Living in Luxor

[Who2]

You don't have to be mad to 'Live in Luxor' but it certainly does help..
After sorting my various mental phone problems down gezira, then back for the Amazon man, Oh! and another
canalside fire, we had the hoses out and the 'karkada all well under control then,
upturns our Mattaffi with their big fire engine.
More Karkada and the 3 star general said "No Pictures"
As he sits in Ragabs' Tuk Tuk supping chilled karkada smoking a fag..
'Mafaesh mushkela" boss...
Fun for all plus I now have to work out how to use my ruddy iPhone...


Ps: No balloons for a week now, I wonder why ?

[Who2]

End of another great day in the Land of the (not so) Dead..
Our village boss Sabra turns up for a smoke & a beer.
Ragab says,
"So who's house got knocked down 3 weeks ago ?"
Some poor sod

The highly efficient Eamon has just finished his 2 hour service of my air con a Carrier, he's impressed,
it hasn't been used for 6 years. He's done a helluva job and is impressed by my air compressor.

He joins us for a chat, he's from Tod east bank.
El-Tod, also known as Tuphium in classical times, is named after the Coptic word for "falcon." This bird symbolized Montu, the ancient Egyptian god of war ...obviously duh!

He tells us all about the hotels and business over there and this side. Busy busy busy.
I asked Sabra to find 3 sandouk for the end of our street...
Sabra, also works for the Gov on their heavy machinery when he's not tilling his fields....

Ps: I reckon Aida set the fire all the women do, stands to reason..it's called work
Aida said she was asleep..
Pss: And he only wanted 200le I gave him 400 cheap as chips, I mean 6 quid...

[Who2]

Another day another $....
I often or usually forget was day it is. Who cares ?

Maria Golia famous american author and writes books on Egypt, Jazz musicians and meteorites, 'don't ask.
I was expecting a 10 ish coffee morning today having not met up since covid.
She lives over in Qurm Lola, where the rich people build villas.

Speaks better Arabic than most Egyptians, knows just everybody, as she used to live just off Tahir Sq for years.
She also once ran a famous club in Philly.
Was also in a film with Omar Sharif and a lot of fun Oh! and highly knowledgeable...'useful to a thicko like me..

Anyhow reread the email Thursday Oh! it's only wednesday duh! and I have Italian coffee beans and dark mint chocolate.
Aida was jumping up and down they 'rabbit away together...
Sorry Aida wrong day "bocra tamam ?"....


Ps: The new book ? "am in the home stretch of my next book ....the Shortest History of Egypt – it’s quite a romp – for an Australian publisher this time.

[Who2]

Maria arrived by tuk tuk said 'can't be long how are you ?

Italian coffee dark mint chocolates, "What's the new supermarket like at the end of your street ?"
'What new supermarket ?

'The one at the end of your street! Go check it out let me know this Saturday, come to lunch at Quorm Lola
we have a lot to catch up on..'

'Oh! and Olivier has built his daughter a hassan fathy house next to mine'...

Ps> Supermarket is great, quite big, cheaper than Sudani, clean and stocked with lots of goodies..
Right hand side as you approach the Marour....

Pss: Olivier is from a long line of French ex-pats, who have always thought that they own Egypt.
He's a brilliant architect did Al Moudira Htl and Christian Louboutin's (shoe queen) house...


They always forget we kicked out Napoleon within 3 years.. Ha!...

Tell a lie it was 3 years 2 months and 1 day...

[Who2]

Found this picture of Oliver's Mum. Cairo socialite, it was in one of Maria's 'books Photography and Egypt'.


Monique Vidal Sednaoui, Cairo,1950

Beautiful....

[Who2]

Strolled leisurely down our small village street today, stopped at the chicken seller
and bought a live then dressed chicken 250le, rabbits are 200 and ducks 400.

Here's the supermarket: round the corner...




The West Bank is going right upmarket....

[Who2]

Electrifying....Day..in The Land of the Not Yet Dead...lol

Now as a kid and accident-prone I decided to fix the bridge's automatic spotlight.
I had just watered down our bridge..



Turned off back garden power supply..a must.
Used Aida's cheap chinese metal steps and then proceeded to get electrified with my hand
totally and firmly stuck to Aida's metal gate. aahhh.......fffffff

Having been an ambulance man and knowing a thing or two,
Oh! and my school pal Christopher Paul Langworthy playing dare, got 'fried on the railway.

I wrenched my glued hand and threw myself off the ladders.
Landing on my bad hip with only a few minor cuts and bruises.

Freaked me right out, I can tell you...'bare feet, water, metal, electricity don't mix.

Oh! well, a hot epson salts bath, glass of red and H.Marks' My last Last Pill & Testament
Whilst chillin to Yimago no talking adverts just chilled-out toones
https://onlineradiobox.com/ca/yimago/?c ... o&played=1..

"Sounds good and poached chicken for supper......

Ps: My Scots pal McManus just called from Glasgow whilst on site, he's a bloody electrician, typical...

[Who2]

Coptic Easter today went up to my old camp As Salam to visit my mate of 25 years.Ahmed.
He is now sitting on a fortune the camp has water electricity and a great big new mosque less than 50 ft away...
He's not happy...
The new Corniche will be running right up to the pump station.

New villas from the Tutankhamun restaurant all the way to the camp, mind boggling..
The Coptic families were having a fun day on the Nile, but one gets the feeling it will be just another empty Corniche.



Looking to the East Bank and the size of The For Seasons construction opposite.
Ahmed say's that there are hundreds working on it 24/7.

Ahmed has given up alcohol and his wife went back to her family home but, left his son to work the camp.
I must say I was very impressed with his expansion,
"Where'd you get the money then ?

"An American tourist"
they never change.lol..

The governor came over yesterday and stuck up some plastic pictures,
impressionists 'what look like a marina.
Can't see the bus loads of lunch time tourists walking along the Corniche... Who then ? begs the question....

https://www.booking.com/hotel/eg/al-sal ... _created=1

Pics nos: 42 & 43 on the above site...lol

[John Landon]

Thank you Doctor.

I wondered how far the Cornish would go.

I took a peek down there and the land left and right was unrecognisable.

But what did I expect after 12 years. ?

Even in my home town, where there was separation between the villages have now all been filled in with new houses. My village so far has been immune to these changes, given the landscape after the last village is quite hilly, it's probably not practical to build there. And there must be a wealth of old mine shafts from the old days that a new build could quickly dissappear down.

Time and tide...

I wonder how things will be in another 10 years from now. ?

[John Landon]

Thank you Doctor.

I wondered how far the Cornish would go.

I took a peek down there and the land left and right was unrecognisable.

But what did I expect after 12 years. ?

Even in my home town, where there was separation between the villages have now all been filled in with new houses. My village so far has been immune to these changes, given the landscape after the last village is quite hilly, it's probably not practical to build there. And there must be a wealth of old mine shafts from the old days that a new build could quickly dissappear down.

Time and tide...

I wonder how things will be in another 10 years from now. ?

[Teddyboy]

"Ahmed has given up alcohol"
A Musselman giving up alcohol? Whatever next?

[Who2]

Just past this bit there are mango trees they are staying put, carry on..'take water;


Look over at the 4 seasons and carry on....

'I used to swim in that.....

To the new mosque, with 5 speakers.
Your walk will end there,
and every lamppost, seating huts, tiles, ironmongery will look exactly the same as the last one.


Before, our street.solar powered fridges full of cold beers...

'What was wrong with the old Ramla mosque now also being done-up,
ust saying, it's a bit close imho..

I used to swim in that...."You don't know what you have got till it's gone" JM.....



Ps: Pope's dead...

[John Landon]

Great pictures. Thank you Doctor.

That 4 seasons hotel has taken an age to build, I remember when that ground was open and you could get down to the Nile side.

I think there may have been an old cemetery on that site if memory serves me right.
That didn't go down well in The Shining.

Anyway, I digress.

I wonder why Bill Gates and Price Al-Waleed binTalal have suddenly decided to pull out all the stops after all these years of stagnation on the Four Seasons. ?
I'm guessing they were waiting for Luxor's fortunes to change, or a more favorable currency exchange rate to get the job done cheaper...

[Who2]

Tell you what it’s bloody difficult and bloody sno annoying trying to watch and type on an iPhone then up pops a suggestion, I suggest smaller fingers no wonder people get run over watching one of these ffs…... My MacBook is not charging. Up

[Teddyboy]

Old men, telephones, and typing? A recipe for disaster in my not so humble opinion!

[BENNU]

Here's the supermarket: round the corner...

The West Bank is going right upmarket....

That is a very inviting supermarket. Most of what I have bought there have cost the same as everywhere else, a few things even 10-12% less.