If anyone is thinking of visiting their dear habibi/habibti in the summertime in Egypt........

RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, save the $1300 or whatever money the flight would cost, take a week off from work and talk to him via the webcam all day with breaks for some pamper yourself time. If you REALLY want the full experience though, here's a thought..................lock yourself in an attic where the temperature is approx 110 to 115, shine the sun down into the room full force so that it gives you a HUGE migraine, play a recording of honking horns, angry Egyptians arguing, pipe in some diesel exhaust fumes every ten minutes without any vent to make it go away and for the piece de resistance.....................eat some really rancid kofta (kofka?) that makes you sh!t so bad you can't even walk for about three days.

We did sit in the outdoor cafes a few nights when we could pry our azzes off of the toilet and it was nice to people watch but I didn't last long either time since, although the fresh fruit juice was yummy, the smell of the diaper full of liquidy poop (yes I actually looked at it) that a mother tossed in a room behind where we were sitting combined with the dark black soot coming out of the cars kinda did me in.


Four times a day, when I could pry my azz off the toilet that is, I would soak in a cold cold tub and steam would literally come off of my body. Our flat had a/c...............for all of ten minutes until smoke came out of it and it sh!t the bed for good. My husband had the thrill of having it come out of both ends. True love is wanting to be intimate with a man who just puked his guts out and pizzed out his azz.

The nights that we spent with his sisters at his flat were fun. His sisters got a kick out of me. They are blessed enough to live on the 6th floor of a building that has NO ELEVATOR. After the first trip up they got into a routine. We'd walk into the flat and the younger sister would rip off my hijab in record time while the older one squirted me with a water squirter. Then I'd strip to next to nothing and they'd keep squirting me till I was soaked and then I'd lay down on the bed and they'd put two huge fans on high facing me. That would make me feel 1/2 way normal.

So just take my advice. put that idea right out of your head, embrace the webcam, pamper yourself and take a few trips to that attic if you really really want to get the full Cairo/Alexandria experience

haha so true! i went to egypt in mid september and it was boiling too!!!
and morocco in july was pretty bad! and hey, its hot here in CA now too! (i guess i don't really love super hot weather!)

The trip was not in vain though because now I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that my husband and I are very much in love. If we can get through that week of hell we can get through anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hahahaha so true! i hope he gets through AP quickly!

Welcome back Doodle. Hummmm no wonder my husband say's (baby you dont want to come here in the summer you will melt) If he dont get his visa by our 2nd anniversary we are making plans for me to go back. But that is in December and when i was there i froze Glad you made it back safely

I was thinking about going in a month but maybee I can wait till Novembe when I usually go, who knows maybee my love will be here by then.... Sounds like an exspensive week iin hell!!!! I spoke with my fiances young cousin this week I asked if he wants to come visit me in Americana and he asked "is it hot there" lol
happy your home safe and sound and hot or not im sure your husbands touch was worth it all
Water Girl

Yeah he knows of which he speaks

I told him I felt like such a wimp and that Egyptians and Middle Easterners in general were really strong but he just said they're used to it. I'm sorry but I don't know how anyone can get used to living in those conditions, though people do it all over the world. I have a whole new respect.

I'm also very very very glad that my doctor gave me Cipro before I left. That stuff saved me!!!!!!!!!

BTW...if anyone goes to Alexandria, and you eat at Hosny's, do NOT, I repeat do NOT eat the kofta. I was fine the first day after eating there but I only had the salads and the chicken kabob. We had leftovers and the second day I ate his leftover kofta thinking that his illness was just part of his IBS that he has. WRONG. it was the kofta. I felt it like a few hours after eating it.


Oh and we ate one night at this Saudi restaurant. BLECK. I don't know if it's a good snapshot of their food but basically they baked a chicken with NO seasonings, boiled some rice with NO seasonings and served it with some salad ............... with no dressing. We were trying to figure out what they have against tasty food over there.

Hahahaha!!!! I know what you're talking about...except for the rancid kofta and poopy diaper. After my trip last July it took a year to get over it. For a whole year I hated Egypt and swore I'd never go back.

But....you can't say we Egypt girls didn't warn ya.

Welcome back!

OMG I went to crack one of the leb and it just smushed as did the peanuts and all I kept thinking of is how moody said it was soooo humid in Alexandria!!!! My hair is only a little bit curly at best and lemme tell ya I looked like I had a fro in Alex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doodle you are so funny! And that experience sounds so traumatizing!
Nothing like some good ole Egyptian heat and an upset stomach to bring the comedy.

You are right! The heat is awful - the humidity makes you miserable - and the fumes and pollution will make you sick! We were out the other day (in Cairo) in the early afternoon and it is actually more comfortable to ride in the car with the windows rolled up and ROAST than to open the windows and get smacked in the face with what feels like a hot frying pan full of sewage and exhaust! YUCK

We are going to Alex in about 2 weeks, and I don't look forward to the weather, but I love the night life and this time the younger siblings are going so we will do some more exciting stuff. I hope we don't run into any dirty diapers.

I heard that this past Friday a heat wave moved in to Egypt from KSA. Those days were the worst that I have had so far.

But, the worst heat I ever experienced was in Laredo, Texas in July. It was about 11:30pm and you could feel the heat coming off the pavement in waves. I couldn't breathe! The sun had been gone for hours and the streets were melting my poor sneakers. Literally - the rubber on the bottom of my shoes was softened from the heat! I was out in the heat for about 10 minutes and then decided to spent the rest of the time in the front seat of the car with AC on full blast!

bwahahahah toooooo funny and im about to make plans to go to Egypt in one month... possibly... i loved it there in Alex

Hurry up and come Tamara! Try to plan your trip for the end of August. It will start to cool down here. But, the airfare will be ridiculous. September and October are comfortable months. I hope you come if Adam doesn't come to you first.

You remind me of grant i had in West AFrica one summer. The other Americans there were from San Francisco, Boston, St. Paul, all these northern places where the summers just are not so extreme. I was the only one from a city that was as hot (and sometimes hotter) than Africa. I was hot, but fine. They were melting. You do get use to it, but no matter how use you are to it, it is still HOT!




Remember Eid will fall mid October. I hope the airfares stay low!

Welcome back D2da Oodle ! Maggie is in Jordan now and is suffering with the heat. It was 104F the other day in Zarqa.

Jackie

You are disgusting.

wow.

OMG!! What a trip!! This can go down in your books as a true test of love!! I posted in your interview topic that I hoped you made some wonderful memories on your trip----Maybe they weren't wonderful, but sure sound memorable!!

I was in Cairo in May and was in the upper 90s which is about the same as here in Texas, but don't know about the summers, probably about the same. I don't think it would be a good place to be without AC in the summer for sure. I'm glad your SIL were helping you out with the cool down!!! lol.

and just who are you talking to?

I think it's called a Toaster, Charles.

I think I should cry now..... I head to Egypt August 28!!! My SO has held me off during the summers for 4 years now. But we can't wait to see each other. The hotel I will stay at seemed to be cooler he said and we'd head out in the evenings and night.

Doodlebug...welcome back....

Me of course. The one she loves to p!ss off. lol. She has this stick up her azz about me and cannot let it go. Maybe you should try to pull it out but beware of what may follow.

GLAD YOUR BACK, DOODLE even with the problems, (just remember ignore is your friend)

We generally woke up around 3 or 4 pm and hung out inside the appt until around 7pm. At that point the sun was down just about and it was a lot cooler outside, though extremely damp due to the humidity. Then we'd go to sleep around 4 or 5 am so we'd sleep through the hottest points of the day. Between doing that and taking a lot of cold baths/showers I was able to survive it. Like someone said it depends on what you're used to. I'm used to living in a/c and having the outside temps be around 80's or so at the most unless it's a heatwave so it hit me pretty strong.

This is a funny chain. LOL

I almost went to Cairo for the summer while school was out to be with Waleed and now I'm glad I didn't. I thought the flies were bad in winter and I just couldn't imagine in the summer how it would be. One good thing about the heat though is I lose weight because it's so hot I lose my hunger. Thx for the tips on the places not to eat!

Olivia

The only bug I saw the whole time I was there were these little flies at a stop 1/2 way between Alex and Cairo on our way back. We were going at a good pace but then some of the guys got ticked 'cause it was maghrib and they wanted the driver to stop so they could pray. He did and almost all the men got out, including my husband, to pray and the driver left the windows down and about 50 of these small little flies invaded the inside of the van.

Other than that I did get a few bug bites on my ankles but I never actually saw the bugs. My husband had this kick azz cream that took the itch away instantly.

I almost spit my drink out while I was reading this....thanks alot!!!!

I can SO take the heat! I've been to visit my hubby twice in the summer and twice in December. I froze my bonkie off in the winter. I just can't take the cold. Once my feet get cold, it's all over. I'd much rather sweat than have the chills. My husband is always so sweet to put a space heater in the bathroom for me so it will get warm so I can take my shower. I just HATE the cold.

Glad you made it back safely Doodle. We missed you!!!!

The weather starts getting cooler here at the end of August/beginning of September. The peak temperatures of the summer occur during the end of June and the month of July. (110 degrees and up)

It also depends on what climate you are used to living in. You will be fine. Don't cry.

Monnik, I'm so glad that you changed the pictures...at least now when I'm scrolling down to read, my eyes don't pop out of my skull and my heart doesn't stop beating!!!

omg monnik i thought of you while in Alex 'cause this guy had a cart with blinking lights and each side of the card had pictures of Amr Diab on it. lol. He is so BIG over there I couldn't believe it!!!!! Usama's sisters know all his songs by heart including the ones on the new cd!! lol

Awww, thanks for thinking about me!! Amr is like Michael Jackson or some HUGE star that everybody likes at least some of his songs.

Yeah. Every taxi/car/etc. is playing Amr's new songs right now. It's kind of like when you're driving in the US, and you notice that someone else is listening to the same radio station as you...... only times 1000 cause everybody is listening to the same CD in Cairo. hehehhee

We downloaded Amr's new album the first day it was available.

I actually don't like very many of his songs, but the new album has several that I like.

Tamer is another story! I like almost all of his songs. (just a reminder doodle, Tamer is the one in my signature now - I know this has been confused a couple of times. )




Well, I am glad. You know it was all for you!

No offense, Monnik, but when my husband saw Tamer Hosny in your signature he said, ohhhh I hate that guy! He is khawwal!

my husband doesn't like him either for some reason.

I've been to egypt 3 times - once in December/January, once in June and once in August. It wasn't too bad after you get used to it. I lay under the fan at our apartment a lot and avoided going out in the middle of the day. That worked well

Why would I be offended? He is not liked by a lot of people, but I don't know why. I actually think he's kind of ugly. That's why I put him in my signature cuz he wasn't all HOT! But, his songs are cute and I can understand most of them, so I am content.

My husband CLAIMS the same thing - he can't sing, he's the KH-word, he sucks, whatever - but he still knows the words to his songs and claps and sings in the car when a lively song of Tamer's is playing.

It definitely reminds me of envy that guys get for someone who gets a lot of attention from the girls. You know, like N'Sync or BSB, every guy in America was saying how gay they were and their songs were stupid, but somehow they all know the songs.........weird??? It doesn't help that in Egypt, almost every singer is an actor, too. And, all of Tamer's songs are forced upon the masses with songs, videos, movies, and commercials............

But, that doesn't mean that your husbands are like that. (envious I mean) I am just comparing the way my husband is to the way I have seen guys act over any heartthrob or new IT guy.......... (you can substitute any guy here - I have seen it with Brad Pitt, The ROCK, and others)

Also, his younger brother is 15 and he LOOOOOOOOOOVES Tamer. I think it's kind of like Tamer belongs to the new wave of singers. Kind of why I never fell head over heels for N'Sync - but the NKOTB was a different story!!!!!!! hardy harr harr

My husband and I just got back from Vegas about two weeks ago. It was only 115 during the day when we were there. All of us from Florida (a bunch of us went to a conference) thought it wouldn't be that bad because we are used to 95 and humid. HA HA HA! I know feel FL is pretty moderate and tolerable.

It's all about perspective.

I'm glad you made it home safely. God bless.

Sooooo true Doodle. I told my husband I will NEVER go back to Egypt in July. I thought I was gonna die!!!

I felt so bad though 'cause it seemed like I didn't want to be with him. I did but I was just so freakin' hot and between sweating to death, having him hurlin' every 5 minutes and both of us fighting for the bathroom it just wasn't that romantic dreamboat vacation we had hoped for.

You two will just have to make up for it when he gets here

Yeah I second the making up for it! Take a second honeymoon someday! I know we're gonna!

I think it will either be Disney or Vegas. Those are the two places he's dying to go.

Doodle please excuse my ignorance if my question/comment seems that way. I thought your husband was a religious guy? I can't understand why a religious person would want to go to "sin city"? I mean everything there is about drinking, gambling, smoking, and half naked women. Wouldn't that make him uncomfortable?

Don't get me wrong, I love that place. We just bought 7 tickets last night for our honeymoon too, yes we are taking the whole family.

I thought it was weird too. He's not super religious though, just for the record. He does pray 5 times a day and doesn't eat pork and a few other things but he also does things that aren't exactly halal as well. That being said he would never gamble. The attraction is tv I think. I never realized they aired the show Vegas in Egypt but he loves that show and is entranced with all the nightlife, etc. He said he doesn't want to gamble but he does want to see it all out of curiosity.

He also wants to see Disney and I found there's an equally big fascination between he and his sisters with Mickey Mouse.

In addition the Statue of Liberty is up there on his to do list not for the obvious immigrant coming to america wanting to see the lady with the torch reason but because apparently the statue was originally supposed to have been shipped to Egypt. I never knew that before.

Heh, I had the exact same thought when reading it. Perhaps it's just curiosity factor.
I think it would be great to go to Disney though.


*looks like I started to reply before Doodle's reply showed up. Oops.

Would he be ok with seeing the waitresses in the casinos? They outfits are usually very revealing. I mean when I think of vegas, I think of the guys handing out the flyers for strippers, drunk people, and gambling. I would say someone who prays 5 times a day is religious but what do I know? I haven't been to church in a long time so "sin city" is right up my alley. LOL

I think he would like disney better too.

I guess when I think of a religious muslim man I think of someone who not only does the obligatory 5 prayers/day but also attends classes at the mosque all the time, doesn't smoke, etc. etc. I pray 5 times/day but I'm far from religious in that i don't read the quran every day and I am not constantly working on my deen................though having said that I think it comes in waves for me.

Anyway that's a whole nuther topic. lol. Yeah I think he would be uncomfortable with all that but maybe he doesn't really truly know what Vegas is all about. He only mentioned it when I asked him for the top 3 places he'd like to go. I've never been to Vegas myself and when I think of it I just think of the loud machines and the bright lights....I never thought of the strippers, etc. lol.

I think our first trip will definitely be NYC. HOPEFULLY if he's here in time we can go to see all the holiday lights. It's only like a 4 hour drive and I love finding deals on priceline so we could do a quick weekend getaway.

Well, Vegas can certainly be fun.
My ex and I married in Vegas.
And it really is an interesting place.
But I wouldn't be comfortable there today. I actually talked with my honey about it some time ago, and I don't think he has any interest in going there. He knows what it's all about.

My oldest sister got married in Vegas and Elvis was there!!!

seems like about every episode of cops has a few minutes of vegas in it

This is definately NOT exculsive to Egypte. Pretty common ALL over MENA. That is why people should read up on their SO's country's climate before going, if high heat and humity is a problem. Esp if water, A/C is rare or not usually at hand.