Egypt is a place of history and wonder; it also used to be the travel destination of many. Sadly, Egypt is no longer a place tourists wish to visit; there are other Middle-Eastern places worth checking out though.
There are many contributing factors behind the turmoil erupting in Egypt over the past few months. Egypt’s government has threatened to reduce food subsidies, the country is running into energy problems as well and will need to start importing oil in the near future rather than exporting, and citizens have become outraged by the way President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons were running the country.
Violent protests flooded streets and the support of the United States military was needed. Egypt became a place people were scared to go to.
The future is looking up for Egyptians and travelers alike. President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons were detained Wednesday for investigation of corruption, abuse of power and killings of protesters. Those who traveled to Egypt in the past would love to see the country turned around so other may experience what they have.
Donald Hobart, age 71, and a world traveler has seen a lot including Egypt and Turkey. Hobart traveled to Egypt in June of 2008 with his wife Janice along with McDaniel College and Professor Mohamed Esa as their guide.
Hobart, reflects on his travel to Egypt, and says “I felt it was extraordinary experience to see firsthand the antiquities of this culture. From the fabulous pyramids of Giza to the Aswan Dam our days were full of wonderments. I just did not want to leave the Valley of the Kings, where each day they uncover more tombs. You can only see the real wonders of King Tut’s tomb in Cairo, in a special part of the museum. They never leave Egypt. The Nile trip soothing and relaxing, and clean water…really! We found the Muslim populations to be friendly but the sales folks were very persistent. We entered the Christian area and spoke with pilgrims from Lebanon. At the time we were in the church where Mary and Joseph fled. The Egyptians have discovered surgical instruments, communication skills, musical instruments, thousands of years ago, just to name a few.” The vacation was an experience of a life time for the Hobarts.