Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

For Sale the dahabiyya, Kingfisher, owned by Dr Kent Weeks - Cruise or live on the Nile in Luxor Egypt

For Sale the dahabiyya, Kingfisher, owned by Dr Kent Weeks - Cruise or live on the Nile in Luxor Egypt
Unique opportunity to buy a unique boat. Kingfisher is 100 years old and can be used for cruises or a houseboat. Famously featured in New York Times Great Homes. Dr Kent Weeks, the famous Egyptologist is selling this wonderful boat

For Sale the dahabiyya, Kingfisher, owned by Dr Kent Weeks - Cruise or live on the Nile in Luxor Egypt: - Sent using Google Toolbar

Friday, February 10, 2012

Egypt pins hopes on tourism recovery|World|chinadaily.com.cn

I could not agree more, nothing happened in Luxor, yet people cancelled holidays here when they were flying here direct. Luxor is a 50 minute flight from Cairo. Egypt pins hopes on tourism recovery|World|chinadaily.com.cn: He added that the only reason accounting for the decline was the security situation, which was over exaggerated and stereotyped by the international media, especially from the West.

"What happened in Tahrir Square was widely reported and gave an impression that all of Egypt was unstable and insecure," he said. "That was absolutely wrong because it's not representative. In fact, tourist destinations were quite stable and peaceful."

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Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Map of Luxor:Flats in Luxor

Map of Luxor:Flats in Luxor: Luxor does not have names for all its streets which is why we like to meet you and take you to your apartment. If you need an address for visa purposes Flats in Luxor, West Bank, Luxor is enough unless you are staying on the East Bank of course :) . So for all of you that like to know where you are here is a map from Google Earth with all our properties on it.

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Is Egypt safe. For savvy travelers, the Middle East still beckons - CNN.com

For savvy travelers, the Middle East still beckons - CNN.com: Traveling there last fall during the uprisings, she found herself sharing the pyramids with a scattering of Chinese and Egyptian tourists instead of the usual overwhelming crowds. "If you want to check out some serious archaeological, ancient stuff, it's a great opportunity to be in the middle of history," she says.

Though violent protests continue in Egypt, O'Neill says most of Cairo is safe, as long as you don't get near the demonstrations. That means people wanting to travel to Cairo right now need to know the layout of the city more than those flying directly to Luxor to see King Tut's tomb. Or they need to hire a reputable tour operator who knows where to take them.

Even without unrest, independent travel is a constant negotiation. Gone are the days when you could walk the streets of Cairo without concern for your wallet. Pickpockets are out and about, and O'Neill had a hard time avoiding vendors trying to sell her mini-replicas of alabaster pyramids and books about Nefertiti. "People are always wanting to sell you stuff, and that's true no matter when you go," she says.

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Tuesday, February 07, 2012

This Is Whom You Fear

This Is Whom You Fear
This Is Whom You Fear #egypt
by Doug Baum on Tuesday, 31 January 2012 at 17:14

I’ve recently returned home from a three-week trip to Egypt and Jordan, where I work as a tour guide. One day, while shopping in the historic bazaar, Khan El Khalili, a BBC-TV reporter approached me and asked if I would mind being interviewed. The topic would be how I felt as an American visiting Egypt one year after their revolution.



With complete honesty I answered the questions, mentioning I’ve been coming to the region for eleven years, was hopeful for the Egyptian people and had been treated with nothing but warmth and hospitality on each and every trip. As the camera and microphone were set up, a crowd gathered around, listening intently, silent in stark contrast to the nearby Cairo traffic. The thirty-odd folks, mostly gentlemen, were hanging on every word I said and, short of lifting me on shoulders and dumping a cooler of Gatorade on me, I felt like the winning coach of the Super Bowl. It was evident those standing by were pleased with my answers. “Thank you so much for your kind words about our country,” one said. “We’re so afraid people in America only see bad things about Egypt on TV,” another echoed.



It’s not uncommon, as I prepare for a trip to the Middle East, to hear warnings from folks in the US to be safe, to watch out. Be careful. “You know they all hate us.” Now, for those of you who don’t get your information about the Middle East from TV news and Hollywood film, this FB Note is not for you. Bigots, the prejudiced and the ignorant, only, need read further.



Hatred, I believe, is rooted in fear. Humans fear what we don’t understand. Those among us who fear the Middle East inappropriately consider the region a homogenous whole, further mistaking the Islamic world as Arab. Indeed, the majority of Muslims live in Indonesia and Malaysia, non-Arab lands.



In his book Out Of Arabia, author Warwick Ball writes:



“At any time from about 1990 onwards, a visit to virtually anywhere in the Middle East would elicit the almost invariable response of an odd look and the remark, ‘But isn’t it dangerous out there!’ Never mind if one was just visiting, say, Turkey when there was a war in Iraq, or visiting Iran when there was a flare-up in, say, Lebanon, the response would be the same. Tourism in the Middle East certainly suffered accordingly. But a skiing holiday, for example, in Austria or a seaside holiday in Greece during the time of the war in former Yugoslavia would never have elicited the same response: few if any cancelled holidays to Austria or Greece or other countries in the vicinity of war-torn Yugoslavia. In practice, a visit to, say, Iran was just as safe as (or probably safer than) a visit to Greece. In fact it is true to say that one generally experiences more overt warmth, friendliness, genuine hospitality – and less ‘danger’- in the Islamic world than almost anywhere else, media impressions notwithstanding. The difference, however, is purely one of prejudice: Muslim Middle Eastern countries are perceived as self-evidently ‘dangerous’, European countries are not, regardless of whether there is or is not a war.”



Maybe my own simple analogy, based purely on geography, can help. When the Gulf Coast was hit by Hurricane Katrina it was bad. For people along the Gulf Coast. Folks in Des Moines, Iowa kept on shucking corn.



(Psst! Hey! I see you. Yeah, you there, the non-bigot. The open-minded one. Oh well. I probably lost the bigots at “homogenous” anyway. Read on.)





This Is Whom You Fear.



The Egyptian man on the crowded Cairo subway who offered me his seat. And didn’t try to cut my throat and put the video on the internet.



Dr. Khalid Bahrawy, animal physiologist, who was taken care of every afternoon, when just a schoolboy, by a Christian family. Khalid now lives in an apartment building next to Alexandria’s largest Catholic church with Jewish neighbors on the top floor. I’ve spent a number of days with Dr. Khalid in Egypt and in London where we were both speakers at an International Camel Conference. He’s never tried to cut my throat and put the video on the internet.



Mohammed, a twenty-five year old souvenir salesman outside Petra, in Jordan, who, upon learning my name (Douglas), asked, “Like Douglas MacArthur?” TWENTY-FIVE! Mohammed associated my traveling companion, Jimmy, with Jimmy Carter then announced he knew all the American presidents and could name them in order. Jimmy and I stopped him less than a quarter of the way through his recitation, afraid he’d realize we couldn’t disprove him! Mohammed seemed to have no interest in cutting my throat and putting the video on the internet.



This Is Whom You Fear.



Abdel Halim, bakery owner in the same Giza neighborhood, who won’t let me pay for anything I get from his bakery. In addition to throwing in an extra kilo of sweets I didn’t order, he’s never tried to cut my throat and put the video on the internet.



Adel Hamza and his entire family, in whose house I stay (along with groups I bring to Egypt). His wife feeds us, his kids and grandchildren play with us and never, not even once, has he tried to cut my throat and put the video on the internet.



Saleh bin Soliman, Bedouin of the Muzeina tribe, South Sinai, among whose extended family my groups stay while trekking the desert on camels. I’ve known Saleh and his family for eleven years, have seen his kids grow up, get married and become parents themselves and NEVER, despite numerous opportunities while sleeping in the desert, far from civilization, has Saleh tried to cut my throat and put the video on the internet.



This Is Whom You Fear.



Hajja Mileyha, grandmotherly Bedouin in South Sinai, who once treated my winter cold with the most amazing chicken soup without poisoning me OR trying to cut my throat and put the video on the internet.



Maged El Said, owner of a Red Sea beach resort I frequently stay in, who surely has a master key, yet he (nor his staff) never sneak into my room at night to cut my throat and put the video on the internet.



Two “twenty-something” Egyptian brothers who took pity on me when I once sat outside their coffee shop at a bus station in Cairo, afraid I’d miss my bus, so I got there four hours early. After watching me nervously eye each bus that came and went, they finally invited me into their shop, offered me tea and a sandwich (wouldn’t let me pay and insisted I stay in their home on my next visit to Egypt) and wanted to arm wrestle to see if the pork-eating Christian had white muscle disease. One brother took me right-handed, I hammered the other with my left. Neither brother tried to cut my throat and put the video on the internet.



This Is Whom You Fear.



An Egyptian soldier at a bus stop in Nuweiba, South Sinai (I was there early, too, afraid I’d miss that bus). I was asleep on one bench, which backed up to another bench at the bus stop. While I was sleeping the soldier arrived and sat down; I rolled over and scared him. He jumped up and I laughed. We shared a good hour of conversation ending with him, too, inviting me to stay in his home the next time I visited Egypt. Though I’m certain Egyptian army basic training includes hand-to-hand combat, this soldier didn’t try to cut my throat and put the video on the internet.



Abu Hazm, waiter at a restaurant I frequent, who insists on keeping my bags so I can walk around the adjacent shopping area without having to carry armloads of stuff. Never once has he stolen anything out of my bags nor, though surely there are knives in the kitchen of his restaurant, has he tried to cut my throat and put the video on the internet.



Mahmoud, the barber I use in Giza when I’m staying in Egypt, who puts a straight razor (yeah, old-school) to my neck. AND NEVER HAS HE TRIED TO CUT MY THROAT AND PUT THE VIDEO ON THE INTERNET!

Friday, February 03, 2012

Update on Gamal's wife

Our chef Gamal took his wife to the cancer unit is Aswan for her check up. The doctor seemed happy with her progress, he gave her another injection and more tablets. Next time they go he is going to do another scan and see how the cancer is doing. He has given her medication for her cough and breathlessness. Thank you to those that have sent money to help him or been generous with tips because of his circumstances.