Hurghada - Lotus Ladies

Steps Up! When I Almost Missed the Boat.

Before I came over to Egypt, I’d heard (from one of the many expat online forums that are around) about a group called Lotus Ladies. I believe the group was originally set up for women married to Egyptian husbands who wanted to meet up socially during the day and it ended up turning into an expat group for women in Egypt. I didn’t know if I’d ever to get to know anyone in Egypt when I first went over, so I’d earmarked this group as a possible means of kick-starting a social life. As it was, I didn’t really need it, because everyone in El Andalous was so friendly.

Nevertheless, I do attend their events occasionally, as you will have seen from at least one of my Christmas blogs. It’s good to have a change of social scene and to hear different topics of conversation.

In the summer months, maybe also in winter, Lotus Ladies organize boat trips on a fairly regular basis. It’s a good way to escape the heat and to get a change of scene. We generally have the boat to ourselves and we often get a group discount. Anyway, I decided to join the boat trip one week, since I love being in and on the sea.

I dithered about it for ages in part because they wanted you to be there for 8am, which to me seems ridiculously early (I had to allow at least 30 minutes to get there). Who wants to get up early voluntarily? I don’t really get it. It’s not even in the Egyptian mentality to do this. But hey ho.

This time of year it’s a relief to get out on the boat and enjoy the breeze. I’m usually going round wondering if I should remove my sunglasses because just having them on my nose makes me sweat too much. Each time I open the freezer, the blast of cold air is a magical sensation that I just want to prolong. You wish you could just stick your head in there for a good five minutes. I remember relishing the nip of cold air when I first went back to Zurich in April. Actually, one thing I noticed in the UK just the other week was that even though it was hot, the air still had a little chill to it; I don’t know if that was just symptomatic of the 2016 bad summer or if it’s always been a feature of British summers that I’ve never known existed before.

Anyway, it was a fairly typical boat trip. We went to three different snorkeling locations; the first one was supposedly to see the dolphins, but they weren’t around that day. Lunch was served on board and included the usual mix of good salads, rice, pasta, fish, chicken, and kofta (all warm, apart from the salads).

The snorkeling was fun. It always surprises me how much bigger the fish are when I go right out into the sea as opposed to staying in the bay at Sahl Hasheesh. It’s also quite scary to see the mountainous reef below and to understand just how deep the water is that you’re floating on top of. Our final location was quite busy; at first we were the only ones moored there in the sea but another four boats joined within the next half an hour. Apparently, it used to be really crowded and this was regarded as practically dead.

I’ve also been out for dinner quite a few times now with the Lotus Ladies. It’s rather an experimental experience where we try places that no-one has been before (or just once), or new places that members have spotted and think may be worth trying out. It’s all bit hit and miss. All of the places have been OK, but I’m not sure I would deem any of them yet as worthy of a write up in the blog.I don’t want to damage anyone’s business by being less than glowing because life is hard enough as it is. It’s a good opportunity, though, to try out some places where you may not normally dare to go if you were on your own.

UK - Travel Problems

Ascot - All's Well That Ends Well!

First of all, I have to say that my EasyJet flight (I will name and shame!) was horrendously expensive – I was shocked to find myself paying 600 GBP for my return flight. Of course, I am usually flying to Zurich and not the UK, but when I had my interview (when the company was paying), the return flight was only something like 250 CHF on Swiss (that doesn’t seem possible, but whatever it was, it was very cheap). It’s just typical that when someone else is paying you get the cheapest flight ever, and when you’re paying, it’s the most expensive you’ve ever seen it. It’s particularly offensive because it’s EasyJet – the “cheap” airline with no drinks, no food, no reclining chairs, no entertainment, for the 5 hour journey.

Well, rant over, it was as it was. I calmed myself down by deciding to visit as many people as I could in the time. If I then divided the price per friend seen, it didn’t seem nearly as bad.

It pretty much started as it went on, with the theme of the visit, in retrospect, turning out to be travel problems. I shared a taxi to Hurghada airport with Jeff and Ness, so that was a good thing (maybe emphasizing the other theme, which was friendship). On arrival, we were immediately greeted by an airport employee who said he could get us to skip the queue. This has happened to me twice before – the first time I had my broken foot and I thought it was a service for the disabled; the second time I batted him away as I was sure it was a con of some kind. Anyway, Jeff went with it, and to my surprise, it was true. The guy pushed us to the front of a huge queue all for the price of a tip at our discretion. It was really worth it (no different from paying EasyJet extra for Speedy Boarding, I guess).

We entered the airport to drop our bags (you have to do your own check-in with EasyJet) only to find that the plane was leaving an hour earlier than expected! I think it’s something to do with EasyJet having the wrong times due to Egypt deciding at the last minute not to change the clocks for the summer. Anyway, we’d obediently arrived three hours early as requested, so it was fine, but in an alternative universe…

I was met easily at the airport by Geraldine and the Horsham part of my stay started off fairly smoothly. We ate too much, but other than that….

I then went off to visit my friend Julie in Bristol. I was a bit stressed about it because for my train journey I had to change at Dorking and I was to arrive in one Dorking station and to walk to the other station in Dorking to get my connection. I have no idea why they think it’s a good idea to have two stations. The connection time was quite tight, too. Anyway, I got to Horsham station and my first train was cancelled! There was a replacement bus service, but my hopes weren’t high of this arriving in Dorking in time, although the person at Horsham station reassured me that if I missed my connection, they were bound to get me to my destination somehow and the missed connection wouldn’t be my fault. However, surprisingly I did make the connection, even though the signs to the station that I was promised would be very clear did not appear to be evident at the station itself, but I’d fortunately spotted one of the signs from the bus.

So, despite the odds, I did get to Julie’s on time. I think I overdid on eating chips while I was there – I’d been craving them and then went overboard, so after that I couldn’t really face them again.

Then it was back to Geraldine’s. I thought this was going to be the easier journey, but I failed miserably. My first train from Bristol was delayed. The short story is that I missed my connection. The true story is that I could have probably made my connection if I’d realized I was in Reading station and not Redhill (or was it the other way round?). Anyway, I was supposed to go from Reading to Redhill (or vice versa?), but got it the wrong way round, so I was trying to find a platform at Reading station that had a train going to Reading. Of course, I couldn’t find this. When I finally asked, the guy asked me twice where I was going to and I thought he was a bit of an idiot until he explained to me that I was already at Reading! I generally find that if I think people are being a bit of an idiot, it’s actually me.

So, I missed my connection, but then when I got to my next station, the next train I needed was cancelled. I didn’t have a mobile phone with me, so I couldn’t let Geraldine know not to collect me, which was another source of stress. I took another route and went straight to Gatwick Airport (close to Horsham), but the next two trains to Horsham were also cancelled. High praises to the woman at British Rail (she was maybe Italian?) who was cornered by about 15 angry passengers (“it’s always the Horsham trains that are canceled! Why?!” “I’ve been working 11 hours and it’s taking me 3 hours to get home”, “What is it with Horsham?”) and seemed genuinely sympathetic and unbelieving when a train that normally goes to Horsham was re-routed to skip Horsham (at this point she looked as if she wanted to hand in her notice then and there!).

Anyway, it was a long journey. I arrived after midnight and the very next morning I had to take a train to get to Pam’s. As far as I can recall, that went smoothly, apart from me mistakenly enthusiastically greeting a stranger thinking it was Pam when it wasn’t. I felt a right plonker, but it had been a while since I’d last seen Pam and I thought maybe she’d changed. When I finally saw Pam (easily identifiable!), I couldn’t work out what possessed me to think the other woman could have been her.

A lot more eating was done among the four of us who were there, including a meal at Ascot’s finest restaurant followed up by a Chinese take-away when we got back, and then a full English breakfast the next morning…

By the time I was due to get back to Geraldine’s, Southern Rail had officially gone on strike. If train services were bad before the strike, I didn’t like to think what it would be like when the strike was actually in progress. In the end, in order to return, Pam had to drive me to Guildford, and then Geraldine picked me up from Guildford. After a day to recuperate, it was time to fly back to Egypt; again Geraldine needed to drive me to the airport due to the rail strike. Good old Great Britain!

My return to Egypt just rounded it all off nicely. It appeared that the EasyJet site had not given the correct time of arrival, or the airport site didn’t have the right time or something. I’d asked Esmat to pick me up at 4.45pm, but, unknown to me, he’d checked the time of the flight online and it said one hour later, so he assumed my flight had been delayed and didn’t leave to collect me for another hour. Some passengers on the plane were also betting between themselves about the correct arrival time. So, I arrived at the airport and there was no Esmat to pick me up.

Of course, I’d completely forgotten to “pack” my mobile phone. I’d remembered the charger, but not the actual phone. So, I couldn’t phone to find out what was happening. I hadn’t considered that maybe Esmat had seen the wrong time online. After waiting for half an hour, I ended up having to take another taxi, who was wanting to charge me 50% more than I usually pay. For once, I felt I knew what I was doing, so I explained what I always paid and said that if he didn’t want to accept that fare, he should just take me back to the airport and I’d get another taxi. He didn’t, but did continue to complain the whole journey. I felt surprisingly calm. I’d explained my view very clearly, I’d given him the option to refuse it, so it was his fault now if he didn’t like it.

I got back to my flat, my balcony hadn’t been cleaned as requested, my wall hadn’t been repaired as requested. It was literally like I’d never been away! But it was at least most definitely Egypt!

PS. A huge thanks to my friends for providing me with food and accommodation and for just being them! Despite the travel problems, I had a great time, and it was all more than worth it.

El Andalous - The Funky Pigeon

The Flying Pigeon

There’s quite a lot I want to write about at the moment (this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s anything that’s really that interesting), but I’m so excited about my new bicycle that I have to write about this before anything else!

As I said, I had a bit of a spending spree on items that I would collect in the UK. The problem is, once I’ve allowed myself to spend, it’s quite hard to know where to stop. I’d been eyeing up a bicycle in our new supermarket, BestWay. It seemed meant for me as they were selling only three bicycles – two for children and one ladies bike with gears, which was ideal for me. However, it seemed like a lot of money (3.3k LE – around 260-300 quid), and each time I’ve owned a bike, I haven’t used it much, so I was trying to be sensible and to learn from past mistakes.

Anyway, I got to thinking about it again when I was in the UK. Although BestWay sold the bike, it didn’t come with a basket (a must-have), and they didn’t sell padlocks or pumps. Therefore, if I was going to get it, it would be easier to buy the accessories in the UK. Of course, I didn’t start thinking about this very seriously until it was almost time to leave.

Consequently, on my last day, I finally priced bikes in the UK and found I could get them for around 100 quid. Bargain! I fantasized for quite a while about getting one and putting it on a plane, but after reading about how to do this, it seemed a bit beyond me. People were talking about dismantling the steering wheel (or whatever you call it on a bike) and then putting various parts back together when you got back. And then I had to think about getting it to the airport in the first place (poor Geraldine, if I thrust this upon her!), and on top of that it seemed that you couldn’t just turn up to your flight with one – you had to book in advance to take a bike with you. Anyway, I gave up on the idea.

However, I decided that maybe I was more wedded to the idea than I realized, and so bought myself a lock and a pump in the UK to save myself some trouble. If I didn’t get the bike, the pump and the lock didn’t exactly cost much, and if I did get it, purchasing these items now would save me a lot of hassle later. The guy in the bike shop obviously sussed me straight away as clueless, so he kindly walked me through the basic types of locks and the basic types of pumps, steering me away from the expensive ones.

Once back in Egypt, it dawned on me that maybe I should see if there was a bicycle shop in Hurghada (doh!). I searched the internet and found a thread where people were saying that there were three shops in a street by the Marina that sold bikes for around 60 GBP. That was quite a saving over the one in BestWay. Although I want to support my local shops, I don’t want to support them to the tune of paying 250 quid extra!

So, off I went into town with Esmat on another intrepid adventure into Hurghada. He took me first of all to a bicycle shop near his home. He joked with me about him taking me to a useless shop as we went up some shabby stairs strewn with litter in a nondescript building (this is typical of Egypt). But there, on the first floor, was a fairly large shop with lots of new bikes. There were many children’s bikes (which is maybe why Esmat knew it so well). Unfortunately, they didn’t stock any ladies bikes with gears; there were plenty without gears for around 70 GBP. The guy in the shop tried to tell us (again, very typical of Egypt) that they didn’t stock ladies bikes with gears because they don’t exist. I reiterated to Esmat that the one in BestWay definitely had gears.

So, off we went to shop number two. This also did not stock any ladies bikes with gears. I was beginning to think that maybe I’d got it wrong. It was either at this shop, or the shop after this, that a shopkeeper informed Esmat that a street by the Marina may have the required type of bicycle. I’m guessing this is the street I’d read about on the internet (I had told Esmat about it, but I bowed to his local knowledge, and in any case he may well have taken me to cheaper shops).

Here, we finally had success. They had one ladies bike with gears sitting outside the shop. I felt a bit dubious about it as it was covered in dust, didn’t have a saddle, and cost 1000k LE more than the others we’d seen. Esmat tried to negotiate for me, but the shopkeeper wouldn’t budge as it was a famous make and had shimano gears (if I’ve got my terminology right here). I had heard of those gears before, and the bike was still 1.4k cheaper than in BestWay, and it had a basket, so I said I would just get it.

The bike didn’t really visually appeal to me much, but it was obviously a more difficult task to get one than I thought it would be originally. I had no idea what to look for in a bicycle or what you pay more for and I didn’t really want to spend time finding other shops which may not have anything suitable anyway. And it was Esmat’s time ticking away. After I handed the shopkeeper a deposit, he kissed the money, and then went off to clean the bike and add the bits and pieces to it (a branded saddle, new handle grips, a rear reflector, the matching basket), while I went to get money out of the bank.

It was also the usual Egyptian creativity in somehow getting the bicycle to fit into the boot of the car. The guy selling it asked for a tip (this still surprises me over here when they are just doing their job!); Esmat said it was voluntary but suggested maybe giving him 10LE. Again, the shopkeeper kissed the money as a way of saying thank you. I guess that’s also an Egyptian thing.

I was rather nervous on the journey back each time the car jolted because my bike was precariously sticking out of the boot, but my driver (Esmat had to go elsewhere) assured me it was all OK (which it was). I guess this is just business as usual for them.

Anyway, it turned out to be a bit like a successful arranged marriage (not that I’ve ever experienced that!). I inspected the bicycle at leisure once I’d got it all to myself at home and was delighted to see that it was called “flying pigeon”. I really love this name, although I keep on thinking of it as the “funky pigeon” (it’s not really that funky, but I love it anyway).

I’ve since looked it up and actually it’s a very famous Chinese brand that seems to have fallen out of favour. But the price I paid seems to be quite reasonable. The seat also goes quite low – many bikes I find have the saddle too high even when the seat is at its lowest, whereas on my new bike, the seat isn’t anywhere near the lowest point. I’m not a seasoned cyclist, so I like to feel I can safely have my feet on the ground quite easily. I have it on a firm tip-toe rather than a tottering tip-toe.

I took it out for a ride and it breezed down the streets. It’s lovely cycling in Sahl Hasheesh because there’s no traffic apart from golf buggies and other bicycles, so absolutely no stress. The saddle was nice and broad, the gears changed easily. My previous bicycle always clunked with each gear change.

Anyway, I now look at my bike as if it’s the most beautiful thing in the world. The branded saddle (it says “pigeon” on it, how wonderful is that!) matches the brown highlighted branding and the brown basket. I didn’t like it at first, but now it’s a work of art in my eyes. This ugly frog has turned into my prince. I hope I will continue to enjoy it and that the honeymoon never fades!

UK - Last Few Days

Ascot 2015

At this point my travels will almost be over as I fly back to Hurghada on Wednesday. I should be at Pam's, having gone to Ascot with Pam, Candice and Hye-Youn on the Saturday, all going well. Candice and Hye-Youn are coming over from Switzerland. We had fantastic weather the previous year, so I am hoping for the same this time, but am not holding my breath! Candice and Hye-Youn will be working today, but I have a few more days to go....

Tonight, I take a train back to Horsham, have one more day there, and then fly back to Hurghada (all going well or inshahllah [God willing] as they say in Arabic about almost every future event).

UK - Visiting Friends

Horsham, West Sussex, UK

No blog this week or next - I'm dashing round the UK to visit various people. First, it's Geraldine in Horsham, then it's Julie in Bristol, then it's Pam, Candice, and Hye-Youn in Hartley-Wintney and off to Ascot, then back to Geraldine to collect my purchases and catch the plane back from Gatwick.

Today, I should be in Horsham, which is where I used to live and work at one point. I hope to sample the wonderful aniseed curry at one of the local curry restaurants, the great fish and chips in the chippie, and maybe a blueberry bagel in the bookshop. I seem to remember that the divine chocolate cake was no longer being served last time I went to the cafe in question, but I will try again!

Thank you in advance to Geraldine, Julie, and Pam for letting me stay!