# New Cairo Life



## Deeana

About 7 years ago my Egyptian husband and I invested in some property in Moon Valley in New Cairo, taking a massive leap in the dark and buying not much more than a piece of sand, at the time. I will never forget the moments of doubt as we drew up in the taxi in front of "Moon Valley" - a large piece of sand enclosed by a wall, within which we had a large financial stake. Now the whole area has changed a bit! Unbelievable investments have turned New Cairo into reality.  We are hoping to use the apartment we have as a retirement retreat from the European winters. And I'm trying to find out other people's opinions and input on life out there in New Cairo. Anyone have anything they'd like to share?


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## aykalam

Hi Deeana,

New compounds tend to be surrounded by a lot of building work and unfinished access roads. I don't know much about Moon Valley but I would hasten a guess that services inside the area will be pretty limited. You will definitely need a car, as things are not walking distance. I have friends in more established compounds (Shorouk, Madinaty) who still need to drive into Al Rehab for almost everything.

when are you planning to move?


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## Deeana

Actually the area is pretty close to offering everything anyone could need. Yes there is still a lot of building work, but there are plenty of shops, hospitals, everything you could need. Work is still continuing despite the political situation. Our apartment will be finished completely soon, and I expect to spend some time there this winter. I'm looking forward to it.


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## aykalam

wow...is there a hospital inside Moon Valley?


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## Biffy

Mmmmmm - retirement retreat!? Cairo??

SHouldn't a retirement retreat be somewhere peaceful and calm - somewhere to enjoy the open spaces - BBQ, relax, etc.

I must say, Cairo woudl not be my ideal retriement retreat.


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## Deeana

Ah, but I said "retreat from the WINTERS" and that's the point. We have just lived through the coldest 18 months of my long life in France and England, and this isn't getting any easier. I happen to like the sun, and can put up with busy Cairo in exchange for Egyptian December sun. I was just wondering if anyone had anything constructive to share.


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## Deeana

aykalam said:


> wow...is there a hospital inside Moon Valley?


Yes!


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## CAIRODEMON

Deeana said:


> Ah, but I said "retreat from the WINTERS" and that's the point. We have just lived through the coldest 18 months of my long life in France and England, and this isn't getting any easier. I happen to like the sun, and can put up with busy Cairo in exchange for Egyptian December sun. I was just wondering if anyone had anything constructive to share.


The Egyptian winter sun is not always what it's cracked up to be, if you want guaranteed warmth you need to consider Luxor/Aswan or at least Hurgada. Yes you do get some decent Dec/Jan days when the sun shines and the temperature is nudging 20 degrees, but it does plummet at night and you will also get a lot of days when it's cloudy and the wind cuts like a knife. Bear in mind that most places here are not built for cold weather, rather like UK houses can be uncomfortable when it gets hot.

Lat winter was not to bad, but the previous winter seemed to go on forever and was really pretty cold quite often. Yes I know all things are relative and UK/Northern France experience much colder winters, but please do not think that it is non stop sunshine and warmth here either.


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## Biffy

CAIRODEMON said:


> The Egyptian winter sun is not always what it's cracked up to be, if you want guaranteed warmth you need to consider Luxor/Aswan or at least Hurgada. Yes you do get some decent Dec/Jan days when the sun shines and the temperature is nudging 20 degrees, but it does plummet at night and you will also get a lot of days when it's cloudy and the wind cuts like a knife. Bear in mind that most places here are not built for cold weather, rather like UK houses can be uncomfortable when it gets hot.
> 
> Lat winter was not to bad, but the previous winter seemed to go on forever and was really pretty cold quite often. Yes I know all things are relative and UK/Northern France experience much colder winters, but please do not think that it is non stop sunshine and warmth here either.



Cairodemon:- you are so right!!
winter 2011/12 was my first full winter in Egypt - Cairo - and I spent every night trying to get warm (in fact on my next trip to the UK i bought us all high tog duvet covers) - I was frozen.

As you said it is all relative - but tempertures getting down to 5 degrees - with no heating in the house (a house that is very drafty) was horrible!

During the days I was wearing jumpers and vests (!) because it wasn't warm either.

SO if you are looking for WInter sun - the Red Sea areas would be much much better - much warmer.


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## hurghadapat

Biffy said:


> Cairodemon:- you are so right!!
> winter 2011/12 was my first full winter in Egypt - Cairo - and I spent every night trying to get warm (in fact on my next trip to the UK i bought us all high tog duvet covers) - I was frozen.
> 
> As you said it is all relative - but tempertures getting down to 5 degrees - with no heating in the house (a house that is very drafty) was horrible!
> 
> During the days I was wearing jumpers and vests (!) because it wasn't warm either.
> 
> SO if you are looking for WInter sun - the Red Sea areas would be much much better - much warmer.



Winters in Hurghada can be pretty much like summers in the UK...but without the rain....also it can get quite cold at night and sometimes windy.


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## Biffy

Please see your first request - you asked if anything had anything they would like to share about life and living in Cairo.
You will get both the negative and the positive - but I am afraid that you will get more of the negative. Because on the whole they outweigh the positive sometimes.

There must be some reason we re here you will ask - and on the whole the answer will be money!
Adventure (with a limited time frame),etc.

Also just because it isn't what you wish to hear - doesn't mean it is not constructive!!


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## Deeana

CAIRODEMON said:


> The Egyptian winter sun is not always what it's cracked up to be, if you want guaranteed warmth you need to consider Luxor/Aswan or at least Hurgada. Yes you do get some decent Dec/Jan days when the sun shines and the temperature is nudging 20 degrees, but it does plummet at night and you will also get a lot of days when it's cloudy and the wind cuts like a knife. Bear in mind that most places here are not built for cold weather, rather like UK houses can be uncomfortable when it gets hot.
> 
> Lat winter was not to bad, but the previous winter seemed to go on forever and was really pretty cold quite often. Yes I know all things are relative and UK/Northern France experience much colder winters, but please do not think that it is non stop sunshine and warmth here either.


I was in Cairo and Luxor last winter and found both to be rather chilly at night. It's fun when the sun goes down and the temperature drops like a stone - you pull your shawl around you and reach for a glass of wine. Chilly doesn't count as cold. We left behind snow (it snowed on four different occasions in southern England last winter - November, December, December again, January ) ice, rain, arctic winds and howling storms. Is there seriously any comparison?


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## Deeana

To be honest you guys sound very unfriendly. I am not a Cairo novice, I've lived here before, visited every year for decades, raised my kids here, married my husband here, have Egyptian friends, ran an Egyptian-based business for a while... I was looking for input on NEW CAIRO really. Sorry to have bothered you. Bye.


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## mamasue

Deeana said:


> To be honest you guys sound very unfriendly. I am not a Cairo novice, I've lived here before, visited every year for decades, raised my kids here, married my husband here, have Egyptian friends, ran an Egyptian-based business for a while... I was looking for input on NEW CAIRO really. Sorry to have bothered you. Bye.



Unfriendly??? What am I missing!!???


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## txlstewart

Why ask these questions when you have such vast experiences here? SMH


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## CAIRODEMON

Deeana said:


> I was in Cairo and Luxor last winter and found both to be rather chilly at night. It's fun when the sun goes down and the temperature drops like a stone - you pull your shawl around you and reach for a glass of wine. Chilly doesn't count as cold. We left behind snow (it snowed on four different occasions in southern England last winter - November, December, December again, January ) ice, rain, arctic winds and howling storms. Is there seriously any comparison?


Obviously there is a comparison! There is usually a comparison between most things. Last winter was mild, the one before was downright cold, not chilly but b----y COLD. I am after all a Northern European and can tell the difference. When the temperature drops well into single figures that is cold, and as previously stated, this is a country geared towards high temperatures.

You have an Egyptian spouse and a property here so it makes sense for you to winter in Cairo, just let's not pretend that it is ideal.


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## Gounie

I definately would prefer to spend my winters in Egypt! The climate is the best on the Red Sea coast so if you experience an 'very' cold spell it is easy to drive/fly to the coast. Although it gets cold here too, the sunbathers are always out in their bikinis behind a wind break during the day! Luxor/Aswan are a different climate inland. Much colder at night than the coast.

Dr. Khaled El-Araby, Chair Professor of Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering at Ain Shams University said the satellite cities around Cairo have not worked being expensive and the commuting time to the center of the city. If you are retiring the commuting time does not matter as you won't be travelling in the rush hour. Not sure if Moon Valley is one of these new projects?

It is your investment, your new home so give it a try and I wish you every happiness there.


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## Biffy

winter 2011 / 12 was freezing - like i said the temperature was getting as low as 4/5 degrees - i also know what cold is - and i am not nesh - it was very cold for a good couple of months it was terrible. real stew and dumplings weather. 

This last winter the cold hit - but didn't last so long!

Bit in both cases you needed more than a shawl when you went out - it was thermal vests and thick jackets (and that was just in the house - I wish i was joking!!).

the only truly warm room we had was the kitchen - which during cooking meals was lovely.. My children took to doing thier homework in the kitchen at the kitechn table - so I could put the oven on and open the door so they would be warm!!!

All places here are designed for the hot weather to keep cool - and not to seal in warmth


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## CAIRODEMON

Deeana said:


> To be honest you guys sound very unfriendly. I am not a Cairo novice, I've lived here before, visited every year for decades, raised my kids here, married my husband here, have Egyptian friends, ran an Egyptian-based business for a while... I was looking for input on NEW CAIRO really. Sorry to have bothered you. Bye.


OK fair point. I live in New Cairo, have done for six and a half years. During that time I have seen many changes, for better and for worse. In 2007 you basically had to go to Carrefour, Maadi or Heliopolis to shop. Not so now, there are several supermarkets of reasonable quality. Same thing with cafe's, Downtown Mall opened a couple of years ago and has been expanding ever since, it does get crowded over the weekend but it is pleasant to go there, do a bit of shopping and have a coffee. There are good schools in the area if required.

On the downside, when I first moved here the traffic was very light. Since then it has increased significantly, I would say exponentially over the last three years. The air quality was great compared to older districts (not a high bar to set!), it is still better but getting worse quite rapidly. Many of the buildings have been completed to what seems to be a good standard, but there is still a lot of work going on and it is hard to imagine that this will change soon. Forward planning is not (in my opinion) an Egyptian forte, and I am afraid that New Cairo rather supports this view. Where are the parks and children's recreational areas? Will the road/transport system be adequate once even a decent percentage of the available properties become occupied?

To be honest, New Cairo reminds me a bit of Jeddah or Sharjah, both of which have good points, but neither of which I would like to return to. My guess is that it will take another five to ten years for the area to seriously take shape. It may turn out to be an excellent place to live, but then again maybee not. At the end of the day it's pretty subjective, one man's meat etc.


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## hurghadapat

Biffy said:


> Please see your first request - you asked if anything had anything they would like to share about life and living in Cairo.
> You will get both the negative and the positive - but I am afraid that you will get more of the negative. Because on the whole they outweigh the positive sometimes.
> 
> There must be some reason we re here you will ask - and on the whole the answer will be money!
> Adventure (with a limited time frame),etc.
> 
> Also just because it isn't what you wish to hear - doesn't mean it is not constructive!!



Maybe you are the one who should re-read Deeana's first post.....she was asking for info about what life is like living in New Cairo not what life is like in Cairo in general,but i see one of our forum members has answered her with hopefully the sort of info she was looking fore.


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## aykalam

CAIRODEMON said:


> On the downside, when I first moved here the traffic was very light. Since then it has increased significantly, I would say exponentially over the last three years. The air quality was great compared to older districts (not a high bar to set!), it is still better but getting worse quite rapidly. Many of the buildings have been completed to what seems to be a good standard, but there is still a lot of work going on and it is hard to imagine that this will change soon. Forward planning is not (in my opinion) an Egyptian forte, and I am afraid that New Cairo rather supports this view. Where are the parks and children's recreational areas? Will the road/transport system be adequate once even a decent percentage of the available properties become occupied?


and wait until Festival City, specially IKEA, are open! rd 90 will become the new Nasr Rd (that's the one near City Stars). Many people are saying that New Cairo, once people move in, will become the new Nasr City.


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## Biffy

hurghadapat said:


> Maybe you are the one who should re-read Deeana's first post.....she was asking for info about what life is like living in New Cairo not what life is like in Cairo in general,but i see one of our forum members has answered her with hopefully the sort of info she was looking fore.


MMMmmm sorry - I didn't realise that New Cairo was in a differnet country - without the same challenges that we all face everywhere in Cairo, and a different climate!!

I think she just wants very positive comments - and any negative are as usual unnacceptable.

New Cairo is just that new - who can say what it is going to turn out like.

But basically - and I will aplogise for this - I took slight offence that just ebcuase we live in Egypt we are all namby pambys who don't know the difference between bloody cold - and cool whn I need a shawl.

ALso the lady has been disingenous - as as soon as an answer came that wasn't liked - I know cairo have lived for decades!!


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