2guys1boat

I worked in Cyprus for 3 months in 2006. It’s a beautiful country with VERY diverse landscapes (mountains with vineyards a 20 minute drive from beaches filled with European tourists), but if you want scenery, go look at pictures! Let’s talk about the people. . .

The Greek Cypriots are different depending on which town you go to. In the beach towns such as Larnaca, Aiga Nappa and Paphos, the people are very warm and friendly. The #1 activity is sitting in a cafe socializing and drinking coffee. The #2 activity is attending a wedding. I swear 4 out of 5 people on the island are going to a wedding each weekend. There is still that small town/small island charm. You will have no problem making friends.

In Nicosia, which is where I worked, the locals have a reputation for being a bit snobby… but I found it to be shyness that comes off as snobbiness.

In discussing this with other Cypriots (from the beach towns where the locals are more out-going) I’ve concluded many of the locals in Nicosia are a bit xenophobic—especially to white guys like me. This is partially because of the trouble they have had with the white men from England. And they’re not too warm with white women either. This is partially because of the trouble they have had with white women (from Russia, the Ukraine, etc) in the cabarets breaking up marriages! But, of course, this is a generality. The people of Nicosia might have a little ice you have to break through but at their heart they are as warm as all the other Cypriots. Just get to know them a little bit and you’ll be okay.

THEGIRLS: I never figured out how to consistently start a pleasant conversation with a Cypriot girl. Just a different breed of woman, I guess. Even the Cypriot men continued to advise me to give up my quest for a decent conversation. Typical conversation:

Me: “Hi, how are you?”

Her: “Good” . . .

Me: “I’m Jason. What’s your name?”

Her: “Helena”

Me: Insert question OR Insert interesting story

Her: Insert one-word answer

That was the typical conversation. After a lot of meditation, I figured out it was due to one of three things:

1. Because it’s a small island, everybody knows everybody. There is a lot of pressure that Cypriot girls stay “pure”. They don’t even want to be seen flirting with strangers. They are much more friendly if you are introduced by a friend or family member. So, although it’s usually a bad tactic, I would actually advise making friends with a group of Cypriot guys and work into a social circle. Even then, you’re probably hopeless.

2. The Cypriot girl could just be unsure about her English. In case this it, you should know at least a little bit of Greek. “yassas, olakalla, etc”… Learn some Greek jokes or something.

3. They’re married or engaged. The Cypriot girls wear their wedding band on their right hand, so you can get thrown off. But even if they’re not married, they probably plan on being married soon. (Remember, it’s the #2 activity in Cyprus) Marriage is a big thing in Cyprus, which is probably a good thing.

My single male advice: Before you scratch Cyprus off your list of places to go, remember that it’s a HUGE tourist destination. And even if you’re not there during tourist season, a lot of foreigners stick around all year. If you’re a single male visiting Cyprus, don’t go through the humiliating experience of hitting on Cypriot girls. Just talk to other foreigners (especially Russians and Eastern Europeans) and you’ll do JUST fine! Trust me.

There is a lot of history in Greece. It’s one of the few places I’ve gone (Egypt being the other one) where you can FEEL the magnitude of the history. I felt the energy in the air. If you think I’m some “New Age crazy guy” think again… and go to Greece to see for yourself. Just be willing to experience anything.

Cairo was one of my favorite places in the world.

As my taxi driver told me when I arrived, “Cairo is crazy!”

The traffic is crazy.

Many of the people are crazy (where aren’t they though?).

It’s a very dirty city (lots of trash), and it’s very poor.

But what an exciting place!

The people are nice… especially because they want your money. Everybody will treat you very graciously. Although I believe most are genuinely friendly people, you can tell that a lot of them just want money.

Any why not give it to them? After all, just a few bucks can really make somebody happy there.

My favorite place in Cairo was the Cairo Jazz club. It is a very ecclectic place with a wonderful ambience. The band that was playing was one of the most unique bands I’ve ever heard. The people there were welcoming and very interesting (mostly foreign exchange students from Europe on the night I wen there). I made some very nice friends and I wish I could have spent more time in Egpt to get to know them better.

Of course, the PYRAMIDS were amazing! What a magical feeling when I first saw them lit up at night. The only time I’ve felt something similar was when I saw Acropolis lit up at night for the first time. So magical, so familiar. The pyramids are the most amazing things on this planet, so you MUST see them at least once in your life.

Also, if you talk to the right people, you can climb up the smaller pyramids for $10-$20 or so. If you’re willing to pay $500 to $1000 you can even climb up the Great Pyramid first thing in the morning. But you have to: 1) talk to the right people (and don’t be so overt about it in case you dont find the right person the first time) and 2) be ready to negotiate.

Remember, the cost of living is very low there (so is the standard of living though LOL), so $20 goes a LONG way. I had a taxi driver for four days. He was waiting for me every day when I woke up. He waited for me everywhere we went. He showed me the best places. He tried to get me to spend money at his friend’s stores to get his kick-back (99% of Egyptians are natural-born hustlers). He showed me all the safe places to eat. He was an awesome host and almost like my personal butler for the trip. Anyhow, at the end of the trip, he asked for only $40!!! Of course, I was grateful for his help and gave him more, but it just shows that a little money can go a long way there.

Of course, the locals will sense you are a tourist and they’ll try to charge you “normal” prices. For example, when you get a taxi at the airport, never take the first price you get. Ask the first taxi driver for a price to your hotel. He’ll say, “$100” very confidently. Say thanks and go to the next one. He’ll say “$70”. By then the rest of the drivers will have spotted you like a pack of hyeenas and you’ll be crowded around with screams of offers as low as $10.

A taxi drive of 10 to 15 minutes shouln’t cost more than a few US dollars.

When you’re in the bazaars, be ready to negotiate even harder. Don’t give over your money unless you AT LEAST got 50% off!

If you want more travel stories, videos, pics and tips, my friend and I are going to be sailing around the world (starting with several months in the Caribbean)… check out our blog at www.2guys1boat.com/blog We are going to be creating video episodes at each location we go to, and we are going to be focusing on the people in those places. It’s just getting started but it’s going to be really cool