Egypt
The Arab proverb at the top of the page is roughly equivalent to "Don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg" and they would be well advised to heed it. The pyramids are a wonderfull site to visit and the entrance cost is a very
reasonable £4 (English pounds, not Egyptian). However there is a separate charge to enter each pyramid, a separate charge for the boat museum, separate charges wherever you want to take a photograph, an endless parade of camel owners wanting Baksheesh and another charge to ride out to the viewpoint. Altogether it comes to more like £50 which suddenly doesn't seem quite as reasonable.
Of course they know they have a captive market. Who is going to go to Egypt and NOT vist sites like Abu Simbel, regardless of the insane costs?
Another good example is th Philae Temple at Aswan where you pay to get in only to discover that you need to pay a boatman again to be ferried out to the island upon which it stands.
It comes as a great surprise and pleasure to realise that not everyone wants to take all your money. Our day out on the river with Captain Jamaica (see home on The Locals page of this site) was definitely great value.
From left to right - The Monastery of St. Anthony, the old city at the oasis of Al Kharga and the studio of Badr Abdel Moghny at the oasis of Farafra. All unexpected joys on our Egyptian journey.
But back in Luxor the debts just keep on mounting at The Valley of the Kings and Karnak temple where the same old 'you must pay extra' dodges keep cropping up.
Mind you as the picture on the right shows I HAVE solved the mystery of how they built the pyramids.