 19th 2009 | I do not drink alcohol, so I'm not the best person to ask this question - but none of the countries are dry countries (Kuwait being the exception). The bigger the cities and/or the more tourists that frequent it, the more alcohol you will find. Having said that, you are likely to find many drinking options in Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon - but they might be a bit sparse in Syria (except Damascus) and Jordan. | If you have been to India and survived it sensory barrage, you will find the Middle East easy to deal with - though Cairo has a chaos all of its own. Also, the deserts in the Middle East are definitely more impressive than their Indian counterparts - the photos will give you a couple of examples. I did a trek with some bedouins and a handful of other foreigners into the Wadi Rum - it is the best way to go - but you need to haggle on prices hard. I even managed a camel ride! If you go to Siwa in Egypt, there are no camel rides, but you can get a day four wheel drive tour for not a lot of money. Since you are now in Taiwan, it is a good comparison for the markets you will see - the Covered Souq in Istanbul and the Khan al Kahlili area in Cairo are the equivalent of a Taiwanese night market but increased by twenty fold and more. Please feel free to ask me further questions here and/or send me a private message. I've spent 4 months in the countries I've outlined above and have plenty of information on them. I deliberately left out other information on historical sites at these places, as I wasn't sure how much into history you were, but I could rattle off quite a few more (particularly in Egypt - Luxor Temple and Edfu for starters) if you wish.  Mell Mell Post Count: 13556 Msg: #7 135 days ago, June 27th 2009 | Hello Lucy |  For Iran, 15 Euros per day can be enough. The hostel bed I had cost around 3 Euros per night. A 6 hour bus ride costs around 3 Euros. Food for sale to the public is generally chicken and kebabs and things like rice and soup. I am a vegetarian so dont know how much they cost. But I doubt they are expensive. Getting the tourist visa for Iran can cost anything from 50 to 90 Euros and how many days the visa for varies. Mel Number of Users: 3 | Number of Posts: 7 | |||||||||||||||
