When telling about the explorations of a new city, Google Earth presents itself as an obvious tool. The dataset for Cairo (and much of Egypt) is excellent, so I’ve started georeferencing places and photos.
Download the file at the other end of this link. it should open in Google Earth automatically. If not, open it from within Google Earth. Make sure you have Google Earth 4 installed. Download it here.
In the future, I whenever I write about a spot in Cairo, I will try to update the KML file. All you have to do is download it once and keep it in Google Earth’s “My Places”. It acts like a subscription to a newsfeed, except you’re subscribing to a “placefeed”. Everytime you start up Google Earth, it will update, if there is something new. As I add more places, I will start organizing them properly.
And for the Google Earth-impaired, here are two shots of where I will be moving to early April:
I almost forgot, you can also see the placemarks in Google Maps using just a web browser, by following this link. Just not that while you can also get road data in Google Maps (and not in Google Earth), it doesn’t match up with the satellite imagery.
the google maps link sucks, the google earth kml is very nice;-)
thnx
“We are not worthy!!! We are not worthy!!!” –Wayne and Garth on meeting Alice Cooper, Wayne’s World
Wow! Thank you very much for the GE newtork link. That’s about as close as I’m going to get to experiencing Cairo from my office in Hays, Kansas, USA. More real than Second Life, and just as engaging! I love it! Thanks again!!!
Sadly I think this is as close as I will get to Cairo anytime soon. Though if you mention the pool at the Marriot much more then I might just have to come over for a visit…
hi, i came across your blog while searching for something else but hey it was a worthwhile nostalgic diversion reading your dissection of my home town.
Your accounts made me laugh because you are taking Egypt in almost an academic fashion, studying everything. My 2 cents for you is that Egypt is about the people and less about the surroundings. Second, is don’t trust everything that you are told by my lovely people as you ‘kwagas’ get a different version of events, bit like what the government does with us…. Finally, you keep mentioning internet access. If you have a laptop then wander down to cilantro (coffee shop) as it does Free WIFI and opens till midnight i think. There is a branch by ‘borg Om Kalthoum’ (the famous singer) overlooking the nile, the other end of zamalek. Tell that to any taxi driver and they’ll know but the whole of zamalek is walking distance.
And ofcourse, welcome to egypt!