Saturday 10th March 2012

Sunrise.........

The motorboats waiting to take the people doing the balloon flight to the 'take off' site.

Woke early this-morning and saw the sunrise from the balcony, went back to bed for a few hours before breakfast and heading over to the East Bank to change some money.....

We used a motorboat, 5LE per crossing to the east bank, walk up the stairs onto the corniche, along to the Winter Palace, (it's fairly quiet and not a lot of people going about) and into the Thomas Cook branch there to change our Sterling into Egyptian Pounds.  I go first and I'm sorting out the money into different compartments in my purse when I spot 'Mona' 

Mona, for all those who don't know, is a lady who sells scarves near the Winter Palace always using the same tagline 'Women Help Women' 'Help me my sister, I have no Husband, Women help Women' I had thought we had managed to avoid her but she is clever and always manages to appear out of nowhere - she stands and frantically waves at us, a stupid grin on her face, we know as much as she knows, there is no escape.................

We head out of Thomas Cook and she is there waiting, it's only a few pounds and I buy a decent looking scarf, she goes off happy shouting 'thank you my sister, you know women help women'

We take a taxi up to the LB area as we need to discuss the day trips further with the owner of the company, after we had finished since we were near the Sheraton we thought we would just get a motorboat from there.

We agreed the fare with a captain, got on board and set off......... all you regular Luxorities just know what's coming next don't you........

The motorboat got into the middle of the Nile, practically opposite the Sheraton, engine stopped and the price 'upped' 

What the captain didn't expect was an irate ranting Scots-Wummin going daft at him!!!

We got him to drop us at 'new banana island' just opposite the Sheraton (like the old Banana Island, it's not actually an Island), he didn't get the agreed fare (so lost out there) and after mum and I had a juice and ice cream we walked all the way back to the hotel, well not quite all the way, it was mid-day and quite hot (up in the 30's that day) so luckily for mum (I was enjoying the walk) a driver stopped and took us the last few minutes back to the hotel.

I spend the rest of the day reading my kindle with my feet dangling in the pool, I head up to the room around 4-ish and out onto the balcony, one of the red sea coaches is using the car park next to the hotel, I think the people are actually being cheated, they were stuck there in that coach for just over an hour, with so much to see in Luxor it's a shame that they spent their last hour stuck in coach, only a handful getting out for a cigarette and to look around before a quick dart back on board the coach again.  

Later that evening we went up to 'Africa' for dinner, normally very good today it was more 'hit and miss' 

Hit - mine (the chicken) was OK

Miss - mum's fish was a bit greasy

They had also changed the rice to 'curried' (I prefer the Egyptian style) but had a new spinach dish which was delicious (I love spinach) 

The price for the set menu has risen to 60LE per person, not the most expensive and still good value for what you all get but as we found out later in the holiday they have competition (with far better food) a little further up the road!!!!