Egyptian mobile phone numbers changing from October 6th 2011

Update 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 present.
There will be a 4 month overlap period when you can use the old and new formats.

Egyptian mobile phone numbers to change from 6th October 2011

Etisalat 

Current 10 digit numbers, which all start 01, will take an extra 1. They will now begin 011

Current 11 digit numbers, which all start 0152, will change the 5 to a 1. They will now begin 0112

Mobinil

Current 10 digit numbers, which start 01, will add a 2. They will now begin 012

Current 11 digit numbers, which start 0150, will replace the 5 with a 2. They will begin 0120

Vodafone 

Current 10 digit numbers, which start 01, will add a 0. They will now start 010

Current 11 digit numbers, which start 0151, will replace 5 with 0. They will start 0101

Pictorial display of the changes:

I saw this on Facebook, but I don't know the original source of this graphic.  If the originator contacts me, I will be happy to make due reference.

The phone providers are probably going to supply you with tools to change the numbers automatically from 6th October, so don't panic into changing them all manually just yet!

Important entry visa news - now you see it now you don't

11TH 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.  They tell us that they have no new instructions and that nothing has changed."

Yet, it was in fact true, the decision had been made, but following the hue and cry has been reversed.

One is shaking one's head and tutting!

NOTE THAT THIS INFORMATION BELOW IS NO LONGER (WELL TODAY ANYWAY!) RELEVANT!!!

Independent travellers to Egypt please note:

In the pipeline - visitors to be required to get visas before entering Egypt not on arrival

Please be aware if you are planning to visit Egypt and get an entry visa upon arrival at the airport, it is reported that this is likely to change.

According to this link:

Egypt requiring tourists to get visas in advance

this may kick in as early as NEXT WEEK.  Be advised especially if you are planning to travel here very soon.

Online Mecca finder

I 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 the direction I thought (but told him I wasn't really sure) and turns out I was right.

Online Qiblah Finder

El Korba Festival 2011 POSTPONED

Stop 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!

No Daylight Savings Time in Egypt 2011

There 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 (which holiday makers might want to take notice of), it does mean we won't have the yo-yoing of the clocks which happened last year when they went back for Ramadan and then forward again!

Ahram article

Al Masry Al Youm article

Guest Post: Cairo Pet Owners by cairopets.com

Hello 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 the mean streets of Maadi.

Dogs, Cats, Horses and More in Cairo

Having lived here over a year, I've struggled a bit to find good vets, pet shops, kennels and other services for my dog and cats. To fill the need, I've created a website that aims to put all the info on one handy site; cats, dogs, birds, horses and others.  There are forums for pet-owners to talk to each other, extensive listings for vets and pet shops, kennels, plus a place to review the services that you have used.  Everyone wants to find a good vet - it is great to see how others before you have fared with a certain practice.

Animal Welfare and Volunteering in Cairo

Animal welfare issues are high on my list of priorities too. Using my experience as a volunteer coordinator, I have created a volunteer program at S.P.A.R.E., a local animal shelter. There are opportunities to travel with a group out to the location and spend some time at the clinic, doing some chores and playing with the animals. S.P.A.R.E. is a fantastic organization and with a bit of help could become a great resource for helping animals.

As our program grows, I hope to include camels, donkeys and other animals in the project. I am aiming to raise awareness about the needs of all animals in Egypt.

There are lots of resources out there, it is just a matter of finding them! I also hope to roll out a few new services in the next six months: Ordering supplies online, homemade dog and cat food and a few other features.

Cat and Dog Services

The other pet problem in Cairo? People who offer services have a hard time telling people about what they offer. www.cairopets.com has an inexpensive classified ads section where dog walkers, dog sitters, cat sitters and others can let owners know that they are available for hire.

Creating www.cairopets.com was an act of love by a person who loves animals. I am hopeful that it will make it just a little bit easier to care for a pet in this great city. If you have a listing that we don't have, let us know and we'll put it up. Please email me with feedback or any questions. We'll be happy to find the answer for you!

info@cairopets.com

A 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 about with 2 female visitors from different European countries. We travelled on buses, microbuses, the metro. We visited Tahrir, City Stars and the Opera House grounds.  We experienced almost no 'tourist' hassle (just a bit of 'see our tours' 'where you from' type stuff), and no harassment, unpleasantness of any kind. People were welcoming, helpful and polite.

Things to note:

Ramses railway station (main station in central Cairo) is undergoing a lot of building work.  It is open, but is a little chaotic.  If you are meeting people there or travelling from there, allow extra time to find your way into the station - you will have to navigate around the construction sites.  Also note that we could not find any toilets or any sit-down cafes (though plenty of refreshments for sale on the platform where trains to Luxor leave from) on the station, so do bear this in mind.

The Railway Museum is currently closed, we were told for around 2 months from now.

The Egyptian Museum appears to be open but we were just walking past, not attempting to go in.

The central Tahrir area where the peace camp was has been cleared (which happened on March 9th) and various potted plants have been placed around there.

The Museum of Modern Art and Palace of Arts are both closed.  We were told Palace of Arts should be reopening on Sunday 3rd April. Don't know about the Museum.

Not sure whether there is a program operating at the Opera House at the moment, didn't see any posters up and the ticket office was closed by the time we arrived. There is a schedule online http://www.cairoopera.org/ecalendar/index.aspx

As at 4th April 2011, the following were also still shut:

Abdeen Palace
Islamic Museum of Art