The times they are a'changin' (or are they really?).

OK then, Clive and Sue departed today. We've had a few laughs with them as they're as daft as two brushes! Here's Sue at the Nile Palace the other night:

We were there on the evening when the dance troupe start off by coming down the back stairs into the bar, before the 'real' show gets underway in the atrium. The pantomime horse is the best I've seen:

I'm sure that some of the folk dancing troupes in England would just love it!

There's been a rather large gathering of medical types at the Nile Palace this past week or so, attendees from all over the world at the "7th International Conference on Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy". Sounds very interesting, eh?

It has to be better than the breakdowns which I used to deal with; which invariably meant lying under some scrapheap of a wagon or 'bus, on some side-road in the 'back of beyond' in a blizzard!

On one of the nights we were there, the conference lot were having a special 'gala' dinner by the pool:

It looked fab, but our contact at the hotel couldn't get us a ticket, I'm sure that we could have passed ourselves off as Mr and Mrs Doctor Edward!


A week or so before this, the Sonesta St George Hotel was hosting a load of film stars and technicians for the first "Luxor Egyptian and European Film Festival"

The Nile Palace also had some guests in who were to do with that, they were obviously film types as they swanned around, looking glamorous! I've heard several people (who should know) saying that it was expected to be the first of many, let's hope so?

It's obvious that the hotels (who are losing millions, by the way) are trying their best to attract a different clientele, while the normal tourists are still staying away.

You'd think I was an advertising agent for the Nile Palace by the way I go on about it, but the fact is that we do go there quite a bit, and they really are trying!
As well as their three for two happy hour deal on tea and coffee (actually on all drinks) they have speciality pastries on offer, all at one price. Here's the "Hot Date Pie with Ice Cream":

It is currently one of the five or six date based sweets on offer for 22le, and absolutely georgeous!

Of course, after lashing out on such a luxury, we were actually guilty enough to then go and have a 3le Hawawshi at Karnak. After Freda losing her flip-flop on our last outing there, she kept them firmly on her dainty little 'plates of meat' this time, at least until we'd stopped and were waiting for Ahmed to get the food. I joined her in allowing the air to circulate between my toes:

What a lovely sight, eh?

When we went to see Clive and Sue off from the Winter Palace, this afternoon, we asked about the cost of the 'Afternoon Tea' as we had heard that the price had been increased dramatically. It had, and was now 150le per person!!!! Yes, that's twice as much! Of course, I registered my dismay, but was somewhat put in my place when the head waiter informed me that 'Afternoon Tea' at the Old Cataract was now 400le, and I should consider myself lucky! 'Nuff said squire!

Before I leave you; I'm sure that I've made the point to you before now that some aspects of Luxor seem to be a couple of hundred years behind the ways which we are now more used to in the West. Well, how about this for modern book-keeping? I'm quite certain that old Ebenezer Scrooge would have been proud to own a ledger like this:

There's a bloke sits there all day, recording column after column of figures, just like poor Tiny Tim's dad, Bob Cratchett.

God bless us, every one!

That Was the 'Forty Years' that Was!

Good evening and welcome, here today and gone tomorrow: our 40th wedding anniversary.

We celebrated in some style, even though we're poor! Started off with a lovely lunch, courtesy of the lovely Christine at Tutti Frutti, you've seen it before but it's worth looking at again:

Although Tutti Frutti is a spacious place, we could hardly get moved there today. I've never seen it so busy. I was pleased that we had actually booked our places! Today, I had the half and half dinner (beef and chicken together), I had also wanted some of her scrumptious apple pie for pudding, but was disappointed to find that they were sold out. Just my luck! We made do with a cup of tea and a natter, before tripping along to Arkwright's for some milk and bits and bobs.

At Freda's suggestion, we called at the Sonesta St George Hotel in order to further our culinary adventure! They had their A/C on so it was a bit chilly in there, as you can see from the pained expression!

After stuffing down the ample serving at Tutti Frutti, we could only manage to share this offering from the hotel's pastry chef:

We'd had a very pleasant afternoon, and with full tummies, we jumped on the first 'bus which came along. Horror of horrors! It had a bad infestation of flies, which we didn't notice until we were seated and on our way!

Every time the 'bus stopped to let people on or off, the flies had a bit of a dance around, bouncing off people's heads and things. It was disgusting! We decided though that it was better to stay on, rather than get off and hope for another 'bus to come along. We were pleased when we alighted in Mustafa Kamel Street! I complained to the driver, but realised that they were probably his pets.Never mind.

So, forty years, eh? I've been thinking how the women you love the most rule your life, don't they? I spent the first (almost) 20 years of my life being looked after and shaped in body and mind by my Mother, bless her. Then Freda has spent the last 40 years undoing mam's work as she moulded me for her own purposes!

It's no wonder they get on so well, when they've both had the same Plasticine to play with. I suppose that they've both done a reasonable job so far, in that I'm still alive and at their beck and call, lol.

(I opened my Christmas box of Hotel Chocolat Winter Cocktails tonight.They're truly delicious!)

Who remembers Andy Stewart?

"I've just come doon frae the Isle of Skye" and all that jazz!

We'll come back to that in a minute. Last night, for a change, we had a mosey down to the Sonesta St George. It feels like going up-market from the Nile Palace, but I think that that's just 'cause we're not really used to it. Although it is also a lovely hotel, I think that the Nile Palace might just have the edge over it.

For our purposes (i.e. Tourist watching) the Nile Palace offers more scope, and possibly a bigger variety. But not last night!

For the first time ever in Luxor, for us at least, we came upon a real Scotchie, wearing a kilt! Here's the proof: 

Maybe I shouldn't actually name the gentleman, but I will say that he's called George, and while he's not from the "Isle of Skye" I can confirm that he is "no vary big and he's awfy shy"! We had a word or two with him and his son, and they are definitely enjoying their holiday in Luxor. Although he only had time for the photo and a few words, I didn't get any sense that he and his family had come across anything untoward in the town. So, that seems to be another visitor who thinks he's safe here in the "Badlands"! Maybe you should come here yourself, to check it out properly?

I cannot leave the matter of the Nile Palace and our spotting activities, without telling you who we saw there the other night, I didn't feel able to take a snap, but I'm sure it was Rod the Mod's Mam! She had exactly the same hairstyle as Mr Stewart (Rod that is, not Andy lol) had in the 70's, it was amazing! On the same evening, we saw a Desperate Dan lookalike too. He was only young, maybe 25/30, but all he needed was the cowboy hat and gun to complete the effect!

I'd better get back to pulling nails out, no not finger nails (although at times I feel like doing that to some of the people I have to deal with here) nails in wood, off the roof!