I heard several stories of difficulties traveling with pets, costly overnight stays in quarantines, problems with documents and vaccinations, last-minute cancellations, etc. Nadia and I did not know what to expect from our experience of taking our dog Obi from Tashkent to Cairo. We had a suprisingly easy transition mostly because both Uzbekistan and Egypt do not have rigorous regulations for importing and exporting family pets. Nadia was great in getting all of the vaccinations and Obi’s paperwork in order for us to present to airport officials in Tashkent and Turkish Airlines. It was easy and inexpensive ($200) to book him in our carrier under our seat.
During the check-in, connections, and arrival, no one looked at our documents or asked about the dog. We discovered an outdoor grassy park area in the Tashkent airport that I walked Obi before we started the boarding process. Obi is a calm and quiet dog and besides a tiny bit of whimpering for a short time, he was quiet and peaceful during both flights under the seat in front of me. Fortunately, both flights were not full and Nadia and I had a free seat between us. We walked Obi through the Istanbul Airport and he enjoyed the duty free shopping. The airport had a pet relief room with artificial grass, dry food, a fake fire hydrant, litter box, etc. but it was small and Obi didn’t spend a lot of time in there.
When we landed in Cairo fortunately all 20 pieces of luggage made it and we got through customs unscathed. Diplomatic Express, a shipping company in Tashkent did a really great job in helping us. I would like to thank Pim for his support. I would also like to thank Sarah for her hospitality and support of the moving process.
The school is putting us up in the Renaissance Hotel and we are really enjoying it. Because of Obi, they gave us a poolside family villa and it almost feels like a holiday. We realized again that we are in the middle of the Sahara Desert, not much green, especially in New Cairo where the school is located.
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