Tuesday 23 October 2012

COE: Chapter 2 - How do I get there?

Chronicles of Egypt  : CHAPTER 2 - How do I get there?

Assalamualaikum people and cats and trees and umm everyone - everything. Sorry, just got back from a whole day of class. @___@ Meh.

But but but I shall not procrastinate anymorreh. Today's COE is about TRANSPORTATION. DAHHDAHHHDUMMM.

(Note: I shall only talk about what is common here mostly in Alexandria)

For those who are still confused on how to get to places, fear not! Don't make that stop you from exploring or going to places. There are A LOT of ways. Seriously.

1) Taxi/Cabs


Yes, this is basically how taxis here look like. You don't need to worry because there's TONS of taxis here, everywhere. Just stop them, and tell them where you want to go to. They don't use the taxi meters here so it'd be wise to know for how much, you can get to a certain place. Yes, some taxi drivers do see you as gullible foreigners and will right away, charge you extra. I mean extra, extra. However, I do find them a lot CHEAPER compared to the taxis in Cairo. 

2) Micro bus/ Tram-co



This way is much, much cheaper compared to taxis and buses. How to get to your destination? Just tell the driver the place, and he will either drop you there or somewhere near it. Or, you can stop him. Simple as that. And yes, I recommend this type of transportation if you wish to save your money as taxis cost more. But I shall warn you first, the ride is quite similar to a roller-coaster. So, if you have a terrible case of motion sickness, don't, just don't make it your option. Now that I mentioned it, taxis are kind of like roller coasters too.

3) Trams



Tram is a pleasant way of getting to places...on a holiday morning that is. Yes, compared to all of the transportation available here, this would be the cheapest kind. With only 25 piasters (cents), you can go from one end of the station to the other end of the station! WARNING: the probability of it to be packed with people are high mainly on school days (morning) and in the afternoon. I've been squished into a corner before. NOT a good experience. There are many kinds of trams, some take you only to certain places (e.g : VICTORIA trams take you Victoria but you can stop anywhere along the way. They look different compared to the other trams. They are wooden trams and look more cooler and enchanting. It costs more, about 1 LE.) but don't worry, there will be a map in every stop so you can refer to that. But yeah, I totally recommend this, considering that you're not in a hurry due to some emergencies. If so, STOP A TAXI! 


4) Horse carriage


This is mostly, just for the experience, say if you're on a holiday. Costs waaaay more than a taxi. Found mostly ala bah ( in front of the sea, yes so that you can enjoy Alexandria's sea view)


5) Trains


(Alexandria Train Station)




(Cairo Train Station)

Trains, if you wish to travel outside or even in Alex. Of course, the cost and the seatings are different. 

1st class - around 50 LE, air-conditioned, cushioned chairs (single/2 people), comfortable.

2nd class - Less than 50 LE, around 25- 30 LE. Normal. 

I'm not quite sure about the other classes but I've went on a train before to get to a place inside Alexandria. But that is a WHOLE different carriage. Normally, local people (I mean orang-orang kampung Alex la) go on them. It's packed. You may have to stand as the seats may all be taken. But it costs around 50 PIASTERS - 1 LE  There's also this one train, that carries poultry (a.k.a train ayam). That is also accessible, if you wish to. Warning: it smells. My advice, just hang in there! 


...

Of course, there's that option that doesn't run on money and fuel. Just your sweat. WALK. That's what you'll find yourself doing, most of the time. 

...

Lastly, enjoy this beautiful scenery. (Taken from my old house) 




Ciao!

Note: Pics are from Google and yours truly. 






















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