# there goes lots of questions



## qetadgzcb (Jan 29, 2010)

Hi everyone,

My brother has received a job offer from Alexandria and will be visiting Alexandria sometime during the next 1-2weeks to discuss the details with the company owner. A job offer for him sort of means one for me as well so I'm deeply involved in the issue. Sadly we have absolutely no idea about Egypt.

I don't want to take too much of everyone's time but I'll be grateful if anyone can fill me in with some details on living in Alexandria. I've listed some stuff below which I have in mind initially.

- Online shopping websites similar to Amazon.com etc so I can check prices of electronics, home appliances, furniture etc..
- Online supermarket website like Carrefour etc so I can check prices of daily consumables to have an idea of living costs in Egypt.
- Online ads/bidding website so I can check prices of cars.
- Online real estate website so I can check rents for houses.

- Which neighborhoods/districts would be suitable for family? Areas that are tidy/clean? Maybe like small communities with lots of green areas etc? Or any suggestions about medium-well places to live?
- How much does a liter of gas cost for the car?
- Monthly approximate water, electricity, gas etc charges for the house?
- How is public transport in Alexandria(for ex it's nearly impossible in Dubai to live without a car)? Is it well developed and are timings often enough and the prices?
- Are there international well-known primary schools?

- Are alcoholic drinks widely available?
- Are there lots of bars/clubs etc?

- Would you suggest moving to Alexandria from Dubai? Any downsides etc?
- Is Arabic a must to live in Alexandria? I don't speak Arabic but I can live on perfect in Dubai and just want to know if Alexandria is similar?

I know I've asked quite a lot of things but I would greatly appreciate even if I get help with a few.

Oh and I've gone through all 59 threads before posting, just couldn't find (expect a few threads) really satisfying answers to my questions..

Thanks in advance everyone..

Cheers!


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## layla13 (Apr 29, 2010)

there is a carrefour in alex.. http://www.carrefour.com.eg/stores.aspx?SId=3 the main site has offers and stuff. i dont know about tidy.. i havent seen many places in egypt that are clean lol if you can get a local friend to set things up would be a lot cheaper then if you just do it yourself theres foreigner prices and local prices for stuff. i know cars arent cheap i havent been able to afford one yet.. we usually rent one when we want to travel far.. otherwise use cabs which are affordable.


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

Online shopping in Egypt is practically non-existent. Welcome to the 21st century


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## seawind77 (Oct 2, 2010)

qetadgzcb said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> My brother has received a job offer from Alexandria and will be visiting Alexandria sometime during the next 1-2weeks to discuss the details with the company owner. A job offer for him sort of means one for me as well so I'm deeply involved in the issue. Sadly we have absolutely no idea about Egypt.
> 
> ...


Hi,

First of all I dont suggest to move Alex from Dubai. Anycase here is a quite Turkish Community and can help your brother about living here. Mainly in Egypt he can handle without knowing Arabic. 

Mainly the prices are looks cheaper when you compare with Turkey (food). Textile is the only expensive things here. 

About alcohol there are some places serving drinks and some shops where you can buy.


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## layla13 (Apr 29, 2010)

getting things in the mail is not very reliable. in cairo not a problem to get packages. in hurghada i havent figured out how to get mail yet i have seen NO mailmen. i guess it has to be fed ex or get a post box. lol


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## Horus (Sep 17, 2010)

I can tell you this now:

1. I have sent a "signed for" item to someone in Egypt, 3 weeks on it has yet to arrive, Ali Baba and the postal thieves are notorious.

2. Your paypal account (if you have it) if used in Egypt after a few times will become blocked when the security system picks up on the IP address Egypt. The ONLY way to get around this is have someone you can trust in your OWN country operate your paypal

3. Tidy and clean in Egypt - it's a developing country. I have only seen moderate tidy and clean in Sharm be prepared for some eye opening experiences

You will learn once you scratch the surface of living in Egypt it's a lovely country with lots of charm but filled with corruption, a lack of freedom of speech and it's the land of scams.

It's a bit like marmite - you either love it or hate it. I happen to love it but let's see what living there is like.


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## SHendra (Oct 18, 2010)

Mail is very unreliable yes! I'm meant to get my payslips via post from UK every month and I go months without getting them then all of the sudden they all come within days of each other. It really is snail mail! Lord knows how penpals existed pre-internet days here!

As for Alexandria Seawind pretty much covered it. There are places you can go drink and some ok places but it's still a bit behind the times. If you are person who enjoy a heavy nightlife with choices Alexandria is not the place for that. If you are a person ok just for making 1 or 2 places your local for a beer then Alexandria is ok! There's a few nice places to go to eat mind and of course cinema etc. 

I know it may all sound negative but it's better to be honest. 

My advise is to come for a visit spend a few days looking about and then make up your minds. There are some ok areas to live some are cleaner than others. Roushdy nice and a few bits of greenery here and there as well as pretty safe for a family too. But also one of the most expensive areas. It's also where a lot of the expats live. As well as other areas too like San Stefano, Loran, Montazah and some others to I cant think of right now!!. Roushdy has the bonus of being 'in the middle' of the city as well as going down onto the sea road too. 

As for the language I've been here a few years now and I get by just by knowing the basic words. Yes, No, Thanks and so on! 

And as the others said their isn't much of a shopping online thing for Egypt yet!


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## layla13 (Apr 29, 2010)

I use paypal from egypt. but mainly just at the atm.. i use my american bank account. but i have had problems a few times using the card for a "point of sale" at a store and had to prove my location and stuff. luckily i did it thru email and codes after a big hassle so i mainely just use it for the atm. the reason was some stores use a third party bank and that raises the red flag for paypal i guess.


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## layla13 (Apr 29, 2010)

I have waited months for letters that never arrived. i have used fed ex and the main center called to find where hurghada was.. weird!


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## Horus (Sep 17, 2010)

layla13 said:


> I use paypal from egypt. but mainly just at the atm.. i use my american bank account. but i have had problems a few times using the card for a "point of sale" at a store and had to prove my location and stuff. luckily i did it thru email and codes after a big hassle so i mainely just use it for the atm. the reason was some stores use a third party bank and that raises the red flag for paypal i guess.


How long have you been using it?

You will find eventually it WILL get blocked and your money could get frozen

They have an automated system that will pick up on the IP address I looked into it very close and spoke to a few people.


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## NZCowboy (May 11, 2009)

Horus,
Paypal, moneybookers etc work fine if you use a VPN.
My Paypal account was blocked 3 years ago when I first came to Egypt, so was travelling to the UK often and set up a Moneybookers account from there and used a UK VPN when in Egypt so it would not get blocked. This month the company that provides my VPN for the UK added another 66 countries including NZ, so I added a NZ VPN and have been able to access my Paypal account which I had set up orginally in NZ.
VPN's are an easy way to get around websites that limit your access due to your location/IP address. With a UK VPN you can also access the BBC downloads and streams (football etc) that are only available to UK residents.


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## layla13 (Apr 29, 2010)

Horus said:


> How long have you been using it?
> 
> You will find eventually it WILL get blocked and your money could get frozen
> 
> They have an automated system that will pick up on the IP address I looked into it very close and spoke to a few people.


yeah that is what happened a few times.. ive been using it like 5 years.. and ive had a few hassles.. and it definitley does track the IP address. maybe because its linked to a US bank account.. they know im on an extended stay. it happened twice and the second time i had to email paypal alot and eventually they let me use a code that was sent thru the mail to my sister and she gave em the number and i went to paypal and entered it and they unfroze my account. id die without paypal here lol just for atm use.


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## layla13 (Apr 29, 2010)

layla13 said:


> yeah that is what happened a few times.. ive been using it like 5 years.. and ive had a few hassles.. and it definitley does track the IP address. maybe because its linked to a US bank account.. they know im on an extended stay. it happened twice and the second time i had to email paypal alot and eventually they let me use a code that was sent thru the mail to my sister and she gave em the number and i went to paypal and entered it and they unfroze my account. id die without paypal here lol just for atm use.


also I had a friend in the military in Iraq and they froze his account but he just called them and they unfroze it.


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## MensEtManus (Jul 30, 2009)

Merhaba! 

There is a strong Turkish community in Alexandria. Most of the Turks work in Amreya Free Zone or Borg El Arab Industrial Zone (most in textiles and pharma). Both places are considered "outside" Alexandria. Borg el Arab for example is around 1+ hour from downtown Alexandria and almost 1 and half hours away from a place like Roushdy/Kafr Abdo (which seems to be a popular area among expats)

1) Alexandria is not internet ready in anyway whatsoever. 

2) Check where you will be working and put a time limit on how far you want to live, then we can discuss districts to live in. However, Alexandria city is divided into old buildings built by the French/Italians/English or new buildings. The idea of being in a community surrounded by green is something that is "outside" Alexandria and not still properly operational

3) gas is cheap (as it is subsidized) - Diesel is 1.1 EGP per liter

4) Public transport: there are trains (built almost 50 years ago) which are very cheap and very unreliable. Then there is the concept of mini-bus (11 passengers squeezed together). Most of the trips are around 1LE. Taxi fares are on average around 5LE.

5) Alcohol is slowly disappearing in Alexandria. Several old clubs and places have stopped serving alcohols. However, new alcohol only shops opened up with a chain called "Drinkies" selling local stuff. They even deliver! Alexandrians now are introverts and do everything behind hidden doors. 4-star hotels and up serve alcohol. I know a handful of places that serve alcohol in Alexandria and actually I think all of those places are owned by the Greeks of Alexandria past. You have the Greek club (require membership), Santa Lucia and the Greek Maritime Restaurant (same owner) and Delices (the only coffee shop that sells alcohol). There used to be two restaurants that sold alcohol but I haven't visited them in quite some time (food poisoning so stoppoed going). One was Chez Gabi and the other was called "Far and Away." I think the only operational bar is "spitfire." Clubs are nonexistant in Alexandria; however, during the summer about 3 clubs start working, but those clubs are closer to the beach area in a place called "Agami" which actually is closer to Amreya and Borg el Arab than Alexandria. 

6) I know you didn't ask, but hash is like water in Alexandria. It is available behind the counter of most shops... 

I cannot imagine living in Alexandria not knowing Arabic. Then again, it could be different as my work forces me to speak the language daily. 


I never lived in Dubai so cannot compare living conditions, but you can have a good time in Dubai (for all ages!). Alexandria is not really for the "young" crowd.


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## bat (Dec 1, 2010)

*vpn*



NZCowboy said:


> Horus,
> Paypal, moneybookers etc work fine if you use a VPN.
> My Paypal account was blocked 3 years ago when I first came to Egypt, so was travelling to the UK often and set up a Moneybookers account from there and used a UK VPN when in Egypt so it would not get blocked. This month the company that provides my VPN for the UK added another 66 countries including NZ, so I added a NZ VPN and have been able to access my Paypal account which I had set up orginally in NZ.
> VPN's are an easy way to get around websites that limit your access due to your location/IP address. With a UK VPN you can also access the BBC downloads and streams (football etc) that are only available to UK residents.


ok ears pricked up at VPN and sky or bbc down loads
bit more info please,have got all day not going to work ,or cook or clean.
and waiting for the snow ( thats the latest buzz, snow on the way )


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## NZCowboy (May 11, 2009)

bat said:


> ok ears pricked up at VPN and sky or bbc down loads
> bit more info please,have got all day not going to work ,or cook or clean.
> and waiting for the snow ( thats the latest buzz, snow on the way )


Post one more time, and you will be able to use the private message feature.
By using a VPN appears you are accesssing the site from the UK, (UK - IP address) thus have all the sites features they are restricted to only UK residents.
What do you wish to know?
Are you still in the UK? When are you planning to come to Egypt?


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## bat (Dec 1, 2010)

no am in cairo and have been for over 20 yrs but pop over to uk 
well this year at least quite a few times so next time i go will try to sort it out
so on the same subject heard a while back of people who brought there sky box over ,anyone any idea about that.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Your sky box will not work in Egypt.


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## bat (Dec 1, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> Your sky box will not work in Egypt.


i take it its been tried
the guy at sky said it might just
but might give it a go anyway
unless its a def no no:


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