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Monday 8 April 2013

The importance of a multi-tool!

I cannot pack light!!  That's just a fact of life!!  Anyway, amongst the many bits and bobs I pack on every holiday, is a small multi-tool.  Not for me to use however - that's a boys' toy, not a girls'!!!

Well, this year it came in handy while staying at the Hilton of all places.  The hotel room doors have rigid metal fixtures that lock the door when you're in the room - they're like a security chain but it's a rigid bar rather than a chain.  Well, ours didn't work.  There's no way it would fit together.  So, the boys compared the fittings on both room doors and also on the internal communicating door between our rooms, and discovered that someone had fitted our security thingymabob the wrong way round.  So, it was into the case for the multi-tool where they proceeded to use it to take the thing to bits and fit it back on the correct way round!!  Hey presto!!  It was all working as it should.

I wonder how long it had been like that?

Just a spot of holiday DIY!!

Spot the motor cycle!

Because of warnings prior to travel regarding the potential in Luxor for handbag and/or camera snatches, I didn't take the camera out very much at night with me.  One night when I did have it with me I took some street scenes, every one of which has a motor cycle somewhere in it!!





This is the biggest threat to life and limb at the moment in Luxor.  The lads driving these motor cycles are totally and utterly mad.  They drive at breakneck speed up and down the streets regardless of the fact that all the locals, including children, all walk on the roads.  Hardly anyone walks on the pavements - there's usually not enough room and lots of them have broken and uneven slabs in any case!!

Setting off for home

We were up for breakfast fairly early as usual then spent time at the pool before heading out to Caffe Moka for lunch.  We were to be picked up at 2.30 p.m. to be taken to the airport so after lunch we headed off to our rooms to get changed and to pack up the final items into the suitcases.

Our transport arrived on time and we were soon at the airport dodging the 'porters' wishing to relieve you of your cases!!  However, on the way to the airport we were aware of having to change carriageways on the dual carriageway heading towards the airport so that there was two-way traffic on the one carriageway.  We thought that perhaps there had been an accident as we could see vehicles in the distance, but it was no accident.  It was a queue for fuel at at petrol station.  I have never seen a queue like it in my life.  I don't know how many vehicles were there (it looked like hundreds!), but the garage forecourt was full and the road was totally blocked and the men from the vehicles were everywhere.  It looked totally chaotic!!  I would have taken photos, but the camera was packed away in the hand luggage!!

We sailed through most of the formalities at the airport problem free and settled down up in the cafe area where we soon learned that our flight was to be late in leaving.  We had no idea why, but we did suspect that it would be because of snow as we knew that snow had been falling in the UK again!  We had left in the snow and it appeared that we were heading back to snow as well!!

As we sat waiting for our flight we received news that my husband's mum was waiting to be taken into hospital!!  We could only sit there and wait for news however as there was just nothing we could do.  Luckily, we had friends at the other end who were with her and keeping us posted as to what was going on, and we were told that it didn't appear to be serious, which put our minds at ease a bit.

The flight home was uneventful and we landed back into a very cold Gatwick Airport.  We learned on the flight that it had in fact been delayed by a fall of snow!!

On landing and getting settled into the Premier Inn at Gatwick, we confirmed that my husband's mum was comfortable in hospital, spent another comfortable night at the hotel, and  had a lovely breakfast the following morning and a good flight back home to Scotland.  It was sad to have left Luxor, but it was nice to be back home, except for the very cold weather - it was freezing!!

Sunday 7 April 2013

The second BIG Birthday!!

The BIG day arrived!!  However, the poor soul hadn't had a good sleep and still had his upset stomach despite taking medication!!  However, despite all of that we were determined that he'd have a good day - it was a case of you WILL enjoy yourself!!

We went for breakfast but he didn't want a big fuss made, so I had to hide his cards until we got to the pool where he opened all his cards and a couple of presents that I had brought with me.

And after all of that excitement, we spent a lazy day lounging in the sun before heading off to get changed for high tea that I had arranged earlier.  We wandered up to the Victoria Lounge where tea was to be served.  We weren't at all sure what to expect, but everything was lovely, and the hotel provided a birthday cake.



There was one cake stand between two with plenty to eat.  On the bottom tier there were little scones, cream and apricot jam and small creme brulees ( at least we think that's what they were!).  On the second tier were the 'sandwiches' with toppings of cheese, egg, smoked salmon, pate and beef.  The top tier had the most delicious little sweet treats including macaroons, fruit tart and a chocolate mousse.  You were given the choice of tea or coffee.  You don't have to have Nescafe by the way - that was my choice as I don't like what the Winter Palace call their 'American coffee"!!  All of this is pretty much good value at 150LE per person.  There was more than enough to go round, so much so that we shared what was left with a French lady who was taking some tea on her own.  She polished off all the left-overs!

Then the birthday cake arrived!!

However, it arrived after my husband had to leave the table to go back to the room as his stomach was giving him problems!!  We arranged for it to be delivered to the room later, which it did, complete with trolley and table cover, crockery and cutlery, all set up for the four of us to sit down to eat the cake!!  By that time though we were pretty well stuffed, so left it all till later.

It was then time to get packed as we were leaving the next day.  That was our two weeks finished and we had to prepare to go home.

Later on that evening we got ready to go to Puddleduck as my husband had chosen to have his birthday dinner there, and I had arranged it all with Jill earlier.  We walked down Medina Street as usual and found that Jill had very kindly put up a banner and balloons, which was lovely.  We had our dinner and then a birthday cake arrived with much singing and noise by the staff - the cake was delicious but, as we were leaving the next day, we weren't able to take any of it away with us so my husband asked that it be shared with the rest of the diners that were in that night so that nothing would be wasted.

Then after walking back to the hotel via Caffe Moka where we said our goodbyes to our Egyptian friend who had joined us for coffee, we went back to the hotel and ate even more cake!!  It too was delicious but there was no way we could finish it so we took it downstairs to the reception staff who were delighted to do that job for us!!  The beds in the room had been decorated for the occasion!!


We went to bed that night full of cake and happy memories of our holiday!!



The day before the second BIG birthday

I had another terrible night with all my symptoms back again so, after breakfast, it was off to the clinic again!!  It was quite a fascinating walk through the streets however as this is a walk that we normally do at night and not during the day!!  It was like chalk and cheese - a totally different place altogether!!  And there also wasn't much evidence of crazy guys on motor cycles driving like maniacs!!

After another consultation with the doctor he arranged for more blood tests to be done and he also altered the dose of medication that he had given me. He also discovered that I had a high temperature and was concerned that I maybe had a 'fever', but I think he really just meant that my temperature was high.  However, that could have been because I had just walked to the clinic!!  Rather reluctantly, he allowed me to go back to the hotel and I promised to keep in the shade and to rest.  He arranged for me to pop in that night again for the results of the blood tests.

On the way back to the hotel, I took some photos.

Butcher

Fancy motor bike and trailer

Fruit and veg sellers

Fresh fish

I think these were cabbages - they were huge!

Butcher

Strawberries

Vegetable seller
After getting back to the hotel, I kept my promise to the doctor and just relaxed in the shade.  As much as my hospital stay was a very pleasant one, one night was enough and I didn't want any more!! The only time I stepped out of the shade was to walk up to Caffe Moka for lunch!!

That night we got ready for dinner and walked along to the Fortune Cookie.  We left our friends in there while I went back to the medical centre for the results of my blood tests, which were all good with my potassium and magnesium levels back to a normal level, which was good news.  We then had our meal at the Fortune Cookie then walked back to Caffe Moka for a final drink before heading back to the hotel.

It would be the second BIG birthday tomorrow!!

Visit to our friend's house

Today was cloudy again, but at least it was still warm.  We had nothing organised for today so we stayed at the pool yet again and planned on having the rolls we bought at the baker's last night for our lunch. During the time at the pool in the morning, one of the staff had come round to ask if anyone would like to book a massage.  As I thought I was in need of a little pampering, I took up this offer and was booked in before lunchtime.  There is a male employed to do the massages for men and a female to carry out the massages on ladies.  I have had a massage here before and found it quite rough, but this one was different and I almost fell asleep at one point!!  Priced at 115LE it wasn't too expensive.

We had our rolls and cheese for lunch which very nicely finished up the butter and cheese that we had stored in the fridge as it was growing closer to the end of the holiday and we didn't want to be wasting anything.

Again, we just lazed at the pool during the afternoon - I think I did say at the beginning of this blog that it was very much an R & R holiday!!  There is a new cake shop in the street right opposite the back door of the Winter Palace, so we popped in there as tonight was the night for going to our friend's house in the Village of the Cobra.  We got dressed and ready to go, gathering together the presents for the children, the cake, pens and pencils and then we set off to see Dony outside as we had already organised with him to take us there.

As usual once at the house, we were ushered into the family room where we had drinks and met the family and took photos!  We were then taken into the dining room where the table was groaning under the weight of the food!  He always makes us feel very welcome and uses the tartan table cover that we took over to him years ago!  We had taken over some tartan napkins for him this year and he had them on the table too, and he was wearing his Scotland shirt that we had given him on our last visit.  He's an honorary Scotsman now like we are honorary Egyptians!!


We spent an enjoyable time eating our food and seeing all the family but all too soon we were phoning Dony to come for us to take us back to the hotel.  We had had a great evening, as we usually do when visiting our friends here.



Sleepy, lazy day that clouded over

Yet again, I hadn't had a great sleep so it was another day of lazing about at the pool and when I wasn't sleeping I was taking photos!!  You'll notice how empty the pools are - that's because they're still not heated and are freezing cold!!



I had made sure that I had bananas for breakfast, but brought them down from the fruit bowl in our room as there were none for offer in the breakfast room.

These bananas were growing in the garden, but they weren't quite ready!!

We had our lunch at Caffe Moka, then I slept a lot once more at the pool.  It got noticeably cloudy today, but at least it was still warm even if there was no sunshine. By the time the sun was setting however, some of the cloud had lifted so I went down to the front terrace of the hotel to take some photos.

Winter palace bathed in a golden glow

Sun setting

Almost gone



Twilight

 Then, on the way back through the gardens to the Pavilion rooms, I took more!!

One of a pair of guardian lions!
Rear of hotel
It was then almost time to head off for dinner again, and back to Puddleduck.  But, before that, I had to pop back to the clinic to see the doctor for a blood pressure check.  It seemed that the blood pressure was up a little again which wasn't too worried about, and he let me go for dinner to carry on with my holiday as normal.  However, he did want to see me on Saturday again for another check-up. At Puddleduck we had two starters, four main courses and drinks which came to 438LE.  And Jill very kindly sent one of her staff out to buy me some bananas!!  

After dinner it was a walk back to Caffe Moka for coffees and hot chocolate before heading back to the room.  I should probably say at this stage that my husband's preference was always for a beer at the end of the night!!  He's not really a pipe, slippers and hot chocolate man!!! 



Discharged from Hospital

Well, after a reasonable night's sleep I was brought breakfast in the morning at 9 a.m. by a waiter.  This was my first breakfast in bed for a VERY long time!!  By this time I was quite hungry as I hadn't eaten since lunchtime the day before.  However, there was so much on offer here that I couldn't possibly eat it all!!

As I was eating breakfast my husband arrived for a visit - there was no problem in him getting in to see me at any time at all.  It was then that we discovered that there was a 'guest relations' person and she came to visit me as well to make sure all was in order.  Quite honestly, it was almost like being in a hotel with all the attention that I was getting.  I can't fault anything.  It was decided that I may get discharged around lunchtime so my husband went off back to the hotel and I just waited - not a lot else I could do really!!  The nurses buzzed in and out and took blood and changed drips etc. and then my lunch appeared, which was also very nice.  I had been instructed to eat bananas as they are high in potassium, and there were three of them included with my lunch!  The sandwich that I was given was delicious!!

However, there was still no sign of me being discharged over lunchtime, but I was eventually allowed to go at 5.30 p.m.  However, I was still to attend at the Medical Centre for check-ups and if I was worried about anything or if my symptoms all game back.  It was very comforting to know that good medical care was at hand fairly close by!  Once I got back to the hotel I was able to get changed and we all went out for our dinner.  But, but this time there was still only three of us for dinner as my husband had developed an upset stomach so he stayed at the hotel while my friends and I walked along to the Fortune Cookie.  For three starters, three main courses and two sweets plus drinks, the cost was 302LE which was very reasonable.

After dinner we walked back along to Caffe Moka where we met up with my husband are our Egyptian friend who we had contacted earlier and had arranged to meet.  Following that meeting, we arranged to go to our friend's house to visit the family and have dinner on Friday.  Now, that was something that I was really looking forward to!!

Thursday 4 April 2013

Maritim Jolie Ville Hotel and an unexpected visit to Hospital!!

I had another terrible night's sleep having been awake since 2.30 a.m. and felt pretty rough in the morning however made it down to breakfast then down to the pool where I promptly fell asleep on the sunbed!!  The plan today was to visit the Martim Jolie Ville Hotel, Kings Island, Luxor, as we hadn't been there for a very long time, and that we'd stay for lunch.

I dragged myself off the sunbed and, as we had booked him the day before, Dony was waiting for us outside and he drove us up to the hotel with the same arrangement as before - I'd just phone him about ten minutes or so before we were ready to leave.  At least that way we could spend as much time as we wanted at the hotel and he was free to pick up fares instead of just sitting waiting around for us at the Jolie Ville somewhere.

The Jolie Ville has certainly expanded somewhat since we last visited and, although it's all very nice, it's just a bit too far out of town for us.  Perfect though if you want a relaxing holiday away from the hustle and bustle of Luxor, but it's not really for us.  We did have a nice lunch though and a wee wander around to take some photos but, as I still wasn't feeling that great, I don't have many photos to offer!!  I did manage to capture an egret with a fish though, so was pleased with this one.

As arranged, after our lunch we phoned Dony and he came to pick us up and took us straight back to the Winter Palace where I stayed at the pool for the remainder of the day.

We had a table booked at Puddleduck tonight (have you guessed yet that this is our favourite restaurant??) so we made our way out the back gate to find the streets in darkness!  The whole of Medina Street was unlit, but at least we had our torches with us this time after having experienced the power cuts on previous nights.  It was quite daunting walking down the street with no lighting, bearing in mind that the mad motor cyclists were still buzzing about and that most of the vehicles never drive with their lights on in the dark in any case!!  We were made aware of another potential hazard however when a local man shouted out a warning to my friend and I - "Watch your handbags!!"  Happily, we also had no problems with any attempted handbag snatches.  We progressed down to Puddleducks though still in total darkness, and found that the restaurant too was without power but, after only a few minutes inside, the lights came back on and everything was back to normal.

I had already sent a text to a medical friend back home with the symptoms that I was suffering and it was suggested that I should at least try to have a blood pressure check carried out, so I asked Jill where the best place was to have that carried out.  She pointed me in the direction of a pharmacy just around the corner so, after ordering my food, my husband took me to the pharmacy but the owner there told us that his 'mercury was broken' and said we should go to the new 'Luxor Medical Center' which just a few doors away and nearto Arkwright's Supermarket.

I had no idea what to expect of this place but, on entering, it was bright and clean and I was more or less seen by a doctor straight away.  After examination I was totally gobsmacked when the doctor recommended that I should stay with them for observation that night as they wanted to take blood tests and would be able to start any treatment straight away if that was necessary when the results came back.  So, the decision was taken to admit me and I was taken to a double room in case my husband wanted to stay with me for the night.  I must admit the room was lovely with two hospital beds, two mini fridges with soft drinks, telephone, two TVs and a large shower room/toilet with hairdryer.  And everything was spotlessly clean.

The other hospital bed in the double room
I was then hooked up to a drip and my husband went off to let our friends know what was happening and to have his meal.  I was going nowhere!!  My husband and friends came back to see me after they had eaten, then my husband had to go back to the hotel for all the insurance documents and various bits and bobs then after he got all of that back to me, he went back to the hotel for the night.  I was going to be totally fine where I was.  I felt safe and had no qualms at about about staying there on my own.  The staff were brilliant and very attentive - it was five star!!

During his visit, my husband told me that when he and our friends had walked back to the hotel earlier they had gone a different route and found that there was a huge roadblock near the roundabout at the Iberotel (old Novotel).  The news on that was that there had been a bag snatch by someone on a motor bike but that the perpetrator had been caught.

A different doctor saw me during the early hours of the morning to give me the results of my blood tests.  It turned out that my potassium and magnesium levels were very low so I was immediately put on a potassium drip to get the levels back to normal.  I somehow managed to fall asleep and actually had quite a good night's sleep!!  I must say that the hospital bed was very comfortable indeed.

This is the link to the Luxor Medical Center http://www.luxormedicalcenter.com/


Karnak Temple

We were up early for breakfast as we wanted to head off to Karnak Temple before lots of tour buses arrived.  We ventured outside to hail a taxi and who did we meet up with but the chap who has more or less become 'our driver' when we're in Luxor.  His name is Ahmed Mohamed Osman, but he calls himself 'Dony Osman' and his stance is outside the Winter Palace.  His car is No. 2 and it's fairly new and modern with air conditioning.  He's totally and utterly mad, but we like him!  There's no haggling with him and no hassle - he's one of those 'pay me what you think' chaps, which I think always bags them more money than they should be getting!!  Anyway, we clambered into his taxi and he took us off to Karnak with the arrangement  being that I'd phone him when we wanted him to come back and collect us.

We paid the 65LE each for entry into the Temple and headed off on the fairly long walk to get to the entrance.  As we had never been in the Open Air Museum part of Karnak Temple, we headed there first, paid the extra 25LE each at the entrance and headed in.  We had the place to ourselves and wandered around there to our heart's content!  Wonderful!!

This is just a wee sample of some photos that I took - I have loads more!!






After looking round the outdoor museum, we headed back into the main temple area, which by now was starting to get quite busy.  Now, there's one iconic photo that everyone seems to have that has been taken at Karnak Temple and I didn't have it - that is until now!!


So, if I never make it back to Karnak at any time in the future, I now have the photo that I wanted!!  Here are a few more - I will try not to bore you with too many!!

A temple cat!







To show you the scale of these huge pillars, that small figure is my husband!!

We were just leaving the temple as hoards of tourists were arriving from the tour buses, so we had chosen a good time to visit. I phoned Dony to ask him to come for us and, by the time we got down to where we were to be picked up, he was there waiting for us.  We spent the rest of the day at the pool and ate our rolls at lunch time in our rooms as we now also had the kettle to use.

That night we walked down Medina Street once more and had a meal at the King and Thai, which was quite nice.  For three starters, four main courses, two sweets and drinks, the cost was 405LE.  My sweet was interesting - deep fried ice cream with pineapple fritters!!  This is what it looked like - it was huge!!

We walked back towards the hotel and stopped off again at Cafe Moka for our coffee.  We had noticed during our walk back that it seemed a little quieter than normal, and when we got to the top of the street at the cafe we found out why!  The police and what also looked like army personnel had road blocks set up and they were stopping motor cycles.  They even had confiscated a few that were sitting in the back of pick-up trucks ready to be taken away to wherever they take them - and about time too!!  There were a few irate owners remonstrating with the authorities, so we didn't hang about and slipped back into the confines of the hotel and left them all to it!!