Last Day

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  Luxor, Egypt
Saturday, December 22, 2007

Well, here we are, last full day of our break from reality.
Taking it easy, later on we are going to an Egyptian night at the Jolie Ville, so just lounging by the pool, making the most of the sun, just been informed by text  message, it's a rather cool
-7 degrees back in Finland.
   Picked up from the hotel about 3.30pm, mini bus takes us to the Jolie ville, upon arrival, we are issued with our Galabiyas, just wait on everyone else to arrive, once we are all assembled, we pile onto the motor boats, it was too calm for feluccas, we go upriver for about an hour, then back to the Ville for the entertainment to begin.
    Starts with the Egyptian band and their instruments, honestly, the bagpipes sound really sweet compared to these guys, they have some animals in pens, donkeys and goats, those have got to be the luckiest donkeys in Egypt, well cared for and not a thing for them to do, there was also Abdul and his pet camel, thats the first time I've seen a camel that could tolerate me, it is so cute, putting its head in Abduls lap, never seen the likes before. we all enter this huge tent, grab a seat and let the entertainment take over, there are Egyptian girl dancers, a belly dancer, some male dancers, with a couple of guys playing the part of a pantomime horse, a snake charmer, with a basket full of cobras, just to round things off, there was a swirling Dervish, no kidding, this guy, spun around on the spot for, well it must have been 15 minutes, how he managed to walk straight afterwards will remain a mystery.
Also included in the evening is the meal, only one word to describe the food at this event, Fantastic, all the Egyptian main dishes, they also had a haunch of Lamb, which had been spit roasted.
   For those of you who are afraid to try the local food, believe me, you are missing out.
   It was also and eat and drink as much as you wanted evening, the waiters never allowed you to have an empty glass.
   It was a really excellent end to what has become a wonderful holiday, with the exception of the camera theft it would have been perfect.
   Will we go back, we would go tomorrow, but we have a rather hard year coming up, so the sights are set on returning in 2009.

Recomendations, if you are interested in anything we would recommend.
1. A visit to Abu Simbel.
2. A hot air balloon trip
3. A cruise on the Nile
4. Arrange as much as possible with local agencies, you will save a packet.
5. Only go B and B, meals and eateries are in abundance, also you are not tied to any timetable.
6. Try and grin and bear it when vendors are in your face, it was hard for me at times, so I know there will be a great gnashing of teeth from you.



Eateries I would recommend,
Mr Lhalipo, El Karnak Temple Street, 5 star food and 5 star service, a bit out of the way from the mainstream, but if you want no hustle and bustle, this is a gem of a place. No smell of tobacco smoke in this establishment, spotlessly clean.


Marsam Hotel, West Bank establishment, only had lunch there, it was excellent fare and the surroundings are exceptional.


Green Palace, again on El Karnak Temple, food 5 star, service and surroundings 4 star, good wholesome food with no fuss,

Maros, Corniche, near Mummification museum, 4 star, only because of the wide screen projector, otherwise 5s all round, beautiful setting on the riverbank.

El Choury, end of Corniche, near Iberotel, good food in here, extensive menu, serving Egyptian as well as European dishes, good service, nice location, probably a better location than Kebabgys which usually has cruise boats in front of it.

Caleche driver, Ahmed and his wonder steed Rambo, An excellent guy to take you on a wonder tour of Luxor, he is most willing to do your bidding, he is reliable and he will take you places others fear to tread, contact details are, +20122628458, his caleche is number 20.

Good points, The sheer diversity of ancient sites, the friendliness of the Egyptian people, they really seem to be sincere when they say ``welcome to Egypt““. The excellent weather, the food, the list goes on and on.

Detrimental things, having the camera knicked, that was a major bummer, the constant hassle from vendors trying to sell you something. The early starts to all the attractions, being too crowded when you arrive there.

One final point, you really should be fairly fit to cope in Egypt, the heat can be quite debilitating, if you have walking difficulties, then you are going to have problems at some of the attractions, Egyptian pavements/sidewalks are not people friendly, as much as 1ft high in places, you really must keep an eye on your feet, I'm not saying anyone can't cope, there are people there with wheelchairs, just in Egypt it may be a lot different to what you are used to. 

 Thats it folks, if you've enjoyed reading this, then leave a comment or two, if it helps you any, then it has served its purpose.
   Feel free to sign the guestbook.
Jim
 

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snake handler and cobra	Jim and Tarja, dressed in galabiyas   Comments!	fellalahs band	Abdul and camel again
cobra on the loose	Swirling Dervish	More Dervish

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