Well, actually I'm not, not really! I was rescued by some fellow Trip Advisor Destination Experts, Suziesoose and that thug KV Explorer to be precise. They took me under their collective wing yesterday, we went quad-biking in the afternoon and then they had arranged for dinner at the Africa restaurant on the Side of the Dead. KV even went without his trademark hat and shorts, but don't be too alarmed, he wore long pants instead and in place of his hat he wore an Arabian thingy, like the villain Yasser Arafat. Although I took my Box Brownie on the quads, I forgot to get any pics, duhhhh! However I did remember it whilst at the meal, but then I forgot to wipe the lens so the pics are of my usual quality, sorry. (What do you really expect for free?)
Sorry, but after a complaint that the pics of KV Explorer had frightened some children, I've had to take them down!
Needless to say, we had a marvellous time, the quad-biking was great fun, and no-one fell off, which is always a bonus. Suzie had a bit of a problem, as her quad kept trying to crash into the desert wall, and at one point suddenly veered across the track and nearly ran into a bunch of date palms. The guide rescued her and looked after her after that. KV's trip wasn't without incident either. I was following him, and he seemed to be leaning right over to the right (as if he'd ricked his back), I wondered if there was something wrong with his quad as well. We stopped and swapped machines, as he said that his was pulling to the right all the time. (I have to say, though, that it was fine for me. I eventually deduced, dear Watson, that he has one arm about a foot longer than the other, and that's why his picture on the TA Luxor Forum is only a head and shoulder shot!)
The meal at Africa was good and wholesome, as you'd expect, and afterwards KV and I both had shishas. That man's just a rotten egg! He forced Suzie (a non-smoker) to have a puff of his apple shisha, the beast. Actually she was quite taken by it and spent the rest of the time texting friends and family to tell them all. KV is obviously quite a "lady killer" as well, and confided in me that Suzie's Mam has been after him the whole holiday. But when he tried to get her to smoke the shisha also, she shied off, maybe suspecting some cunning plan to seduce her. I don't know what his lovely little wife would have thought of that, though.
When we eventually got back to the civilisation of the East Bank, we sat out front at the Etap, far away from the wonderful singer, and had drinks and convivial conversation till we made our separate ways to bed.
All in all, it was a great time and I want to express my thanks publicly! So thank you Mr. Three Compressors and wife, and thank you Suzie and Mam.
Today, I made another teapot for Tutti Frutti Cafe (no pictures, as yet) and took it across there to be painted etc. Christine wasn't there, so her understudy, (Irish Lorraine) took pity on me and gave me a lunch consisting of a piece of very nice chicken and vegetable pie with mashed spuds, mushrooms and a white sauce, followed by some apple and cinnamon pie with fresh cream. As you would expect of this establishment: it went down a treat! Of course it also came with a pot of tea.
By the time I got back home, I thought that I'd try a glass of chai at Adam's coffee shop across the street.
While I sat there, generally enjoying watching the people passing to and fro and taking in the pleasant ambiance of our little alley, Adam was brushing the street (it's less than 6ft wide, by the way). I was a bit surprised when he stopped when he got to the road and just left the detritus there, in a pile. But then I came to my senses, that's the "Egyptian Way" i.e. leave it for someone else!
Two men were fastening up a sign for Mr. Gamal's Wedding Shop, just next to where I was positioned, obviously "Egyptian Way" professionals. What better fixing than bent nails and a length of twisted wire?
Just next to the sign, I noticed someones fuse box, what can I say?
And these are the people who conceived and built the fabulous and huge Pyramids at Giza, and the breathtakingly beautiful Funerary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut here on the West Bank and also the awesome and intimidating Temples of Abu Simbel on Egypt's Southern border.
The "Egyptian Way"! What do you think of it?
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