Cairo: The Practical Guide

by Claire E. Francy

Revised and updated for 2002, this guide is designed for expatriates and Cairenes alike who need a helping hand to organize the challenges of a sojourn in Cairo. The basics of daily life - finding a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9774246659
• ISBN13: 9789774246654
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: American University in Cairo Press
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

The sine qua non for those living 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.

hilarious and insulting

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.

All the Nuts & Bolts!

If you're a tourist, this book may not be for you. HOWEVER, if you will be in Cairo for any time, for any reason, you will need this book! It is the best compilation of grassroots information - it covers things not covered by the usual travel guides. I just wish it had some city maps in it!

Invaluable Resource if You're Moving to Egypt

I was offered a job in Egypt in 2000 and purchased the 2000 version of "Cairo: The Practical Guide." It was, as the title said, full of practical information about living in Cairo. It was a great resource as I prepared to relocate and I referred back to it many times over my two years there. It had everything from the skinny on the different parts of town to how to deal with tipping and lots in between. This book has the sort of stuff about everyday life that you won't find in tourist guide books. The accompanying book of maps (sold separately) was also very useful.

Moving to Cairo? This is a must-read

This book is not your average "here's-how-to-get-to-pyramids" guide book to Egypt, nor is it intended to be. This is a book specifically for individuals and families moving to Cairo for an extended period who have not spent time in Middle Eastern, African or other second-tier countries whose citizenry has a different "walterschaaung" or worldview. Listing this guidebook in the travel guide section is wide of the mark; this is a survival guide for ex-patriots to one of the most historic and culturally unsual (from a Western perspective) place on the planet. Thousands of survival tips are given, such as which kinds of cheeses to select, where to find and what to pay a housekeeper, where to find fresh meat, which mall has a Baskins-Robbins, which neighborhood would best suit the new arrival, and a pretty good chapter on survival Arabic. The writing style, like this guide, is not sugar-coated but directly sparse, defoliated and easy to read and remember. I would pack this book along with several other guidebooks if you are planning an extended (more than a few days) stay in Cairo. While world-romping tourists could probably live without this guide, the expat would find it indispensible. Chances are, though, a new guide book edition (the 10th) is already headed toward the American University in Cairo Press.