Be careful when abroad

byroamy

3.2K followers

2 weeks ago

Guys I thought I`ll share this very frightening experience with you and, to say be careful when abroad.

I visited Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt alone. Now I know some people say don`t visit this place or that as a solo woman.I have never had any bad experiences so I thought, “What could happen really? ”little hiccups here and there are acceptable, that can still happen when you`re in your home.

So I booked a hotel car to drive me from Sharm-el-sheikh to Cairo and back the same day(my first mistake, as a woman in a foreign country where you don`t speak the language, don't stay with a strange man for 12 hours)

But I thought, what can he do really, he`s from the hotel, so if something goes wrong, they`ll find him. So he was to be my driver to and from Cairo. The streets of Egypt are not very welcoming, especially to a female tourist alone.I remember wanting to visit a local restaurant, and they said no ma'am, so when I took a man I didn't know with me, I was welcome. This only happens in local Egyptian restaurants.The hotel was elegant back in the say but it needs some pick me up

My mistake

That was my first mistake, I didn`t know that from Sharm to cairo is over 510KM driving right in the desert, the only difference was the many police checks on the way. More or less no traffic, it`s plain dessert.

Our Way Back

Now I did not spend time at the pyramids as going and back is 12 hours, so it was rush, rush, we are going back.

On the way back, I asked to use the bathroom, and we drove for almost 1 hour before we reached a deserted (maybe 4 or 5 people there) roadside kiosk with toilets inside.

I used the toilet and when I came out, I almost fainted the man had driven away without me

I could not believe my eyes, my ears started ringing, my mouth went dry, my head was pounding, and there I thought I was going to faint.

It was every emotion, and panic rolled up into one.

How could this man do this to me? I started talking to myself, luckily, an arab man noticed my distress and came to talk to me. I explained my situation, then he says “no problem, you can call another taxi or call the hotel”

That`s when lightning struck me,I did not have my phone or passport or anything for that matter,I had left everything in the car,and I did not know the hotel number off head.

Said to myself, today is the day I die in the desert, my family will never even know where to come look for my body

You read horror stories, but you never think they can happen to you.I had given up, not even thinking of my next move; everything seemed helpless.

After over 1 hour, the driver drives in and says to me, “where were you? I was waiting right here” I'm not stupid, there were only 2 cars in that place, I could have seen his. There were fewer than 5 people. I could have seen him.

It seems to me, he forgot and just drove off without me, then on the way, he remembered he was with someone. Intentionally or not, I`ll never know. But the streets of Egypt, once you are out of town, you`re the only person; an hour plus will pass before you see another car, even driving opposite direction.

I was so relieved to see him, I just burst into tears and told him to please take me home.

Did it stop me from visiting Egypt again?

It did not, that was a close call, but I have since gone back to Egypt, and I'm planning another vacation there in April next year. You just have to be careful when you vacation in a foreign country alone