We started to really get that Christmas feeling today!
It is the last day of term and so we finished early at 2pm - nice :) We then went to the pub for the obligatory end-of-term drink (and well deserved it was too!) but didn't stay long as we have an early flight tomorrow and needed to do some final bits of shopping.
So it was about 4.30pm when we got to the Grand Mall and started shopping, but it was odd as a number of shops were closed or starting to close. Then we remembered that Islamic New Year is tonight and that was the reason - so we started moving very quickly between shops to get the last few things before they closed!!
I needed to get to Road 9 to browse for some more things, so then went there, and again it felt Christmas-y with the slight chill in the air (only relative I know!) and the desire to buy lots of presents for people.
We checked-in online this morning, we're pretty much packed now and our luggage is looking within the allowance, so we're all set!!!
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
The Felukuleles - The Old Bazaar in Cairo
You may recall that over the summer we bought ukuleles as part of a bit of a challenge with friends at work. Well, we've had a lot of fun so far and have entered a competition with our version of Clinton Ford's song, "The Old Bazaar in Cairo". Check it out below...
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
A messy end to the year
So - British Airways' flight attendants have decided to bring their own special version of the Twelve Days of Christmas to their customers. In summary:
We're able to get into the UK as our flight is before the strike. However, our internal flights will be screwed up so we've rebooked those. Getting back to Cairo will be interesting as well - we're due to fly on the 2nd when the strike is still due to be in place. School starts of the 4th. Will we be back in time? Who knows. But it would cost us over a grand for the two of us to take a single flight from Heathrow to Cairo with a different airline, which is crazy. We're going to sit tight on that one and see what happens - the most important thing is we can be where we want to be on Christmas and Boxing Day - we'll deal with getting back to Cairo when we need to.
But will we have kids from the 4th? The answer is a resounding, "who knows?!"
School was due to finish on Thursday and - though we staff will continue to be in for the next two days - our students won't be due to swine flu which has, after a term, finally caught hold and is (it must be said) spreading like wildfire. Or wild pigs. Whatever. As a result we may have another delay to the start of the term in January, but I'm nto counting my chickens. Or my pigs. Or my air stewardesses.
- On the first day of Christmas BA gave to thee a contract they didn't agree
- On the second of November the union gave to me strike ballot papers and for contract I didn't agree
- On the third day of Christmas BA gave to me one less steward, strike ballot papers and a contract they didn't agree
- On the fourteenth of December I gave to BA notice of strikes, no one less steward, strike ballot paper and a contract they didn't agree
- On the fourteenth of December many loyal customer GOT REALLY ANNOYED. Notice of strikes, no one less steward, strike ballot papers and a contract they didn't agree.
- From the fourteenth of December BMI said to me we've trebled all our prices, GOT REALLY ANNOYED, notice of strikes, no one less steward, strike ballot papers and a contract they didn't agree.
We're able to get into the UK as our flight is before the strike. However, our internal flights will be screwed up so we've rebooked those. Getting back to Cairo will be interesting as well - we're due to fly on the 2nd when the strike is still due to be in place. School starts of the 4th. Will we be back in time? Who knows. But it would cost us over a grand for the two of us to take a single flight from Heathrow to Cairo with a different airline, which is crazy. We're going to sit tight on that one and see what happens - the most important thing is we can be where we want to be on Christmas and Boxing Day - we'll deal with getting back to Cairo when we need to.
But will we have kids from the 4th? The answer is a resounding, "who knows?!"
School was due to finish on Thursday and - though we staff will continue to be in for the next two days - our students won't be due to swine flu which has, after a term, finally caught hold and is (it must be said) spreading like wildfire. Or wild pigs. Whatever. As a result we may have another delay to the start of the term in January, but I'm nto counting my chickens. Or my pigs. Or my air stewardesses.
Monday, 14 December 2009
Friday, 11 December 2009
pre-Christmas Cairo
We have been to two Chirstmas-y events so far this December; the first was the BCA (British Cairo Association) Christmas Ball and the second was carol singing and instrument playing on a fellucca on the Nile.
We went to the BCA Ball with Caz and Dave last year and this year they organised an even larger group. There were two tables that they organised, but soon after we arrived we realised there were at least another dozen colleagues at other tables around the room. A free bar meant an early arrival to make the most of imported booze and then the shenanigans commenced! Scotty and Dave had decided that the occasion called for a new suit and they managed to purchase two of the Grand Mall's finest specimens. After dinner (which was better food than last year, but still only OK) there was dancing (band was much better than last year, but no Soul Calibre! :( ) until we gradually made our weary ways home.
Last night about 50 colleague hired three felluccas and went onto the Nile to sing carols, drink mulled wine and eat mince pies (from the only bakery in Maadi that makes them!). Last year we did this and it was freezing so we all wrapped up warm, but the weather turned out to be more pleasant this year. Last year too Scotty and JT had brought along their guitars and a few song books for carolling, but this year there was a whole box of alphabetical song books and a range of musicians. Kate had her banjo, Ihab his table to add some rhythm and to add the top notes the Felukuleles made their debut performance. Much fun was had, and the ukes impressed even themselves with their sight-reading of the carols.
We went to the BCA Ball with Caz and Dave last year and this year they organised an even larger group. There were two tables that they organised, but soon after we arrived we realised there were at least another dozen colleagues at other tables around the room. A free bar meant an early arrival to make the most of imported booze and then the shenanigans commenced! Scotty and Dave had decided that the occasion called for a new suit and they managed to purchase two of the Grand Mall's finest specimens. After dinner (which was better food than last year, but still only OK) there was dancing (band was much better than last year, but no Soul Calibre! :( ) until we gradually made our weary ways home.
Last night about 50 colleague hired three felluccas and went onto the Nile to sing carols, drink mulled wine and eat mince pies (from the only bakery in Maadi that makes them!). Last year we did this and it was freezing so we all wrapped up warm, but the weather turned out to be more pleasant this year. Last year too Scotty and JT had brought along their guitars and a few song books for carolling, but this year there was a whole box of alphabetical song books and a range of musicians. Kate had her banjo, Ihab his table to add some rhythm and to add the top notes the Felukuleles made their debut performance. Much fun was had, and the ukes impressed even themselves with their sight-reading of the carols.
Monday, 30 November 2009
Blankets on airplanes - telling it like it is
EgyptAir tell it like it is when it comes to inflight comfort and those blankets:
Postcards
We' ve had these classics a little while, so it is about time we shared them with you.
Firstly, three Dahab classics:
Saving the best till last - Welcome in Egypt!
And, no I didn't miss the bit off the bottom - it was like that when I found it!
Firstly, three Dahab classics:
Saving the best till last - Welcome in Egypt!
And, no I didn't miss the bit off the bottom - it was like that when I found it!
Sunday, 15 November 2009
"Pizzas, beer and football on a Saturday night..."
With our aerial fixed so that we could receive terrestrial TV, we ordered a crate of beer and some pizzas and settled down for Saturday night of football. In the hour leading up to kick-off the streets became deserted as people went to coffee shops and homes to watch the match. The first minutes of the game were fast and exciting; the next 80 minutes were dull; the 6 minutes of injury time at the end of the second half were nothing short of miraculous. I didn't video us watching the match (that would have been boring) but did grab the camera to get the moments after each goal.
At the end of the match we decided to go and see what was happening at the Grand Mall...
At the end of the match we decided to go and see what was happening at the Grand Mall...
Saturday, 14 November 2009
Football, football everywhere
It's on every TV channel, and every street corner. No, not the England vs. Brazil friendly that Alice is hopefully attending in Qatar tonight but the North African grudge match being played tonight between Algeria and Egypt.
To be fair, it's a vitally important match. Neither team has made it to the World Cup for over 20 years, and this match decides who goes. Algeria are already ahead on aggregate, so Egypt have to win by 3 goals if they are to qualify. If Algeria hold them to a draw - or even go 1-0 down - they get through. So the pressure is on the Pharaohs to pull this one out of the bag. If Egypt win by 2 goals then there will be a playoff in Khartoum on Tuesday.
What does all this mean? Well, it means that the whole of Cairo has gone absolutely crazy for this match. The past few weeks have seen the press in both countries stirring the masses into frenzied nationalism. This morning's Al Ahram newspaper commented that the media coverage has produced a situation where, "...it is not only inconceivable that Egypt loses. It would be a disgrace. The saner say a loss would be a shame; the less rational call it shameful."
Things have been getting nasty. When the Algerian team arrived, their bus was apparently attacked with rocks and bricks. Egypt denies this and says the damage to the bus was caused by the Algerians to produce a media response, as were the "faked" pictures of injured players and team personnel. Algeria, meanwhile, stands by its comment that its team was attacked.
Even before this, the Algerian team knew they could be in for a rough time: when the first leg was played in Algeria, local supporters ran riot in the Egyptian teams' hotel and successfully managed to deprive them of sleep. Accusations spread of the Algerian chefs poisoning the Egyptian players. Algeria have brought their own chef and ingredients to Cairo.
Suffice to say I'm fascinated to watch the match - it will be shown on terrestrial TV and so I spent a bit of time this morning fashioning a rudimentary aerial extension cable to our living room. But even with 8 hours to go the coverage has already begun, and the fans are already parading the streets in their open-top buses.
To be fair, it's a vitally important match. Neither team has made it to the World Cup for over 20 years, and this match decides who goes. Algeria are already ahead on aggregate, so Egypt have to win by 3 goals if they are to qualify. If Algeria hold them to a draw - or even go 1-0 down - they get through. So the pressure is on the Pharaohs to pull this one out of the bag. If Egypt win by 2 goals then there will be a playoff in Khartoum on Tuesday.
What does all this mean? Well, it means that the whole of Cairo has gone absolutely crazy for this match. The past few weeks have seen the press in both countries stirring the masses into frenzied nationalism. This morning's Al Ahram newspaper commented that the media coverage has produced a situation where, "...it is not only inconceivable that Egypt loses. It would be a disgrace. The saner say a loss would be a shame; the less rational call it shameful."
Things have been getting nasty. When the Algerian team arrived, their bus was apparently attacked with rocks and bricks. Egypt denies this and says the damage to the bus was caused by the Algerians to produce a media response, as were the "faked" pictures of injured players and team personnel. Algeria, meanwhile, stands by its comment that its team was attacked.
Even before this, the Algerian team knew they could be in for a rough time: when the first leg was played in Algeria, local supporters ran riot in the Egyptian teams' hotel and successfully managed to deprive them of sleep. Accusations spread of the Algerian chefs poisoning the Egyptian players. Algeria have brought their own chef and ingredients to Cairo.
Suffice to say I'm fascinated to watch the match - it will be shown on terrestrial TV and so I spent a bit of time this morning fashioning a rudimentary aerial extension cable to our living room. But even with 8 hours to go the coverage has already begun, and the fans are already parading the streets in their open-top buses.
Suffice to say we'll enjoy the match, but aim to stay off the streets after the match. Irrespective of the final outcome, I'm sure it's not going to be pretty...
Friday, 6 November 2009
Building the Tent
One of our favourite places to take visitors is around the streets of Old Cairo. There is a wonderful area known as the Tentmakers Market, where funnily enough they make tents. Here's how not to put them up...!
Monday, 2 November 2009
Diving videos from Dahab
As well as taking some rather cracking photos, our new camera also does a pretty good job of shooting videos.
The first is from our dive at The Islands. We'd already been to the Eel Gardens with the camera that morning, and hadn't taken the camera out of the case between dives. Unfortunately the temperature above water, then taking the camera into the sea again, meant the lens fogged up a bit on this dive so the picture isn't as sharp as we'd hope.
We descend to about 3 metres through a small opening in the sea floor, and then swim out into the lagoon. As I swim out, you can hear the thunk-hiss sound of me slightly inflating my BCD to control my buoyancy.
On the dive we saw a large crocodile fish, Alice played with a clownfish, and a massive school of barracuda swam above us while we stayed out of their way! As we ascend back through the cave at the end of the dive you'll see the picture take on a really red tint - that shows how much red is washed out of the picture at depth to fix the white balance!
This second video is of a fantastic dive at a site called The Canyon. As we approach the canyon, you can see the "bubble curtain" rising up from the floor - this is all the exhaled air from previous divers as it finds its way out. The bottom lies at 32m, and it's a straight descent from 18m to get down there, so needs lots of equalisation and good buoyancy control to stop you sinking like a stone. It's a busy site, as you'll see from the ascent, and consequently the water is rather silted. However, it's certainly worth the trip!
Saturday, 31 October 2009
Diving photos from Dahab
We're in the phenomenally fortunate position of living in a country where the diving is exquisite. We always thought we'd want to take up diving when we got here, and having qualified as Advanced Open Water Divers we're snapping up lots of opportunities to get in the water. We recently treated ourselves to a new Canon Ixus 95IS camera, along with an Ikelite housing, bought from Cameras Underwater. This allows us to allow us to take some photos and videos underwater. And, boy, is it good.
Dahab is a lovely place, with friendly dive centres and great sites. It's crowded, admittedly, but not so much that it ruins your experience. We did 6 dives over three days this break. The last day we couldn't dive as we were flying back and you have to leave 18-24 hours between diving and flying otherwise you risk getting the bends...nice.
Our first morning, though, saw us snorkelling on the reef just by the hotel we were staying in. We took the camera out to get used to using it, and to try out some of the settings. The camera features an "underwater" mode, which changes your ISO speed and white balance, and is good enough for snorkelling in shallow water. Most of the colours come out well down to about 3 metres, but the red soon disappears after that and you get a blue wash. Only under certain situations were the images over exposed.
However, getting back to dry land we were able to use some of the tools in Photoshop to fix the colour balance and contrast. Just auto levelling the photos brought out some amazing results, particularly on photos with a lot of depth. Close-up photos weren't affected as much, but it still sharpened the image.
Examples of the snorkelling photos (before and after Photoshop) are below. Click the photos to see full-screen versions.
The problem with diving, therefore, is that the deeper you go the more the water filters out the colours from the light spectrum. The underwater setting on the camera is all very well and good, but it's only really good for those few metres at the top when you're snorkelling. Anything past 4-5 metres and you need to start altering the white balance. Fortunately our camera can "auto evaluate" the white balance - this is where you show the camera something that you know is white (usually a piece of white plastic, but often the sandy bottom works just as well), and the camera changes its colour balance to suit. In the case of diving, this means adding more of the red spectrum to the images to offset the red that you lose at depth.
Without setting the white balance, pictures turn out incredibly blue. It's possible to tweak the colours in Photoshop, but too much and they just look wrong! Just before they start to look strange, they still turn out like the ones below taken at the Lighthouse reef. We just used the "underwater" setting on the camera on these shots, but it didn't add enough red to offset that which is lost by the depth. They're nice photos, but very...blue!
On all our subsequent dives we therefore played about with some of the camera settings to work out what we liked best. Some people like the blue tint to their photos as it "proves you're underwater" whereas others prefer to offset the lost red to try to capture more natural colours. However, doing the latter sometimes makes your photos lose the underwater feel as whites are white and there's so little blue. Soe of these photos don't get across the depth they've been taken at - they seem like they're only a metre down, when really they could been 18m!
Flash, too, is a problem when setting the white balance. If you've set the white balance to take accoutn of all the blue, white light will appear red - so using a flash makes your images come out red. A good example of this is the picture of Alice below, taken at 32m at the bottom of the Canyon where she has a devilish tint!
Anyway, you're not interested in all the boring geek talk. You just want pictures, right? Well, here's the best:
Dahab is a lovely place, with friendly dive centres and great sites. It's crowded, admittedly, but not so much that it ruins your experience. We did 6 dives over three days this break. The last day we couldn't dive as we were flying back and you have to leave 18-24 hours between diving and flying otherwise you risk getting the bends...nice.
Our first morning, though, saw us snorkelling on the reef just by the hotel we were staying in. We took the camera out to get used to using it, and to try out some of the settings. The camera features an "underwater" mode, which changes your ISO speed and white balance, and is good enough for snorkelling in shallow water. Most of the colours come out well down to about 3 metres, but the red soon disappears after that and you get a blue wash. Only under certain situations were the images over exposed.
However, getting back to dry land we were able to use some of the tools in Photoshop to fix the colour balance and contrast. Just auto levelling the photos brought out some amazing results, particularly on photos with a lot of depth. Close-up photos weren't affected as much, but it still sharpened the image.
Examples of the snorkelling photos (before and after Photoshop) are below. Click the photos to see full-screen versions.
Scotty freediving down to the reef
Sohal surgeonfish
Small coral head
The problem with diving, therefore, is that the deeper you go the more the water filters out the colours from the light spectrum. The underwater setting on the camera is all very well and good, but it's only really good for those few metres at the top when you're snorkelling. Anything past 4-5 metres and you need to start altering the white balance. Fortunately our camera can "auto evaluate" the white balance - this is where you show the camera something that you know is white (usually a piece of white plastic, but often the sandy bottom works just as well), and the camera changes its colour balance to suit. In the case of diving, this means adding more of the red spectrum to the images to offset the red that you lose at depth.
Without setting the white balance, pictures turn out incredibly blue. It's possible to tweak the colours in Photoshop, but too much and they just look wrong! Just before they start to look strange, they still turn out like the ones below taken at the Lighthouse reef. We just used the "underwater" setting on the camera on these shots, but it didn't add enough red to offset that which is lost by the depth. They're nice photos, but very...blue!
Ascending with the reef wall to our right at about 15m
Our dive guide playing with some clownfish in their anemone at about 10m
Dive guide making air rings during the safety stop at 5m
On all our subsequent dives we therefore played about with some of the camera settings to work out what we liked best. Some people like the blue tint to their photos as it "proves you're underwater" whereas others prefer to offset the lost red to try to capture more natural colours. However, doing the latter sometimes makes your photos lose the underwater feel as whites are white and there's so little blue. Soe of these photos don't get across the depth they've been taken at - they seem like they're only a metre down, when really they could been 18m!
Flash, too, is a problem when setting the white balance. If you've set the white balance to take accoutn of all the blue, white light will appear red - so using a flash makes your images come out red. A good example of this is the picture of Alice below, taken at 32m at the bottom of the Canyon where she has a devilish tint!
Alice showing her guage: 32m at the bottom of the Canyon, and plenty of air for a nice safe ascent and swimming safety stop
Anyway, you're not interested in all the boring geek talk. You just want pictures, right? Well, here's the best:
Scotty, just as he's breathing out!
Alice hovering in the bubble curtain above the Canyon
Looking up at the opening to the Canyon (18m) from the floor (32m)
Coral arch surrounded by sea goldies (aka lyretail anthias)
Close-up of a clam
Cornet fish surrounded by sea goldies. You can see a couple of clown fish swimming alongside.
Just a really lovely photo of a coral head
Pufferfish. Clearly quite happy with us swimming about, as he didn't blow up!
The penultimate photo of the whole dive trip, and probably the best of the lot: a lionfish hovering over a small coral head
Our dive guide for this trip, Karl, taking a photo of the lionfish
Karl kindly returned the favour and got a shot of Scotty snapping away at the lionfish while Alice hovered above
Sunday, 25 October 2009
The Sky At Night......and during the day
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8324024.stm
The newspapers over here have been reporting that the pollution and dust cloud from Chad are the cause of really poor vision in the sky at the moment. And you can feel it (the pollution) too!
At least last week's heat wave (back up to mid-30s) has subsided and we are in normal temperatures again (30C)
The newspapers over here have been reporting that the pollution and dust cloud from Chad are the cause of really poor vision in the sky at the moment. And you can feel it (the pollution) too!
At least last week's heat wave (back up to mid-30s) has subsided and we are in normal temperatures again (30C)
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
Basket Man
At the end of our road there is a Basket Man. He has a cart which is piled high with various woven baskets and bowls. A month or so after we moved here in 2008 we went over to buy some things from him. I really wanted one of his big baskets with a lid for our laundry, but we also got some bowls that we now keep fruit in, a waste paper bin and some flat servers for hot plates.
Even though we bought all of these things from him, he would always call to me as I passed him by.
"Basket, Madam?"
Every time I walked by!
At first I said, "bhukara, in'shalla" (which means "hopefully tomorrow") but then I would also try "when my family comes to visit I will bring them" but I think this was a bit too much for him. No matter if I replied or just smiled he would always ask as if it was the first time. I walked past a few times a week and he never seemed to notice that he had seen me before!!
This year though he has recognised me and realised that I must live near-by as he now says "Hello, Madam" to which I reply "Salam el'ekum, qwais?"
Yesterday though, Scotty and I stopped at the kiosk next to the house after school to pick up a bottle of coke. The Basket Man was there, so we said hello. When we had picked up our bottle though he said "No money, no money" and insisted on paying for our drink. How kind! We thanked him and smiled a lot and headed home.
Nice to feel neighbourly, but we'd better buy some more baskets soon I think!
Even though we bought all of these things from him, he would always call to me as I passed him by.
"Basket, Madam?"
Every time I walked by!
At first I said, "bhukara, in'shalla" (which means "hopefully tomorrow") but then I would also try "when my family comes to visit I will bring them" but I think this was a bit too much for him. No matter if I replied or just smiled he would always ask as if it was the first time. I walked past a few times a week and he never seemed to notice that he had seen me before!!
This year though he has recognised me and realised that I must live near-by as he now says "Hello, Madam" to which I reply "Salam el'ekum, qwais?"
Yesterday though, Scotty and I stopped at the kiosk next to the house after school to pick up a bottle of coke. The Basket Man was there, so we said hello. When we had picked up our bottle though he said "No money, no money" and insisted on paying for our drink. How kind! We thanked him and smiled a lot and headed home.
Nice to feel neighbourly, but we'd better buy some more baskets soon I think!
Sunday, 11 October 2009
Saturday, 26 September 2009
School's out....
We tend not to blog about work, but with this coming up in the international news it seems right to post it here. Egypt is really worried about Swine Flu and the government is trying lots of different things to prevent it breaking over here - the one that affects us, is that they have closed the schools.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8260475.stm
Egypt was hit really badly by Bird Flu, and cases are still occuring around the country. The concern seems to be that they don't want the same to happen with Swine Flu, especially with such a large population that lives in close quarters and ease of access to medical care.
As you can see from the news story, most schools were closed during September, but due to open on the 26th - after Eid. Now though the schools have been closed a further week, to allow for the incubation period to pass for those who have travelled abroad during the Eid holiday.
It's been quite strange to be at work, but rather than teaching, only planning and preparing online materials. We havent' really got into a routine. We were given an extended break but should be opening next week at the start of October - a welcomed change I think!?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8260475.stm
Egypt was hit really badly by Bird Flu, and cases are still occuring around the country. The concern seems to be that they don't want the same to happen with Swine Flu, especially with such a large population that lives in close quarters and ease of access to medical care.
As you can see from the news story, most schools were closed during September, but due to open on the 26th - after Eid. Now though the schools have been closed a further week, to allow for the incubation period to pass for those who have travelled abroad during the Eid holiday.
It's been quite strange to be at work, but rather than teaching, only planning and preparing online materials. We havent' really got into a routine. We were given an extended break but should be opening next week at the start of October - a welcomed change I think!?
Friday, 25 September 2009
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Petra
We were in Dahab for over a week. We really wanted to make the most of our time there and, as we don't know if we'll get another opportunity, decided to visit Petra in Jordan. It's a bit crazy - a day trip to an ancient city in another country - but it's a really common thing to do from Dahab and organised tours left almost every day. Four of us went as a group of friends which meant we got a small discount on the booking, but it still cost over $200 each (1150LE). It's a bit pricey for a day trip, but as the boat costs $85 return, and entry to Petra itself is over $30 it's not actually that bad. As we suspected we were merged with other people who had booked to go, but in the end our group was still only a couple of dozen people which made it easy to get around.
We were picked up from Dahab at 5am and driven to Taba in a people carrier. At Taba we went through the rigmarole of Egyptian immigration to leave the country, and then boarded a rather nice looking yacht to the port of Aqaba. Well, strictly it wasn't to the port of Aqaba - it was to a very plush marina just outside Aqaba. Jordanian immigration even came to us in order to stamp us in and out.
From here we met our guide and boarded a coach that wound its way up to Petra via Wadi Rum. The day included about 3 hours in Petra, then lunch at a hotel (as with most of these deals drinks weren't included and they cost a fortune - £3 for a bottle of water!) before being driven back to the marina.
Re-entering Egypt was a bit of a hassle - a massive queue through security, and then we all had our temperatures measured with an ear thermometer as they're still panicking about swine flu. The resident visas for Alice and I hadn't been processed before we went away, so we needed to get another tourist visa in order to enter the country. The man at immigration was helpful, but a bit obtuse. From the outset we said we'd need to buy new visas as we needed to get to Cairo, but he didn't really listen. He opened our passports and started panicking that our visas weren't valid. He then calmed down and said he could give us a stamp to let us into the country. However, this was a Sinai-only stamp, so Alice again said that we wanted to buy a new visa so we could get to Cairo. He started panicking again saying that the stamp would not let us into Cairo, and that we would have to buy a visa if we wanted to do that. A bit frustrated, as we'd known this since the outset, we paid for our visa and everything was hunky dory. Collected by people carrier again, we were back in Dahab around 10.30 that night and with a new Duty Free allowance courtesy of our new visa. Yay!
We were picked up from Dahab at 5am and driven to Taba in a people carrier. At Taba we went through the rigmarole of Egyptian immigration to leave the country, and then boarded a rather nice looking yacht to the port of Aqaba. Well, strictly it wasn't to the port of Aqaba - it was to a very plush marina just outside Aqaba. Jordanian immigration even came to us in order to stamp us in and out.
From here we met our guide and boarded a coach that wound its way up to Petra via Wadi Rum. The day included about 3 hours in Petra, then lunch at a hotel (as with most of these deals drinks weren't included and they cost a fortune - £3 for a bottle of water!) before being driven back to the marina.
Re-entering Egypt was a bit of a hassle - a massive queue through security, and then we all had our temperatures measured with an ear thermometer as they're still panicking about swine flu. The resident visas for Alice and I hadn't been processed before we went away, so we needed to get another tourist visa in order to enter the country. The man at immigration was helpful, but a bit obtuse. From the outset we said we'd need to buy new visas as we needed to get to Cairo, but he didn't really listen. He opened our passports and started panicking that our visas weren't valid. He then calmed down and said he could give us a stamp to let us into the country. However, this was a Sinai-only stamp, so Alice again said that we wanted to buy a new visa so we could get to Cairo. He started panicking again saying that the stamp would not let us into Cairo, and that we would have to buy a visa if we wanted to do that. A bit frustrated, as we'd known this since the outset, we paid for our visa and everything was hunky dory. Collected by people carrier again, we were back in Dahab around 10.30 that night and with a new Duty Free allowance courtesy of our new visa. Yay!
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Rock the Casbah - Live from Dahab!
Due to the extended Eid break as a result of the school closure, we headed for Dahab. As we were there on a Sunday, and as Alice has a shiny new laptop, we decided to see if we could present our radio show from the beach! Unfortunately the WiFi at the nearby beach cafe wasn't working properly, but our good friends Dave and Caroline came to the rescue and lent us their Vodaphone internet USB dongle. Although we had to reduce the bitrate quite a lot from our normal broadcast, the stream generally held up okay and we were able to present a show from the roof of the Jasmine Restaurant on the seafront in Mashraba Dahab, oppostie the Diver's House hotel and dive centre where we were staying. The video shows where we were, or if you want to listen to the whole show then you can download it from here or listen straight from the blog by using the player below.
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Tummy Trouble
This post feels a long time in coming in a way - but at the same time I haven't really wanted to post because of not wanting to jinx things, or post without a resolution!
Since about mid-June I've had trouble with my tummy. Not a very pleasant thing to blog about - but we are trying to keep track of everything we do here!! I just felt that things "weren't right" but they weren't so bad that it looked like I should take a course of tablets. I was going once a day, pretty much at the same time of day, and I was just looser than "normal".
As this was in the last few weeks of being in Cairo, we put it down to having a poor diet and needing to get back to Britain for some good wholesome food. When we got to the UK things were better. I felt that they were better because I wasn't going quite so regularly and I was eating a better diet.
But then things started back to how they had been. I tried to analyse what food I had been eating, the times I had been eating, the times I wasn't eating - everything! I couldn't really see a pattern, but I was definitely back to "not quite normal" and this was persisting. Which was worrying.
About half-way through the summer I decided I should try and see a Doc to see what they could suggest. They were really nice about it - I think I definitely got my money's worth out of the NHS this summer!!! Over two weeks I had two stool sample tests and four blood tests. All of them came back negative though - no bad guys in there!
With nothing we could follow up from the tests, we could only deduce that it was some tablets I was taking for a toenail infection!! One of the side-effects of these Terbefine tablets was a runny tum, so the Doc advised that I finish my course as soon as possible and then see what happened. This wouldn't be until I was back in Egypt, and the nice Doc said I could call him if the problem persisted!
So a day after arriving back in Egypt I finish these tablets. That night we go out to dinner. The next day my tum is worse than ever! I give it 24-hours to see if it will pass (as most things do in Egypt) but it doesn't. So I decide to take a course of tablets! I take 5 days of Antinel - a stomach antiseptic alongside 7 days of Flagyl - a tablet so hardcore that you are violently ill if you drink alcohol less than 48-hours after finishing the course!!!
Anyway, my tum is much better now.
So I don't know if finishing the toe tablets (and getting rid of this tummy bug) that got rid of the problem, OR whether actually I did have a tummy bug all summer, but the toe tablets were controlling it most of the time.
Who knows. Anyway I am generally much better now and am trying to play it safe with what I am eating.
Since about mid-June I've had trouble with my tummy. Not a very pleasant thing to blog about - but we are trying to keep track of everything we do here!! I just felt that things "weren't right" but they weren't so bad that it looked like I should take a course of tablets. I was going once a day, pretty much at the same time of day, and I was just looser than "normal".
As this was in the last few weeks of being in Cairo, we put it down to having a poor diet and needing to get back to Britain for some good wholesome food. When we got to the UK things were better. I felt that they were better because I wasn't going quite so regularly and I was eating a better diet.
But then things started back to how they had been. I tried to analyse what food I had been eating, the times I had been eating, the times I wasn't eating - everything! I couldn't really see a pattern, but I was definitely back to "not quite normal" and this was persisting. Which was worrying.
About half-way through the summer I decided I should try and see a Doc to see what they could suggest. They were really nice about it - I think I definitely got my money's worth out of the NHS this summer!!! Over two weeks I had two stool sample tests and four blood tests. All of them came back negative though - no bad guys in there!
With nothing we could follow up from the tests, we could only deduce that it was some tablets I was taking for a toenail infection!! One of the side-effects of these Terbefine tablets was a runny tum, so the Doc advised that I finish my course as soon as possible and then see what happened. This wouldn't be until I was back in Egypt, and the nice Doc said I could call him if the problem persisted!
So a day after arriving back in Egypt I finish these tablets. That night we go out to dinner. The next day my tum is worse than ever! I give it 24-hours to see if it will pass (as most things do in Egypt) but it doesn't. So I decide to take a course of tablets! I take 5 days of Antinel - a stomach antiseptic alongside 7 days of Flagyl - a tablet so hardcore that you are violently ill if you drink alcohol less than 48-hours after finishing the course!!!
Anyway, my tum is much better now.
So I don't know if finishing the toe tablets (and getting rid of this tummy bug) that got rid of the problem, OR whether actually I did have a tummy bug all summer, but the toe tablets were controlling it most of the time.
Who knows. Anyway I am generally much better now and am trying to play it safe with what I am eating.
Monday, 14 September 2009
Horse riding at Giza pyramids
Every year one of the guys at work organises a trip to go riding horses at Giza for the new staff. Last year you may recall we chose not to go - instead we went on the tour of Khan El Khalili. However, due to the madness of the start of the new school year this year's trip was extended to any member of staff who wanted to go along and so, as we hadn't been before, we jumped at the chance.
The video is only a quick overview of the trip - generally plodding along outside the pyramid enclosure - and so doesn't quite get the jumpiness of the horse I was on. He was clearly spooked by something, and so I was stuck with a small boy leading me all the way. For somone who used to ride, and despite the last time I was on a horse being about 20 years ago on a trip where I got a suspected fractured collarbone, I felt a bit daft. My horse was changed when we were near the pyramids for a gorgeous brown stallion, but as the boy leading me was clearly trying to get a good tip, he refused to stop leading and let me take him for the run he was so desperately hoping for. Hey-ho!
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Mattress!
Towards the end of last year we decided to stay in the same apartment for our second year out here. Our landlord is helpful, the location is good and although the decor isn't anything outstanding it's a pleasant place to live. Therefore, as part of continuing to make this "home" we decided that we would buy ourselves a new mattress - as the old one was really only a strip of increasingly deformed foam.
Fridge!
We arrived back to a hot Cairo only to discover that our fridge was on its way out - cool, but not cold...Our landlord responded really quickly to our call and within 15 minutes a technician/engineer was round. In diagnosing the problem, he managed to totally break the fridge. We were without a fridge for two days before the call came...
Scotty was having trouble sleeping that night and so got up about midnight and discovered this going on outside our door...
Scotty was having trouble sleeping that night and so got up about midnight and discovered this going on outside our door...
Like all good voyeristic films - this was filmed through the peep-hole
Saturday, 29 August 2009
Neighbours
We're the only expats that we have noticed in our building and everyone seems to keep themselves to themselves we have found - much like living in London! But as we were unpacking our luggage in the early hours of Thursday morning our doorbell went and it was our neighbour from upstairs and her young daughter.
We had bumped into each other at the end of last year, and she had also bumped into Net when she was visiting, so we chatted for a little while. She mentioned that she was having some work done to her apartment and she had a very big favour to ask us. We weren't really sure what this favour could be, but wanted to be helpful if we could. It turns out that she needs to clear her Reception room of furniture for the builders to work and she wondered if she could store some of it in our apartment. We told her that of course this would be no problem, as we had a spare room. We showed her the space we had and she was very grateful - so she then (at about 1.30am) showed us her apartment and the work she was having done.
So yesterday we, and her builder, moved some furniture into our back room. We're not having any visitors for a while, and so we only need access to hang out laundry. It's nice to be able to be helpful, and it's nice to be, and have, good neighbours :)
We had bumped into each other at the end of last year, and she had also bumped into Net when she was visiting, so we chatted for a little while. She mentioned that she was having some work done to her apartment and she had a very big favour to ask us. We weren't really sure what this favour could be, but wanted to be helpful if we could. It turns out that she needs to clear her Reception room of furniture for the builders to work and she wondered if she could store some of it in our apartment. We told her that of course this would be no problem, as we had a spare room. We showed her the space we had and she was very grateful - so she then (at about 1.30am) showed us her apartment and the work she was having done.
So yesterday we, and her builder, moved some furniture into our back room. We're not having any visitors for a while, and so we only need access to hang out laundry. It's nice to be able to be helpful, and it's nice to be, and have, good neighbours :)
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Torchwood...Scotty and Alice style
Version 1 - Barry Torchwood
Version 2 - using shots from Torchwood
Barry - Location for Gavin and Stacey!
Earlier this week we spent some time visiting places we'd never been to before. In this case, Barry and Cardiff in Wales.
We first became "interested" (if that is the right word) in Barry after seeing regularly on Gavin and Stacey. We wanted to visit the Island and play on the slots, and take a walk around some of the locations. And so we did...
We first became "interested" (if that is the right word) in Barry after seeing regularly on Gavin and Stacey. We wanted to visit the Island and play on the slots, and take a walk around some of the locations. And so we did...
Sunday, 5 July 2009
Severn Valley Railway
On our first weekend back in the UK, we went camping with DaddyB at Hampton Loade. We hadn't seen him for a year, and so thought it would be good to visit a place we hadn't been to for a while (in Scotty's case) or ever (in Alice's).
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Friday, 26 June 2009
A few recent things
A few days ago we had our first cockroach. And it was massive! Well, to me it seemed huge, but maybe that's because we haven't seen any in the apartment before. I don't like spiders sometimes, so I wasn't looking forward to bugs out here. I wasn't too bad with this bug though - I think it was because he was right in the middle of a white floor and moving quite slowly. As long as any more do that too, I don't mind.
He was just walking across the kitchen floor when I was getting the breakfast juice one morning. I sprayed him with the vicious bug spray we have and left him to whither there for a bit. Maybe there was a more humane way of dealing with him, but when it comes to bugs I don't want to risk it.
I'm recognised down at the near-by supermarket, Save Way, now. I get our water from there, and whenever I go in now they ask if we want water - even if I only got some the day before! They also know where we live, so as long as the main delivery man is there I don't need to write my address down. The latest perk though is when I have been buying fruit and veg. They pre-pack some of their veg, so I tend to buy a pack of carrots or courgettes, and then a few potatoes and a few onions. I like to buy one meal at a time, as it is so close to buy more and I don't want to waste food. So the latest perk is that after they have weighed my carrots and potatoes, they give me the onions for free!
He was just walking across the kitchen floor when I was getting the breakfast juice one morning. I sprayed him with the vicious bug spray we have and left him to whither there for a bit. Maybe there was a more humane way of dealing with him, but when it comes to bugs I don't want to risk it.
I'm recognised down at the near-by supermarket, Save Way, now. I get our water from there, and whenever I go in now they ask if we want water - even if I only got some the day before! They also know where we live, so as long as the main delivery man is there I don't need to write my address down. The latest perk though is when I have been buying fruit and veg. They pre-pack some of their veg, so I tend to buy a pack of carrots or courgettes, and then a few potatoes and a few onions. I like to buy one meal at a time, as it is so close to buy more and I don't want to waste food. So the latest perk is that after they have weighed my carrots and potatoes, they give me the onions for free!
Thursday, 25 June 2009
The Amazing Game of Egypt
We found this postcard on our way to the Hacienda beach resort.
The back of the postcard is totally blank, so if anyone can fill us in with what exactly the "amazing game of Egypt" is, then please do....answers on a postcard please :)
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
UKNova Radio - 21st June 2009
Today's show was broadcast on Father's Day, so what better way to celebrate it than by inviting a friend who was celebrating his first Father's Day as a daddy - and then calling our own dads to hear their choices for Desert City Disks . Enjoy!
Download podcast here.
Alternatively, stay on this website and listen to the show in the MP3 player below:
Download podcast here.
Alternatively, stay on this website and listen to the show in the MP3 player below:
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Vitamins
Shaking the jar gives more of a high-pitched rattle this morning, than a low rumble. I look inside. We are down to just four vitamin tablets. The shops here do sell most things we could want/need, and a lot of things are imported, so they are available, just really expensive. But vitamins were one thing we didn't ever find. In November, our first visitors, Fabia and Sam brought us out a few jars of vitamins and these have lasted us all this time. Vitamins are already on our list of things to buy in the UK to bring back in August, along with sun tan lotion, after sun and fly papers!
Four tablets left. This means we can each have one today, Sunday, and tomorrow, Monday, then they are all gone. No problem though - as tomorrow is the last day we have kids around, so perfect timing really!
Four tablets left. This means we can each have one today, Sunday, and tomorrow, Monday, then they are all gone. No problem though - as tomorrow is the last day we have kids around, so perfect timing really!
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Hot, hot and a haircut
It's our last weekend in Cairo before we head to Blighty for the summer so I had a few chores to do today.
I first needed to pick up a microwave and fan from a friend who is leaving Cairo this year. It was around 11am so warm, but not the full heat of the day just yet. Luckily he was a gentleman and carried the microwave downstairs, but after the taxi I carried it up to our third floor apartment. We know that it is hot here, but I was absolutely drenched in sweat by the time I got into the apartment! Hot, hot, hot!!!
I then got drenched again coming home from Road 9 where I had to pick up a few things. It's a nice walk along the backstreets, so I don't like to get a taxi unless things are really heavy, but at 2.30pm the sun was pretty much straight on me for the whole way. Got back and stood in front of the air con whilst drinking some cold water. That sorted me out.
I also managed to get my hair cut today. I'd tried a place on Road 9 run by a German lady recommended by a friend at school, and that was fine, but thought I'd try somewhere different this time. This place was very Egyptian and I'm glad I had a picture with me of me with shorter hair to show him as we didn't share much language!! This was a quick deal with no hair-washing, just a few squirts with a water spray before he got down to the job. He asked if I wanted it straight or .....I'm not sure what the other option was, but I went for straight, but gestured that I wanted some more length/weight off the back. He understood, but his method for achieving this was very different from what I expected. He took a cut-throat razor and used that to cut the back part of my hair, only changing to scissors once he got round to the front....interesting.....it turned out OK and he asked if I was happy - I was - then asked if I wanted it washed (surely that happens first) or dried. I thought a quick dry would be good but this was where our communication system broke down. Why didn't I use "schweya", Arabic for "a bit"?? As I got a full-blown ('scuse the pun) bouffant with lots of back-combing and rolls, instead of the quick once over with a hair drier that I'd imagined. I'll learn for next time.
I first needed to pick up a microwave and fan from a friend who is leaving Cairo this year. It was around 11am so warm, but not the full heat of the day just yet. Luckily he was a gentleman and carried the microwave downstairs, but after the taxi I carried it up to our third floor apartment. We know that it is hot here, but I was absolutely drenched in sweat by the time I got into the apartment! Hot, hot, hot!!!
I then got drenched again coming home from Road 9 where I had to pick up a few things. It's a nice walk along the backstreets, so I don't like to get a taxi unless things are really heavy, but at 2.30pm the sun was pretty much straight on me for the whole way. Got back and stood in front of the air con whilst drinking some cold water. That sorted me out.
I also managed to get my hair cut today. I'd tried a place on Road 9 run by a German lady recommended by a friend at school, and that was fine, but thought I'd try somewhere different this time. This place was very Egyptian and I'm glad I had a picture with me of me with shorter hair to show him as we didn't share much language!! This was a quick deal with no hair-washing, just a few squirts with a water spray before he got down to the job. He asked if I wanted it straight or .....I'm not sure what the other option was, but I went for straight, but gestured that I wanted some more length/weight off the back. He understood, but his method for achieving this was very different from what I expected. He took a cut-throat razor and used that to cut the back part of my hair, only changing to scissors once he got round to the front....interesting.....it turned out OK and he asked if I was happy - I was - then asked if I wanted it washed (surely that happens first) or dried. I thought a quick dry would be good but this was where our communication system broke down. Why didn't I use "schweya", Arabic for "a bit"?? As I got a full-blown ('scuse the pun) bouffant with lots of back-combing and rolls, instead of the quick once over with a hair drier that I'd imagined. I'll learn for next time.
La Hacienda
We wanted a bit of sun, a bit of a rest and chance to chill out before the end of term and flying home for the summer. A group of us hired a minibus for the three-hour drive onto the Sinai to get to the Hacienda resort on Thursday after school for a two-night break.
Friday, 19 June 2009
Beep, beep, be-be-beep
This evening Egypt played Italy in the Confederations Cup. Having narrowly lost 3-4 against Brazil the other night, everyone was rather excited about the match being a possible win. Now, we don't have TV (satellite or otherwise), so rely on t'internet for our viewing. However, the BBC live stream of the match on their website isn't - ironically - available for us to watch over here. So we've sat waiting to be told the result.
Judging by the incessant noise of the car horns for the past 3 hours, I think we won.
Judging by the incessant noise of the car horns for the past 3 hours, I think we won.
Monday, 8 June 2009
Swine Flu in Egypt
A couple of months behind everyone else Egypt has, over the past week, confirmed its first cases of swine flu. All three are from visitors arriving from the USA. I wonder if Mr Obama was swabbed and had his temperature taken by a masked nurse when he visited?
Friday, 5 June 2009
Thursday, 4 June 2009
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Friday, 29 May 2009
Gig at the Boss Bar
On Wednesday night, I played a predominantly-solo gig at the Boss Bar in Maadi. It was the first time I've done a night like this in a long time and to be honest I was rather nervous about the whole thing. I knew that I'd be able to play okay, but worried about whether I'd have enough material to fill the 2 hour slot. Fortunately my talented friends came and played some songs with me, which eased the nerves and took some pressure off me.
It was also the first time I had the Headrush pedal out for an extended period of time and I wasn't sure how it'd hold up! As it turns out, it held up brilliantly :-)
The set featured a range of different things from English folk to American bluegrass by way of funk, soul, dreamy ballads, pop, rock and a good dose of original songs.
I've not uploaded every song from the gig, but if you're so inclined I've put quite a lot of them online to give a taste of the evening. If the embedable playlist function works you should be able to watch them all in order below, and navigate between them with the side arrows on the video display or with the still frames at the bottom. There's 14 songs in total...
It was also the first time I had the Headrush pedal out for an extended period of time and I wasn't sure how it'd hold up! As it turns out, it held up brilliantly :-)
The set featured a range of different things from English folk to American bluegrass by way of funk, soul, dreamy ballads, pop, rock and a good dose of original songs.
I've not uploaded every song from the gig, but if you're so inclined I've put quite a lot of them online to give a taste of the evening. If the embedable playlist function works you should be able to watch them all in order below, and navigate between them with the side arrows on the video display or with the still frames at the bottom. There's 14 songs in total...
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Tummy Trouble
I just thought I would blog about our most recent - and ongoing - bout of tummy trouble.
We went on for ages when we first started the blog about our tummy troubles and the various drugs we were perscribed to try and sort them out. Since then we have been generally OK, but every now and then have been ill from something or other. For me, being ill, means about 24 hours of tummy trouble, so I eat sensibly and then it sorts itself out. We have found no rule, rhyme or reason to when and where we get ill. We, or people we know, have been ill once at most restaurants in Maadi, and even from cooking at home! Most times it goes away after a day, but a few times we have had to take other drugs when it has gone on for longer. We self-perscribe Antinel which is actually an antiseptic, rather than an antibiotic, and so clears the stomach out.
I had to take a five-day course of Antinel after we got back from Dahab and was hoping that with only two months left in Egypt I'd be able to make it home without needing to do so again - however this weekend was different!
On Friday I was really really ill - I couldn't stray very far from the bathroom at all, but thought that it could be a 24-hour thing again, so we went out for dinner and the opera as planned. I was wrong about it lasting just 24 hours and after spending the whole of the interval in the bathroom by the Second Act I think I was really quite dehydrated and had a terrible headache, aching bones and the shivers! I was close to saying I wanted to go home, but I had a sip of flat coke before the Third Act and felt much better. I headed to bed straight away and was sipping rehydrating solution all night. The next day I started on a new drug that the pharmacist gave me, Streptoquin, and stuck to Pocari Sweat, bread and couscous all day.
We think it must have been the fruit juice from the Khan El Khalili restaurant that I'd had the night before. We normally stay off fruit juices in places we don't know, but we thought this would be OK as the restaurant is very Western.
So that night (Saturday), mum and I had very plain couscous to eat but Scotty had our left-overs from La Rosa which we had on mum's first night (Thursday) - as it wasn't fair for him to be on plain food too. This was our error though! As the next day Scotty got really ill! So there must have been something in the pasta sauce that caused it. Poor Scotty was so ill that he went to the clinic at school and was told to "sit down, no lie down" while waiting to be seen and then was quickly sent home to rest. He, like me, got dehydrated and had the headache and achey joints. They stuck him straight away on a week course of Flagyl and Antinel.
So all in all - not a great eating expereince this week!! Much as we enjoy living here, this is one thing that I really wouldn't miss!!!
We went on for ages when we first started the blog about our tummy troubles and the various drugs we were perscribed to try and sort them out. Since then we have been generally OK, but every now and then have been ill from something or other. For me, being ill, means about 24 hours of tummy trouble, so I eat sensibly and then it sorts itself out. We have found no rule, rhyme or reason to when and where we get ill. We, or people we know, have been ill once at most restaurants in Maadi, and even from cooking at home! Most times it goes away after a day, but a few times we have had to take other drugs when it has gone on for longer. We self-perscribe Antinel which is actually an antiseptic, rather than an antibiotic, and so clears the stomach out.
I had to take a five-day course of Antinel after we got back from Dahab and was hoping that with only two months left in Egypt I'd be able to make it home without needing to do so again - however this weekend was different!
On Friday I was really really ill - I couldn't stray very far from the bathroom at all, but thought that it could be a 24-hour thing again, so we went out for dinner and the opera as planned. I was wrong about it lasting just 24 hours and after spending the whole of the interval in the bathroom by the Second Act I think I was really quite dehydrated and had a terrible headache, aching bones and the shivers! I was close to saying I wanted to go home, but I had a sip of flat coke before the Third Act and felt much better. I headed to bed straight away and was sipping rehydrating solution all night. The next day I started on a new drug that the pharmacist gave me, Streptoquin, and stuck to Pocari Sweat, bread and couscous all day.
We think it must have been the fruit juice from the Khan El Khalili restaurant that I'd had the night before. We normally stay off fruit juices in places we don't know, but we thought this would be OK as the restaurant is very Western.
So that night (Saturday), mum and I had very plain couscous to eat but Scotty had our left-overs from La Rosa which we had on mum's first night (Thursday) - as it wasn't fair for him to be on plain food too. This was our error though! As the next day Scotty got really ill! So there must have been something in the pasta sauce that caused it. Poor Scotty was so ill that he went to the clinic at school and was told to "sit down, no lie down" while waiting to be seen and then was quickly sent home to rest. He, like me, got dehydrated and had the headache and achey joints. They stuck him straight away on a week course of Flagyl and Antinel.
So all in all - not a great eating expereince this week!! Much as we enjoy living here, this is one thing that I really wouldn't miss!!!
Saturday, 23 May 2009
How to visit Mokattam / Zebaleen / St Samaan
St Samaan is the amazing church that has been carved into the rock of the Mokattam Hills on the edge of Cairo.
The Association for the Protection of the Environment (A.P.E.) is an important community project in Mokattam which works with the people in "garbage city" to empower women, protect and develop children, introduce health support services and manufactuing recycling. There is a paper recycling scheme and rag recycling. In the shop you can buy all sorts of hand-made paper products, embroidery pictures and cards, then rag rugs, rag bags, cushion covers, quilts and lots more. It's really worthwhile making a visit and buying some lovely presents for people that do make a difference.
The Association for the Protection of the Environment (A.P.E.) is an important community project in Mokattam which works with the people in "garbage city" to empower women, protect and develop children, introduce health support services and manufactuing recycling. There is a paper recycling scheme and rag recycling. In the shop you can buy all sorts of hand-made paper products, embroidery pictures and cards, then rag rugs, rag bags, cushion covers, quilts and lots more. It's really worthwhile making a visit and buying some lovely presents for people that do make a difference.
How to get there!!
On the left is the booklet from St Samaan and the right is the A.P.E leaflet and logo. Could be useful to show to people when asking for directions once you are in Mokattam.
The map (thank you, Christine for starting this off!) shows that you use the Ring Road and take the right turn just at the Citadel after the overpass. This is actually sign-posted to Mokattam. Then take an immediate left into Mokattam (once you have taken this left it looks like there might be three roads to chose from, but only one of them is tarmac - take this one).
To get to St Samaan you need to take a right hand turn up a steep tarmac road. This turn is passed the one "main" cross roads and is opposite a MobilNil shop. Just follow the road and you find the church.
To get to the APE project and shop keep along the main road until you get to a T-junction. Take a right and follow this road around and take a left at the next T-junction. The gates are then on your left and have the logo on them. The workshops and the shops are in the first building on your left.
Up to date phone numbers for A.P.E!!
2-02-234-12723
2-02-234-38556
2-01-57 88328
most recent website (but out of date numbers) http://www.ape.org.eg/
The Church of Saint Samaan
Today we hired a driver to take us into the Mokattam hills behind the Citadel to the settlement where the Zabaleen (rubbish collectors) live and work. Alice has been before, but it was the first time that Annette (who is visiting us at the moment) and myself had been. We spent some time at the APE Project where we bought some bits and bobs, but really the main reason to go was to see the spectacular church of Saint Samaan, quarried out of the limestone mountain.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
UKNova Radio - 10th May 2009
This week on the radio we were generally ramblign about things, with an eclectic selection of tracks. But - despite having no guests - it still seemed quite interesting. Or at least we thought it was!
Download podcast here.
Alternatively, stay on this website and listen to the show in the MP3 player below:
Download podcast here.
Alternatively, stay on this website and listen to the show in the MP3 player below:
Monday, 11 May 2009
Jammie Dodgers
A couple of months ago I delved into my last packet of Jammie Dodgers - caringly imported by our lovely friends and family. I won't say much more about my experience here, instead leaving it to the letter I sent them...
Today I got a reply, written with a good-natured sense of humour. Hooray! Although there's lots of good lines in here, my favourite is probably, "Tops have been used instead of bottoms".
Today I got a reply, written with a good-natured sense of humour. Hooray! Although there's lots of good lines in here, my favourite is probably, "Tops have been used instead of bottoms".
Friday, 8 May 2009
Postcards
As we were walking around Aswan at Christmas, we noticed a large number of what can only be described as "terrible" postcards. These are cards that are either decades out of date, feature bland focal points, or are generally uninspiring considering they're designed to be bought.
However, as if to undermine the truly shocking nature of these cards - and the fact they really should be left to rot in the sun - we have started to buy them. It's taken us a while to get round to scanning and uploading them, but for your enjoyment here's our first batch!
Taba: Where dreams are made of concrete!
+Road+Network.jpg)
Philae: even older than the postcard
Nuweiba: dock here and wish you hadn't bothered
Esna Lock: Boats! Water! Concrete!
Dahab: The best bins in Egypt
Dahab: to be fair, this one is quite nice and shows the Lighthouse reef where we did our PADI Open Water
However, as if to undermine the truly shocking nature of these cards - and the fact they really should be left to rot in the sun - we have started to buy them. It's taken us a while to get round to scanning and uploading them, but for your enjoyment here's our first batch!
Taba: Where dreams are made of concrete!+Road+Network.jpg)
Ruwi: The pride of the Omani transport network
Philae: even older than the postcard
Nuweiba: dock here and wish you hadn't bothered
Esna Lock: Boats! Water! Concrete!
Dahab: The best bins in Egypt
Dahab: to be fair, this one is quite nice and shows the Lighthouse reef where we did our PADI Open Water
The Cairo TV Tower: transmitting shows that are as uninspiring as the architecture
The Cairo Tower: you guessed it - more concrete!
Monday, 4 May 2009
Akai Headrush at the Boss Bar
Another monthly Friday, and another Open Mic night at the Boss Bar. I took alogn my Akai Headrush sampler pedal for the first time, and did a few tunes. Alice took her camera and managed to film some video on it...not much, but it gives you an idea.
On the back of my spot here I'm now playing a full headline set on 27th May.
On the back of my spot here I'm now playing a full headline set on 27th May.
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Monday, 27 April 2009
UKNova Radio - 26th April 2009
We've not uploaded a podcast in a while, but last night we spent a couple of hours on our theme of diving - lots of talk about the PADI Open Water course interspersed with songs about water and depth!
Download podcast here.
Alternatively, stay on this website and listen to the show in the MP3 player below:
Download podcast here.
Alternatively, stay on this website and listen to the show in the MP3 player below:
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