Beware of Scams in Egypt

We understand that this is a long post, but it's a very emotional subject for us, so please read on.

Egypt's breathtaking monuments are a great reason to visit the country. However, the various scams that abound here can make the trip quite stressful and anxiety inducing. So do not visit this country unless you are prepared to be accosted every other second. Never, ever believe anyone on the street who seems friendly, especially if they say "I want to help," "Where are you from," or "Excuse me, excuse me." Some examples of scams we've gone through:
- Our first 15 minutes in Cairo. We are looking for a bookstore and a friendly male offers to show us the way. But he leads us through many winding streets only to end up at his perfume store where he proceeds to try to sell us some potions that we later discover are bad for your skin.
- We are looking for the Egypt Air travel office to book our flights for Luxor but are intercepted by a concerned and friendly male who informs us that the office is unfortunately closed. He then personally escorts us to a travel agency which attempts to charge us twice the normal ticket amount.

P.S. The scams may also help explain why so many tourists here are confined within the safety of their tour buses and hotels and are never to be seen on the streets alone.