SheSue Experience

My daughter and her husband are currently vacationing in Egypt.  They left last Saturday and I haven’t heard from them since.  Mommy panic begins.  Stories and rumors about the Middle East are not pleasant.  I know that she is all right because my gut tells me so.  When my kids are in trouble, my gut tells me.  But still, she’s only 19.

She traveled to Central America for 5 weeks last December.  She emailed me the day she arrived and every 2 or 3 days thereafter.  Thus the worry.  Today, I got on the phone with her travel agent.  I knew her itinerary and the names of the 2 hotels she was staying at, but couldn’t find contact information online.  I sent her an email, but haven’t received a reply.

Here is what I found out from her travel agent:

• If you are in Egypt, a 10 second phone call home is around $90
• A call to Egypt from home is less, but still very expensive.
• I can call the hotel, but confusion usually results in a lengthy conversation, creating a very expensive phone call.
• I have been unable to find and neither can the travel agent, email for the hotels.
  
• If you have an international calling card, very few places will allow you to use it and if they do, you are charged for the privilege
  
• They have very, very few Internet cafes if any
  
• They do have Internet from major hotels, but there is a waiting line to get access and once again, it is very expensive and very slow

Both the travel agent and a good friend who lived briefly in Egypt both assured me that I shouldn’t worry.  Since she is with her husband, she should be fine.  Be very wary of traveling as a single lady anywhere in the Middle East, however.

My daughter and her husband are both bright and resourceful.  I know my daughter will eventually send some communication because she doesn’t think I know her arrival information.  (I did find that out from the travel agent)  In the meantime, I stay away from any news about the Middle East.  If anybody has any ideas of ways to communicate with her, I’m all ears.