Mara’s (Marie Vaughan) personal diary of daily life running a hotel in Luxor – Egypt as lived day to day, not as a destination: the people, the setbacks, the small victories, and the long relationship with a place she now calls home.
We learn from history……or we don’t – mostly it seems in Egypt, we don’t. We had the swine flu’ scare and the government of the day immediately ordered the slaughter of all the pigs in Cairo. So what? So what is the fact that the pigs ate all the organic waste that was collected in…
Egypt’s current and future economy is on my mind – it’s been on my mind every day since Jan! You see, I’m a small foreign investor here – would have been bigger investor if I had not fallen foul of some ex-government officials here! And some still in government positions here!!! The key word here…
“Do you speak Arabic?” I am often asked…….from now on my answer will be “just enough to cause a riot if I want!” One thing that sends my blood pressure up is when someone jumps a queue I am standing in. Now, if the person is in a terrible hurry (even if I am also)…
In a fight against corruption, suppression, police intimidation and in their search of human rights the people of Egypt took to the streets in early 2011 and so began the Egyptian Revolution which ended in the ousting of President Mubark and his government. The demand for human rights…..hmmmmmm.. – we all know what the basic…
The moving finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a line, Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it. – The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Go to any temple in Egypt and the guide will show you where Pharaoh…
The revival of the tourist industry in Egypt is the fastest and least painful way (much less painful in the long run than borrowing money from the IMF) to get the Egyptian Economy back on it’s feet. It is adventurous people like Caye Poe and John Francis of Dayton who will hasten the return of…
Niqab – Hijab. To wear or not to wear. There is a brilliant personal piece of writing by Nadia here where she tells her story of going from not wearing to wearing and back to not wearing the niqab (face veil etc. worn by some muslim ladies). The 70+ comments at the end of her…
The new Egyptian Minister for Tourism, Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour said on April 15: “We are doing whatever we can to inform the world that security is prevailing, that hotels and Egyptians are waiting to receive tourists,” Abdel Nour said. “And with this effort, I expect the last quarter of the year to be excellent.” …
The day I saw the following in Tahrir Sq., my mind went immediately to the French Revolution – Madam Defage and her buddies knitting under the Guillotine as the forces of the popular Revolution cut off the heads of the aristocrats. As I took the photo I wondered if the Egyptian Revolution would go the…
“There comes a time in the affairs of men….” Well, I think we are fast coming, if we are not there already, in the affairs of Egypt when somebody must speak up for Egypt!I am back in Cairo after a much needed two weeks in Ireland. Two glorious weeks away from anger, resentment and frustration. …
As I was saying here just two days ago……same intersection just this time it was a red and a black car…. these two were not as lucky as the last two! Cairo is wonderful – just take it easy and keep your eyes open!
If you have an apt. with a street view (especially near an intersection) in Cairo – you don’t need a TV if you are into suspense thrillers. What happens when you have an intersection and just for a split moment there are no cars in the intersection? Well, in Cairo drivers seem to believe they…
Cairo 5.3.2011 – It’s 7pm and Talaat Haarb St. is turning into one big market place. Now that the street traders don’t have to run from the police who used to go around chasing them from the streets and confiscating their goods they are setting up all along the street. They are selling everything from…
I don’t know if I am becoming more enlightened about the world or just succumbing to manipulation from what I read on the net and see on the TV. So for anyone reading my ramblings please bear with me if you see me swaying this way and that way from blog to blog! Only time…
There is a movement afoot to take the name of “Mubarak” and that of his wife “Suzanne” of buildings, streets etc. – mostly in Cairo at the moment. I do hope this won’t go too far. It is what we call a “knee jerk reaction, which with hindsight may look petty or meaningless.Egypt cannot simple…
What is reality? If you are a fan of the “Matrix” films maybe you think it is just possible we are part of a BIGGER, muucch bigger “mind” or “consciousness”? Maybe, just maybe these bodies we believe we are in – we are not really in them at all? We are just using them to…
The Muslim Brotherhood held an open-air open meeting tonight which started at 6pm in front of Luxor Temple. There were an estimated 2,500 – 3,000 people in attendance. Two other observations – first the noticeable total absence of the army and the presence of one white police car and one small blue truck. The second…
Many times guests have asked me the differences between Western and Egyptian ways of life, thinking etc. and it is a subject one could talk about and analyse for hours. But today I found this on the net and I think it answers part of the question—differences between the societies brilliantly and concisely in the…
It is Friday the 18th – By the way President Mubarak stepped down on the 11th Feb, which reads 11022011 – it is a palindrome (meaning you can read it backwards as well as forwards). So, now 8 days since the historic event and I haven’t written any blog of note since then because to…