23 Oct 2010

WEEKEND FUNNIES - INTERNET



When I arrived in Egypt in our hotel, I immediately asked for Internet connection. The guy at the reception looked a little surprised and wanted to send me to the internet café in the hotel.

I told him I don't want an Internet café but only a WIFI connection as I have my own computer. He looked again at me as if I suddenly had transformed myself into a little female ET and stammered that I still have to go there to buy a card.

I arrived at the Internet Café which was a bar with 4 computers and freezing cold. Arrived a guy who asked me what I wanted to drink. I said I don't want to drink I want a connection to Internet. He too looked at me with 3 question marks in his eyes and explained that for that he has to call the "chef", but anyway what kind of card would I need and if I could play games.

I said I am not interested in playing games I have to work. Work ??? he said as if this word had been just created. There were cards for 1 h at 5 € to be used in one shot which I found very expensive, and one week at 50 € which I could use whenever I wanted. I choose the 1 week card. His eyeballs almost popped out and he said : what ??? "400 (Egyptian) pounds ??? do you have such a lot of money ??" For once in my life I felt like Rockefellers daughter.

He said "I call the chef, just a minute". He disappeared and I waited. After 10 min I went outside because I felt deepfreezed. The airconditionner was working too much. Another 15 min and he came back with another guy. I explained my problem again, showed him my little notebook and wanted the card.

Ah, he said, for that I have to call the chef. Another one probably because he was chef too. Now we were two chefs, one normal person and I. The three disappeared asking me to wait for a moment. I inspected the the computers, could have easily gotten drunk with all the Whisky and Wodka bottles standing at the bar, but nothing happened. Another 15 min went by and then came the chef's chef's chef and asked me what I wanted. I explained for the 3rd time what I wanted. You have to be patient and friendly nobody knows what the words "quick or hurry up" means. Time is no money here.

Ok he said, switched on a computer and under the watchful eyes of the two chefs and the bar boy, he wrote down on a little carton which he had torn out from a chips box (not computer chips but eatable once) handed it to me and then all three of them watched me what I would do now.

I typed the userword and password which the chef of the chef of the chef had given me and was logged in ! They were startled ! I am now the Computer queen and like a bushfire the news that a woman (and not the youngest one) could handle a computer went through the whole hotel ! Ha ! I am watched now like a very special creature in a zoo !

22 Oct 2010

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE



more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.


1. This week started with a wonderful sunshine from 6 am til 4.30 pm, the night arrives very quickly here at the Red Sea in Egypt. When I wake up in the morning I can see the blue sea and blue sky from my bed. This itself already boosts my moral which had been heavily damaged lately. I had the feeling to walk on a cliff, just ready to fall into a deep hole.



The view I have from my bed

2. It's just wonderful to lay the whole day on the beach, watching people and swim in the blue warm water surrounded by little striped fishes who look like little zebras.


3.

There are lots of activities for young and old, organized by an animation team, like acqua gym, Volley ball, Petanque (the french game with metal balls) etc and kids have fun too they build pyramides and sandcastles so I have a lot of work to observe all the people and see what is going on.



This young woman tried to find new clients for her beauty salon and was doing anti stress massages on the beach. I could hear the young man purring like an old cat ! I have booked for 4 times and had already two, they really do it very well and it costs not even the half of what I pay at home.

4. We already tried 3 of the 4 restaurants which are all very good. There is one we go to for breakfast, it is directly located on the beach. Another one has "normal" food, a big choice on a buffet and there is also one which only serves oriental food, in which of course we are going every evening ! Just delicious. They have Egyptian, Morrocan, Libanese etc food. We enjoy very much the oriental atmosphere in there.



Mini Michael with the girls from the animation team



5.

Each evening there is a show, sketches or theater performed by the animation team which is very good. Yesterday evening a little 6 year old English boy danced as Michael Jackson. It was too cute ! He did the moon walk amongst other typical Michael Jackson dancing steps and danced on Billy Jean. I have filmed him because it was so special to see this little man on stage. Unfortunately it takes too long to download and show you I have to do it when I am home. He was there with his parents just as guests ! When they asked him "what is your name" he said "Jackson" !





and another show

Fortunately I have still more than a week to spend here !

21 Oct 2010

My Holidays in EGYPT

Jenny Matlock
more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

E like EGYPT

If you think you will get now a history lesson about pharaohs and pyramids I have to disappoint you, I am only in Egypt at the Red Sea to the fill myself up with Vitamin D. The Red Sea is the ideal place for a poor Europeans who are in need of Sunshine. Good weather is guaranteed always around , 30°C (86 F) the sea is very warm at least 25 °C (77) and the sea is so blue as if somebody had thrown blue color in it. It's only about 4 h flight from Belgium and the price is very reasonable. For 2 weeks full board around 1100 € in this period of the year.

You can almost walk on the water as it is already written in the bible, because the Red Sea is so salty and uneven under water so that sometimes you can see people in the middle of the sea standing up and waving !


Our work in Egypt is very hard. My friend and I are laying on nice beach beds the whole day long, and of course we observe the people and of course chat about them. There are lots of British people, some Germans too and Russians. We swim a lot in the warm sea and today suddenly a fish jumped out of the water over my nose into the water again. I almost forgot to swim I was so startled ! I had never had a fish jumping over my nose. But fortunately I found my reflexes again and you can be assured I don't return to Belgium in a coffin.


This year I had changed the hotel because the other one was infested by Russians or rather Ukrainians who stole everything from coffee spoons to toilet paper holders and this is not an exaggeration. Unfortunately Egypt had signed contracts with Ukrainian travel agencies, not knowing that they drink Wodka like we drink Water and then demolished the beautiful 4 * hotels.

In this Hotel every guest is behaving normal (so far), which in some way is almost boring. The Russians even have good table manners and don't eat with the fingers out of the plate like last year.

I hadn't forgotten that you have to haggle for everything, even in the pharmacy, this belongs to the uses and is usually handled with a lot of fun. Egyptians at least in this part of the country have a lot of humor and are always ready for a joke.


In the evenings there are nice shows, we saw already a Brazilian show with real nice dancers.







The sun is so strong that we stay in the shade otherwise we would look dry like Egyptian mummies when we return home.

you can find other posts about Egypt on my travel blog

20 Oct 2010

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

more participants here




When you have nothing to do, take pictures between your knees at the beach !




Holidays in Hurghada (Egypt)

19 Oct 2010

MY WORLD - HOLIDAYS IN HURGHADA


more participants here


For those who don't know, I am actually in Hurghada, (Egypt) at the red Sea. As I just arrived yesterday my world is rather limited because we just tried to get used to this big and beautiful Hotel, so this is my world for the moment.





Our room is on the 6th floor where the red flowers are



A part of the beach



Lots of divers





Hurghada from far



Diving boats and water ski

18 Oct 2010




Saturday I did my suitcase for my holidays in Egypt and it was such a nice feeling to take out all the sommer stuff again, suncream and sandals and bathing suits.

On Sunday morning at 3 am I jumped out of my bed, into my clothes had some coffee while Mr. G. loaded my suitcase into the car. Domi was already waiting on the street, she just lives next door. He dropped us off at the airport where hundreds of people were already there, charter flights are very early mornings.

After having checked in without any problem as we didn't have any bombs or drugs with us, and anyway looked like innocent "old" ladies, we had a coffee and a croissant and waited for the plane. Outside it was 3 °C !

After a smooth flight of 4 h we landed in Hurghada and when I got out of the plane I thought I would enter in an oven ! It was hot ! 35° C (which is above 100) I thought I would melt.
We arrived at our hotel which is really beautiful, in the next days I will post some pictures.
First thing we did after having emptied our suitcase, we went to the beach and and had our first swim in a very warm and very salty sea !

I had some difficulties to get Internet, so I will report more tomorrow for "My World" It took three men and a lot of blablabla to get a Internet access card with a code for me and as nothing is urgent in this country it took 1 h !



Here you see my poor cat Pookie, sitting on my suitcase, she knows that I am leaving ! The view from our room. I took the picture of the airplane because the Belgian Tennis player Kim Kleysters was on it.

Sorry but the linky thing was on holidays today !

17 Oct 2010

MEMELESS SUNDAY

When your are reading this, I am probably sitting squeezed like a sardine in a can in the airplane taking me to Hurghada at the Red Sea in Egypt. I don't know what happens, but each year the airplanes are getting smaller. I wander if they shrink because of the climate changes (ex Global Warming ?).

Yesterday I packed my suitcase, fortunately there is not a lot of things to take with me as I only have to dress in the evening. The whole day I will wear bathing suits and beach things.

I leave a happy Mr. G. at home, who finally can do what he wants for 2 weeks, that means watching horrible action or war movies, and dressing himself like a homeless. He also doesn't have to shave and can look dirty in his face, I know it is the new fashion that men don't shave for several days and think that they look sexy and virile ! There are certainly some women who like that, but I prefer a soft cheek to a grater.

He only will be terrorized by our 4 cats and will be their slave for 2 weeks. He probably will get up several times per night each time one of the little darlings jumps on his bed and whispers a loud meow in his ears and then he will complain bitterly about his sleepless nights when I come back.

He probably will also be invited by friends and neighbors who think a poor lonesome man can't nourish himself, curiously when he went away in the past nobody invited me.

Next time I will post from my Hotel, hopefully the internet connection will be as good as the last 3 years. I take my little notebook with me.



My hotel (another one than last year) so it will be a surprise



and old friends ... camels !