tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53320897025065719502024-03-13T19:31:53.361+02:00Oldbag of CairoI've been based in Cairo since November 2007 and this blog records some of my experiences either about practicalities of living here, trips I have made or other matters, plus positive aspects of women's lives here.
This blog does NOT discuss politics or religion.Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-42524894121264316132014-03-13T12:49:00.000+02:002014-03-14T16:19:16.671+02:00The stolen passport affair
What happened to me
This gets a bit ranty especially when it gets to the bit about the UKPA so don't read if you don't like ranty bits.
This relates for those who would need to use British Embassy, Cairo and Mogamma - I'm not sure if British consulates in Alex or Luxor would be able to supply emergency passports and if you would be able to get replacement visas in your local offices.
In Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-68215497609601785062013-06-30T16:26:00.001+02:002013-06-30T16:27:39.668+02:00Egypt 30th June 2013 What is Happening?
What's happening in Egypt?
If you've any interest in Egypt you will know today is pretty momentous. It is 1 year since President Morsi was elected to power and in the past few days leading up to today there have been huge demonstrations and protests both by pro-Morsi and pro-Tamarod (rebellion). What will enfold is not for me to say or guess. I hope the best outcome for Egypt in Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-29850475933350809742012-03-03T19:26:00.000+02:002014-03-14T17:15:51.986+02:00Fayoum Pottery Festival - Izbet Tunis (Tunis Village)In December, a group of us hired a microbus and went for a day visit to the Fayoum Pottery Festival.
I have been to the Fayoum before, but nothing prepared me for the village of Izbet Tunis, it's so beautiful!
It is about 140km out of Cairo and is on the southern edge of Lake Qarun.
There are many pottery makers based in the town and for the 3 days of the festival, they were holding 'open houseOldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-33190519862569674592011-12-05T10:37:00.001+02:002011-12-05T12:48:49.287+02:00Luxor December 2011What is it like in Luxor right now? Is it safe to come? I've got a week off at Christmas and I see some cheap flights to Luxor - should I come? Questions you may be asking yourself after seeing scenes from Tahrir on your televisions lately. I decided to ask two British women living in Luxor for their thoughts.
Oldbag (OBC): Jane and Ayisha, you are two British women living Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-51133107945296021222011-11-24T20:44:00.001+02:002011-11-24T21:46:43.654+02:00Just in case - contingency plan - useful links
Everyone's aware of the situation in Tahrir and other cities around Egypt right now. The protests are geographically confined to quite small areas at present, and life is pretty normal in most other areas, albeit somewhat economically depressed.
Elections are due to start on Monday and over the next 3 Mondays. The powers that be are pretty adamant they are going ahead. In Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-57900437265528821142011-11-16T18:29:00.001+02:002011-11-16T18:33:41.830+02:00Taking animals FROM Egypt back to UK - new rulesTaking pets FROM Egypt TO the UK
Regulations are changing from 1st January 2012
Egypt is a non-approved country and so until that date, pets are required to spend 6 months in quarantine on entering the UK.
From 1st January 2012, this is changing, but you must make sure you follow all the rules exactly.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/2011/06/30/pb13582-bringing-pets-into-uk/
If your petOldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-55449057671681462252011-11-15T19:15:00.001+02:002011-11-15T21:57:09.717+02:00Visit to Dreamland Ecostation - 29th October 2011
We gathered outside Bahgat Stores area in the carpark just before Dreampark.
First, we were shown the dramatic improvements made over the past 12 months to the formal beds in the area by Monsieur C's team.
Techniques such as mulching and using small pebbles or gravel to help retain water and reduce the demand for watering have been introduced which can only be of benefit in this Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-12647514802942025942011-11-01T10:09:00.000+02:002011-11-01T16:11:48.312+02:00Oldbag of Siwa - Visit to Siwa Oasis, October 2011
I recently spent 5 days in Siwa and recorded some notes and observations and musical interludes. I'm not intending to cover in any detail information you can get yourself from guidebooks or the internet, mainly just personal impressions.
Siwa is an oasis in the Western Desert, around 550km as the crow flies from Cairo, 50km from the Libyan border. It is a lovely place for a restful Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-29379535805747638742011-10-28T23:50:00.000+02:002011-10-28T23:54:28.349+02:00Digital projects in EgyptAn inspiring article about some different digital projects created post-revolution.
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/509558
Following a gathering called ArabNet Cairo 2011 last week, it reports on :
a project linking Egyptian expats willing to donate funds to Egypt and those who need it,
a citizens' crime-reporting and mapping website, http://zabatak.com/?l=en_US, and&Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-4258631060218297222011-10-25T23:15:00.000+02:002011-10-25T23:15:36.313+02:00Egypt Public Holidays 2012This is the list of dates in 2012 to the best of my knowledge gleaned from the internet.
Sometimes there are mistakes, if you spot one let me know!
I also suspect that there may be one or two additional days yet to be agreed upon.
Please note I do not accept any responsibility for errors. Information can sometimes be hard to find in Egypt and sometimes decisions are made late eg the Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-64214653957242718632011-10-23T19:32:00.000+02:002011-10-23T19:32:20.213+02:00Ecology in Cairo - 29th October visit Dreamland EcostationUrban nature activities organized by Real Life Farmville and Dreamland eco-station for kids and their parents!!!!Activities• Tour of the eco-station (let’s understand how Dreamland recycles its green wastes!)• Insect & other small animal- safari (survey on biodiversity in the eco-station)• Bird-watching initiation (bring your camera & binoculars, books on birds)• Compost distribution (Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-24841249367623108942011-10-12T10:36:00.002+02:002011-10-12T10:36:52.686+02:00Images of Old Egypt (YouTube share)
Just enjoy it!
Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-84079992021212058332011-10-12T09:38:00.002+02:002011-10-12T10:10:09.383+02:00Cairo sensory inputSometimes sensory input other than through the 10.1" screen and the headphones is necessary.
I had a great day of sensory input yesterday riding the big old Egyptian buses and the metro and mooching around the ancient market streets full of traditional spices, oils, fruits and modern Chinese cheapo rubbish! All the mosque azzans going of at slightly different times! Cacophony! Such contrasts!
IOldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-16320709147482872132011-10-10T00:05:00.002+02:002011-10-10T00:27:22.308+02:0010th-11th October 2011: Curfew 2am to 7am introducedFollowing today's incidents where at least 19 people have been killed and 150 injured in clashes between protestors and authorities in the Maspero/Tahrir area, a curfew has been announced tonight from 2am to 7am.
I am not clear of the extent of it, but it's probably safest to assume that it applies generally until it becomes more clear.
Apparently the curfew will apply to Tahrir up to Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-7616477750555796502011-10-07T09:33:00.000+02:002011-10-07T09:34:07.136+02:00Egyptian phone number changes - more informationIf you are calling or texting someone from an Egyptian phone, they will receive the call or message for now, BUT contact information is lost so they will not know who is calling or who is texting (unless they have edited all their contacts).
PLEASE SIGN TEXTS WITH YOUR NAME SO THEY KNOW WHO IT IS FROM!
The tools for changes that I have seen mentioned so far all expect you to have some kind of Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-40639077040895011082011-10-05T21:54:00.003+02:002011-10-05T23:50:55.179+02:005th-6th October 2011: Don't forget, Egyptian mobile phone numbers are changing overnight, expect some blips in service!
"Egypt's 76 million mobile phone users can expect a temporary blip in services Thursday morning when caller numbers are revised in a drive to meet surging demand. The changes, due to take place in the early hours of 6 October, will make every Egyptian mobile phone number 11 Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-46119630817932152972011-10-02T17:40:00.001+02:002011-10-02T17:40:50.642+02:00Clipp cream reduxWay back in the mists of time, I blogged about Clipp cream which I found useful as a mosquito repellent! It's also a really good moisturizer for feet and hands in my humble opinion. It is silicon-based and lemon scented just so you know in case either of those are not good news for you.
Since then, I have had a small but steady stream of inquiries about where to obtain this Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-47185959784414717622011-09-27T19:46:00.000+02:002011-10-07T10:14:53.698+02:00Egyptian mobile phone numbers changing from October 6th 2011Update 7th October 2011: If you are calling or texting someone from an Egyptian phone, they will receive the call or message for now, BUT contact information is lost so they will not know who is calling or who is texting (unless they have edited all their contacts).PLEASE SIGN TEXTS WITH YOUR NAME SO THEY KNOW WHO IT IS FROM!
New mobile phone numbers will be 11 digits long, up from 10 at presentOldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-714407317844559582011-09-08T21:38:00.001+02:002011-09-12T07:47:24.245+02:00Important entry visa news - now you see it now you don't11TH SEPTEMBER 2011: STOP PRESS - EGYPTIAN CABINET REVERSES THIS DECISION!
Changes to Tourism Visa Suspended
Changes to visa regulations suspended
Changes to tourist visa revoked
So let me see, yesterday I received an email from the British Embassy saying:
" We have spoken to the Immigration Ministry today, who tell us that it is not correct that you can no longer buy visas on entry.Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-43675573228379576542011-07-12T15:31:00.004+02:002011-07-12T16:32:10.063+02:00Online Mecca finderI have a visitor in my home from another area who wants to pray and I wasn't sure which way he should face and there was noone around to ask.
Anyway, I found this handy on-line Mecca finder. It uses Google maps and you have to move the map so the place you are is under the red line.
I found my building on there and the direction for Mecca is shown by the red line. I had said to him Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-17311070700685145122011-06-11T20:40:00.002+02:002011-06-30T19:02:25.586+02:00El Korba Festival 2011 POSTPONEDStop Press - El Korba Festival 2011 due to take place 1st July is POSTPONED
source: AHRAM - El Korba Festival 2011 POSTPONED
The news is that the El Korba Festival will be held on 1st July 2011 - Baghdad Street, El Korba, Heliopolis.
I urge you to keep updated on this as the date has already moved once!Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-67988396484623214582011-04-20T19:35:00.000+02:002011-04-20T19:35:07.442+02:00No Daylight Savings Time in Egypt 2011There will be NO daylight savings time in Egypt in 2011 (and possibly going forward).
Clocks were due to go forward at the end of next week (night of April 28th/29th) but this is NOT HAPPENING.
This means Egypt will continue to be just 1 hour ahead of the UK until late October when British Summer Time ends.
While this means it will be getting dark around 730pm in Egypt through the summer (Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-31232091562055825282011-03-29T15:34:00.032+02:002011-03-29T16:05:49.307+02:00Guest Post: Cairo Pet Owners by cairopets.comHello Cairo Pet Owners!
It's a sunny day in Zamalek and I'm working on my pets website, www.cairopets.com
I'm a journalist and (bad) playwright from New York living in Cairo. I have one fabulous dog that I brought with me. She's lived in NYC, New Orleans, Dublin and now Cairo. Lulu is better traveled than many people I know? I also have two cats that my partner and I adopted from theOldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-59406455870350414192011-03-29T14:32:00.001+02:002011-04-11T23:33:55.606+02:00A few comments on Cairo at the moment (late March 2011)If you are in Cairo **right now** (29th March - 1st April inc), there's a free exhibition of photographs from the revolution - only open until (and including) Friday 1st April at the small gallery at the Opera House - just round the corner from the ticket office. Nearest metro "Opera" - walkable from Tahrir. Opening times 10am - 2pm and 430pm - 830pm.
Yesterday (March 28th), I was out and Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5332089702506571950.post-80470760308608865512011-02-14T21:19:00.006+02:002011-02-15T01:05:34.553+02:00Visit to see horses and camels at Nazlet Al Saman (Pyramids)NOTE: This is a personal note based on my own observations. I am not a vet. This is not any kind of report - vets for different charities are writing these.
PERSONAL SUMMARY: The situation is not as dire as you may believe from the internet (which is not to say there aren't problems, because there are - there have been ongoing concerns about the condition of many of the animals there which long Oldbag of Cairohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01939583160345267243noreply@blogger.com0