# Back to normality



## Sonrisa (Sep 2, 2010)

I know my post may come the wrong way, but I have been indoors for God knows how long, keeping my 3 and 5 years old children like prisioneers that are not allowed to go out. 

My kids constantly ask when they will be able to go back to school, to the park, to walk, to see friends, to swimming lessons, to ballet lessons etc. 

We want our life back. Selfish, maybe, but we are going insane. 

When will it be safe enough to allow normality to return? Should I still consider leaving Cairo? Whats the general feeling in Maadi at the moment ?


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

If we only knew, it might not even calm down if he stepped down today. 
Can you not take the kids back to Spain for a couple of weeks?
I understand you must have cabin fever not being able to go out as I was the same and I have no children to entertain. I must say I am having a lovely time here in Jeddah, the beach is beautiful and I am now a pink colour do to the sun,


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## Sonrisa (Sep 2, 2010)

Yes, I am seriously considering taking the kids to Spain tomorrow, I think flights are starting to be available from tomorrow. 
But my mother lives up north where is rainy and cold and miserable this time of the year, and so we may not be able to do much over there too. 

I somehow hope that things will get back to normality here sometime soon.


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## GM1 (Sep 30, 2008)

in Hurghada it is very quiet, can't you go there by plane?


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## Sonrisa (Sep 2, 2010)

thanks, but from what I hear supplies are seriously low over there? 

ON a positive note, it seems that normality has somehow been restored in Cairo. with banks and shops opened, I hear streets are busier. I am wondering if the antiforeigner rethoric used by the promub and state tv channels in Egypt is slowly being curved?


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

Things are normalizing, which does not necessarily mean the previous "normality". People are today going back to work, banks open 10am-1:30pm, American University in Cairo announced they will be back on Jan 13. Many schools are now on "extended" half-term holidays but plan to re-open on the 20th.

But, like in any process of this kind (70s Spain anyone?) it will be a slow process if the transition is allowed to happen.

On a seriously selfish note, I miss my maqwagi!!! :washing:


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## gw4khq (Oct 27, 2009)

One positive note for me was that because of the curfew, I couldn't get over to Maadi to watch England beat Wales in Rugby on friday night.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

gw4khq said:


> One positive note for me was that because of the curfew, I couldn't get over to Maadi to watch England beat Wales in Rugby on friday night.



lol


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## flossy207 (Jun 23, 2010)

gw4khq said:


> One positive note for me was that because of the curfew, I couldn't get over to Maadi to watch England beat Wales in Rugby on friday night.


now that's funny. It was a good game though!


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

flossy207 said:


> now that's funny. It was a good game though!




Yes if you are English lol


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## hurghadapat (Mar 26, 2010)

gw4khq said:


> One positive note for me was that because of the curfew, I couldn't get over to Maadi to watch England beat Wales in Rugby on friday night.


What's it been like in 6th Oct.City.........have tried to contact someone living there but heard nothing from her so far.


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## gw4khq (Oct 27, 2009)

hurghadapat said:


> What's it been like in 6th Oct.City.........have tried to contact someone living there but heard nothing from her so far.


It's been quiet in Dreamland, don't know about 6O itself. Only ventured as far as the main rd passing Dreamland where there is lots of security and some army presence. Local shops are managing to get supplies, except large bottles of water.


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## hurghadapat (Mar 26, 2010)

gw4khq said:


> It's been quiet in Dreamland, don't know about 6O itself. Only ventured as far as the main rd passing Dreamland where there is lots of security and some army presence. Local shops are managing to get supplies, except large bottles of water.


Ok thanks for that........will just have to wait and see if she makes contact then.Stay safe and hope all this comes to a good end.


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## Horus (Sep 17, 2010)

gw4khq said:


> It's been quiet in Dreamland, don't know about 6O itself. Only ventured as far as the main rd passing Dreamland where there is lots of security and some army presence. Local shops are managing to get supplies, except large bottles of water.


I have been drinking the water here but to do so I have had to fill up a giant 4 litre bottle and leave the lid off for a couple of days due to the chlorine it's like swimming pool water and I have had no ill effects so far I can't recommend people do it I don't know if boiling is an option

The only thing I notice is I can only water my plants with water that I leave outside in a bucket to get all the chlorine out - same with cuttings or they turn black


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## hurghadapat (Mar 26, 2010)

Horus said:


> I have been drinking the water here but to do so I have had to fill up a giant 4 litre bottle and leave the lid off for a couple of days due to the chlorine it's like swimming pool water and I have had no ill effects so far I can't recommend people do it I don't know if boiling is an option
> 
> The only thing I notice is I can only water my plants with water that I leave outside in a bucket to get all the chlorine out - same with cuttings or they turn black


Well if your cuttings come from egypt then you should be able to water them straight from the tap......where do you think the water comes from to water the plant you took the cuttings from......i grew many plants in my garden and all grew in just sand with camel s***t as fertilizer,and i had mango,orange,lemon mulberry,hibiscus,frangipani and lots of peppers and other veg.Seeds from uk i had no luck with at all.


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## wales1970 (Aug 19, 2010)

gw4khq said:


> One positive note for me was that because of the curfew, I couldn't get over to Maadi to watch England beat Wales in Rugby on friday night.


It was a hard hitting game,,not a walkover as some thought.


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## canuck2010 (Jan 13, 2010)

Sonrisa said:


> When will it be safe enough to allow normality to return? Should I still consider leaving Cairo? Whats the general feeling in Maadi at the moment ?


All the expats in our building (and street for that matter) skipped town when all this started. As far as I know the place is a virtual ghost town. I also heard that road 9 was looted, as well as Careffour. Some colleagues still in Cairo say food prices have tripled. Maadi is secure though, so I guess it depends where one wants to wait this thing out, camping in an apartment, or taking an impromptu holiday to somewhere else. 

FYI 'normality' will take at least another month or two.


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## cutiepie (Mar 14, 2009)

Sonrisa said:


> thanks, but from what I hear supplies are seriously low over there?



No def not the case, Shops are stocked up , def no shortage of food there was a shortage of cash limit of 200le per transaction on Thursday but wasn't a queue when I went in the evening. There was/is a shortage of petrol and phone cards but can still be got!

Bank opened again today and limit on ATMs have increased now again! Very quiet here not many tourists but nothing regarding protests etc happening here


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## DeadGuy (Jan 22, 2010)

Well everything's pretty "normal" where I'm stuck........Everyone's doing what they're usually doing, they're just doing it while carrying a weapon of some kind 

There is shortage of some items (Basically food, phone cards, and police ) which made the prices go crazy, and there's been a shortage in petrol, but I think they're working on the petrol part though :confused2:


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## Lanason (Sep 1, 2009)

gw4khq said:


> One positive note for me was that because of the curfew, I couldn't get over to Maadi to watch England beat Wales in Rugby on friday night.


I managed to get a Skype link up. Watched the match and great result for England 
:cheer2:
:eyebrows:


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## Jjsugar2001 (Jun 17, 2010)

Hey guys, 

A little bit off topic, but it seemed silly to post a new thread, does anyone know if the buses from Sharm to Cairo are still running? Or if they are less frequent/disrupted due to the protests?


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## gw4khq (Oct 27, 2009)

Lanason said:


> I managed to get a Skype link up. Watched the match and great result for England
> :cheer2:
> :eyebrows:


As my old friend One Eyed Beynon used to say "Wales has never lost a game yet; the other side only scores more."


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## gw4khq (Oct 27, 2009)

I take back what I said about it being quiet in Dreamland. Last night just after midnight it was like a battle zone with automatic rifles and bombs. Apparently someone was seen in the desert close to us and a lot of people turned out plus an army tank to protect the complex.

At the end of the day, false alarm. 

There a lot of very brave Egyptians ready to keep us safe from harm.


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## yasminerrr (Feb 3, 2011)

Sonrisa said:


> I know my post may come the wrong way, but I have been indoors for God knows how long, keeping my 3 and 5 years old children like prisioneers that are not allowed to go out.
> 
> My kids constantly ask when they will be able to go back to school, to the park, to walk, to see friends, to swimming lessons, to ballet lessons etc.
> 
> ...


hi,
i am from maadi and i can see things are start to be just ok, but to be honest for foreigners they should stay a way because no one can tell what is going to be so you should protect your self and your kids from what is going on hear in Egypt so you can travel for some times than when things are ok you can return.

i wish the best for all.


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## Sonrisa (Sep 2, 2010)

yasminerrr said:


> hi,
> i am from maadi and i can see things are start to be just ok, but to be honest for foreigners they should stay a way because no one can tell what is going to be so you should protect your self and your kids from what is going on hear in Egypt so you can travel for some times than when things are ok you can return.
> 
> i wish the best for all.


So you are saying that foreigners should stay away from Maadi? Some friends just returned to maadi, they tell me it's ok?
Why do you think it is still unsafe?


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## Widget (Jan 22, 2011)

Jjsugar2001 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> A little bit off topic, but it seemed silly to post a new thread, does anyone know if the buses from Sharm to Cairo are still running? Or if they are less frequent/disrupted due to the protests?


Hmm yes they are running, my other half went back to his city (north-east of Cairo) in the early hours of this morning, after a delay right at the start of the journey, they bus then arrived at the Suez tunnel at 5.45am, they then had to wait till it was opened by the army at 10.30. He got home at around 3.30pm. What normally takes around 8 hours took more like 13-14 hours.

I'm just happy that he's home safe and sound but yes, you could say they've been a bit disrupted.


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## Horus (Sep 17, 2010)

Jjsugar2001 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> A little bit off topic, but it seemed silly to post a new thread, does anyone know if the buses from Sharm to Cairo are still running? Or if they are less frequent/disrupted due to the protests?


I can say they are running but no idea of disruption


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## canuck2010 (Jan 13, 2010)

Sonrisa said:


> So you are saying that foreigners should stay away from Maadi? Some friends just returned to maadi, they tell me it's ok?
> Why do you think it is still unsafe?


We live in old maadi and while it probably is mostly safe we won't be returning for at least a month. I know a few other people who are still there and they are just stuck in their apartments as there is no where to go. Our offices remain closed so that is one reason. There are still soldiers and tanks around, food prices are very high, and there is the curfew. May as well wait a few more weeks to let the political situation settle down.


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