TRAVEL TO AND FROM EGYPT
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TRAVEL/ACCOMMODATION IN EGYPT
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For Toronto project members, whose plane tickets are provided by the project, travel arrangements will be made by the director through Jennifer Patterson and/or Melanie Gauthier of The Adventure Travel Company, 381 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5V-1K1, Tel.: 416-345-9726; Toll Free Tel.: 888-238-2887; e-mail: mgauthier@atcadventure.com (http://www.atcadventure.com). The project will arrange payment to Adventure Travel.
Persons outside Toronto, whose plane tickets are being provided by the project, should make their own travel arrangements and send an official invoice and a signed cover letter detailing their attendance on the project:
E.g. "Please find enclosed an invoice for a flight (airline), from city to Cairo on dd/mm/yyyy returning dd/mm/yyyy, in the amount of $0000.00 US/Cdn for reimbursement to Full Name."
(This invoice should be mailed to Dr. Gregory Mumford, Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, 4 Bancroft Ave., University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S-1C1).
IMPORTANT: It is required that the original carbon slip from each person’s plane ticket is retained and given to the project director immediately after return to Canada for submission to the University of Toronto accounting office.
Should individuals wish to extend their trip or have a stopover en-route to Egypt, they will need to contact the travel agent concerning such arrangements and cover any additional expenses incurred though flight modifications.
For project members covering their own plane tickets, the project can recommend The Adventure Travel Company (for Toronto project members), but otherwise leaves travel arrangements up to the individuals concerned.
All project members are required to purchase travel insurance (this is not covered by the project). For project members whose plane tickets are being covered by SEPE, each person must contact The Adventure Travel Company to arrange purchasing of Trip Cancellation in conjunction with the plane ticket (the latter of which is paid by SEPE). Trip cancellation allows the cancellation of plane tickets without penalty owing to illness.
On the web site of the Egyptian Consulate in San Francisco (http://www.egy2000.com/ft40l.html) and Embassy in Ottawa (http://www.egyptembassy.ca/en/Default.htm) it clearly states that visas can be obtained upon arrival in Egypt ("USA and Canadian citizens can get a visa from our consulates abroad or upon their arrival to Egypt"). However, since several project members have had trouble with certain airlines refusing to allow them aboard a flight bound for Cairo without a visa, I urge people to take a copy of the Egyptian visa regulations or arrange to get a visa well in advance of travel. In the case of a North American airline agent refusing travel without a visa, insist on travelling to your stopover/transit destination (e.g., London), where travel agents appear to be better informed on Egyptian visa regulations.
Upon arrival in Egypt a visa should be purchased from one of the banks (e.g., Thomas Cook; Bank of Alexandria; Bank Misr) immediately before reaching the customs counters. A postage-style visa stamp is provided for pasting into your passport for about $20 US (also payable in Egyptian currency when you change money at one of these banks). Tip: Count your money immediately whenever you change it since the tellers can sometimes make mistakes.
For Canadians applying for an Egyptian visa before travelling to Egypt, you are required to submit (a) a two-page form (page 1; page 2), (b) a current photograph of yourself, (c) your Canadian passport (valid for the period of travel), and (d) a fee of $26.00 CAD (bank draft or money order). This package should be sent by express mail or courier to the Egyptian consulate in Montreal, with a prepaid and addressed envelope. A turn-around of about one week should be expected. Please note: the Egyptian consulate in Montreal now processes visas (the Egyptian embassy in Ottawa does not). Recommendation: double check all fees and requirements prior to mailing your documents.
Egyptian Consulate -- Montreal
3754 Cote des Neiges
Montreal, Quebec
Canada, H3H 7V6
Tel. (514) 937-7781/2
Prior to departing for Egypt, SEPE will keep project members updated concerning safety issues within Egypt. However, it must be emphasized that each project member is also responsible for monitoring international news (e.g., television; newspapers; on-line reports) and the Canadian/U.S./British Embassy travel advisories for Egypt in order to come to an informed decision whether or not each person feels comfortable with travelling to and residing within Egypt. For instance, consult http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/ctry/new-en.asp.
IMPORTANT: Should a political or other situation dictate that travel to Egypt is definitely unsafe, each person is responsible for canceling his/her plane ticket (24 hours?) prior to the departure date (the airline will subtract a set cancellation fee from the cost of the plane ticket). In such a situation, should a person not cancel their ticket prior to the departure time, he/she is required to reimburse the project for the balance of the ticket cost (minus the cancellation fee).
NB: I must stress, however, that even if the project is scheduled to continue work in Egypt in contradiction to the advice of a general travel advisory against travel to Egypt, each person is still responsible for deciding for him/herself whether he/she feels safe in attending the project during such circumstances. Ideally this decision should be made prior to purchasing plane tickets or at least prior to the flight departure time (see flight cancellation above).
Although SEPE will attempt to register all project members with their respective embassies in Cairo (e.g., Canadian, British, and American embassies), the onus is on each team member to register personally with his/her national embassy. On-line registration is available for the Canadian Embassy, British Embassy, and American Embassy in Egypt. This information page should provide sufficient contact information details to forward to your embassy.
The project photographer (Patrick Carstens) recommends that people place all undeveloped and developed film into a lead film case (Airport X-Ray film protector; less than $15) and place this in their carry-on bags to prevent against colour shifts and exposure of the film from the new X-Ray machines being used in airports.
Many airports now do not allow people to use lead bags for carrying film in your luggage; you may have to insist that undeveloped film bypass the x-ray machine. This applies especially to any film with 800 ASA or higher speeds, which would definitely be ruined by current x-ray machines.
The project will arrange for an airport pick-up and drop-off at set times for all project members travelling to and from Egypt. Persons wishing to arrive in Egypt prior to the excavation start date, or wishing to extend their stay in Egypt after the end of the excavation, will be responsible for travel and accommodation during these periods. It is important that each person ensures that he/she arrives on the requested arrival date and pre-arranged meeting place for processing through the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
The project provides transportation to and from the project accommodations at the beginning and at the end of each excavation season, and also covers transportation between the project accommodations and the site during the work week. However, each team-member is responsible for covering their own weekend travel arrangements and costs (e.g., For the two hour bus trip between el-Mansoura and Cairo, a one-way ticket costs about LE 8.50 or $2.00 US). Pre-arranged field trips would be an exception to this general rule.
The project covers the daily cost of accommodation and meals during the tenure of the excavation. Project members departing the hotel for weekend travel will be responsible for covering their own accommodation costs outside the project’s accommodations (excepting official field trips). However, the project can reimburse persons for reasonable expenditures for meals on the weekend should official receipts be provided.
Outside Cairo, where hotel prices are less expensive, the project accommodations normally include a double (sometimes triple) room in a clean hotel with air-conditioning, fridge, bed linens, towels, toilet paper, linen service, and room cleaning. For example, the project hotel in el-Mansoura usually is the Marshal Hotel, Midan Oum Kolthoum, el-Mansoura, Province of Dakhaliyeh, Egypt. Tel. [011-20-50]-2-333-920, 2-333-922, 2-333-923, Fax: 050-2-333-921. In Cairo, where hotel prices are higher, the project often uses the Ismailia House Hotel, 1 El-Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt, Tel.[011-20-2]-796-3122, ismahouse@hotmail.com. Accommodations can also be pre-arranged at ARCE, 2 Midan Simon Bolivar, Garden City, Cairo, Egypt, Tel. [011-20-2]-794-8239, 795-8683, 797-2429, Fax: 795-3052.
NB: The Ismailia House Hotel (Cairo) does not supply towels, while toilet paper is limited, but available at the reception counter. Most bathrooms in this hotel are shared, hence a towel, sandals/slippers, washing soap, and a bath robe are highly recommended. Should we use this hotel, it would only be for one or two days at the beginning and possibly at the end of the excavation season.
Meals usually include an early morning beverage at the hotel prior to departing for the site (about 6:00 am), breakfast on-site (normally deli-style sandwiches, salad, fruit, cookies, mineral water, orange tang drink, etc.), lunch normally at the hotel and once per week at a restaurant (selected individually from a menu in both cases), and dinner (optional and reimbursed/pre-paid with provision of a receipt). With the provision of a receipt, the project covers the purchase of extra snacks from shops. Each person will also be provided with a supply of mineral water (e.g., Baraka) for their personal consumption on-site and in the hotel. Mineral water will be re-stocked continuously. Please note, the project cannot cover the cost of any alcoholic beverages.
Expenditures not covered by the project:Each project member should take care of their own personal medical expenses, whether prescription medications or medical assistance required within Egypt. The grant strictly prohibits the use of government money to cover any medical expenses incurred during its tenure. Each person must carry travel insurance (i.e., medical coverage), and should obtain sufficient funds and obtain official receipts for his/her reimbursement for any medical expenses. The Canadian, U.S., and British embassies may be able to assist nationals unable to cover excessive medical fees and the project would assist in all permissible ways. The project does have a basic First Aid kit on-site and at the hotel, with bandages, disinfectant, asprin, and other essential supplies. However, people should bring their own medications to cover various potential illnesses, such as headaches, diarrhea, etc.
Project members are not permitted to charge anything to their rooms (e.g., food or telephone calls). Any such expenditures must be paid upon delivery or immediately after the call. It is recommended that friends and relatives telephone the hotel at which we will be staying. For people wishing to make an international telephone call, the Canada Direct number is recommended (in Cairo: Tel.365-3643; elsewhere in Egypt: Tel.02-365-3643). Internet places are now widely available throughout Egypt and represent a cheaper means of communicating outside Egypt. The cheapest places, naturally, are found outside major hotels. The project will not cover the purchase of any alcoholic beverages, but has no objections to project members purchasing or bringing their own alcohol. Any project member with specific food requirements and/or allergies should mention this in advance (in writing) to the project director. Depending upon the excavation and project accommodation location within Egypt, SEPE may or may not be able to accommodate various individual needs. Most vegetarian requirements are normally easily met within Egypt.
NB: The project can arrange for laundry to be done near the site (i.e., Tebilla or elsewhere), but cannot cover the cost of laundry at the hotel. The project will provide laundry soap, scrub brushes, basins, buckets, lines for hanging clothes, clothes pegs, and other implements for laundry. To minimize personal expenses, it is recommended that each person wash his/her most frequently used items of clothing on a daily basis (the sun dries clothing quite rapidly), and submit the remaining clothing (e.g., shirts, trousers) to the hotel laundry.The project normally extends for a period of eight weeks (often in the summer) with a six-day work week (Saturday to Thursday), a one-and-a-half day weekend (Thursday afternoon to Friday), and a mid-season break of two to three days. Team-members awake between 5:00 and 5:15 am and must be ready to depart the hotel by 5:45 am. We arrive at the site around 6:30 am and work until breakfast (9:00-9:30 am). Work resumes from 9:30 am until 1:00 pm, with departure from the site around 1:30 pm and arrival back at the hotel by 2:15 pm.
Lunch is held around 3:00 pm, after people have had time to wash-up, and the remainder of the day is left to each person. A few duties may be divided up amongst all team-members, such as trips to the store to buy mineral water, breakfast supplies, and archaeological supplies, and preparing food for the next day’s breakfast. Meetings may be scheduled each week to go over site books and the results of excavation work, with discussions of strategies for subsequent excavation and other project related work.
SEPE uses a specific recording system, which comes in a spiral-bound booklet including (1) a four-page locus recording section with a user-friendly information sheet, a page with a grid for top plans and sections, a lined page for observations, and a blank page, (2) a table register for non-pottery artifacts ("small finds") at the back of the booklet, (3) a table register for intact and virtually intact pottery vessels at the back of the booklet, and (4) a series of pages for compiling Harris matrixes detailing the depositional sequence of natural layers, features, walls, pits, etc., through time in relation to excavation loci. For an example of the recording book format used by SEPE, please view the attached pages (Guide to SEPE recording system and SEPE recording system examples). The registrar, ceramicist(s), photographer, and artist keep separate record books for samples, artifacts, pottery, and drawings.
For team-members attending the excavation, it is recommended that each person brings a hat, sunglasses, scarf, sun-screen lotion (for two months), boots, durable work clothes (long-sleeved and short-sleeved shirts), canteen, personal drinking cup, better quality travel clothes, sandals (for showers), bath robe, travel towel, swimming gear, washcloth, personal medications, toiletries, washing soap, reading material (for time off), guide book (for sites and hotels for weekend travel), and money to cover weekend travel and incidental purchases (e.g., one can easily spend about $50 Cdn or more per weekend). Should you forget something, most things are easily available in Egypt. Some items will cost more in Egypt, such as contact lens solution. Bring a spare pair of glasses or contact lenses should you depend upon eye-wear. If you are bringing any electrical devices which would rely upon local electrical sources (i.e., non-battery operated devices), you will need a different plug and electrical current convertor. Such convertors --(international traveller's electrical convertor and plug packs)-- can easily be obtained from camping stores and other commercial outlets in North America and the United Kingdom.
We will be working in an Islamic country, in a rural setting, and should dress appropriately, i.e., long/short-sleeved shirts and trousers. Whilst in public areas associated with the project everyone must wear conservative clothing. It goes without saying, but it must be stated, that all project members must be careful in their dealings with local people. I should stress that people are well advised to travel in pairs, especially women to minimize potential harassment. Being in an Islamic country, it is also advisable not to consume alcohol in public places (i.e., restrict this to your room or the dining area). Of note, the use or possession of drugs is strictly prohibited in Egypt and is a hanging offence. For further advice concerning travel in Egypt, please consult the Canadian Embassy in Egypt and the Canadian Dept. of Foreign Affairs Travel Report.
The project will try to obtain Antiquities Passes for the free access by archaeological project members to all monuments throughout Egypt. These passes can be purchased for about LE 25 for the tenure of the excavation period. In addition, the project will attempt to obtain residency visas for each team-member. These visas are usually valid only for the tenure of the excavation project. Residency visas cost about LE 22 and provide substantial discounts for hotels and plane flights within Egypt for project members.
Return to topProject director mobile phone [011-20]-127-139-763 (Gregory Mumford).
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