Hi Sandi - In my sporadic visits to the Fodors website, I keep seeing your name on Egypt messages. I'm living in Maadi and am curious about other Americans here. If you're interested in chatting "offline", my email address is [email protected]. No funny stuff, I promise!

DejaDeb - Sorry, but I don't live in Egypt; have only visited. I'm NYC. The only person I know of that lives in Egypt is Debbie Senter who runs Casual Cairo Online. She often posts on the AOL Travel Message boards, and occasionally here... under Dds71

DejaDeb -

I also live in Maadi and have been here for 4 years. Like Sandi - although she is not a "local" - you're advice has always been sound and realistic. A good source for travelers! I know several women here who read this site, but usually don't post.

Grcxx3 - Thank you. I do my best to be realistic even if thousands of miles away from Egypt or other destinations I've visited.

Dear Sandi: You have responded to my posts in the past regarding Egypt. Although unable to take the trip as planned last year, we are going this September. I hope you will continue to monitor this board, as I'm sure I will have lots of questions as I start to organize my packing. I have spoken to a fellow-Fodorite upon her return from Egypt last month and she travels "light" (jeans, t-shirts and sneakers. With a 7-night Nile cruise on our itinerary, how do you dress for dinner? I assume one pair of basic black or white capris and several dressier tops for me and slacks and golf shirts for my husband? During the evenings we're on our own in Cairo, I will repeat things. I want to keep our suitcases light and portable, so would appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks in advance.....Mimi

Mimi -

You've got it right, in that you should try to travel light, but remember - September will still be quite hot. Jeans are a bit much, especially during the day. If you must, hold them for night, but they are heavy and only add weight to your luggage. Consider crop pants or capris... these work well while in Cairo and during your Nile Cruise. As well, walking shorts (knee length) are good for sightseeing - at the Pyramids, along the Nile and onboard your cruise boat. Of course, t-shirts, but I've found that camp-type shirts work better as they're not so close to the body to absorb perspiration (sweat). For dinner, slacks, skirts and a smart sweater with interesting jewelry and/or shawls are good.

And you're right-on as to your husbands attire. It's also not unusual to see men (tourists) with shorts while touring during your Nile cruise, but he should stick with slacks while in Cairo.

Though we traveled mid-October, we found the evening temps in Cairo and along the Nile dropped markedly - by 30-degrees; might not be that drastic in September, but it's a good idea to have a shawl or blazer/sweater for yourself and a blazer for your husband.

And don't forget comfortable walking shoes throughout. Also a hat, sun protection lotion, and drink lots of bottled (available everywhere) water.

You should be set to go. But if other questions, just let us hear from you. Happy travels!

Grcxx3: Thanks, I try to give straightforward advice. I found this site when I was planning a trip to Australia last fall. The stuff I learned here was so helpful, I thought maybe I could be of some small assistance to people visiting Egypt. It sounds hokey, but if even one person is more comfortable visiting Egypt after learning some small something from me (or anybody here), then I'm happy