Money scams at home and abroad

Going to any foreign speaking country with a different culture to your own, brings risk.

The biggest and most probable of those risks is that you will get fleeced for money.

Egyptian pounds
(c) fifiheavey

You will hand over too much money for services or goods. It may be by mistake or it may be that you want to avoid any international catastrophes.

Egypt is one of these countries where its inhabitants are professionally qualified to rid you of your money. And lucky for you they take any currency you have!

I am not talking about pick pockets here, no my experience of Egyptians is that they rather to politely ask you for your cash. Maybe for a tip or perhaps for some item that you do not want.

I didn't want a papyrus painting. I wanted to see the pyramids and go into the Egyptian museum and see the the Khan Ali-Kalili market. I also wanted to experience real Egyptian culture.

I did all of those things but I also bought a papyrus painting and some essence. I could have said no, I could have just walked away, at no point did I feel my safety was in danger - but still I felt pressured, I felt guilty and in the end I bought a painting.

Khan Ali-Kalili market, Cairo
(c) fifiheavey

My first 24-48 hours in Cairo were very expensive.

The main reason for that was it was my first time in Egypt and I stupidly told people that.

It is the first question Egyptians ask tourists. And the reason is if you say no then you probably know better than to trust them, but if you say yes – they have you!

So after 48 hours I was angry, I was resolved to be rude if I had to, to avoid spending unnecessary money on things, services I did not want.

And I mastered it, I haggled for my life, I walked away, I said 'NO' a lot and even tried to turn a money trick back on a native. I was a pro!

But then I got a huge shock, I had been fleeced for money long before I entered this new culture.

I was “robbed” at London Heathrow Airport.

My next door neighbours in the UK, of similar culture and the same language had tricked me out of so much more money than a hard working taxi man in Cairo ever could.

My flight to Cairo stopped over in Heathrow from Dublin. At the airport I realised that we would be landing in Cairo after midnight and was unsure if airport banks and exchanges would be open at that time. So I picked one out of the hundreds of currency exchanges shinning in the departure lounge in Heathrow.

I handed over €400, the nice smiley man told me an extra fiver and they charge no commission. Bargain. I did that and he handed me 2,600 LE (Egyptian pounds). It was only when we exchanged money in Cairo that we realised I had been squandered out of €100 in the first exchange because the nasty bankers had converted my money to sterling before moving it on.

Moral of the story: You don't need to go to Egypt to be fleeced, but at least I got a papyrus painting while there!

The Final Judgement -  the most famous scene to be duplicated on papyrus.

All countries great and small

The 2012 Olympics are on. London is shining. Hard working athletes are taking centre stage.

Medals are being won and lost, countries around the world are celebrating and commiserating.

But despite the 24/7 coverage of all things Olympic, my attention has been seized by all the countries taking part. 205 to be exact. 

205 countries have contributed 10,000 athletes to compete in over 300 events.

The symbol from The Hunger Games

The opening ceremony,  felt  a bit like the Hunger Games, or indeed something Victorian, something in a twisted fairytale or novel. A sort of war without weapons, battles without deaths. 

But still a contest between countries, nations - Democratic states, Republics, Dictatorships and Communist identities.

During the opening ceremony I looked on with awe as countries, nations carried their flags with honour – and many of them were unknown to me.

Arbua, Benin, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kiribati, Lesotho, Micronesia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Tuvalu were some of the countries that did not spark with me. 

I couldn't place them on a map, I didn't have a handy fact to hand nor could I spell or pronounce them.

So while my partner stares and ooh and aahs at the nightly commentating from the London Olympics I am researching these 'new' countries, looking at histories, stats and checking out the price of flights!

So here are a few handy facts about those less well known countries – have these at the ready when the Olympic chat dies down or if your hairdresser asks you 'Any holidays this year':

Aruba - Aruba is one of the four constituent countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands just north of Venezuela.

Benin- Officially the Republic of Benin, West Africa and the birthplace of Voodoo

Burkina Faso - Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta, it is one of the safest countries in West Africa.

Djibouti – One of the smallest African countries - you can snorkel with whale sharks there!

Eitrea National Flag

Eritrea - One of the most secretive countries in Africa, the capital boasts the most shining collection of colonial architectural wonders in in Africa.

Kiribati - Located in the Pacific ocean,  it was the scene of a number of the bloodiest battles fought in World War II.

Lesotho- It is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 meters in elevation, skiing is a big draw here.

Micronesia – Found in the Pacific Ocean close to the Philippines, it is a group of islands Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Yap.

Saint Kitts and Nevis – Also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, it is a federal two-island state in the West Indies.

Tuvalu – Sitting midway between New Zealand and Australia with a population of just 10,554, it is the fourth smallest country in the world.

The island of Tuvalu

Fascinating.

Man made inspiration

My creative angle of the Eiffel Tower, Paris (© Fiona Heavey)

We all have different reasons for choosing our holiday/ trip destinations, but for many we want to see world famous icons, landscapes, buildings and stand in awe, as thousands have before us and of course get the perfect picture to show off to friends back home!

Lonely Planet posted their “most iconic human-made structures” this week, and the geek that I am this made me very excited as I drooled over the places I have yet to set my eyes on.

Out of the ten named, I have only actually seen and touched three of them, which is sort of pathetic for someone who loves travelling and thinks about it 24/7!

These include the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Chrylser Building in NYC and Big Ben, London.

All three are super impressive. The Eiffel Tower is really not all that amazing when seen during the day, but it has become a world wide icon for romance and viwed at night all lit up or dangling over the edgewith a loved one really does make it special. (Must be why I have visited it twice)

Big Ben symbolizes London, it also is a symbol of democracy as it stands high over the Palace of Westminster and although it is not really tall or large or impressive it certainly strikes a cord and is a must for history fans.

The Chrylser for me was exciting because of the movie King Kong (remember the big ape at the end?). It is more modern that the other three and so although it dominates the New York skyline didn't impress me as much. (Although I do have a nifty photo from there.)

The remaining seven icons listed by lonely Planet are all structures I really want to see in the next 5-10 years.

Big Ben at 4.12pm (© Fiona Heavey) 

These include:

• Angkor Wat, Cambodia
• Taj Mahal, India
• Great Pyramids, Egypt
• The Great Wall of China
• Machu Pichu, Peru,
• Mount Rushmore, USA
• Stonehenge, England

None of them need an explanation from me on how amazing they are, I will leave that until the day I actually get to touch their exterior.

 I do think that the Lonely Planet did miss out on The Colosseum and The Pantheon in Rome, as well as the Acropolis of Athens amongst many more. And we should not forget out own Newgrange which is one of the most impressive man made structures in the world.

But this list is certainly a starting point of an impressive photo collection and with a sale on with aerlingus at the mo, three of Lonely Planet's top ten could be viewed, touched and photographed on a budget!

Walking pretty

I'm delighted with my 8 out of 10 score in The World's Most Walkable Cities Slideshow at Frommer's

And I Agree with their list 100%:

Florence - beautiful

Paris - a romantic delight

New York - visionary overload

Munich - Especially around Christmas

Edinburgh- chilly in Winter but historically perfect

Boston- Tidy city with plenty to cheers about! - get it?!

Melbourne - Unforgettable my favourite place in the world

Sydney- Well it is a must sand and opera

Dubrovnik, Croatia and Vancouver, British Columbia are on their list but as I have not been there I can't quite concur

So I want to add Dublin and London to my top walkable cities.

Both have history, modernity and fun things to look at - and you are bound to meet some very interesting people on your walks too.

These walks are good for your heart in every way - quickly, get your boots on!