Well it’s now Friday morning.  It’s 7.30am and I’m sitting on the hotel balcony overlooking the view that never fails to take my breath away. 

I think today will be a relaxing day.  I’ll sit by the pool, take some photo’s or video’s and maybe pen a bit more for the blog.  Peter is going to Egyptair and also to the Vodafone shop to buy a wireless dongle to save us making the trip to Snack Time to upload the blog.  Later we’ll pack for Cairo.

So yesterdays plans are moved over to today.  After a lovely breakfast in the hotel, Peter goes to do some errands – he was also going to pick up my Chinese parasol from the flat in Luxor – I'm not great in the heat and it's hot hot hot!  I stay within the confines of the hotel.  The temperature is more than I can bare and the swimming pool is calling me.  For now I’m sitting in the shade of the restaurant terrace trying to update the blog – a summary of our visit so far.  This blogging is really hard work – I wish writing would come to me more easily.  I think when I get back home I’m going to invest in some voice recognition software as this may be a little better.  Besides, as a touch typist I’m finding working a netbook an absolute nightmare!

It doesn’t take long before the battery on the netbook dies.  It’s also way too hot for me even in the shade of the terrace so I take refuge back in the hotel room under the air conditioning.  

Peter and I had planned to go to Snack Time at lunch time as they serve a nice Panini and provide free wifi.  I would usually forget all of the usual day to day trappings of technology whilst away from home but I wanted to upload some of the blog as it was written. 

I tried to phone Peter from the hotel but couldn’t get a signal.  I decided to start walking with the hope that I would pick up a signal along the way.  What started out as a short trip to Snack Time ended as something else.  As I ventured forth out of the hotel I was faced with the onslaught of “Tax Tax” “Caleche Caleche” (the taxi and horse and carriage drivers).  Whereas before a short dismissive hand wave would easily impress upon them that I wasn’t interested – this didn’t seem to be working now.   The carriage drivers were particularly persistent, one following me down the street and eventually making quite offensive comments.  I have never experienced this in Luxor before – the direct offensiveness that is.  I’m told later that the drop in police presence has been a green light to some carriage drivers (and felucca men) to behave as they wish.    I understand the desperation for business but being offensive to tourists isn’t going to help increase trade!

My god I had forgotten how hard that walk is in the midday heat!  By the time I get to Luxor Temple I was dying of thirst and the heat was getting to me.  I sought refuge in the shade of a tree at Hamees café.  I ordered a water and checked for a signal on my phone again.  No signal, but I also remembered that I didn’t have any money with me either.  I asked one of the staff if they had a phone I could borrow.  I was told that if it was to an Egyptian phone – yes, if it was to an English phone – no.  Well Peter’s phone is English. What a dilemma.  Peter doesn’t know where I am and I can’t contact him and I can’t pay for the water.  I checked my phone for a signal again – nothing.  I checked my phone for any Egyptian phone numbers and had one called Peter Garagos – I thought this may be an old phone of his mother’s so was prepared to ask for any willing translators to help explain my dilemma and to ask them to phone Peter.  Luckily Peter answered!  He was on his way.

We made it to Snack Time.  Nice and air conditioned, free wifi and a nice view of Luxor Temple and the Theban Mountains.  4 hours and a stream of snacks later we left the café – first blog uploaded and friends invited to Facebook. 

 

We decided to take a stroll through the Souk and call  in and see a couple of friends.  Firstly to one of my favourite shops – Aladdins Cave –and Aladdins Cave it truly is.  This is one of several shops owned by the Uncle of Bob's Uncle, Badir.  He has had this shop in his family for several generations.  The shop houses a truly eclectic mix of copperware, mother of pearl pieces such as chess boards, jewellery boxes and mirrors.  It has a selection of Pharaonic style pieces, a wide range of rugs at a price to suit every pocket and best of all piles of antique pieces such as old copper coffee pots – I have bought 2 of these on previous visits. Badir gives us an update on the attack on the Saudi Arabian Embassy.  Some Egyptians had recently travelled to Mecca for the Haaj.  They returned saying that they had been treated badly by the Saudi Arabians, luggage being lost, they had been kept in areas that weren’t nice. (I’m trying to repeat this verbatim).  Once back in Cairo they decided to show their dissatisfaction at the way they had been treated by attacking the Saudi Arabian Embassy.  He tells us that a volcano has erupted since the revolution – now everyone protests about everything!

 

 

A couple of minutes later we come across another old friend Yousef.  Again we are invited into the back of his shop to drink tea.  Peter has known Yousef for many years – like Peter a science teacher but also with several shops selling cotton products.  He works in the morning at the school and comes to the shop in the Souk in the afternoon.

Now if ever there was an engaging story teller – Yousef is the man.  He sits cross legged on the floor in front of us and begins to tell us of his concerns for his country and particularly for the Coptic Christians who apparently are leaving the country in droves since the revolution began.  He tells us that 300,000 have left the country so far through fear of continuing persecution.  I suspect this number is greatly exaggerated but get the sense that this is what he truly believes.  He tells us that Luxor has become lawless – no police, no army but most Egyptians he knows are carrying guns.  Politics and religion was discussed for some time.  Yousef portrayed a sense of hopelessness for the country.  Peter and I managed to steer the conversation away to less contentious subjects.  Among these topics were parapsychology, undiscovered pharaonic treasures, Yousef’s  idea to import English chocolate into Egypt and solar energy.  I would struggle to capture even the essence of the conversation we had with Yousef.  He said himself that people would either consider him very intelligent – or crazy.  I would suggest both – not one or the other.  He harbours a strong belief in a number of conspiracy theories, but however incredulous they may sound – we may go back in years to come and tell Yousef – he was right!  Another hour and half had gone by.  We said our goodbyes and said we would see him the following week. 

We decided to go to Egyptair to see if we could change our return flight from Cairo to an earlier one.  On our way there we came across Bob outside his jewellery shop.  Bob invited us into the shop, introduced me to his father and offered us a drink – we asked for and received coca cola.  Peter and Bob talked about computers and mobile phones.  Bob had bought a top of the range laptop in Cairo for a very good price and shared the number of the shop with Peter.  Peter isn't currently interested in buying a new laptop but I think the conversation was more about sharing contacts, building the network on which all Egyptians exist.  

 One of the children from the family came in with a piece of freshly baked bread from the church, which was shared amongst us.  Bob invited Peter and I to go to a new coffee shop in Karnak which we did.  Before we left Bob’s father presented me with a beautiful pair of silver earrings with turquoise stones and Peter with a silver ankh and chain.  We were quite overwhelmed by this generosity.  Bob’s father said it was a gift to first a first time visitor to his shop, though we suspect that not all first time visitors are treated so generously.

Bob drove us to the coffee shop.  We drank mint tea, Bob smoked shisha.  Bob tells us that business in the shop in Luxor is so bad he has rented a shop in Hurghada that will sell leather goods.  He will leave Luxor on Saturday morning after dropping us the airport for our Cairo trip.  The rental on hotel shops is very expensive and nothing is guaranteed but he feels he needs to take the chance. 

Before we knew it, it was midnight and time to go back to the hotel.  Maybe we’ll get to Egyptair tomorrow?