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New to the city of ancients :)))

Steve214

Hello people from Egypt and everywhere else :)

I will be having a 4-weeks training course in Cairo, with Weatherford Int. Oil and Gas Company, from 16/1 to 11/2/2011, somewhere in an area called Maadii, im gonna stay in an hotel in the area, still dont know which one though, i would like to know some issues about Cairo before im already there:)

how will the weather be likely in that period?

beside the pyramids and the Sphinx, what else places you recommend me to visit?

is it a good area, the Maadii i mean, is it close to the downtown?

is there any good nightlife spots in the area? like a place with good music or serves cold beer? if not, how far are the hot spots?

what type of mobile SIM card shall i get when i reach there? which company is the most popular there?

is there any activities for this forum members to do something around the city like taking a tour together or having a dinner or a drink together?!! i like socializing, with both locals and expats!

thanx for your help!
cheers guys :)

See also

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Yud

Welcome to the forum Steve214 :)

I hope other members will be able to respond to your queries very shortly.

Regards :)

Boby moon

Cairo is a warm sunny city, temp these days is max 22c min is 13c.

More places to visit:

Old Cairo like: Khan Khalili, Muiz Street, textile museum, Azhar Mosque & Area, Ibn Toulon Mosque 
Egyptian Museum at (Tahrir Square-downtown)
Luxor & Aswan:  long trip as you got many monuments to visit

Maadi is a place that you can find different types of life in, But it is popular  as an expat area as most of the expats living in Cairo are living there.
the underground opens at 6:00 PM and close at 00:00 AM and you can use it from Maadi (station at road 9 to downtown)it is like 20 :25 mins.

Telecom providers are Vodafone / Mobinil / Etisalat I cannot recommend one than another, each got advantages and disadvantages but the last is the latest in the market and Mobinil is the oldest.

Steve214

Yud, did u notice we have the same birth date?!! what are the chances?!!! lol :)

Steve214

Boby Moon, that is an informative reply! really appreciated :)
it looks i will have great time there,
Since the Maadii is popular with expats, i guess there will be some nice clubs or pubs...
One more thing, i have heard alooooooooot about sharm elsheikh, is it worth at that time of the year? how far is it from cairo? can make it in a weekend?
thanx again :)

Shorouk

sharm you can take a daily bus super-jet spend a couple of days there and return by bus.

you can also do a day trip to Alex by train.

lots to due around Cairo and with only a month you most likely wont be board check out the ace club in Maadi. its for any foreign passport holders. they serve drinks and meals and have a big screen TV for sports. not sure if they have a short term membership but you should check it out on-line.

We use both mobinil and vodafone for our local and international calls

eltviola

Hi, Jan-Feb is a good time to visit Cairo cos it's the right temperature for getting out and about (at least for someone who's in the UK right now freezing to death!) Also Maadi is a nice area, lots of expats live there and there are many bars and cafes to go to. It's not far from Downtown I guess... but you wouldn't be able to walk from one to the other.
We have been out in Zamalek a few times which is a shortish taxi ride from Maadi. There are loads of cafes and restaurants there and it's a really relaxed atmosphere by the Nile. Anywhere near the river is usually good for nightlife.
As the others have probably mentioned, the Egyptian museum is worth a visit, and the Citadel is also impressive with the surrounding mosques like the Sultan Hassan mosque.

I suggest we arrange a group meet up nearer the time so you can meet some people and ask for advice in person. Keep us posted and we'll do our best :-) Always looking for an excuse to go out!

Elaine

Steve214

Thanx Shoruk,
That was more than helpful, a near sport bar is very much wanted!! some good matches will take place in that period!
Alex? I dont know, I only have the weekends to travel outside cairo, i dont know if it is enough for Alex or Sharm Alshekh, can I make it to one of those cities in a weekend?
Thanx Shoruk again, and Merry Christmas :)

Steve214

Many thanx Elaine, that was helpful too :)
Dont tell me please about London or the UK, my training course was supposed to be held in Aberdeen, I could bear the "freezing to death" for that! LOL
Actually everybody is telling that Maaddii is a good place, that cheered me up! and the public transportation there looks easy and helpful there...
A group meet up sounds just perfect, the first beer(or Shisha) round on me, depending on where you will put me in ;)
Merry Christmas Elaine,

Yud

Steve214 wrote:

Yud, did u notice we have the same birth date?!! what are the chances?!!! lol :)


Yeah, we can celebrate it together one day if I am around Cairo :)