Egypt Hints and Quirks

Duplex 4 Bedroom for Rent - Digla

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:52:00 +0000

Also Expat Oasis website has new Classified Ads Section for expatriates and ad is listed there as well.

Maadi Expat Clubs - BCA, ACE, Rugby

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:39:00 +0000

British Community Assocation (BCA), Association of Cairo Expatriates(ACE), and Rugby Club all now exist in Maadi, basically within walking distance of each other.

Details and links of these clubs, and others can be found at Expat Oasis Website at this link.

Click on map to enlarge

BCA is latest addition and Club House is under renovation but many enjoyed the inagural open house.

Opening was very well recieved as pics show

Cairo Maadi/Digla - Beware the Burglars

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:04:00 +0000

Within past few months expat properties have been broken into. Two teachers flats were burglarized and one ground floor office. Situations were somewhat different. The teacher's apartments were entered from their high floor balconies. In office scenario access was gained from sliding window at ground floor level, but heck of a reach to climb in. The outside wooden shutters had not been closed/locked.

With teachers, lap tops were taken, any cash laying around etc. and apartments generally trashed. For office the burglar knew exactly where to look for the locked up cash - brought his own tools fit for the job. Then proceeded to ransack remainder of cabinets etc. leaving even some very nice "give a way" promotional watches in full view. Was only interested in money and knew where it was.

In all cases one has to suspect inside help and certainly these break ins are not random, as thieves had prior knowledge of tenant, movements etc. Be cautious and do think about whom to trust - better no one. Check out how vulnerable your place could be.

Reporting thievery to police can be a hassle but must be done. OK to make a phone call but action, if any, will be very long in happening. Better go to police station and write out the complaint -but take an Egyptian friend whom can translate for you and notify the landlord. Then more senior police will get involved then and a trip back to flat will occur and maybe you will need to drive the people to scene and back to police station. A few trips back and forth maybe required.

Usually police will detain all persons working with building or surrounds, like if you have a Maid, Bowab, Gardener etc. But what happens next can be worrisome. The local police may decide, for whatever reason, to just refer the persons detained to Prosecution Department Downtown without doing much of an investigation. If that happens they will be held for minimum of 4 days. So, if you have no good reason to suspect any of the individuals detained make a point of this.

You can buy home insurance in Cairo against fire, theft etc so another item to consider if living here or moving in.

Egyptians Have Sense of Humor with Cigarette Dangers Warning

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:28:00 +0000

Can you figure this warning out?.......... If not, then likely you do not smoke.

Family Venture to Fayoum and Wadi El - Rayan

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:31:00 +0000

Good to adopt attitude - "don't expect much then you will not be disappointed" It works for me. For us this outing was great with a few hiccups!!!!

Quick Notes:

Travel time : 2 hours mid morning weekday. Return 3 hours evening- dark- definitely not recommended. Speed limit 90 KMH (likely you will be passed by everyone at this speed)
Very heavy truck traffic (all sizes) especially evening/night.
Four lane divided to hotel turn 85km) , then narrow windy 2 lane with all sorts of vehicles to Hotel (15km).
What to do? Many sites listed in various web pages but we went to Wadi El-Rayan - recommended as think amazing to see these lakes in middle of desert..

Hotel Booking
At the planning stage I found an online booking site for this Helan Auberge Hotel and booked 3 triple rooms to accommodate easily two families with five adults, teen, two pre-teens and child, total of 9. The online booking worked well at link above. We booked about 1 week ahead for one night Dec 27th. Hotel has office/number in New Maadi but we did not get much joy talking to them.

Auberge Garden at night

Road Trip
We all live in Maadi, Cairo. Our two families packed up and we decided to take three vehicles, two new sedans and our older 4x4 jeep. There was discussion that we could fit in two vehicles but I insisted on taking Jeep as our ultimate destination was Wadi - Hitan (Valley of Whales). Would be good as back up for any car stuck and to ferry youngsters off road for wee bit of adventure.

We knew of the new overpass road to Giza area, but none of us knew how to get on the Fayoum road from this new route so took "dead donkey canal" old route. As was mid morning we had usual problem getting through the traffic onto the two lane divided highway for Fayoum. About 50 km down the highway one encounters a toll station (3LE) but just at that point my friend driving Jeep flashed and we pulled over. He had lost the clutch linkage in Jeep. So we abandoned said Jeep and carried on in two sedans,

You can Google Earth the route but for quick directions remember the entire highway is in desert then you enter farming land and a few km from start of the farm land there will be a road veering to right and actually has huge sign saying amongst other things Wadi El-Rayan. The road is a windy two lane with every type of vehicle one can expect including lots of trucks of every size, tractors pulling an amazing array of trailers, and live stock one may expect to be found in farming/fishing area. About 1/2 way in we encountered the recent remains of a truck taxi and mini bus taxi head on collision. Not a pretty site, but damn good reminder to take really slow and be ready for anything and everything; including persons standing in middle of lane holding a rack of fish for sale.

The Auberge Hotel
Pics from Hotel Website

Unloaded and checked in with no grief but young girls on reception desk must have been in training as did not know much - except to get copy of everyone's passport. It was noon time when we checked in and one room was ready. as check- in posted time is 2 PM.

We just stored all baggage in one room. Then time for a walk about. Weather was gorgeous being 27th DEC and sunny temperature about 23C. Nice garden with very fine pool and cornice type walkway on lake. Noticed the lake had a really strong salty fishy smell, but much better than Cairo Pollution. Huge lake in middle of desert is quite a site.

Garden Area Movie

Few Pools Rules - YIKES but typical - click to enlarge for a laugh

Our triple rooms were OK size with two design types. We had the one with king size bed with small couch in tiny sitting area that had pulled out for single bed. Other type was larger with two double beds and same pull out couch but had a chesterfield and table as chairs in middle of room. Decoration was an attempt at 30's when was owned by King Farouk and was pleasant enough. Grandmother type decor. Triples are all on ground floor with balcony garden access but can't really see lake unless you stand on a tall chair or ladder. Double rooms seem to be on 1st floor and lake view.

Now on to lunch as all hungry. We chose to sit outside so pushed several tables together. Previously we saw a large entourage of Egyptian business men all decked out in suits and they were being seated for lunch about same time. So, we guessed correctly our service was going to be slow - and it was. But I had already cornered a waiter and told him his life depended upon me getting a Sakara beer in very quick time - that worked. But then slow went to snail pace. We finished about 1 hr 45 minutes later. Prices typical for 4 stars with meals about 35 LE, sandwich about 25 LE, Beer expensive at 30 LE and local wine at 40 LE per glass. Of course 10% sales tax and 12% service tax need to be added. For the 6 in my family lunch cost 270 LE.

Fayoum
Girls wanted to go explore Fayoum village - kids wanted to explore and try ice cold swimming pool. Yup more beer for men staying with kids and why not.

About 2 hours later girls returned from Village, or City of Fayoum with some stories. Totally lost, saw small water wheel. The highlight was when they stopped to ask 2 girls directions and older man jumped in front of girls to help out. They laughed when he first said "see that building - well don't go there" and then "see that road - don't go there". Conclusion by my oldest teen was Cairo look completely civilized traffic wise compared to Fayoum. BTW all our girls speak fluent Arabic so take a hint if a foreigner venturing into city on there own. Think about a taxi guide or similar. Little if any English spoken on street or shops.

Jeep Saga

Took us forever to find number of a car rescue service but in end succeeded. About 7 PM rescue truck launch from October 6 city and later we left from Hotel. Took us 35 minutes to get back to the toll station but he had Jeep already loaded. Gave him key and asked him to store Jeep till we returned and advised where to deliver. Fast note is we paid 750 LE for all services plus storage when all was finished. At least we had Jeep rescued, as left to long it would likely be dismantled.

Evening
Supper we all took at different times and was A la carte. service was fine and staff friendly. Us adults sat down about 9:30 PM as I had to arrange to go back to Jeep and arrange car carrier to return it to Cairo. So, at supper we all trickled in at different times and ordered independently. Only one other table was occupied so staff was not overworked. Few beers and wines of course and sat till after 11:30. Restaurant closes at 11:30 but does have room service 24 hours. We paid 670 LE for all including a few hundred for beer and wine.

Rooms
TV's in rooms, cleanliness OK, but rooms not very sound proof. Minor maintenance as sink did not drain, electronic card room key stopped working. No heat from AC, and pretty chilly in rooms. At night I kept hearing a water pump starting and stopping which was irritating, and that was after colleagues next door finished watching a movie that I was not enjoying as much as them. But, slept great in comfortable warm bed. Breakfast was typical Egyptian fanfare and is open buffet.

Leaving
Check-out was painless and used my master card. Did not seem to be any porters around so plan to carry your own. And car park is across the 2 lane highway but no problem crossing as huge speed bumps both sides of hotel so not to worry about getting run down from speeding vehicle.
In end for 2 triple rooms for 6 persons, ($135 0r 735 LE each room per night incl breakfast), lunch supper, NOT CHEAP, but what is these days............................... Noted on bill the room rate was 621LE and Breakfast was added separetely at 114 LE so total was 735 LE. I questioned this but guess they split it up for tax reasons or something but total room rate was correct.

Security,
Tourist police will ask you often where you plan to go. They are not being intrusive it is their job. To explain better, the next day we were planning to go to the Wadi and when we were leaving parking after collecting car documents the Tourist police asked our destination and our cell phone number. But wanted to refuel first. So we turned right to service station about 8 km back and on way phone rang. Policeman wanted to know if we were actually going to Cairo or Wadi's. We explained and he was actually helpful for us to locate the station. On our return low and behold they had a police truck assigned to escort us to Wadi Protected Area. He explained it was their orders to ensure foreigners have a safe journey. Not from fear of locals but break downs, getting stuck, getting lost etc. Usually they will pick you from Protectorate Gate but, I think by coincidence, we met at Hotel and escorted out and back, and were helpful, funny with kids, and nice journey partners. No charge they insisted but remember politeness goes a long way for very little.

Grandson with our Tourist Police

Wadi El Rayan Protected Area

Definitely worth a visit even it only to get away from Cairo noise, air pollution, chaos, keep your sanity. This brochure by WRPA explains better than I for all details of interest to visitors.

From Auberge Hotel head west along Lake Qarun and follow signs and you will find your way. Following map is a duplicate of one found in brochure mentioned above. Click on pic to enlarge.
At the WRPA your first encounter some 40 km down road with turn you don't want to miss, is the entrance gate where nominal guest fees will be charged. Our primary target was Wadi Hitam or Valley of Whales. We drove to end of pavement where road splits to Wadi Hatim and Springs Oasis Road. From there it is graded road in both directions. Turn to right side for Wadi Hatim. But, as we discussed road with Police, who mentioned we could make it in our rather low slung cars, a car approached us returning from the Wadi Hatim Road. Young Egyptian couple, also in sedan, said they got a 5 km up the road and it is rough and with sand drifts across road they did not want to attempt to cross for fear of getting high centered and stuck. So that made our decision and returned back to Wadi Rayan Visitor area. On the road you will see nice views of the lake from an elevated vantage point.

The road to visitor area is only a few km's but was very rough with wash board - like to shake you and car apart so have to take it very slow. At the visitors site there are a few cafeteria sites you can park right up to, or go further as possible to parking area to be closer to water falls. The pics below I think tells the story. We also ate fresh fish from lake and salad. Fish is perch type so many bones but very tasty others mentioned but I cannot vouch for that as I do not like fish with bones. There is a large beach area on this fresh water lake with several shaded sitting areas. Just one note of warning - toilets are fairly new but in horrible filthy condition.
Water Falls in Action

beach area massive with several bamboo hut type structures for families and shade - a few shown

Happy Festive season From Cairo Egypt

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:37:00 +0000

Yup - we celebrate Xmas here just like all others in the world that partake of this occasion. Except, it is much warmer than Alberta, Canada and no snow - which I miss

May I wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year.

How big do you feel - have gander at this

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:06:00 +0000

Received this by email so cannot reference source, but found enlightening

THIS is fascinating - it's rather dazzling

to see it presented this way.

I CERTAINLY THOUGHT THIS WAS ENLIGHTENING.

BEYOND OUR SUN IT'S A BIG UNIVERSE.

Antares is the 15th Brightest star in the Sky

It is more than 1000 Light Years Away

NOW, TRY TO WRAP YOUR MIND AROUND THIS...

THIS IS A HUBBLE TELESCOPE ULTRA DEEP FIELD

INFRARED VIEW OF COUNTLESS 'ENTIRE' GALAXIES

BILLIONS OF LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.

Maadi Road 9 (Shara Tisa) new traffic chaos

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:13:00 +0000

On this date of writing, you no longer turn left at McDonalds coming down RD 9 and you cannot enter RD 9 from Road 87 going north towards Metro station. Street blocked for some kind of construction at McDonalds. I was watching all this last evening and chaos is understatement. Road 9 is now a one way street all the way to road 87. The taxis can no longer come from east on Rd87 to take passengers to Metro station.

Now there is on quirk to all this. If you drive off RD 87 and take St 10 towards McDonalds, you will find a McDonald Security guard, so if you want to have take out from McDonalds, he will let you in the drive entrance to order. For time being anyway.
Also on RD 85 excavation has started to install huge pipes undergorund and they tell me route is towards RD9. So look out for much mor chaos in future.
Two other changes on Rd 9 - Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf are now open with large open air garden in back. Also Etisilat has brand new office on corner adjacent to Cilratro in RD9 (was a mensware clothing store since I've here), so lots of money must be changing hands for this prime property. Now one can find Mobilnil, Rawa Vodaphone somewhat), Etisilat and another mobile store other side of Etisilat around corner - all very close to each other at top of Road 9.

Lets see how thsi all plays out but for now driver beware of restrictions in the area.

Adobe Flash Player 10 - No Sound Fix Solved

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:31:00 +0000

I had this problem with no sound when playing Youtube, etc, when I had to upgrade to Flash Player 10, because Youtube told me to. I have XP SP3. I googled for quite a time and finally found the fix.. So maybe to save others time here is the fix, with oodles of thanks to original poster. See link below.

First I used Revounistaller and removed files Adobe AIR and Shockwave. Not sure this helped but did it anyway.

Download this file and install. this did the trick for me and all works fine. but, if in your case not read below for more advice from others I found with google search

Then at this link, (Post copied below). I did as mentioned and found my registry was OK but the last link for registry repair did the job and gadzooks it worked. Hope this helps others. The registry repair is at this link . download and install. Be patient at this link as it takes a few minutes to load the file for download.

"Re: No sound in flash player" Quote from link given above.

Guys, got the solution, there is a registry line missing for some shi...ty update. By adding it from regedit, the problem is solved

this is what you need to do

1. Launch Registry Editor by typing regedit at Run command.
2. Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32
3. On the right pane, and check for existance of “wavemapper” registry subkey.If not found, create a new String value named “wavemapper” (without the quotes).
4.Once named that way, double click on it and add the value “msacm32.drv”. (without the quotes and write it down in the place where it lets you write.
If wavemapper entry is already existed, ensure that its value data is “msacm32.drv”.

It worked for me, I hope this works for you!!!

If you need dummy explanations please let me know, I can be a little more specific.

if this does not work, check this other place out http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/0...io-in-windows/

What does Electric Cost in Cairo Egypt-update for 2009

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:32:00 +0000

Well - it depends - got your interest now?
How many AC's, or electric heaters, do you have and what power do they draw. (i.e if wondering get an amp probe and check.) Or, what does government charge you?

If don't know how to read the electric bill, cause you don't know Egyptian numbers, see my previous post (link).

For newbies coming to Cairo - the monthly cost for electric is obviously dependent on your situation. AC's are standard and mostly required for comfort in summer. Some heating is required in winter. A family of four in large 250m2 apartment with 6 AC's can plan to spend a range between 400LE during fall and spring to 1800 LE/month during summer Quite a range as during hot months it really depends on how much you use AC's and how efficient they are. Also note the more usage you have the higher the rate of Electric as I have tried to explain below. A quirk that folks need to realize is when man delivers electric bill, he will take meter reading. So bill you pay is not for month your in but one previous. For instance you receive a bill Nov 15th. The bill is really for billing period Sept 15 to Oct 15th.

For 2009 see data below.

In graph below one can see the unit rate (LE/KwH used) increases rapidly then levels off. This rewards persons with low usage and penalizes high usage - fair system.

Up to now seems electric rates increased about 25%, at higher usage rates, over 2008!!!!

2008 rates-To see better you can click on graphs to explode for weak eyes!!!!!!!

Appliance Usage

Electric Oil Radiator Type Room Heaters.
I want to know why I have, what seems to be, a high electric bill. So I have been tracking various appliances over several hours. My first shock came to find the cost of running 2 oil type electric radiator heaters, rated at 2000 Watts each, seemed to be doubling my electric bills (i.e. based on kWh with heaters on versus kWh with heaters off over period of 3 hours used 3.6 kWh per hour while my normal use without averages around 2 kWh). I had these running to keep chill off in family room and bathroom and they were on 24/7. YIKES! they are off now, so next month will see what reduction in bill actually is and report it here.

PS - Do not ever use your gas stove as space heater - Carbon Monoxide poisoning is a real threat - odorless, colorless, tasteless; Symptoms - headaches, nausea - mostly like flu symptoms without a fever - clears up when you go outdoors - but in your sleep if could be fatal!

Xmas Season Approaching - beware e-card scams

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:15:00 +0000

If E-card is received, such as below, be sure it shows who it is from and you must know the person sending. If not, do not open the card attachment. Great way sicko'send worms, trojans, and viruses.

In email below I opened safely using a Virtual Hard drive with windows 7 and AVG security suite active (in this way could do no harm even if it passed the firewall/antivirus). Attachment had a run.bat file that would loaded the Zapchast virus if it got into the system. Also I did a ip traceback and a sicko in Poland used a proxy server in Germany to send email.

Troj/Zapchas-CM is an mIRC-based backdoor Trojan for the Windows platform.

Troj/Zapchas-CM creates the following files in the C:\WINDOWS\system\ folder:

fullname.txt
ident.txt
nicks.txt
aliases.ini
control.ini
mirc.ini
remote.ini
script.ini
servers.ini
users.ini
sup.bat
svchost.exe
mirc.ico
sup.reg
popups.txt

Troj/Zapchas-CM also creates the following folders in the C:\WINDOWS\system\ folder:

download
logs
sounds

The file svchost.exe is a mIRC application infected with W32/Parite-B. The file script.ini is also detected as Troj/Zapchas-CM. The remaining files are clean and may be deleted.

After these files have been installed, svchost.exe is executed, causing it to connect to a preconfigured IRC server and join a channel in which a remote attacker can control the infected computer.

If you get this virus then use removal tool malewarebytes as first level of removal. If this does not work it 's serious sucker. You will have to google for other removal tools and/or step by step instruction to clean. Also have a good look at your firewall and antivirus tools you using. I use AVG security suite (paid version as it is that good and I don't feel over priced.

I paid $83.59 for 3 license for 2 years. All families computers have been safe but several attacks have are listed in virus vault.

Office 2007 with Vista - Genuine Problem Fix

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:14:00 +0000

I know two friends, each having genuine installs of Office 2007 with their Vista operating System. The problem stems from an embedded serial that MS mistakenly picks up as non-genuine. They tried to resolve with MS locally - but!
MS checks genuine stuff each time you boot up so it is like a spy thing. As an aside - I don't like Vista and many others do not either. And I tried office 2007 and reverted to 2003 version and I do some pretty complicated spreadsheets. Anyway back to the point at hand.

If you have a version of Office 2007, with annoying popups on your PC, then use Revo uninstaller to remove. Choose option 4 and do not reboot when MS asks you just let revo continue then reboot. YOU might be amazed to find office 2007 contains 21,508 registry entries and 3,916 folders left over that Revo removes.

Then download this Office 2007 torrent version Link. You will need a torrent client to download such as utorrent. It is iso file so either launch it from virtual drive (auto launcher may not work properly from virtual drive) or burn to DVD disk and launch it from disk. Should auto install the serials but to find keys open file and see readme.txt. Works for me on 2 vista machines and 2 XP's.

Another best option is to get rid of Office 2007 and download openoffice which is open source free and I think is as good as ms office. For simple office applications use google documents. Also check out google docs templates. Has some really neat features.

Better yet, download Ubuntu Linux and have fun learning how to use this OS - all free including all programs. I have Ubuntu installed beside Windows XP as trying to wean kids off Microsoft.

The Traveller Within: How to make an international crisis out of a lousy football game

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:29:00 +0000

The Traveller Within: How to make an international crisis out of a lousy football game

How to get rid of "Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Annoying Popup (For XP, Vista)

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:17:00 +0000

I bought desktop, a few years back, and it had Windows XP Pro installed. Last week an annoying nagging pop-up "saying my copy of XP" was illegitimate. So did some searching. In short, MS had blacklisted my serial number. This has happened to others that bought notebooks with XP installed as "genuine" with stickers on the machine, then some months later they black list the serial number.

I caution all to only do this if they have a genuine version and then had WGA problem and microsoft was no help. Other wise it is illegal. So proceed with this in mind. I have to state this caveat.

If this happens to you don't panic - you can get rid of it. but first read below excerpts from this article.

"Once the WGA Notification tool has checked your OS and has confirmed you had a legit copy, there is no decent point or reason to check it again and again every boot. Moreover, connecting to Microsoft brings security issue for corporate networks, and privacy issues for everyone. It is also unclear which information are transmitted (Microsoft published an official answer, but an individual study brought some questions). All of that, along the fact that Microsoft used deceptive ways to make you install this tool (it was told you it was an urgent security update, whereas it is a new installation giving you no extra security) makes me calling this tool a spyware. "

This sypware tool is uploaded to your computer disguised as a critical security update.

How to remove: for XP (see at end of post for Vista)

Create a system restore point- just in case you make a mistake.

Some recommend to do following from safe mode, but I did not and no problem.
From Start-Run type regedit.exe and search for wgalogon folder and delete it.To search, go to Edit tab, then click find and then type wgalogon. It will find folder then Delete folder. Or search for folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify
Delete the folder ‘WgaLogon’ and all its contents
In your windows directory search for files wga* and delete them. Just go to start-> search->files and folders type wga* - delete all files found.
Reboot computer - WGA is gone.
Now to make sure you don't get it back, turn off windows automatic update from control panel. Better you manually get updates, and be sure this WGA one does not get selected to download. From time to time you can go to Automatic updates but select "notify me but do not download". The uncheck the "Windows Advantage Notification" and any others you do not want. I also uncheck updates for Windows XP security updates as not sure what these are and can live without it. Then I go and turn automatic updates off again or the update icon will keep nagging you.

For Vista see this link and read all comments. Some say do not upload SP1 as could make a problem.

Whazzup Egypt !!!: Vanished Persian army found in Egyptian desert?

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:26:00 +0000

Whazzup Egypt !!!: Vanished Persian army found in Egyptian desert?

Egypt A/H1N1 School Closures

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:54:00 +0000

This article appeared in Al Masry Al Youm online newspaper 8/11 and the number of class/school closures is quite a long list. The EID holiday will also be extended to 10 days from Nov 26 to Dec 5th.

As parents we all are very concerned for our children attending the closer confines of school, so knowing the school has effective protocols in place, and rigidly following them, gives one a bit of warmer feeling. Of course school is not only place one can contract flu, but a high threat location to spread.

I am not sure what protocols local Egyptian schools have to identify, and protect against the flu spread, but I am pleased to know that at Canadian International School Egypt (CISE) procedures are in place to measure temperature of each student getting on the bus in morning, and also entering school grounds if transport by other means. Device is hand held and measures in a few seconds. If temperature other than normal students are instructed to return to home, and school authorities are advised for follow-up with parents for additional medical information. All confirmed cases must be reported to Health Ministry. My daughters also advise hygiene standards are tops, as well as additional checks are in place.

Student friends also advised American international School (AIS) has similar protocols, and sure other international schools as well. Hopefully the vaccines will be available soon, but even then, I suggest relaxing the vigil would not be a good idea.

Sick Dogs and Quiche

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:20:00 +0000

Our cocker spaniel (Whiskey) started acting very strange other evening. He was pacing, panting, disoriented, confused, and whimpering at times. Much like me after a session at ACE club.

I googled Whiskeys behavior and found he was demonstrating discomfort and pain. Too late for a Vet so decided to take some action and at least try to give some pain relief. But how to administer the pills? Kick in the Quiche.

Evening prior, good wife had made Quiche for evening meal. (To punish me I think). I reminded her "grown men don't eat Quiche". So there was lots left over. But dog loved the "stuff". So sticking pills into Quiche was easy and voile dog was medicated.

Back to Whiskey's condition. I medicated him with some Ibrufen for pain and antibiotic. He settled down a bit. Later he had big "poop" and had diarrhea. So, thinking of times this happened to me, fed him a drotazide anti bacterial/anti spasmodic treatment. Yup, the Quiche worked great again.

Wonders upon wonder, dog sleep quietly rest of night and in morning was completely normal. However, I was still thinking about the Quiche. He was eating this under table from me evening before. Could the quiche have made him sick in first place?

Took Whiskey to vet for check up and all was fine. Not sure he was impressed with "me doctor" approach.

My moral to this story is - keep quiche in house in case dog gets sick! Only thing it's good for.

Have a good day.

Ayn Sukhna Road through mountain area??

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:25:00 +0000

The new toll road is great and from Zafrana is now even better with speed limit raised to 110 km/hr. Nevertheless this mountain section, with all trucks, narrow 2 lane road, is a nightmare.

I tired to contact Al Masry Al Youm newspaper but they are struggling with web site no way to contact or even leave comment.

So, does any reader have any clue what big road plan might be? Certainly should be on top on mountains to bypass this area and leave as secondary road, albeit widened.

All of us living here would like to know so please leave comment or send email. I failed miserably in my google searches to find any mention by government or others. Maybe a secret due to property development plans but sure the secret is out.

Please let us know, if you have info.

Timeless Wisdom -

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:12:00 +0000

Guess you as reader are bored - so read on - so much of following hits home and true. I coined one that is repeated in on occasions, but not in Plato's circle

"time will be mistress of success".

Sure you have seen this before but worth a repeat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry about font but is copy paste

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD
1) Growing up is mandatory; growing old is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:

1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

SUCCESS:

At age 4 success is . . not peeing in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . having friends.
At age 16 success is . . having a drivers license.
At age 35 success is . . having money.
At age 50 success is . . having money.
At age 70 success is . . having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . having friends.
At age 80 success is .. not peeing in your pants.

Pass this on to someone who could use a laugh.

Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way; BUT NEVER forget the blessings that come each day.
Have a wonderful day with many *smiles*

Cairo Black Cloud is Back Again

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:07:00 +0000

For over a decade the annual black cloud is back at same time and duration each year. That cough you have at now, not likely from flu.

From Global Post see this video

Also, thanks to fellow blogger, Kim at Whazzup Egypt for posting this BBC report at this link

Egypt Telecom - epay is working!!!!

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:11:00 +0000

Not sure how many expatriates, or even Egyptians, know you can check your telephone bill online, and even have them send you an email to remind when payments are due? Checking your bills online has been around for sometime, but the epay function only worked yesterday for me. Thought useful to pass on the information.

Egypt telecom billing site at this link and click on English Version.

I tried to pay bills from 3 numbers at once with the "add invoice" function, but in end found it not working so paid all three numbers individually. You need a local visa or master card. Sure beat the hell out of going to Telecom office, trying to park, and stand in line to pay cash. Hope the hell it keeps working.

The telephone bills are paid every 3 months, and international calls are billed monthly. If you sign up for their newsletter they will send you email letting you know when bills are due.

Egypt - Be Ready For Traveler’s Stomach Problems (update)

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:16:00 +0000

We refer to this problem as "Pharaoh's Revenge".
I have lived in Cairo Egypt for many years, and apart from a few problems when I arrived, I cannot remember any stomach, cramp problems in recent times. Nor do other resident persons as the topic rarely comes up. BUT, tourists and Newbies can experience some pretty bad problems that can ruin their vacation, or initial time here after arrival.

Thanks to David L................. And below David's is Charle"s............. both real life experiences to explain their problems and successful treatments

David L said...: Just got back after 10 days in Dahab...had the 'Nile Piles' for about 3 days - as with the other comments posted, Immodium and Diaracalm (Boots' own brand) didn't touch it.

A local Pharmacist (Masbat area - on the corner where the taxis pick up/drop off) gave me Drotazide (1 tablet, 3 times a day) to kill the bacteria and Streptoquin (2 tablets as required) to stop the diarrhea. Within a few hours I was much, much better and got back to normal within about 24 hours.

My advice is don't waste money on over-priced UK products....a local problem will invariably have a local cure, which will be much, much more effective than the drugs we get here and far cheaper (both drugs cost £E35 - about 4 quid!).

As for food/drink:

• no ice in drinks
• no ice-cream unless it's in a wrapper
• no fruit unless it's in a wrapper (e.g. banana, lemon etc.)
• no salads, especially at the wadis as they certainly won't be washed in clean water
• beware flatbreads...these are often undercooked and 'doughy' and may not have been cooked long enough to kill any bacteria
• don't let a 5 star hotel give you a false sense of security...a few times they tried to serve me water in bottles with already broken seals and drinks with ice in, and also served a raw lamb kebab in their a la carte restaurant
• check the bottled waters for broken seals

ABOVE ALL ELSE TRUST YOUR SENSES!
Out sense of taste and smell have evolved over thousands of years to warn us off ingesting something which is 'bad'. If it doesn't smell, taste and even look right, send it away or leave it well alone

General hygiene:
The money is dirty, old and an easy way to kop a bug. DO take out from the UK with you antibacterial hand-gels and wipes and whenever handling money, and get into the practice of using these right away...it'll soon become second-nature.

Carry loo roll with you too. You'll do well to find a decent toilet, let alone one with any paper and a flush. Most are just holes in the ground.

All of that said, it's a wonderful country and having dived and snorkelled at some fantastic locations it's more than worth the effort!; September 23, 2009 12:59 PM

Charles said ...........................

Just returned from a two week trip to Cairo and to areas North in the Nile Delta.

My friend has lived in Cairo for nearly a year and spoke pretty good Arabic. He has gotten sick (dia) a couple of times and tried different things to get over it.

I have traveled internationally from the U.S. to Turkey, Philippines and other places. Usually getting sick (dia) on every trip so had tried different remedies myself.

My friend in Egypt's father and brother are doctors in the U.S. and when the Egyptians had him try Streptoquin they checked it out and told him to use it.

After two days of sickness I tried it and it worked VERY well for me. The best recovery I have had on any trip where encountering the same type of issues.

One should certainly discuss with doctors at home about use of it and take necessary precautions, reading warnings, try less powerful stuff first, etc. but I can attest it worked well for me.

I just wanted to post that info since it seams many other web postings say nonsense like "nasty antibiotic", "doesn't work against dia", "banned" etc. While providing no real info or details of who should or should not take it.

Nearly all medicines are banned somewhere, have side effects and won't work for some people.

September 28, 2009 3:37 PM

As late entry - my daughter is in Scotland - July 2008 - and told me she came down with cramps and stomach problem after a day out at festival and junk food. So........ the bugs are different everywhere!!!!!

Note: if diarrhea persists when you get home, see a doctor for tests and treatment quick as you can, as you can expect you picked up a nasty bug. The normal bug should only last a few days.

Medical Care in Cairo, Maadi(update) - one man's opinion

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:16:00 +0000

Having recently got sick with very bad chest infection, and still recovering, prompted me to write a bit about health care here in Maadi. Maybe useful for people planning to relocate to Egypt, or newbies. Also see post by Lulu's Bay blog, which really captures the medical aura in fun way. See this link to post.

I personally have been pleased with the health care providers here, but one should be a bit choosy. Two of my friends can also vouch for the health care, as both their lives were saved with hospital emergency room interventions. One from heart attack and second from internal hemorrhaging.

In early days there was a standard joke - "if you needed 2 opinions you could go to same doctor on two different occasions and get the two opinions". The underlying moral was doctors didn't keep patient records. This has changed now, at least at doctors / clinic we chose to attend.

Here in Egypt, Doctors normally have a day job and run their private practice in evenings usually starting in evening around 7 pm. However there are now some clinics that you can attend to in afternoon starting around 12 to 3 pm. Then again the doctors will be available from about 6 pm onwards. The clinic we use is Ghaly Medical Group and clinic opens at 9 am. (see details at bottom of this post). Dr Ghaly is the main resident doctor and a wide range of specialists attend in evening times. This brings up one difference between what I was used to in Canada an here. To see a specialist you needed to be referred by a GP. No so here you can go directly if you know one. Clinic is located in New Maadi per details at bottom of this post. Clinic charges change, but at time of writing a visit cost 200 LE, and what some people do not know, is if doctor says he wants to see you again to monitor improvement, then second visit should not incur additional fee.

Who you use as primary health care provider is a personal choice, and no doubt strongly influenced by your companies recommendations, and friends. And, as there are other clinics, and favorite medical practitioners, and I encourage anyone having good experience to put the information available in comments. I will then include such comments in main body of this post.

I must admit I feel the doctors over medicate and it seems not unusual to get a prescription for a bag full of different drugs. And this brings up another point. You do not need a doctors prescription to buy drugs at a pharmacy, so if you want to self medicate go for it. And, honestly, for simple health issues, the pharmacist will know what is working and recommend. Also if you require injections (E.g. Vitamin B) the pharmacist will perform this for you. All decent pharmacies will deliver and there is one I use that is open 24 hours and delivers, located across from north entrance to Grand Mall. Europe Pharmacy is the name and phone is 519 5688. The pharmacy use the most is ALAA at N0. 20 87 street, Sakanet, Maadi ph 23782710 because I know the pharmacists personally with good advice for many years and they are close and also deliver.

We have only had to have medical treatment in hospital once and that was for appendicitis for my oldest daughter (she was 12 at time). Ghaly's Medical group surgeon arranged for all. We just went to Al Salam hospital in morning and went directly to assigned room. No check in paper work or anything. All went very well and we paid hospital etc. by 2 pm and left for home. The whole cost was about 3000 LE but that was a few years back.

This brings up the subject of medical insurance. Larger companies provide such insurance to their employees, but those working here on contracts through local agents, would not normally have insurance provided. As is case with us. I did carry insurance for awhile through BUPA (think this is best known insurance provider here) but the cost I found exorbitant in relationship to what the health care costs are here. For what insurance people wanted, I could have heart surgery once per year and have change left over.

With respect to specialist MRI, X-ray's etc, you can visit Nile Scan conveniently located in Maadi on Rd 9 (plus other centers in Cairo - check egypt yellow pages). Mention you are a resident and also be aware, if you request at additional cost, consultant diagnostics from specialists at Harvard, John Hopkins or University Hospitals of Cleveland. Al Salam hospital is another option but parking is a nightmare.

Another snippet has to do with laser eye treatments. I know of several Egyptians had this done and also several expatriates who were commuting working 28/28. Price they said was less than half of what it costs in their European home countries and they all were very pleased with results.

With respect to other medical services. Who you use as primary health care provider is a personal choice, and no doubt strongly influenced by your companies recommendations, and friends. And, as there are other clinics, and favorite medical practitioners, and I encourage anyone having good experience to put the information available in comments.

I must admit I feel the doctors over medicate and it seems not unusual to get a prescription for a bag full of different drugs. And this brings up another point. You do not need a doctors prescription to buy drugs at a pharmacy, so if you want to self medicate go for it. And, honestly, for simple health issues, the pharmacist will know what is working and recommend. Also if you require injections (E.g. Vitamin B) the pharmacist will perform this for you. All decent pharmacies will deliver and there is one I use that is open 24 hours and delivers, located across from north entrance to Grand Mall. Europe Pharmacy is the name and phone is 519 5688. The pharmacy use the most is ALAA at N0. 20 87 street, Sakanet, Maadi ph 23782710 because I know the pharmacists personally with good advice for many years and they are close and also deliver.

We have only had to have medical treatment in hospital once and that was for appendicitis for my oldest daughter (she was 12 at time). Ghaly's Medical group surgeon arranged for all. We just went to Al Salam hospital in morning and went directly to assigned room. No check in paper work or anything. All went very well and we paid hospital etc. by 2 pm and left for home. The whole cost was about 3000 LE but that was a few years back.

This brings up the subject of medical insurance. Larger companies provide such insurance to their employees, but those working here on contracts through local agents, would not normally have insurance provided. As is case with us. I did carry insurance for awhile through BUPA (think this is best known insurance provider here) but the cost I found exorbitant in relationship to what the health care costs are here. For what insurance people wanted, I could have heart surgery once per year and have change left over.

With respect to specialist MRI, X-ray's etc, you can visit Nile Scan conveniently located in Maadi on Rd 9 (plus other centers in Cairo - check Egypt yellow pages). Mention you are a resident and also be aware, if you request at additional cost, consultant diagnostics from specialists at Harvard, John Hopkins or University Hospitals of Cleveland. Al Salam hospital is another choice but be aware parking is a nightare.

Another snippet has to do with laser eye treatments. I know of several Egyptians had this done and also several expatriates who were commuting working 28/28. Price they said was less than half of what it costs in their European home countries and they all were very pleased with results.

With respect to other medical services. There is no shortage of dentists, ophthalmologists and many other specialties. Word of mouth for recommendations is good. If anyone wants to know who we use please email me.
entists, ophthalmologists and many other specialties. Word of mouth for recommendations is good. If anyone wants to know who we use please email me.

To enlarge below double click on image

Cairo Taxi's - Clunker versus New

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:40:00 +0000

Some month's back it was reported Government would no longer license taxi's 20 years old. Deal was car owner should turn in clunkers and get a loan for new taxi.

Few months ago the new checker taxi's started to be seen, and now the numbers have grown. And seems they have choices of what car they wish.

Following is a real life experience:

"I noticed you haven't mentioned the new taxis on your blog, or if you have I couldn't find anything.

I just wanted to say that during Ramadan I took one from Tahrir Sq to Rd 9 in Maadi. The driver switched the meter on immediately I got in and switched on the a/c when asked to. The total cost for the trip, with receipt, was 17.25 LE, amazing, much better than the old B&W ones asking 40 or 50 LE for the same trip.
I took another one today, again from Tahrir but to New Maadi this time, it was 25 LE with the same level of service. "

Regards
S...........

Maybe a third choice - how much is donkey taxi?

H1N1 Flu and Egypt Schools

darell.morrison@gmail.com (Canadian in Egypt) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:39:00 +0000

Everyone in Egypt understands the H1N1 Flu threat, and the effect of possible contagion in environments of closer contact, like schools. Ever seen local buses, metro, coffee shops in action. Also bear in mind this time of year is also the season for ordinary flu.

Nevertheless, schools have a population of children, so need to be assessed on their own merit.

The quandary in Egypt is the attempt to administer on a level playing field when you have different systems.

Private International Schools for Non- Profit (40,000 plus LE per year) come under jurisdiction of Minister of Social Affairs (maybe name has changed lately)
Public (40 LE per year fees) and Private International Schools (40,000 plus LE) - Minister of Education.

Obviously, the public schools are not funded adequately to have a preparedness plan for H1N1. However, good faith decisions made by Ministers, based on the lacking contagion control in Public Schools is also applied to Private Schools where the contagion identification and controls are in place. Already rumors abound of school closures beyond Oct 3rd.

Makes me wonder if Government agencies could not develop protocols for schools to implement, and setup periodic inspections. If the protocols are found in place, the school could be allowed to function.

Please read this newspaper article describing the difficulties of the public schools to try to have a contagion plan. The article is from Al Masry Al Youm and sometimes doesn't work at night when they are uploading new articles. If so, try again later.