Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.....literally!

Well, this is a queer kettle of fish, and no mistake! The picture below is our carry-on case, which I've just used to bring 15 litres of Baraka water from Ahmed's little supermarket down in Yousef Hassan Street. (The Mohsen Market, for those of you who know the area. Ahmed is also a local plumber as I've mentioned on here before.) I would have rather bought a box, but I don't think I would have survived the stairs, in all honesty.



The reason for hoarding water? In all probability, we shall be "cut off" tomorrow for a couple of days! Someone has sunk a cargo vessel loaded with around 1000 tons of fuel, 100 tons of which have leaked out into the river. "Charming", I can hear you say.
The government departments are enacting their "emergency plans" and hope to contain the fuel in the Aswan area, but I believe it will prove to be an impossible task, and that they will close off the filtration and purification plants as soon as they know that they are unable to keep the drinking water safe. So, thanks to warnings on the Luxor4u forums, we are stockpiling like crazy!





As I went out of the building to buy the Baraka, I came across Adam in his coffee shop over the road (lol at "over the road", he's about five feet away). He and his wife have four boys, and they'll use some water during two days, I'll be bound. His wife was busy filling every container she can lay hand to. When I got out into the street, I came across Nashat (the tailor from the souk), a normally placid fellow who was wound up enough to be raging against the government. "What about the poor people? How will they manage?"

When I came back with my laden case, I promised to bring some empty bottles down for Adam. "No, no Mr Edward, just send them down on the string." (Now, I need to explain this to the uninitiated. Being on the roof, with 83 stairs: we have a bucket on a string, which we can let down to the street door. When the electric man comes and rings the doorbell, he then puts the bill in the bucket and we send the money back down. This happens with several people, and if we haven't got any money, I peep over the roof terrace wall and just pretend we're not in! Anyway, it all saves my poor old legs. OK?) After struggling up the stairs with my 15 kilos of water, I had a breather and then put the bottles (I only had 6, though) in a bag, clipped it onto the string and lowered away. I almost broke into a sea-shanty at this point, but I get into trouble with Freda for frightening the neighbours, so desisted. After gently letting it down the 5 floors (quickly past the doctor's window though, in case any of his thieving patients grabbed at it as it went past) I shouted for Adam, and shouted for Adam, and shouted for Adam. (No, the record hasn't stuck!) Then I whistled, and shouted for Adam, several times. In a state of some frustration, I eventually decided to go down the stairs again and get him by the hand!!!!! Yes, you've guessed it, just as I opened the street door, there was Adam taking the last bottle out of the bag! Apologising profusely for making me trail all the way down the stairs, he forced me to take a seat in the coffee shop and have one of his cigarettes before he would let me mount the stairs again. Well, you have to be sociable at times like this, don't you?
Poor Freda was, in the meantime, trying to find receptacles to hold water for our own needs. Here they are, taking up the shower and the livingroom floor.
InshAllah, it will all be sorted out by morning, but you never know?

NEW TOUR COMPANY HITS LUXOR
When I noticed the sign in the picture below, I immediately thought of Karen the Copper, our Welsh friend.



Do you think they are giving tours of Luxor Police, or are the Luxor Police at last joining all the rest and proclaiming themselves to be tour operators. I wonder if they have a licence?

Bye for now, I'm off to have another cuppa before bed.

Still "Ringing the Changes" on the East and the West.

Well, it's all happening here in Luxor!
I was on the West Bank yesterday, visiting a place I go to regularly, I've posted pictures of the Wall before, but it seems that it's virtually finished now. My mate's place is all the worse for it, I'm afraid. You cab see what I mean by these two pictures which were taken from within a few metres of each other. I don't think I need to entitle them "Before" and "After"!!!!





Of course you are all conversant with what's been happening near to the Winter Palace. I've had a few pictures on here about the Aboudi Book Shop and it's demise, well Mr Aboudi wasn't the only friend who was displaced. Here is Mr Jadhalla, perhaps better known to you as Mr Shakespeare, the felucca captain who had his office in the garden next to Mr Aboudi's.



I've put this particular picture of him on because it was actually taken in his "office". The next picture is taken from a previous post:



And this last one was taken today from about the same place. The tarmac road is new, and finishes just about exactly where Mr Jadhalla had his office and where he was sitting when I took the picture above.



I know everything needs to change as time marches on, but it's still sad, isn't it?

And the winner is......................

Yes, the first person to contact me with the correct answer was...........
DivaDarling, from Trip Advisor. Being a long-term sufferer from Luxoritis, she must have recognised the antique mirror or the furniture in the pictures. (Might have been the menus, which were a dead give-away on enlargement!) Anyway, it was lovely, and now I have the option of visiting either one of two of my favourite places when I'm up that end of town.
One or two folk have commented that the Oasis might be competition for Tutti Frutti, but I rather think that they will complememt each other, along with the other restaurants on that street.
Starting at the St Joseph end: you have the Tudor Rose, very nice for a more formal/intimate meal, then, past Arkwrights shop, the Oasis is next with a wide menu catering for all sorts of tastes in a very different atmosphere. Next door is the famous Tutti Frutti, where the tea is as lovely as the welcome, and the cakes and scones are to die for. (So is the PIE!!!!) Another few steps and we are outside the "Taste of India", whose wonderful reviews speak for themselves, although I cannot comment as the thought of the smell of curry puts me off from even entering, sorry. Next comes the new "Pizza Roma", again, not my cup of tea, but I've heard some very good reports regarding their food! Another minute or so and around the corner is "Puddleduck", which I am assured merits it's top spot on the Trip Advisor restaurant list, directly opposite are the new ventures of the Taste of India owner, which I expect will soon earn the same high reputation, they are the Fortune Cookie (Chinese, obviously) and upstairs, the Regal Grill.
Unlike any other street in Luxor, all these eateries are entirely different and as visitors pop into their favourite one they cannot but notice some of the others and quite possibly think "Oh, I've heard of that place, let's have a nose in there tomorrow." I'm certain that the diversity and quality of these eating places will ensure regular patronage for them all.
The following picture explains part of the reason why we aren't getting out much during the day.



It was taken after 4 o'clock today.
See ya!

It's nee gud bein' poor and lookin' poor!

That used to be a popular saying where I grew up, as most of the local folk were not what we could call "well off". The point was that even poor folk could get themselves done up when the need arose.
One of the changes which really made me think about the better financial situation of my generation compared with that of my parents was when I started to notice the number of restaurants in the local telephone directory! I cannot recall my parents ever going out "for a meal", let alone taking us brats along with them. Nowadays it's common practice, and no less here in Luxor.
We don't eat out all that often, and when we do it's only in one of a very small number of eating establishments. Tonight, we went to a newly opened restaurant which already has a substantial following, we had the same to eat as we have had there on previous occasions, and it was as delightful as ever. Strange?
I took a few pictures, and here are the best two of them. Any clues, anyone? Actually there are clues aplenty in the pictures





Oh, I nearly forgot to mention that it's right next door to another of my all-time favourite fuel stops.
If I get some time tomorrow; I may get around to putting you out of your misery. Meanwhile, you can either send your answers on a post card, or leave a comment on this blog.
Nighty night!

My husband, the carpenter?

Because our two apartments are on the 3rd and 4th floors of our building we need to have a pump to ensure adequate water pressure for the showers etc. The pump switch was located just inside the guest apartment door, in a little alcove so no one could see it. Our problem has been when we have had a water cut and the pump begins to make terrible noises as it has no water to pump, if we have guests staying it is not always convenient to go into the guest apartment to switch the pump off until the water comes back on again.
“Move the switch” we agreed. Eventually we got our local electrician, Mr. Ramadan, to come and move the switch onto the wall outside of the apartment so we could access it at any time. Problem number two occurs when I see the switch, it is at eye height and is an eyesore, every time I come up the stairs it is there looking decidedly ugly.
Edward decides to build a box to hide it. We have plenty pieces of wood stored on top of our roof, saved from various jobs my carpenter husband has done before. Last week out comes pencil and paper, tool box and several bits of wood.
One week later I go downstairs to find a wooden frame around the switch, which is slightly lopsided (“Egyptian, is it?”, I comment). Although Edward has taken several measurements he had not realised that the back plate was not level at the top, hence the lopsided appearance.
Today he has been working away with his tools, pencil, paper and pieces of wood for most of the day. He has been in for lunch, had a break to have a glass of lemon and several forays into our living room to get out of the sun and drink copious amounts of water. Because he has been out in the sun on the roof terrace for the best part of 2 days he is beginning to resemble a beetroot, yesterday he did not wear a shirt and his shoulders are red, today with his shirt on, it is just his face which is getting redder.
At teatime I leave him to it and go out, we meet up later and arrive home about 9.30 I am first up the stairs to see the effort of his many hours of work, is it an improvement, I will leave that for you to decide. Here are the before and after photos





(Editor's note: Watch out for the next instalment "How to mend a broken nose"!!!!!)

Winter Palace: ongoing!

With it being so darned hot, (45ish every day) we're tending to use the buses a lot, instead of walking. That being the case, we haven't been around the Winter Palace area for a little while, so I was a bit surprised to see, when mooching around down there, that they are actually getting on with the job!
Someone, on one of the forums, was saying that the foundations for the new building were going in the other week. I thought at the time that it seemed a touch "previous", but withheld my judgement until I saw it with my own eyes. As it happens, they were preparing the ground for a perimeter fence, which is now up (chain link for Egyptian authenticity, lol) with a lovely row of trees which will mask the fence from view quite soon.

As always, click once on the picture to make it bigger, and again to magnify it.






The ground on the outside of the fence has been tramped down by running a big machine over it, and is all dust. Obviously I had to walk over this to get to the fence to take some photo's, and I came across this........



It's about 2 inches in diameter, and I've no idea if it's still live or not, I certainly wasn't going to lick my finger and touch it to find out!!!!!

Looking through the fence, it's plain to see where the Aboudi shop was, and the back of the "Winter Pavillon" is in more or less full view.






They're knocking down the old WP garden wall, and digging near to the "New" Winter Palace site, and piling the earth onto the lovely lawn where the tower block used to stand.






It is quite fascinating, trying to imagine the new building (as in the huge poster) actually taking shape as time goes on! I'll keep you posted from time to time.

There but for the Grace of God.

We were watching "The West Wing" on the laptop (the complete "Boxed Set", a gift from our son) when we were aware of a commotion outside somewhere. It sounded a bit like a football crowd, heard from a few streets away. We often get deafening eruptions of yelling, which are repeated all over town, when one of the favourite football teams score a goal. Of course, it seems that all Egyptian men are avid football fans, and even though they don't actually attend at the games, they are all glued to a TV somewhere to watch any match which is televised.
On turning off the sound, we soon realised that it wasn't that at all as they were womens' voices we were hearing, and they weren't yelling.......they were wailing!
It was about 11.15, so we were not dressed for going out, but I wanted to see what had happened. I threw on some clothes and trundled downstairs, stepping over the rubbish which had been strewn about (purposely so, because Freda had reprimanded some doctor's visitors for blocking the newly cleaned stairs and making their usual mess) by the childlike numbskulls which pass for men around here.
When I got to the entrance of our little cul-de-sac, I was surprised to see the traffic backed up, in two lanes, for as far as I could see. The cause was a tumult of men milling around outside the small Mosque on the corner, the wailing was coming from along one of the streets opposite, which looked completely blocked.
I asked Adam if he knew anything. (Of course I knew that he would know ALL, him being the nearest we have to an old gossip.) Apparently a young man of 32 from the same street, had taken ill two days ago, and now he had died.
I had taken the camera down, but, even for you dear reader, I couldn't really be seen to take photos of mourning people, neither would I want to.
If you haven't heard Egyptian women wailing, then you will probably think (as I did) that it is wrong for them not to be allowed to attend funerals, but after experiencing this, I'm not so sure any more. It's now midnight, but I think the noise will keep the whole neighbourhood awake for some hours yet. Al Hamdulillah! (Praise be to God in all circumstances.)

Spook at Carter's House.

We've wanted to go to the new Museum at the house of Howard Carter (discoverer of the fabulous tomb of the "Boy King" Tut Ankh Amun in 1922) since it was opened as such in November last year. However, you know how things just slip by and get put off? We haven't had a real excuse to free up the time until today!
Well, we have a group friends, four sisters from the "Black Country", who come each year to visit the "Black Land" and they landed last Wednesday for a week at the Etap Hotel. They are known collectively as "The Wenches". They don't always come altogether, and this time there are only Glen and Mar, who are the two most interested in Egypt's history etc.
I suggested that we visit this relatively new attraction together, and they both thought it a good idea! We arranged a mini-bus to collect us this morning and whip us away to the "Side of the Dead".
The House is quite interesting, with the various rooms furnished and mocked up something like they would have been during Howard Carter's residence. I took several photo's, but being my usual rubbish self with the camera, they are too embarrassingly bad to put on here!!!! Never mind, though, I got some of the Great Man" himself when he deigned to come and speak to us.






To be perfectly honest, I don't really know what I expected. But this was a seriously clever bit of work! I'm pretty sure that the "powers that be" will soon realise the potential of what they have here, and slap on an entrance fee, but even if they do: it'll still be worth paying to go and see. At one point, he even gives us a slide show from the projector on the table onto the wall at the right, it's truly a "Magic" Lantern Show.
If you get the chance to go, please don't miss it. All you need to do is lose the guardian who follows you around with unwanted directions and comments, otherwise an excellent visit. It will be even better when the promised Tearoom is open!

More Lights.

When I saw the West Bank Lights on again tonight, I hi-tailed it down to the Emilio Hotel, to see if I could take some pictures from their roof. The manager (Mr Showkat) and I are old friends from when we would often stay there while we were tourists.
Of course, it "wouldn't be a show without Punch" would it! I just happened to call whilst they were having some sort of electrical problem, which meant that the lifts weren't working. However, this was not going to stop your intrepid reporter. I don't mind risking a heart attack for my public!!!!! (Just joking, Mam, don't worry)
140 steps later, and I was thinking rather differently, I can tell you. Never mind, the view from the Emilio rooftop acted like a defibrilator, and perked me up no end!
I hope you all like it as much as I.
The first one shows Hatshepsut's Funerary Temple.



This next one is a replacement for the "old" Mountain Lights picture which so many people thanked me for.



This last one is an amalgam of the two.



As usual you can click to enlarge them, and click again to magnify. Have fun.

Moulid of Abu Haggagg, Parade on Last Day.

Digi camera packed up, so I had to get the card downloaded onto a disc and then load the pics onto the laptop, what a carry-on! I knew I shouldn't have changed the Brownie 127!!!!!!
Anyway, stacks of photo's just to give you a taste of what it was like, but you have to imagine a deafening cacaphony all the time as well.
People come from far and wide to celebrate, with the Muslim population of Luxor, the Sheik (and saint) Abu Haggagg. The streets are crowded with onlookers, climbimg to every ledge or wall top to get a better view of what's coming!

On all the pictures, click once to enlarge, and again to magnify.



Once there's no room left for anyone to stand, then you know that the procession won't be long in coming. First of all there are the daft lads with their camels and horses. Shoving each other out of the way, and making the horses rear up, they don't seem to mind using their whips!




Interspersed between each group are gangs of youths, with fighting sticks or swords or knives. Thank heaven they aren't filled with drink!



The next group to appear are the Holy Men of Luxor, this group used to be a LOT bigger than today's showing, lol.



The Holy Men are followed by the camels with tents mounted on their backs. These represent the seven major Mosques of Luxor. On some of them they have a woman inside the tent, as I noticed at least two with female legs sticking out the bottom!




After the Mosques come the Trades of Luxor, represented on different floats hauled along by poor little donkeys or half starved horses, but always helped along by plenty of willing hands as well. The pictures are of the Felucca Men and the Fruiterers. The Bakers are always somewhere to be seen, covered in flour usually, but I didn't catch them here.




As well as the stick and sword men gathering between the floats, we also have the entertainers and fools. Here we have a right clever-clogs standing up on his "Hijabi" camel, also the man with the twitching false moustache who gave everyone a laugh!







The poor old soul playing the kettle drums really deserved that drink!

There were some floats and banners which I didn't know what they were, with an election coming up one or two were definitely election posters. I don't know what this one was, but the man wanted me to photograph it anyway. It did accidently produce a good profile picture of our good friend Mr. Ramadan, the local (spitting, remember?) electrician.

The 2010 Moulid of Abu Haggagg.

As usual, the road is closed and the traffic diverted around the Mosque, and all for the annual stick fighting extravaganza! This even happened last year when the Moulid was actually cancelled for fear of spreading the dreaded Swine Flu. People come from all over Egypt to join in this celebration of the famous local Sheik Abu Haggagg. The Mosque which was built on top of Luxor Temple was in his honour, and it's just been renovated at a cost of 7 million Egyptian Pounds.
It's nearly a quarter to two in the morning, but we aren't asleep yet! As well as the stick fighting band, we also have something else going on in a street not far away, and their live music is turned up full blast, seeing as it's part of the Moulid, probably. Anyway, I've been downstairs to watch some of the stick fighting and got a couple of piccies.
The first one has some of the band in it, they are left of centre, just in front of the big doors. You can clearly see three trumpeters, but none of the drummers, sorry!
The other three are of different dancers, after they've had their little spell, they drop the band members a few bob.









A couple of years ago, we had two old men from Kom Ombo sleeping in our street, on the ground, while they awaited their turn to do the stick fighting dance "for Abu Haggagg". It gets quite exciting the later in the night it gets. They usually finish around three in the morning!

Joshu fit de battle of Jericho!

And you know what happened next, don't you?
Yes: And de walls come a-tumblin' down.







And it came to pass that in the long hours before dawn, the desert wind came up out of the West, like unto the Lion of Judah, and smote upon the walls of the Egyptian Overlord until they didst break asunder! And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the houses of them that dost toil.

The poor brickies must be close to tears when they think of all the sweat they lost, only to have to do it again. Before I got there, the bricks had been separated from the cement (which was left to be trodden into the road) and placed ready for the men to come and rebuild. My heart goes out to them.

No rest for the wicked?

Now, it's 00.37! But I want to get this last bit down.

It's not WHAT you know, but WHO you know!

We received an invite to a "bit-of-a-do" at the Winter Palace tonight! It was a celebration for the opening of the new "Central Park Bar" in the garden at the rear of the hotel. Very nice too, and quite posh!




All the great and the good of Luxor were there. Oh, sorry if you didn't get an invitation, there was no room for the hoi-polloi don'cha know? We were treat to a small feast delivered by a flock of waiters. Little Ahmed (whom we met on his first day of training, in the New Winter Palace a good few years back) was doing his usual gliding across the floor as if he was on wheels bit. He still looks 12 years old, though! We had kebabs, Daoud Basha (sort of meat balls), kofta and a range of little savoury bites and dips, such as smoked salmon, several different pates on toast and different cheesey tasters with melon and grapes. For drinks we had a choice of soft drinks and cocktails, plus (of course) some "English" tea. We got there a bit late due to the usual (Egyptian-time) time-keeping of one of our party, or else the pics would have been taken before it was really dark. Sorry, but you all know how useless I am!!!

Doesn't time fly?

Well here we are, still. It's now 00.22 and I'm still working for you. You lucky people! I really don't know how you all cope with the excitement at what I'll put on here next.

We haven't been wasting our time in the Guest Apartment! How about this new chandelier in the Guest Bedroom? As you can see from the picture, the beds are made up separately, as our next guest (Melanie) is coming by herself. She's a regular and we know what she likes. We're looking forward to having her stay again. This time she'll be here for the Moulid of Abu Haggagg, which starts soon, I'll post some pictures on here, insh'Allah.



What do you think of it? Although I'm quite colour blind, I knew it was bright red as soon as I saw it, and I just fell in love with it. I hope you will too, when you see it "in the flesh", so to speak.

No, I haven't been wasting my time!!!!!

Actually, I've been rather busy, in fact too busy to do the blog!
Here I am though, back again. It's 23.41, so if I want any sleep tonight I'd better get my skates on, I cannot sit here rabbiting to you all night.

THE DESERT WALL
You'll no doubt remember the pictures I posted of the trench they were digging for the foundations of the "West Bank Desert Wall", well they haven't stopped there. Here's a pic of the concrete foundation reinforcing work. I hope you are suitably excited!



And here's a couple of pics of the poor wretches working in the afternoon when it was 47.5 in the shade. (Of which they had none!) You'll notice the application of the cement? None in the horizontal gaps between the bricks, just poured on the top and spread out. I suppose the horizonal bits will get some stuff squeezed in when the wall is rendered.




As usual, just click once to make these pics bigger, then again to magnify them.

I'll come back tothis when they start to render. I promise!!!