Photo Essays of Cairo Monuments

Hey everyone, I know I haven't updated my blog for ages. I've just been dealing with a lot and blogging has had to take a backseat for awhile.

A friend of mine recently visited Cairo and his pictures are far more evocative than my words. He has captured images that seemed new to me, even though I have visited each place so often. I'm sure you will enjoy them too.

Here are the links to his photo essays with a sample photo for each as a teaser.
Sayyidna al Hussein Mosque


Bayt al Suhaymi


Fishawy Cafe and Khan el Khalili


Madrasa-Khanqah of Sultan Barquq


Al Azhar Mosque and Around


Citadel of Saladin


Al Aqmar Mosque


The Silksellers Street


Sabeel Kuttab of Kathkuda


Sharia al Muizz li Din Allah


Shops along Sharia al Muizz li Din Allah


Madrasa and Mausoleum of Sultan Qualawun


Sultan al Mu'ayyad Mosque


Bab Zuwayla


Out and About in Cairo


The Thousand Minarets of Cairo


View from BD's Hotel Room

All the pictures in this post are from Bhaskar's Photo Blog He owns the copyright on all these pictures. Please do not republish his pictures without checking with him/giving him credit.

Egypt extends Emergency Rule by another 2 years

Egypt has been under emergency rule for almost 30 years. It has just been extended for another 2.

I shall say no more on this topic.

Links to newspaper articles on the issue:

On the BBC

On the LA Times

Saudis own over 600,000 flats in Egypt

Come Summer, and the influx of Saudis into Egypt begins.

As a naive expat 4.5 years ago, I had thought that the start of summer would mean the end of the tourist season and the price of all touristy stuff especially at the Khan would go down.

Quite the opposite, the Saudis stream into the country, raising rental rates (when searching for company guesthouses, we were told by a lot of landlords/landladies that they would rent the apartment for 10 months and then if we wanted it for the summer months, we would have to either pay the higher price or vacate the apartment)

As Arabic speakers, they pay local rates for entry into all museums and tourist locations, but the taxi drivers can spot them a mile away and will triple the price when you ask, if he can spy a Saudi family hunting down a taxi in the distance.

Shopping seems to be their favourite past-time and prices of touristy stuff in the Khan and clothes etc in the local markets are jacked up.

They often take over entire hotel floors if not the entire hotel for themselves and their retinue. When we were hunting for conference venues a couple of years ago, we were told by some hotels like the Move n Pick that they were completely booked up for the whole summer by a Saudi Prince and his extended family.

Todays news report in the Arab News says that Saudis own over 600,000 flats in Egypt. 60% in Cairo, 20% in Alexandria, 10% in North Coast resorts and the rest across the country. This does not take into account the number of Saudis who rent apartments or book hotel rooms.

What do you think, is the influx good or bad for Egypt?

Egypt's hash crisis?

I wouldn't think that lack of availability of an illegal substance could be termed a crisis. But this writer seems to think so and has a perspective on the issue.

Max Strasser on The Faster Times

He sums his article up by saying "Life is difficult for most people here. Let them get stoned." - and that's not in the Biblical/Quranical sense :)

Egyptian T-shirts

A lot of visitors to Egypt actively look to pick up t-shirts that can be identified as Egyptian. As souvenirs, as a keepsake, or as a reminder that "I was here!".

Yet, a lot of them go back empty handed. There are cheap t-shirts available all over the khan, but they mostly focus on generic Pharonic prints and designs and most of the time, the printing/embroidery quality isn't even good. So once you are back home, and the shopping euphoria has abated, you find that you can barely wear them to the beach a couple of times before discarding them or using them as rags.

There are very very few options available if one is looking for custom t-shirts with Arabic script for example or humor tshirts.

There are the occasional stores like Zafir in Zamalek and slim pickings at Oum al Dunia, Fair Trade Center and the store at All Saints Cathedral.

I was just thinking, that it would make so much sense for a couple of smart locals to get together and produce Egypt tshirts in a variety of colours, prints, designs and cuts. There is such a large market for it (especially given the volume of tourism), that has been left largely untapped.

Any takers?

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.

Parking for Egyptians Only

Saw this in a private parking lot in Alexandria.

Wonder how they plan to enforce it.

Also what qualifies for parking in this spot?
1. Only Egyptian brand cars?
2. Only cars assembled in Egypt?
3. Only cars owned by Egyptians?
4. Only cars driven by Egyptians? (majority of expats with cars, hire Egyptian drivers)

Scratching my head on this one :)

This blog has been recognised by Global Relocation Finder

A few days ago, Elyse wrote to me, to let me know that my Whazzup Egypt Blog had been selected to be RSSed on their blog.


is a Corporate Relocation Guide created to promote an easier way for people to share more information especially pertaining to relocation.

Thank you to all my faithful readers, who help keep this blog active and me motivated :) mwah

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

How Living in Egypt Changed My Life

I wrote this article almost a year ago and it was published in the Oasis, but for some reason, I missed out on posting it on my blog. So here it is.

How Living in Egypt, Changed My Life

- Karishma Pais (Kim)

Egypt has been here for many Millennia before you and will be here for many Millennia after you, hence do not expect Egypt to adapt to you, but you will have to adapt to Egypt.

At times, living in Egypt can be really challenging: like, when a plumber is coming in for the 6^th time to do the same job that he hasn’t done properly the last 5 times and may not do properly the next 10 times, when you are stuck in traffic for over 15 minutes, because someone wants to come in the wrong way on a one-way street, when you are kept waiting indefinitely at meetings for people who haven’t arrived. Most of us have faced these problems and more and find a lot of them to be unique to Egypt. But if we try to look at the positive aspects of a work/study stint, we just might be able to balance the scale a bit.

What has living in Egypt taught me and others in the same felucca as me?

Patience is a Virtue: In these days of “Instant Gratification”, in most countries around the world, it is easy to forget how complicated it actually is, to get so many things that we take for granted. In Egypt, taking time to get things done has been perfected to an art form. Except when driving, from Point A to Point B. In all other cases, how long something will take to be achieved, is all in God’s hands.

Pick your Battles Wisely: There are some battles that just cannot be won. Like the one against dust. Choose which ones are worth the fight and which ones are just going to leave you more stressed with no change in outcome. Only focus on the first and ignore the second category or work around it. This is essential for your sanity, blood pressure and health. (Tip: Karkade tea is supposed to be good for controlling blood pressure)

Sometimes, it is better to rely on yourself: Although all kinds of help and services are easily available in Egypt, sometimes the quality isn’t as great as you may be used to.  No amount of meticulous explanations and supervision may help in getting things right, in these cases it is better to do it yourself. Some things may seem important and essential to you, but not to the people around you. Do it yourself. For e.g.: in some parts of Maadi it is essential for your safety to ground the electric mains, so you do not suffer from exploding light bulbs. If your landlord isn’t willing to bear the expense, do it yourself or shift to another house (which comes with another set of complications.  So consider your options carefully)

Sometimes, it is better to cut your losses and move on: If things are just too much to put up with, it is better to leave. A friend found that her house flooded every Sunday when the people above drained their terrace swimming pool and the building pipes couldn’t take the pressure. No amount of reasoning or pleading would get them to release the water from the pool gradually. For the sake of her furniture and the family’s health, they needed to move. At some point, you may hire someone to get some work done for you (carpenter/plumber), but as time passes you may realize that they just aren’t doing the job the way you want it done or just not doing the job at all. While you may have paid an advance to this person, and may not be able to get back any of it, it may still be better, to just find someone else.

Its Just Money: At times you may feel like you are being grossly overcharged for food, products or services, but if this is what makes you happier, indulge, as long as you balance it out somewhere else in your budget. If a bag of imported chocolate is twice the price of Galaxy chocolate, but you just have to have your Reeces Peanut butter cups, then indulge. If you have found the perfect hairdresser, but she charges 3 times as much as the woman around the corner, but the perfect hair-do will boost your self-esteem, confidence and overall mood, indulge. But remember, nothing is worth getting into debt over.

Keep your Eyes Open:  For photo opportunities, for areas where you can help bring a positive change, for opportunities to help or learn, for people who just want your money. Be aware of your surroundings. Egypt is a country full of surprises, you never know what you may find around the corner.

Benefit of the Doubt & Letting Go: Sometimes it may feel like the whole country is out to get you. Give people the benefit of the doubt; it will leave you in a better frame of mind. The only people, who get hurt when you are stressed or angry, are your family and closest friends. So give people and situations the benefit of the doubt and sometimes you will find it is better to just let go, instead of dwelling on particular incidents.

Living in a Bubble: This is the most effective advice I heard from some friends who have been in Egypt much longer than me. Living in a bubble, need not mean something as drastic as living in a gated expat oriented community in the suburbs and never leaving the premises, except to go to the airport or to try another golf course for a change. A bubble is more about surrounding yourself with the things that you like, things and people that keep you positive, things that do not upset your inner balance whether emotional, spiritual, mental or physical. The only downside of living in a bubble is that you may miss out on a lot of interesting experiences, so do give new things a try.

The best advice I could give anyone in any country in the world is to recognize your bubble. Then, treat your bubble as your center of equilibrium. Step out of it occasionally and you may find your bubble growing larger gradually, over time. Step out of it frequently, to have a more enriching life experience, but know that you have the bubble to retreat into when necessary.

Karishma Pais (Kim) 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