travel thread

[felix rex]

Anybody ever been to Cairo or thereabouts? I'm kinda sorta moving there soon, and the crap my office provides me with is more or less only useful for their needs, not mine.

[michigancat]

Anybody ever been to Cairo or thereabouts? I'm kinda sorta moving there soon, and the crap my office provides me with is more or less only useful for their needs, not mine.

Seems like moving to Cairo would be a pretty definite thing. Probably worthy of it's own thread.

[steve dave]

you can see the pyramids from pizza hut

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

Will be traveling with Mrs. ETP to Dublin, London and Paris in June.

goEMAW experts, assemble!

The TGV train is pretty cool. It runs slow through horrible (sans Stonehenge - Avebury)  England and the chunnel, but once into France it gets some serious speed.  If you don't have a hotel in Paris yet, get one that is close to a Metro station.  The Metro is awesome and gets you within walking distance of anything you want to see on a first trip like The Louvre, Musee de Orsay, Montmartre Sacre Coeur and surrounding, Napoleon's tomb, Rodin's garden, train to Versailles, etc.  Climb to the top of the Arc de Triumph, good view.  Don't let the smelly Germans cut in line when you are going to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Fat Americans where jeans and tennis shoes - don't do it. 

[Trim]

Anybody ever been to Cairo or thereabouts? I'm kinda sorta moving there soon, and the crap my office provides me with is more or less only useful for their needs, not mine.

I've heard it's unbearably hot and dirty.

[econocat]

Anybody ever been to Cairo or thereabouts? I'm kinda sorta moving there soon, and the crap my office provides me with is more or less only useful for their needs, not mine.

Cairo Illinois I Presume

[felix rex]

Anybody ever been to Cairo or thereabouts? I'm kinda sorta moving there soon, and the crap my office provides me with is more or less only useful for their needs, not mine.

Seems like moving to Cairo would be a pretty definite thing. Probably worthy of it's own thread.

It's a federal job, so it takes forever. Was supposed to leave in February, but has since been moved back to March.

I've heard it's unbearably hot and dirty.

I've also been told not to take a car you actually care about, b/c it will get the crap beat out of it within 1 week. Although in the next sentence they offered to ship both cars over there.

[steve dave]

seems like buying a new car in cairo would be much easier than shipping a car.  also, you should take a camel everywhere. 

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

Anybody ever been to Cairo or thereabouts? I'm kinda sorta moving there soon, and the crap my office provides me with is more or less only useful for their needs, not mine.

Seems like moving to Cairo would be a pretty definite thing. Probably worthy of it's own thread.

It's a federal job, so it takes forever. Was supposed to leave in February, but has since been moved back to March.

I've heard it's unbearably hot and dirty.

I've also been told not to take a car you actually care about, b/c it will get the crap beat out of it within 1 week. Although in the next sentence they offered to ship both cars over there.

What happened to the person you are replacing? Hostage situation?

[michigancat]

seems like buying a new car in cairo would be much easier than shipping a car.  also, you should take a camel everywhere. 

yeah, ask them to pay you in cash what it would cost to ship a car. or even half of that.

Other than that, my advice would be to just move to Cairo, milk the temp housing as much as possible and figure everything else out when you get there.

[felix rex]

seems like buying a new car in cairo would be much easier than shipping a car.  also, you should take a camel everywhere. 

yeah, ask them to pay you in cash what it would cost to ship a car. or even half of that.

Other than that, my advice would be to just move to Cairo, milk the temp housing as much as possible and figure everything else out when you get there.

No way to cash it in. They basically cover the cost/insurance of a couple containers to ship our crap over there. We can cram whatever we want in there, more or less. I'm thinking to ship one car that's already pretty used up and then also buy a scooter. Scooters have gotten a hilarious amount of recommendations from other expats.

Also, really looking forward to the free housing. Amazingly enough, the free villa in downtown Cairo wasn't part of their sales pitch. They just casually mentioned it during processing.

[michigancat]

seems like buying a new car in cairo would be much easier than shipping a car.  also, you should take a camel everywhere. 

yeah, ask them to pay you in cash what it would cost to ship a car. or even half of that.

Other than that, my advice would be to just move to Cairo, milk the temp housing as much as possible and figure everything else out when you get there.

No way to cash it in. They basically cover the cost/insurance of a couple containers to ship our crap over there. We can cram whatever we want in there, more or less. I'm thinking to ship one car that's already pretty used up and then also buy a scooter. Scooters have gotten a hilarious amount of recommendations from other expats.

Also, really looking forward to the free housing. Amazingly enough, the free villa in downtown Cairo wasn't part of their sales pitch. They just casually mentioned it during processing.

 housing is free the whole time and it's just picked for you? Do you get a driver or something? stop asking questions and just go. GO.

[felix rex]

seems like buying a new car in cairo would be much easier than shipping a car.  also, you should take a camel everywhere. 

yeah, ask them to pay you in cash what it would cost to ship a car. or even half of that.

Other than that, my advice would be to just move to Cairo, milk the temp housing as much as possible and figure everything else out when you get there.

No way to cash it in. They basically cover the cost/insurance of a couple containers to ship our crap over there. We can cram whatever we want in there, more or less. I'm thinking to ship one car that's already pretty used up and then also buy a scooter. Scooters have gotten a hilarious amount of recommendations from other expats.

Also, really looking forward to the free housing. Amazingly enough, the free villa in downtown Cairo wasn't part of their sales pitch. They just casually mentioned it during processing.

 housing is free the whole time and it's just picked for you? Do you get a driver or something? stop asking questions and just go. GO.

Housing, tuition at American University at Cairo, a driver. There's a ridiculous amount of free crap. 2-yr commitment, option for a 3rd. And I'm not asking any questions. I'm just waiting for the paperwork and clearances and everything to finalize.

[pissclams]

Jay-Z owns a Gulfstream G450

[michigancat]

seems like buying a new car in cairo would be much easier than shipping a car.  also, you should take a camel everywhere. 

yeah, ask them to pay you in cash what it would cost to ship a car. or even half of that.

Other than that, my advice would be to just move to Cairo, milk the temp housing as much as possible and figure everything else out when you get there.

No way to cash it in. They basically cover the cost/insurance of a couple containers to ship our crap over there. We can cram whatever we want in there, more or less. I'm thinking to ship one car that's already pretty used up and then also buy a scooter. Scooters have gotten a hilarious amount of recommendations from other expats.

Also, really looking forward to the free housing. Amazingly enough, the free villa in downtown Cairo wasn't part of their sales pitch. They just casually mentioned it during processing.

 housing is free the whole time and it's just picked for you? Do you get a driver or something? stop asking questions and just go. GO.

Housing, tuition at American University at Cairo, a driver. There's a ridiculous amount of free crap. 2-yr commitment, option for a 3rd. And I'm not asking any questions. I'm just waiting for the paperwork and clearances and everything to finalize.

your first post insinuated that you were not given adequate information. You can start a straight up bragging thread. You've earned it.

[steve dave]

lol at michigancat being pro everthing that lowers costs

[steve dave]

boss:  we'll pay for your afghany tent, a mule and all the rice and opium your family can consume
michigancat:  pack up family, we're moving to Kabul

[Kat Kid]

I was going to thank steve dave and talk about a little date night I planned for me and the wife without dinging the spg stockhold too hard, but what's the point?

[felix rex]

seems like buying a new car in cairo would be much easier than shipping a car.  also, you should take a camel everywhere. 

yeah, ask them to pay you in cash what it would cost to ship a car. or even half of that.

Other than that, my advice would be to just move to Cairo, milk the temp housing as much as possible and figure everything else out when you get there.

No way to cash it in. They basically cover the cost/insurance of a couple containers to ship our crap over there. We can cram whatever we want in there, more or less. I'm thinking to ship one car that's already pretty used up and then also buy a scooter. Scooters have gotten a hilarious amount of recommendations from other expats.

Also, really looking forward to the free housing. Amazingly enough, the free villa in downtown Cairo wasn't part of their sales pitch. They just casually mentioned it during processing.

 housing is free the whole time and it's just picked for you? Do you get a driver or something? stop asking questions and just go. GO.

Housing, tuition at American University at Cairo, a driver. There's a ridiculous amount of free crap. 2-yr commitment, option for a 3rd. And I'm not asking any questions. I'm just waiting for the paperwork and clearances and everything to finalize.

your first post insinuated that you were not given adequate information. You can start a straight up bragging thread. You've earned it.

I meant not given adequate info about actually living there (other than a map with red lines drawn around the neighborhoods I can't go to without permission and an official driver). Will def start a bragging thread once everything is finalized.

[steve dave]

I was going to thank steve dave and talk about a little date night I planned for me and the wife without dinging the spg stockhold too hard, but what's the point?

do it. put it in the credit card thread.  it shows all of those out there that haven't started what can be done with minimal work.

[michigancat]

boss:  we'll pay for your afghany tent, a mule and all the rice and opium your family can consume
michigancat:  pack up family, we're moving to Kabul

cairo is a world city - I would guess there's 100k expats there at least. although the opium is intriguing.

[ChiComCat]

boss:  we'll pay for your afghany tent, a mule and all the rice and opium your family can consume
michigancat:  pack up family, we're moving to Kabul

cairo is a world city - I would guess there's 100k expats there at least. although the opium is intriguing.

I'm curious the effect that a lot of opium would have on our music thread.  Chicat's guess: a lot more string cheese incident

[ben ji]

seems like buying a new car in cairo would be much easier than shipping a car.  also, you should take a camel everywhere. 

yeah, ask them to pay you in cash what it would cost to ship a car. or even half of that.

Other than that, my advice would be to just move to Cairo, milk the temp housing as much as possible and figure everything else out when you get there.

No way to cash it in. They basically cover the cost/insurance of a couple containers to ship our crap over there. We can cram whatever we want in there, more or less. I'm thinking to ship one car that's already pretty used up and then also buy a scooter. Scooters have gotten a hilarious amount of recommendations from other expats.

Also, really looking forward to the free housing. Amazingly enough, the free villa in downtown Cairo wasn't part of their sales pitch. They just casually mentioned it during processing.

 housing is free the whole time and it's just picked for you? Do you get a driver or something? stop asking questions and just go. GO.

Housing, tuition at American University at Cairo, a driver. There's a ridiculous amount of free crap. 2-yr commitment, option for a 3rd. And I'm not asking any questions. I'm just waiting for the paperwork and clearances and everything to finalize.

your first post insinuated that you were not given adequate information. You can start a straight up bragging thread. You've earned it.

I meant not given adequate info about actually living there (other than a map with red lines drawn around the neighborhoods I can't go to without permission and an official driver). Will def start a bragging thread once everything is finalized.

How big of an area are you allowed to travel in without permission? I'm guessing its a little bigger than the green zone in baghdad but I'm curious to see how much of the city the gov considers "safe"

[michigancat]

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/60553

[Cire]

headed to denver tomorrow.  Don't want to go.  What should i do there?