Cat Missing at Cairo Airport, Can YOU Help?

An acquaintance of mine - Michelle, had a terrible experience when flying out of Cairo in December 2010 when Delta Airlines lost her pet, Patch, at the Cairo Airport.

She is currently back in Cairo and is trying to intensify her search for her beloved pet and would appreciate any help that you can provide. Contacts of people who have access to areas within the airport that the average visitor does not would be the most helpful as they can keep an eye out and may have seen Patch hiding somewhere.

Take a look at https://findpatch.wordpress.com/

Michelle is also offering a reward for whoever can help find her cat - Patch. Here is a mail that she sent out:

"Some of you may remember my horrific experience in December 2010 when Delta Airlines lost my pet, Patch, at the Cairo Airport. To this day, he has never been spotted at the airport. I am fairly sure they never really searched for him...but I still am looking for him.

If any of you are willing to pass out a flyer or two when you pass through the airport or know of an employee at the airport who would circulate the $500 reward flyer, I would be most grateful.

Patch has his own facebook page..."like" it to support his safe return.

Delta Airlines Lost My Cat in Egypt on December 18, 2010

I have posted the pictures of his carrier...he did not rip it open as Delta Airlines claimed....disgusting cover up.

If you would like a copy of the Arabic or English version of the reward flyer, please email me.

Sincerely,
Michelle Evans
patch@gmail.com

Also for anyone else flying with a pet - Delta has a really bad record of pet safety.
Kitten Freezes To Death After Delta Flight, Owner Offered Free Trip And $50
Please consider alternate airlines when flying with pets.

I flew my cat with Emirates Airlines both times. A little more expensive, but very good with pets travelling as cargo and excellent care was taken each time at Cairo-Egypt, Dubai-UAE and Delhi-India.

An appeal to the US government for the people of Egypt.

This is a petition thats doing the rounds on the internet.

If you are an US citizen and feel strongly, you may want to mail your representatives:

------------------------------------------------------------------

PLEASE SPREAD AS FAR AND WIDE AS YOU CAN! including to press and politicians if possible. Thank you.

Freedom, democracy, and self-determination are the main tenets of U.S. foreign policy and are used to justify our actions around the world. We zealously preach these concepts and yet now when confronted by a people forging their own path to achieve these goals our leaders are cowering on their soap boxes with their lips sealed. Silence is tantamount to consent. We teach our children that they must not stand for the abuse of others, that they must advocate for what is right, so why does our government keep quiet? The Egyptian people do not need foreign approval in order to achieve their revolution, but they want it. They want the world to recognize that what they are fighting for is their right as a nation to free themselves of an oppressive and corrupt dictator.

      The U.S. government needs to stop this hypocrisy and declare its support of the Egyptian people in their attempt at peaceful reform. The illegitimacy of Hosni Mubarak's regime is clear and if there was ever any doubt about the nature of his rule being oppressive and terrorizing then the events of today have underscored this reality to an extent that the international community can no longer choose to ignore. A leader who speaks sweet nothings one evening only to send out his party members, police force and convicted criminals into the street to foment dissent and incite violence between his people should not be cosseted by foreign governments. This behavior is not only disgusting but it underlines the fact that he cannot be trusted to aid in a constructive transition. It is clear only after today's events that there is no way forward with Mubarak remaining in power, his continued presence would poison the process of rebuilding a free, fair, and democratic new government for Egypt.

      As an American living in Egypt I am dismayed by the ignorant and shortsighted response of the U.S. government to the situation. Pulling the U.S. embassy out of Cairo is an example of fear mongering and jeopardizes the safety of its citizens here and our country's relationship with the Egypt to come. The statements thus far by our leaders have been completely devoid of meaning for the Egyptian people and have yielded only confusion, frustration and disbelief. I implore my government to dispel its unfounded fear and act as we would teach our children to.

Travelling with a cat/dog/pet on a transatlantic flight

Asn most of my readers know or have guessed we moved out of Egypt awhile ago. We travelled with our cat whom we adopted in Egypt. So I am often asked by my friends about the requirementsfor flying with pets.Here is a short synopsis.

In the last year and a half, I've made 2 trips with our cat, one was from Cairo to Dubai and then from Dubai to India.

Everyone (vets, online travel sites, professional agenices that help with animal relocations) I checked with, heavily recommended that she not be sedated. I think it would have been better if I had sedated myself on the first trip, I was a nervous wreck until I had her back in my arms! Comparatively on her 2nd flight, I wasn't worried at all, because she came off perfectly fine at the end of the first trip.

My cat hates being in a moving vehicle. She is a Turkish Angora, large (5+kilos) and stubborn. But she adapts very easily. So how a cat reacts to the travel and new location is very personality dependent.

Most airlines will not allow you to carry a snub nosed cat, because of air pressure, they do not allow certain breeds. Persians are one such breed that are not allowed (it could be different for Europe and America, but Middle East and Indian subcontinent airlines don't allow snub nosed cats or dogs)

Some airlines will allow you to carry pets as hand luggage (but you have to get prior permission) We had to put her as accompanied pet and in the luggage section on both flights. Emirates airlines has a seperate section for pets on board their aircraft, but they go in as cargo. UAE insists that pets come in as cargo, no matter which Emirate you land in (their vets are stationed at the cargo village and all pets have to come into UAE as cargo except throughbred falcons)


If your pet has to go in as cargo from Egypt, then you will have to go to the cargo village near the Cairo airport. Talk to them at least 10 days before travel. They will tell you all the paperwork they need from their side. A little baksheesh in the right hands will smoothen the process considerably.

How much money? I'm not too sure. My husbands office sent the guy in charge of handling government agencies with me and he spoke fluent Arabic and paid whatever was needed. An Emirates airline pilot friend spoke to the Emirates cargo chief in UAE who called the Emirates cargo head in Egypt to smoothen things and he kept calling the guy until we were all safely on board. (International wasta works too :) ) so we didnt have to pay the Emirates cargo guys in Egypt anything.


You also have to check what are the requirements at your port of arrival. And keep those papers ready too. Its different for each country.

When we travelled out of Egypt, they just wanted a bill of health and her vaccine card at the Egypt airport cargo village and the permission slip from the UAE that would allow her entry there. Getting the permission slip from the UAE was a whole other nightmare, including her blood being sent to Germany for checking if the rabies vaccine administered in Egypt was genuine and had enough antibodies.


Basically you need to
1. Have your cats vaccinations and medication up-to-date
2. Check online for requirements at port of arrival. - get those papers ready
3. Talk to people at the cargo village or the airline you are flying for their requirements

Get all these papers in order.

 In the end, everything at the Egypt end can be "managed"! Worry mainly about the destination requirements.

When I flew from Cairo to Dubai. Our cat had to travel as cargo (UAE reqt). Egypt Cargo wanted her there 5 hours before departure (becuase their doctor also had to examine her and other requirements) We had to pick her up at the cargo village in Dubai, a couple of hours after the flight landed (they gave us a call when she was ready - doctors check etc)

When I flew from Dubai to India, we carried her with us as luggage to the regular check-in area and someone took her from us at the check-in counter and carried her to the loading area. In India, we asked an attendant at the baggage carousel, who went outside and brought her in and gave her to us at the baggage section.

I knew a lady in Egypt who regularly carried her 2 tiny dogs (chihuahua size) as hand luggage when she travelled to Europe and back. The dogs had European passports and she used to fly business class.
So its very country and airline dependant. Check how it works in the country you are travelling to.

We asked the flight stewards to check that she had been loaded on both flights as we were on the same flight. They have a method of doing it, if you ask them before they shut the airline doors. It was a huge relief to us to know she had been loaded and the flight was less stressful after that.

When I flew Dubai to Delhi. I just took her with us 2 hours before departure to the regular check-in in Dubai. If you have to do this in Cairo, you may want to drape a shawl/stole over her cage. The noise and smells can stress your cat/dog out.

Egyptians being Egyptians wanted to stick their fingers into my cats cage and touch her at the cargo village (she's long haired and pure white) that really stressed her out. If you have a dog, I don't think you have to worry much. My friend who flew out with her 2 german shepherds from Cairo called it the parting of the red sea phenomenon when she took her dogs into the airport :)

So relax, but check for your destination reqts. Autralia, Europe (except Switzerland) and the Middle East are quite tough.

Expat Focus awards this blog - Recommended Website for Egypt

Close on the heels of the the last recognition this blog got, I have now received another excellent piece of news.

The Expat Focus Website has given this blog, the award of "Recommended Website for Egypt"

Their website states that:

The Expat Focus Recommended Website Award is only given to outstanding expat websites which meet the following minimum criteria:

- Usefulness: Whether it's a fact packed, well known expat portal or a small personal blog, the website provides information which others moving to or living in a foreign country would find useful.
 
- Integrity: We only recommend honest, responsible sites. We will not recommend any site which would be in breach of our own Acceptable Use Policy

- Activity: Sites which are updated frequently or have active forums.

- Free: We do not recommend sites which require paid subscriptions or membership fees.

You can see that this particular blog has been awarded here.

Again thank you so much to each and everyone of my readers.

Eating from Street Carts in Egypt

Someone who has just come into Egypt, asked if eating from the streetside foodcarts in Egypt was something that could be done without fear of reprisal from his digestive system.

Personally, I've liked most of what I tried from the food carts, except the sweet corn cobs. The corn cobs in Egypt taste terrible to me. An American friend even went so far as to say that what is sold on the street as corn on the cob, would only be used as cattle feed in the USA. There are better versions of corn available in Egypt, but it is mostly found in the frozen section of the supermarket, rather than on the street.

The only thing I would advise  a newcomer is : "don't try to eat off a street cart, if you have just arrived in Egypt. Give your digestive system a little time to adjust to change in water, the new surroundings, the new microbes and germs in the atmosphere etc. After that just use your common sense. Most food carts are as hygenic as you can expect in a country like Egypt (or India, where I am from), but if you are particularly put off by the surroundings or hygiene of a particular push cart, then move on. If you see flies hovering around the food, then avoid it completely."

I would also personally avoid anything that is uncovered or not wrapped and being sold at a very dusty or polluted part of the road. Unless it was something that could be washed before eating.



The roasted sweet potatoes are lovely. The white beans (more common in Alexandria) are lovely with a squeeze of lemon (although I  often take them home to add a good sprinkle of chilli powder or chaat masala, to further enjoy the flavor). There are many delicious varieties of breads and biscuits sold on carts. The wafers that are sold near the citadel in Alexandria with fillings of sesame seeds, or groundnuts are also very good.

Street food in Egypt is not half as scary for me as street food in South East Asia. At least here, I know what I was getting myself into when I ask for something. :)

Further Reading:
An Article I wrote shortly after arriving, comparing Street food in Egypt vs India
Where to eat Street Food - An Article from Egypt Today
If you want corn cobs


Bon Appetit

Fruits & Vegetables being Irrigated with Sewage Water?

Or so reports Al Masry

Thousands of farmland acres producing essential crops comprising Egyptians food basket are irrigated with untreated sewage water. Shocking as it is for consumers, small farmers deal with it in a relaxed way claiming it is their only option taking into consideration the high cost of using good-for-irrigation water.

Watch the video interview on Al Masry

So whether you believe it or not, it makes sense to start rinsing your vegetables in a mild solution of Potassium Permanganate to get most of the icky stuff out. (this cost effective treatment was recommended by a friend who works on water purification installations in houses and offices in India)

Cattery/ Cat Sitting in Cairo - Cairo Animal Inn - Cairo Suzi

There is a lovely lady named Suzi who has a cattery in Maadi. I leave our cat with her when we travel.

She has an open cattery. The cats are allowed to roam around the house through the day and she only boards them at night.

The single room option is 25LE a day.

There are other options like 4 large cages in a room for 10-20 LE. These are really large cages - half the height of the room and different lengths and widths.

If it’s a long term cat sit and depending on your cats personality, she may even take the cat to her own home. (she has her own cats at her home)

If you have more than one cat, they can be boarded in the same enclosure.

You pay her 50% in advance and give her the dry food for the duration (she feeds them the wet food herself) and she has a form which she needs you to fill regarding your cats habits and other details.

She really loves cats and I feel comfortable leaving ourbaby with her when we travel away for more than 2 nights. I've been doing this since the last 2 years.

Suzy's number is +2 010 567 0915. Her boarding facilities are called Cairo Animal Inn.

I did research a lot of catteries when I was initially searching for a boarding option for our cat 2 years ago. Most of them boarded the cats in tiny cages, that barely had space for the cat, her feeding bowls and a litter box.

Anyone who knows cat behavior, would know that they do not like their food bowls and litter boxes in proximity to each other. These cages were quite cramped.

Suzy's Cairo Animal Inn was the only place I saw that had open boarding and space.

She does occasionally board a dog or two, but away from the cats.

The cats get human contact for more than a couple of hours each day.

The money she collects, she uses to spay and neuter the stray cats in her area and get the strays medical attention when necessary.

I would highly recommend this place.

My Favorite Time Outs in Cairo

Been in Cairo for awhile and seen the pyramids a hundred times?

Here are some ideas for Cairo which are slightly off the beaten path.

Take a walk through Al Azhar Park. You will be surprised to find such a vast green oasis in the midst of the madness that is Cairo. Catch the sunset that is heralded by the calls from the muezzin from multiple surrounding mosques. At just 5Le entry, this is great value for money. If you would like to jazz it up a bit, there is a wonderful restaurant on the premises that you can sit at to catch the sunset and a wonderful dinner surrounded by the twinkling lights in the distance of the multiple monuments around the area.

Climb the gate/minarets of Bab Zuwayla. This is one of the three surviving main gates of the Khan el Khalili and the only one that can be legally accessed. The view from the top of the gate is marvelous and for the more adventurous, both the minarets can also be climbed. It is easier to access the pinnacle, in the minaret on the left (when facing the tent makers street). Entry is just 10Le but the view is worth much more than that; and if you are lucky, you may be the only people on this edifice.

Catch a Sufi Performance at the Wikalat al Ghuri. This is a free performance at 8pm every Wednesday and Saturday. The performance here is more devotional and less commercial than those on the Nile cruises and can transport you into a mystical world. Just watching the whirling dervishes can put you into a trance. (Turn right after accessing the street adjoining Al Azhar Mosque in Khan el Khalili) Go early for good seats.

Sakiat El Sawy and Makan are 2 other places to catch a performance. While the former has different performers at different locations within their compact premises, the latter has traditional Egyptian and African performances every Wednesday at 8pm.

By now, the weather should have improved enough to take a picnic basket on a felucca. Hire a felucca on the strip adjoining the Grand Hyatt hotel. They charge around 50Le per hour (if you bargain hard) plus tips. The charge is for the felucca itself, no matter how many people get on board, so it’s a great option for family outings too.

If you want a more luxurious option then you may want to take a Nile Cruise aboard the fancier cruisers. These are available as sunset cruises or dinner cruises. Our personal favorite is the Golden Pharaoh (opposite Four Seasons, Giza). They offer open buffets and 3 course meals served at your seat. Golden Pharaoh also allows you to opt for an Indian menu if you book at least a day in advance. This works out to approximately 200Le per person with meals included.

For a truly extraordinary experience, I would highly recommend a meal at the Revolving Restaurant at the Grand Hyatt. The food is not outrageously priced. This is one of the 2 locations within the hotel where alcohol is still being served. The ambience, food, service and view all combine to make this one of the most wonderful places to enjoy a leisurely dinner in the city.

Christo’s is a lovely sea food eatery opposite the Mena House Oberoi. They offer a wonderful sea food spread (where you choose your sea food and tell them how you would like it cooked) during dinner. The reason, we keep going back here is not just for the food but the wonderful color bathed view of the pyramids while the Sound and Light show is on. Do try their salads and sea food soup too.

Sapporo at the Sheraton (opposite the Opera House) offers a special kind of dinner theater. The Master Chefs prepare Teppenyaki at your table and watching them at work is to view poetry in motion. They offer combinations of meats and seafood and can customize the seasonings to your taste.

For a less pricey meal but one with ambience, chose one of the many eateries on the stationary boats in Zamalek for lunch. They are reasonably quiet at this time and you can gaze at the Nile as she flows past in her eternal journey to join the sea. The Fish Market, TGIF, Chillis, Maharani. . . You have a choice of cuisine and budgets among these boats.

The various bookstores in town are an interesting place to catch up on the latest in the literary world and enjoy some peace and quiet in serene surroundings. Some bookshops have cafes attached where you can sip a cup of coffee while perusing your latest purchases. Diwan has opened at many more locations outside of Zamalek. Kotob Khan on Lasilky road and The BookSpot on Road 9 in Maadi are 2 other locations which offer extremely friendly and non obtrusive service. The AUC bookstores offer a great variety of English books on Egypt that make for great gifts.

Other places that offer unusual gifts while contributing to a worthy cause, include Tukul Crafts at the All Saints Church in Zamalek (products created by prison inmates, Sudanese refugees and other disadvantaged groups), the Fair Trade Center on Yehia Ibrahim street in Zamalek (where the artisans are given fair prices for their creations), Touch Her World Inc (017 280 0756 - products made by young Egyptian women seeking self sufficiency)

Karishma Pais (Kim) is an expat trailing wife in Cairo. She has a Masters Degree in Human Resources and Behaviour. She consults on HR projects, delivers intercultural training at the CSA, counsels new and experienced expats, is the editor of DIVA, writes for several magazines – online and offline, she runs whazzupcairo@yahoogroups.com and whazzupcairo@googlegroups.com among other activities. Her Social Commentary and blog about life in Egypt can be read at http://whazzupegypt.blogspot.com Pictures are by her and her husband Brajesh Bajpai.

This article appeared in the February Oasis and on desicritics.org.

Portable Career

This article that I wrote appeared in this months Oasis.

Portable Career

The hardest adjustment for a trailing spouse is to get used to the idea of giving up ones existing job or to search for a new one in a new location. But what if you did not have to give up your job, identify new clients from scratch or lose your income?

Yes, unbelievable as this may sound, it is possible, especially in this day and age of the internet.

The most common jobs that can be easily done over the internet are writing, editing and proof reading. Most freelance writers, write in the comfort of their homes. Their editors finalize the topic of the article over email and the writer sends it back once it is done. Rarely does an editor meet with their writers even if they are in the same town, so distance doesn’t matter. (This may not hold true for journalists in all cases).

Editors and proof readers also receive their basic material over email and send it back the same way once corrections have been done. Publishing houses, magazines, dissertation students from University all these are always looking out for writers or proof readers.

A couple of friends of mine run successful life coaching/personal coaching businesses online. They speak to their clients via skype or other VOIP software and it makes no difference to the client wherever in the world their counselor is located.

I do know a couple of people who have managed to continue their consulting business from different corners of the globe. With clients in their home country, they visit them occasionally on trips home and continue to work with them online over email, web or video conferencing and VOIP.

With internet banking and global payment services like Paypal, receiving money from different countries is not a problem in this day and age.

If you are computer phobic and internet based businesses are not for you, then there are still a lot of options to earn some money, even in a new country/location.

Giving classes is the easiest option to start up in any new location. If you have a special skill or vocation like cooking, baking, sewing, embroidery, jewelry making, yoga or anything similar, it is easy to start classes in that skill once you get connected in your new home.

If you like cooking and baking, there is the alternate revenue stream of cooking/baking to order in small or large quantities. In Egypt, taking up a stall at the Cooks Day off at the CSA is a good way to get a large cross section of potential customers exposed to your food. People like Kathy have even sold their home made cookies via outlets like Miriam Market.

If you love knitting, embroidery, designing jewelry or anything else which has a sellable end product, you will find a large target audience at the vendor stalls that normally accompany church and other monthly meetings or bazaars.

If you speak a foreign language, you can take language classes in small groups or individually. If you are especially good at explaining subjects like mathematics, economics or the sciences, a lot of parents look for someone who can coach their school going children in such subjects.

Most of these jobs can be done out of the comfort of your own home if you so prefer.

If you are someone who loves shopping, then you can turn that too into a profession. Personal shoppers are in great demand in some countries. If you know where to buy good quality clothes in Egypt, you can make money by using that knowledge coupled with a sense of style to spend other people’s money while building them a tasteful wardrobe.

I know women who have used their eye for buying unusual knick knacks, handicrafts or antiques to buy unique pieces in their home country and then sell them in their adoptive/host country and vice versa. In most cases making a tidy profit, due to the lack of availability of these items. (Please check the local laws for importing & exporting food items and antiques)

It is truly a blessing if you can convert something you enjoy doing into an income generating opportunity and if this opportunity is portable, then you do not have to worry which location your spouse is going to be transferred to next.


Karishma Pais (Kim) is an expat trailing wife in Cairo. She has a Masters Degree in Human Resources and Behaviour. She consults on HR projects, delivers intercultural training at the CSA, counsels new and experienced expats, is the editor of DIVA, writes for several magazines – online and offline, she runs whazzupcairo@yahoogroups.com and whazzupcairo@googlegroups.com among other activities. Her Social Commentary and blog about life in Egypt can be read at http://whazzupegypt.blogspot.com

Managing Overseas Houseguests

Wrote this article for the Oasis Magazine this month. Hadn't got round to scanning and posting it.

Managing Overseas Houseguests

Having moved to Egypt, the one thing most expats have in common other than being hassled for baksheesh, is houseguests. Egypt is a country most people have had secret dreams of visiting from the time they first studied or read about it. Having someone living in this exotic country gives them the added incentive to visit. Having you here, gives your houseguests a chance to spend time with their loved ones (you and your family) besides saving on accommodation costs and having a companion guide accompany them on sightseeing trips, who can speak to them in a familiar language or accent.

We have had about 50 houseguests over the last one year and all of them have been welcome ones and we have been on good terms even after they left. It may seem like an impossible feat, but it is quite possible for you to achieve the same whether you have a deluge of visitors or a couple of them every year. There are a couple of tips that can help you achieve this state of zen. The most essential tip is to screen your guests before they even arrive.

Tip 1: Do not issue invitations to people you do not want visiting, the acquaintances who make you want to our lock your house and check into a hotel for the duration of their visit, the ones who will drive your spouse to drink, incite your children to rebel or your household staff to walk out. Your staff has that option, your family members don’t, so make sure that your family is also comfortable having these people over as houseguests.

If trouble making acquaintances want to visit, then respond with a polite no and feel free to embellish with excuses that you won’t be around or someone else is visiting during that time. Your long term family harmony is more important than the guilt you may feel, over saying “no”

Tip 2: Once you have invited someone to come over, check for any dietary requirements or restrictions. This gives you a chance to be prepared ahead of time and source hard to locate items, plan your menus, identify appropriate restaurants and have a well stocked larder so that there is no panic at the last moment.

Tip 3: If your guests plan to visit anything outside of Cairo, then clarify this as soon as they book their tickets to Egypt. Hotel, train, cruise and domestic flight bookings need to be made in advance and often you can get better deals if you book ahead of time. Often these bookings are cheaper if made within Egypt than outside. Knowing this, the choice is up to you on whether you want to volunteer to make these bookings on their behalf. If you do make these bookings, have it clear upfront as to who will make the payment to whom and how, to avoid any nasty repercussions later.

Tip 4: Most polite houseguests (we have tried to eliminate the other kind with Tip 1) will ask you what you would like them to bring for you and your family. Have a list ready for such occasions, with hard to locate items/ingredients in Egypt or items which are frightfully expensive here when compared with back home. Most visitors also travel light, so the heavy electric comforter you did not bring back to Egypt on your last trip home because you did not want to pay excess baggage, may easily fit into your sisters baggage when she visits. If someone is coming from India, I normally ask for Indian cooking spices, spice mixes, medicines(favored brands) or local movies that aren’t available in Egypt. If someone is coming from the US, then I check with them if it will fit within their baggage weight limits then buy books online from Amazon and have it shipped to their location to bring along.

Tip 5: Every visitor (above 21) is allowed to buy 3 bottles of alcohol from the Duty Free shop in Egypt on the day that they arrive. If you would like to stock your bar, then request to use their limit. A small note will be made on their passport, but it is only to prevent them re-using their limit, it won’t cause any other problems.

Who pays for what is a cultural thing. Take a call on this based on your own relationships.

Tip 6: Once they arrive, don’t hesitate to set some ground rules. These could be any of your house rules that are really important to you - ranging from restricted TV viewing hours for the children to bedtimes. Decide before hand which house rules are ok to be suspended when you have house guests and which ones cannot be compromised.

For eg: I am not an sunrise worshipper, so for my early bird guests, I let them know the night before where all the breakfast items are and how the gas and microwave operate and let them fix themselves their morning meal. This way I don’t resent their being around and having to realign my schedule and they don’t feel like they are over-imposing.

Tip 7: Always familiarize your guests with the kitchen even if you have round-the-clock house help, so they can help themselves to a snack or fix themselves a cup of coffee at odd hours without feeling too bad about it.

Tip 8: The main reason why most visitors come to Egypt other than to see you, is to see the sights. If you have just one or 2 sets of a visitors a year and you are really close to them, you may consider visiting some of the sights with them and doing a fair bit of guiding. But, if the thought of another viewing of the pyramids or the citadel is just too painful to contemplate then you have 2 options depending on your guests.

The first option is to fix them up with a guide or sight seeing service that you have used before or has been personally recommended to you. There are a lot of fly-by-night operators out there, so make sure you use someone reliable.

The second option is to fix them up with a cab company or your own driver who will take them and bring them back from the sights. If you give them your own driver then have a plan for who will take the family around on their daily routes.

Tip 9: Prepping your guests: Most of my guests have been the do-it-yourself kind of travelers. So I hand over the most appropriate guide book for each location, draw up a rough map telling them which sights are not to be missed at the location and give them any other require information. I also give them insights, like the Egyptian museum not allowing cameras and photography inside the museum, but there is a safe counter outside where they can leave their cameras if stopped.

Guests will find information like the cleanest washrooms, best places to stop for a bite and how much to tip, invaluable, especially if they are sightseeing without a guide.

Remind your guests to constantly sip on water to combat the dry heat of Cairo and give them at least one bottle of chilled water when leaving the house. These little personal touches will make your guests feel really welcome and at ease.

Tip 10: Souvenirs: Every visitor would like to take some kind of souvenir back with them. It is up to you whether you send them shopping on their own into the khan / City stars section of the khan or go with them.

I like to shop with my visitors to make sure that they aren’t completely ripped off. I have my regular shops in the khan where the vendors start at lower rates than they would with complete strangers. Then I let my friends do the choosing and bargaining while I sip on a shai or karkadee that almost all shopkeepers offer on each visit.

It is important to let your guests do the choosing and bargaining so they end up buying what they want and pay what they are willing to pay and not something you like and what you think it is worth.

It is important to know that money can break many relationships, so be upfront about this. Who pays for what, is very culture and relationship dependant, so there is no hard and fast rule. Work out what works best for you and your family and be clear about it.

In low context cultures, it is common for house guests to treat the family they are staying with to dinner and drinks at a restaurant on most evenings. In high context cultures it may be expected for the host to do a lot of the cooking at home, especially in Egypt where home style cooking may not be available outside the house.

Your guests may like to try the local cuisine or they may like to cook for you one evening. Keep yourself flexible to adapt to these things and accept a few last minute changes, rather than making a plan a month in advance and trying to stick to it as far as possible. This will keep you in a more relaxed mood.

I also like to let my guests set their own pace for sightseeing. I give them a brief idea on what are the main highlights to be seen in Egypt and let them plan their own time in Egypt. This relieves me of the pressure of planning and they do not feel the pressure of following my time table. Instead they can enjoy spending the most time doing what they like best.

Also remember, everyone needs space and time to themselves. While accepting this of your guests, also accept this of your family. Do not expect your spouse and children to spend all their time at home making polite conversation with your visiting aunt and uncle. Let them enjoy their evenings too, doing things they normally do.

The key is to keep things as normal as possible for you and your family and be prepared for some flexibility in your routine. This will ensure that your house guests have an enjoyable stay in Egypt and you and your family retain your sanity and good humor.

Karishma Pais (Kim) is an expat trailing wife in Cairo. She has a Masters Degree in Human Resources and Behavior. She consults on HR projects, delivers intercultural training at the CSA, counsels new and experienced expats, writes for several magazines – online and offline, she runs whazzupcairo@yahoogroups.com and whazzupcairo@googlegroups.com among other activities. Her Social Commentary and blog about life in Egypt can be read at http://whazzupegypt.blogspot.com

Movie Theatre/ Cinema at the Ramses Hilton Annexe vs City Stars

Someone told us that there was a 5 screen theatre on the 7th floor of the Ramses Hilton Annexe (RHA) and we thought this may be a better idea than driving all the way to City Stars (CS) for a movie.

In comparison,
RHA - no parking space close by.
CS - underground parking and chaos of open parking on the outside.

Ticket costs at both locations is 30LE. RHA offers tickets at 15LE for the 10am at 1pm shows.

Booking tickets is relatively simple at both locations. while CS has one ticket counter per running movie, RHA had one ticket counter only, but she was quite efficient.

Snacks at CS are fresher and lower price than RHA. The only fresh snacks that RHA had was popcorn. RHA also does not allow self service (you are supposed to sit down on one of their many sofas in the lobby) and adds a service charge and sales tax to your bill. Plus the waiter expects baksheesh.

RHA cafeteria was heavily over staffed in their cafeteria for the 6:30pm show. Husband and me were the only 2 people (they have 5 screens) buying anything at the cafeteria. They had 8 waiters and 2 managers at a desk. The waiters were busy playing mobile games near the wash rooms.

Our movie was supposed to begin at 6:30. Doors were opened at 6:20. Lights were on when we entered, but the usher insisted on showing us to our seats, turning on a completely redundant flashlight and equally insistently demanded baksheesh for the service. We have been to 6 other theaters in Cairo and have never faced this situation, although I had heard about it. The other 23 people who were in the RHA theater for "Quantum of Solace" paid up without even being asked. So it seems to be a norm at this theater, even though the ticket prices are on par with CS.

With just 23 people in the audience of a theatre built to fit around 1000 people (yes RHA is much much larger than CS), pickings must have been slim although it was a Saturday evening. While we waited in the lobby, it did not look like there were too many people visiting the other 4 screens either.

Adherence to time. For a 7pm movie at CS, the ads start rolling by 6:30pm, trailers anytime between 6:45 to 6:50pm and the movie normally starts on time. At RHA, our movie was supposed to start at 6:30pm. They played some horribly depressing music till 7:05pm, then there was one trailer for another movie running in the same theater. The movie finally started at 7:10pm.

Washrooms at CS are quite clean and in functioning condition most of the time. At RHA, there were no locks on some doors, they had fancy copper sinks which werent properly fixed and there was no soap or toilet paper.

Conclusion:
Price - With all the baksheesh and taxes, Ramses Hilton Annexe works out more expensive than City Stars.
Service at RHA, I would rate at 4 (for the ticket counter lady, no one else), CS I would rate at 8.
Timeliness - CS -9 (high on time performance) RHA - 1 (for actually screening the movie)
RHA does score higher on convenience, easy access and time saved if you are based around Downtown, Mohandaseen, Dokki and with the crazy traffic on 6th of October bridge in the last 2 months, it does give RHA an advantage (but this is just due to their location)

I'd rather go to the Diamond mall theater in 6th of October, if it is just a time saving that I am hoping for.

European Embassies Christmas Bazaar at the Nile Hilton

Visited the Christmas Bazaar organised by the European Embassies at the Nile Hilton yesterday. As was to be expected, the quality of goods on offer was way superior to most bazaars in Egypt as the goods had been imported from various European embassies.

We reached about 11am and the place was overflowing. We were wondering what the rush was about, as we haven't seen such crowds at any of the previous bazaars that we have attended in Egypt. People had even come with strolleys and suitcases.
When we went in, we figured that a large majority of the crowd was there to buy the alcohol that was freely available. A lot of embassies had their countries traditional alcohol on offer: Russian vodkas, Pimms from UK, Irish Whiskey, Gordons Gin, the range was much wider than you would ever see in the Duty Free Shop in Egypt. Prices were a little higher than the Duty Free Shops. We did not pick up any alcohol as we travel frequently between the 2 of us and normally bring our legally allowed limit in with us. But a lot of people were stocking up for the holiday season.

Alcohol was just the surface of the goods on offer. Traditional foods, home baked goodies, snacks on site, traditional embroidery, crystal, jewelry, souvenirs. All these were in plenty.

We picked up some Croatian pasta sauce which I have yet to try and fresh chocolate cake from Greece. The cake we got was charred on the bottom, and more like a chocolate flavored bread.

On location we had a European Union brunch ranging from cheese toast from Holland to crepes, waffles, Hungarian Goulash and Slovenian burgers, British Pimms based punch to Irish coffee. The Swiss cheese Raclette smelt a little too strong for our taste but plenty of people were enjoying that with potatoes and gherkins.


Children's Christmas Choirs provided background music and there was even a Santa's grotto for the younger ones. Entry at 20LE was a bit more than most other bazaars, but all the money was being collected for Egyptian charities.

An enjoyable start to the day.

What to look out for when renting in Cairo

EgyptianSanks: Renting in Cairo

Sankalita, a friend of mine has an awesome blog too.

This particular post of hers talks about what the prospective renter needs to consider before signing the lease in Cairo.

Its quite a comprehensive list and highly recommended reading for those coming in to Cairo and who need to rent a place.

Alcohol @ the Grand Hyatt, Cairo

Most of you would have heard about the ban on sale of alcohol at the Grand Hyatt, Cairo a couple of months ago?

Well, we were at the Hard Rock Cafe today and they are serving alcohol.

We ate at the revolving restaurant last month and they were offering alcohol too.

I made a search and found this article on the net. Rumour is that alcohol can be ordered in room service, but I'm not sure how true that is.

What's on in Cairo - Staying Informed

My Editor at the Oasis (CSA's monthly magazine) asked me to write this article as I run whazzupcairo@yahoogroups.com and whazzupcairo@googlegroups.com, 2 groups that inform its subscribers of events in Cairo well in advance, so you may book your tickets when they are still available.

The scan of the published article is here - on my blog of my published articles.

The article would be of interest to the readers of this blog & I post it here.

Stay Informed

Having moved to Egypt and settled into Daily Life, you would now like to explore the Cultural Scene in Cairo. But how do you know ‘What’ is taking place in town and ‘Where’?

Some English newspapers like Daily Star Egypt or Al Ahram Weekly give you a daily listing of events, but often by the time the paper arrives, it is too late to buy tickets to an event.

Your other option is the monthly magazines: Egypt Today, Community Times and the Croc. These magazines are a little more comprehensive than the daily newspaper and give you a little advance warning. You can subscribe to these magazines and newspapers by calling their offices or online.

A better option is to figure out which places you like to attend programs at and sign yourself up for their mailing list. Places like Makaan, el Genaina Theatre, Villa Grey, Institute Cervantes, Aliiance Francais, Diwan bookstore and others.

Places like the el Sawy Cultural Center bring out a monthly program in the last week of the preceding month in English, Arabic and French. You may need to visit their location to pick up the schedule.

The Opera House brings out its annual program at the beginning of the New Year in September. Since most acts are international, the programs are planned well in advance. You can buy the annual schedule at the Opera House in the evenings before a program starts. (It is not normally available at the Ticket Office)

www.yallabina.com does post movie listings and concert schedules, but they seem to have moved onto a more Middle East regional perspective, publicizing events in Dubai more than those in Cairo. Plus their information isn’t always 100% accurate as I found out the hard way, when trying to book tickets for the Disney Ice show which led me on a wild goose chase across Link Dot net offices. Friends have reported that the movie timings mentioned are mixed up pretty often. So the best way to use this site is, as a very general guideline and then call the location and verify details.

If you use Facebook, there are a number of online groups like Cairo Gigs and local bands whose groups you can join and then you will get a mail when they have a new concert planned in the city.

If you listen to 104.2 NileFM, you will get to hear of the major concerts and events happening in Cairo.

Expat Women’s clubs and The American Research Center in Egypt, have their own mailing lists and you automatically get sent mailers, once you are a paid up member.

Some special smaller scale events like the American Independence Day Party, the Green and Gold gala etc are advertised in the Oasis, so make sure you pick up your copy every month.

The www.livinginegypt.org site has an online calendar for CSA specific events with a feature that lets you automatically save an event in your Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express calendar.

A simple alternative to signing up for multiple lists is to subscribe to whazzupcairo on googlegroups or yahoogroups. It is a completely free service where you receive notifications on events occurring across the city straight into your mailbox. You can save the events you are interested in, in your online calendar. Signing up is simple. Just send a blank mail to whazzupcairo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or whazzupcairo-subscribe@googlegroups.com and when you receive a mail to confirm that you requested the service, mail back with your approval. All you need is an email id.

If you find that the service brings too many emails into your inbox, you can switch to the digest version (25 emails together or one for all the emails in a day, whichever comes first) or no mail version, where you can continue to view the posts on the web.

If you check on even a few of these options, I am sure you will find a lot of events to fill up your time, especially your evenings and weekends.

Helpful Websites and Blogs:
http://egypttoday.com/
http://whazzupegypt.blogspot.com/
http://www.livinginegypt.org
http://www.ct-egypt.com/
http://lulusbay.blogspot.com/
http://www.culturewheel.com
http://www.thetownhousegallery.com/
http://dailystaregypt.com/
http://www.yallabina.com/
http://www.saharasafaris.org/
http://www.cairochronicles.com/jack
http://www.fugatesincairo.blogspot.com
http://miloflamingo.blogspot.com
http://oldbagofcairo.blogspot.com
http://egypt4.wordpress.com
http://www.living-in-egypt-manisha.blogspot.com

Karishma Pais (Kim) is an expat trailing wife in Cairo. She has a Masters Degree in Human Resources and Behavior. She consults on HR projects, delivers intercultural training at the CSA, counsels new and experienced expats, writes for several magazines – online and offline, she runs whazzupcairo@yahoogroups.com and whazzupcairo@googlegroups.com among other activities.
Her Social Commentary and blog about life in Egypt can be read at http://whazzupegypt.blogspot.com

Dusshera/Dashera - Indian Celebrations in Egypt on 10th October

A couple of people had asked me about this last year:

To those who were concerned, at the community gatherings there will be absolutely no religious symbols or ceremonies being performed, it is just the party part of the celebration. Especially since these are not the actual dates of the festivals. So please do not be worried on that issue.

The Dushera function on 10 October is reasonably informal with traditional Indian dance (garba & dandiya) being performed by anyone in the crowd who is interested, the more colorful the clothes you wear the better you will blend in (see poster) There is also a high pre-disposition to wear clothes with mirrorwork on them.

The Diwali function will be a more formal sit down dinner at the Mena House Oberoi, which will also be colorful, but in a more understated way.

Dashera will be all about colors, food, dance and fun. Oh and in the dance, men and women may dance in different circles if they feel more comfortable with that or you can just dance in your own group. Or you can just eat the yummy food from the stalls (there will be non spicy food available) and watch the myriad colors swirl and turn. I personally fall in the second category :)

For those who can't read the poster too well. Entry is 20LE for members and 40 for non members. Kids are at half price. This is just entry charge.

You can sign up for membership on the spot (if you are an Indian or married to an Indian)and avail the discounted membership entry for the function. Membership is somewhere between a 50 and 100LE, but we paid up for a family membership a while ago, so I don’t remember the exact amount.

The admission fee includes admission and a few freebies and the chance to dance, enjoy the music etc. The dandiya sticks you can bring your own, or buy on the spot (which may be expensive, since they have to be imported from India and they are heavy) Food pricing depends on individual stalls, because they can price it to their convenience. A lot of home made Indian food will be on offer. I think last year prices per item started from 15LE. I would roughly say that prices would be similar to anything in a food court in Dandy mall or city stars. The Karvin hotel and the Oberoi hotel might have stalls and they may charge a little higher but not as high as eating at the hotels themselves. I have to highly recommend the jelebis made on the spot by the Oberoi chef if he turns up this year and the motichur laddus that the Alexandria Carbon black group distributed last year (don’t know if they will do it this year too)

Do come along, its pretty informal, you can either mix with the Indian community or stick to your group of friends, we are pretty welcoming of everyone

Below is the message from the Indian Community Association in Egypt.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Community Members,

Further to our last mail on Dushera celebrations in Cairo on 10th October, we would like to thank everyone for the tremendous response. We have got a lot of inquiries from people who want to put up food stalls, and also from talents who want to perform on stage. We would like to remind you that if you are interested either in having a food stall or exhibition stall, this would be your last chance to register. Also, if there are any more talented people out there who want to perform on stage, do call us immediately.

Detailed maps to help all of you get to the Dushera venue is attached. One map is for people coming from Nasr City/ Heliopolis area. Second one is for people coming in from Mohandeseen/ Downtown area. Maps will also be on our website www.desiegypt.com. A Dushera poster is also attached,with more details.

Also just to mark in your calendar, the festive annual diwali nite in Cairo will be held at Mena House Oberoi on 14th November night. This is going to be a very grand dine and dance function with exclusive entertainers flown in from India, tickets will be on sale at the Dushera venue. Further mails would follow on Diwali.

Warm Regards,
Infodesk @ desiegypt . com
www.desiegypt.com

Temporary non tourist residence

The Official Website states that the following people are eligible for temporary non tourist visas to Egypt.

Granted to the following categories:

1. Employees of governmental administrations, public sector, municipalities & enterprises sector companies as well as their wives & children.
2. Students enrolled at universities & schools according to their enrollment certificates.
3. Parents of students who acquire this residence for the purpose of study.
4. Foreigners coming to Egypt for voluntary work on their own expense.
5. Sons & daughters above the age of adulthood, whose fathers have a residence permit based on work license issued by the Ministry of Manpower & Employment.
6. Parents of an investor granted a 5 Year Residence Permit, would be granted Non-Tourist Residence Permit on the bail of their sons/daughters’ residence & upon a letter of recommendation from the Investment Administration.
7. Foreign divorced women who were married to Egyptians when children are under their custody.
8. Husbands & children of foreign women granted Temporary Residence Permit in their personal status.
9. Those who have personal bank account of minimum $ 50.000 or an equivalent sum in any other currency deposited at an accredited bank in the A.R.E. The deposit must be kept in the bank for a year. This residence permit is renewable and extends to their wives & children for a maximum period of one year.
10. Owners of real estates - whose ownership is established by contracts registered in the Public Notary - are granted this residence which extends to cover their wives & children, provided that the value of the estate is not less than $ 50.000 to be transacted through an Egyptian bank.
11. Relatives of Egyptians till the second degree.
12. Those who are over 50 years of age who had a permanent residence in Egypt for (5) years and who have a source of income or financially supported by relatives till the fourth degree.

Tourist Visa Extension in Egypt

An update to my last post on Tourist Visa Extensions another acquaintance who visited the Mugamma for the same said :

The Mogamma will now issue only a 3-month visa of this sort. The only circumstances under which one can obtain a long-term visa are:

• by having a job
• by owning real estate (e.g., a shaqqa tamlik)
• by having a child who is here on a study visa
• by having a child who is married to an Egyptian
• by marrying an Egyptian

Basics of Traveling - TSA Approved locks

Following up on my post on luggage, I just wanted to mention this helpful tip to people traveling to the US from countries where checking in unlocked bags, is not advisable.

As most people may know by now, the US does not allow any locked bags in check-in baggage even if the luggage is just transiting through the country.

Finally harried travelers have an option.

		TSA-Approved Locks If you want to lock your checked luggage, be sure to use TSA-approved locks, available anywhere travel aids are sold. If a screener needs to search your luggage, he or she can use a universal master key to open your approved locks. While TSA spokespeople maintain that officers know how to recognize approved locks and will not cut them off, sometimes mistakes are made. If your bags are damaged by a screener snipping off your locks, be sure to file a claim. To do that, go to www.tsa.gov, click on “For Travelers” and then go to “Claims Management Office.” -- Travel section
If you have any questions about PostPoints or need additional information, please visit washingtonpost.com/postpoints. PostPoints, The Washington Post, 1150 15th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20071

New Tourist Visa Extension Law

Amal, a friend of mine who visited the Mogamma recently was given the following information. She hopes this information will help others who are in Egypt on short tourist visas.

Just a heads up to everyone who is staying here in Egypt long-term on a Tourist Visa or who knows anyone who is: I went to renew my tourist visa at Mogamma in Cairo today to be told that the law has now changed and the maximum extension permitted on a Tourist Visa now is only 3 months. After that time you either have to come back with an application for residency based on work, studying, marriage, or a child studying here. If you can't do that you will have to leave Egypt at the end of the 3 monthst!!

The option of keeping on coming back into the country with a new visa isn’t available, as it was when they saw that I already had an immigration file for previous visas that I was told I could only have the 3 months extension.

Looks like Egypt is finally catching up with the rest of the world in regard to tourist visas!

From the things they were saying to me it sounded as if they were trying to stop employers employing foreigners without a work visa, as they kept on telling me to get my company to get me a visa, even though I kept on telling them that I wasn't employed by a single company, but a freelance worker.