Customer Reviews

Cairo: The Practical Guide; New Revised Edition

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Insulting to the Egyptians, that is.

This is a "tell-it-like-it-is" guide to living in Cairo, so make sure it's what you want. It's not really geared for tourists so much as for Western expats who are going to be living there for a while and need advice on how to get a driver's license, pay their phone bill, get a residence permit, etc. It's geared toward long-term stays.

Sure, there are many guides out there about Egypt and Cairo, but this one is in a class of its own. It's recommended reading, in fact, for anybody interested in getting some straight talk on the culture of Arabs and the Middle East, even if you have no intentions of going to Cairo.

In fact, so blunt is this book that I'm surprised it's even countenanced by the American University in Cairo, from whose press it comes. Many passages many the Egyptians look downright backwards.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about, when the author, Clare Francy, is warning you about kissing in public:

"An Egyptian friend who gave her fiance a quick peck in the car when he told her he had finished his doctorate was spat on by the middle-aged couple in the car next to them!" (p. 139)

Actually, if you're in the market for hilarious and revealing passages like this and aren't particularly concerned about how up-to-date the information is, I advise you to see if you can get your hands on the first edition, i.e., not the "New Revised Edition." That one is much more bare-knuckled and unapologetic: they've toned things down quite a lot since then.

This book was great for our time spent in Cairo after our tour group ended. It has every neighborhood closely identified and carefully reviewed. It was easy to get around on the metro and it also gave "fast" food restaurant reviews, which was nice if we just wanted to pop in for a quick kabob. I recommend this book if you have a long stay in Cairo.

This has been the indispensable, indeed legendary, guide for the past three decades for anyone wishing to live successfully in Cairo. Tourists to Cairo have one experience, and resident expats have quite another. Surviving in style takes some assistance, and this book is the place to get it.

To my slight dismay, the book no longer includes some sections that, while very practical, were probably a bit politically incorrect. For instance, the chapter on how to manage your servants is no longer there.

Anyone who sets out to live in Cairo absolutely must get this volume. The map set (once included with the book, but now sold separately) should also be purchased. While I believe some other books are now trying to compete, this really is one book you cannot do without.

Easy to follow and a great reference book to return to time and time again. Before moving to Cairo I did a cross cultural 1 day course but I think this book has proved more useful. It is written in a pragmatic and logical way, with enough information to help you navigate your new life. the only thing that stops it being a 5 star product is that the arabic words would benefit from the phonetic version too so that you don't mistake a pigeon for a toilet!!