Total Pageviews

Friday 13 April 2012

Thursday 22nd March

WHY WHY WHY on earth did I decide to book the 8.30 flight back up to Scotland.......... it's TOO early, well when you consider a 5.15am alarm and 6.30am check in.

We are too early for the hot breakfast at the Sofitel but the continental one is absolutely excellent, I have bread, smoked mackerel, cheese and some fresh fruit with a gallon of fruit juice.

It's only a few minutes walk to the terminal from the Sofitel and we get there around 6.30am only to find the queues horrendous, no joke....... I haven't done the 'online check in' but an Easyjet staff member directs us to the online check in queue (trying to keep the other one down) - 15 minutes later the queue from the normal check in and the queue from the online check in at the other side merge............................

It takes us approx:-

1.5 hours to check in
15 minutes to get through security
10 minutes to get to gate

They had no alternative but to delay the plane for 20 minutes, there were too many people who were held up in the queue.

Then, around 50 minutes later a sight for sore eyes.

The Firth of Forth

Back home in bonnie Scotland

You can make out the Forth Road and Rail Bridges  here


To save hassle with a bus into Edinburgh train station (the airport busses stop there) then because there is no rail link down to the Borders at the moment, walking to the bus station, another bus and a taxi we have arranged a taxi to take us back down home, the driver stopping off at Tesco on they way to let us get some groceries in.

I'm home by lunch time and the first load of washing in the machine, back to normality....

Home (my house is somewhere in among all the trees)


Wednesday 21st March 2012

It's our last day today :-( so it's up early and packing the suitcases, mum's is over the 20kg luggage allowance (it's the box of 100 tahina biscuits) but she ditches a few bits and bobs (not the biscuits tho lol!!!) and her case is just under 20kg.

We spend most of the morning lazing about the hotel and taking a few photos.

Mohammed - one of the brothers who own the hotel


El Mesala Hotel (Mesala is Arabic for Obelisk)



I'm packing my camera and lenses away when mum shouts on me, there are around 5 little bee eaters flying about in front of the hotel, with my camera packed away I let her take the photos.


(c) 'the auld yin' 2012 







I thought I would crop and enlarge this one for you so you could see it better..............

The Bug Eating Bee-Eater



We have really enjoyed our time here on the West Bank, it's definitely far more laid back and hassle free than staying on the East Bank, so easy to get out and about and walk for miles without being stopped and hassled to take a caleche or felucca.  The El Mesala Hotel was also a great choice, close enough (5 mins) to the ferry, a motorboat jetty opposite, a warm and friendly welcome and home from home atmosphere from owners and all the staff  plus a rooftop restaurant which serves absolutely delicious food.  We will most certainly be back.

The mini bus comes to collect us around 2.30pm and we make our way back to the airport, like I have mentioned before I couldn't live in Egypt but am always so sad to leave (I manage no tears this time)

On checking in at Luxor airport there was a screaming match going on, a lady who had 2 carry on bags and a large suitcase was shouting the odds with the check in staff,  her case was most definitely overweight, she wasn't disputing that - what she was disputing was the fact that she had to PAY for the extra luggage, apparently she was a 'travel agent' and never in her life had she heard anything so ridiculous than people being charged if their luggage was overweight, if she hadn't been so infuriated I would have asked her for a business card (just to ensure I never booked with her company - LOL!!). 

The call to gate was IMO way too early, as on previous visits staff called 'speedy boarders' and 'special assistance' to queue first - this means that 'everyone' jumps up and around 6 different queues which begin to merge into one form.  After standing for 20 minutes - they finally allow the S.A. group on first followed by us speedyboarders.  Mum and I take a seat near the back of the plane, stow our luggage and take our seats.   The plane takes off and I get my last view of Luxor for a few months..........

I chat to the lady at the end of our row, it's been her first time in Egypt and she was on my favourite boat which I have cruised on several times the 'M/S Presidential Nile Commodore' - I ask her how she enjoyed her holiday.  

On day one the hassle from hawkers in the Valley of the Kings had been so bad she had wanted to return home there and then but as the week had went on she had grown a little more used to the hassle and both her and her mum had had a superb time and would return again.  Infact listening in to the chit chat on the plane people seemed to be quite positive and had really enjoyed their time, most seem to have been on cruises where I think you do get sheltered from a lot of the hassle anyway, but the main point is most seemed to have had a really good time.

After a bacon baguette and a beer I fall asleep, missing a kerfuffle of some sort at the front of the plane, I'm not sure exactly what happened but mum saw the flight attendants rushing about then one walking to the back of the plane with an empty vodka bottle and there were no less than six police officers waiting to arrest someone at Gatwick airport when we disembarked (I think they were letting everyone off before going in to arrest him) Some passengers we had met at the Winter Palace last October were being questioned about the incident (not that they were involved in any way,  police were just questioning them for further evidence)

No major queues at immigration and it was only a short walk to the comfort of the Sofitel Gatwick, quick shower and sleeeeeeep!!!!



Thursday 12 April 2012

Tuesday 20th March

It's our last full day today (homeward bound tomorrow) so after a late breakfast we set off for another walk through the West Bank villages.  I try and spot the big lizard I saw while horseriding last week while walking along the side of the canal but all we see is the odd rat.  Again, no hassle only Schoolchildren asking our names, wanting to say hello and ask where we are from.





No hassle here!!!







Mid afternoon we had arranged to say goodbye to old friends and new and had organised a sail on Hazels felucca 'Spirit' along with Edward and Freda (OurLuxorFlat from TripAdvisor)




Who needs a beach when you have the beautiful River Nile to look out onto


We headed south towards the bridge, past the Jolie Ville hotel (since the expansion it looks more like a big resort hotel that the peaceful island retreat it used to be - nearly 700 rooms now I believe - it's ideal for families and those that want to be away from the hustle and bustle of town though )





When sailing past the Jolie Ville we all spotted a JET SKI, I kid you not - I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.  Hazel said she had seen it a few months ago.  Would I Jet Ski on the Nile, NO NO NO - apart from having down right terrible co-ordination -( the quad biking incident still sticks in my mind where I crashed into a wall then some date palms and needed rescuing ) There are feluccas, motorboats, Nile Cruise boats to dodge round PLUS some pretty strong currents if you were to come off.....




Spending an afternoon quietly sailing on a felucca will be ruined if Jet Ski's take off in Luxor........

Entertainment was provided by Edward who treated us to a tune via 'playing the spoons' he is actually really good at it too.........


Sorry the video seems to be the wrong way round

All in all we are out for around 4 hours, it's bliss............






Our Captain - Sayeed




We say goodbye to Edward and Freda, great company!!!!
We dine that evening on the rooftop of our hotel, lentil soup, Kofta in tomato sauce - chef has pulled out all the stops for our final meal there.  I'm not looking forward to going home and having to cook for myself again,  my cooking can't compete with this (I can see myself heading to M & S when I get home out of sheer lazyness)



Monday 19th March 2012

What a FANTASTIC day (I am a lucky lucky Suzie!!!!)

This morning mum, Hazel (ElizabethH55 from TripAdvisor) and I arranged transport and headed north of Luxor.

Our destination.....................

A Pyramid..........

Nope, we didn't go all the way to Giza, Sakkara, Dashur or anywhere near there

Around 20 - 30 minutes drive from Luxor is the remains of a 3rd Dynasty step pyramid thought to be built by the pharaoh 'Huni' (the last Pharaoh of the third dynasty)

The pyramid is known as 'the pyramid of Tukh' or 'Pyramid of Ombos'





mum climbs to the top of the pyramid.



It's caved in on itself now and in need of restoration work.

We climbed up and sat in the middle of the collapsed part for a while just taking it all in.  Hazel who specialises in Spirituality / Meditation / Reiki thought it the perfect place to meditate.


Perfect place for meditation
Nearby the remains of the pyramid are some tombs dating back to the 18th Dynasty, little remains in the way of reliefs inside them but interesting none the same.







In front of the tombs are lots of shards of broken pottery, some pieces still with colour on them - we were very careful where we were stepping!!!


There is also the (mainly unexcavated) remains of a temple dedicated to the god 'Set' - you have to use your imagination here but you can still make out where the columns, outer walls etc all were.











A local farming family living nearby the temple were all out looking and laughing at these 'Magnoon' foreigners standing staring at what looks like stones and sand.  Seriously though they were all very friendly and shook our hands as we left.


On getting back to Luxor we all headed to the Ramesseum Rest for a few stella beers, sodas and cups of tea, mum managed to get a few photos of the bee-eaters you can often see flying about there - she was dead chuffed with the photos!!!!

(c) 'the auld yin' 




It was then back to the El Mesala and having a 'picky' lunch - picky as in cheese (the lovely soft white cheese you get over there) and tomato salad, home made onion bajhi's (delicious), fries, bread, babaganush - all delicious and we picked away at it all while having a good natter for a few hours.

Later in the evening we pick up the customised stones from the 'stone man' behind Luxor Temple, he has made a fantastic job of polishing the stones we gave him and setting them in silver, we buy another few pendants (temptation is always too great),

We have a wander around town a little, do a little more shopping, a young boy (probably aged around eight) proudly shows us his 'spice shop' he informs us that it's his shop, he owns it all,  he also has a caleche and a taxi, all that at such a young age!!!!!, he asks mum for 'backsheesh', I don't think he quite understood the laughter that followed from us.  Mum told him if he had a shop, a horse and carriage and a taxi at his young age then he surely had lots of money so why not give her some backsheesh as she is old and doesn't have a shop or taxi or horse and carriage lol!!! - that's how we deal with hassle best - wit and humour (it works for us anyway)

What is becoming quite annoying is that where the caleches used to park down from Sindbads and Hamees in the centre of town - now they are not just parked on the one side of the road but now both - double the hassle, I can deal with it easily but know it won't be so easy for newcomers.  The smell of horse urine is disgusting (worse than before) and you are left navigating caleches, motorbikes, mini buses etc having to walk up the middle of the road - not good!!!!