Catching up again

Well I have been neglecting this haven’t I!

I’ve been riding around Hurghada picking up bits and pieces for the apartment and generally chilling.

Spent a couple of days doing some web work for a client and put together a design for http://www.abouthurghada.com, a new web portal that I’ve started up for everything to do with Hurghada.

Went over to Mel’s on Wednesday night to play Buzz, Mary cooked a chicken roast and I had my first wine of the trip, quite a bit of it :D

Up at 1:30pm the next day and a leisurely drive back to Hurghada, got my bike chain tightened up, then met Nasiya in Papas for a mango juice or three.

Went to a coffee shop last night to watch the Egypt vs. Algeria match.  Semi finals of the Africas Cup and there’s always bad blood between the Egyptians and Algerians as the Algerians stabbed a few Egyptians during their last encounter.

Egypt thrashed them 4-0, Algeria had 3 men sent off including the keeper and the bar was in uproar – I managed to get clouted in the head by the leg of a table that an enthusiastic fan was swinging around.

The celebrations were crazy, the whole town was driving around beeping their horns and partying until about 2:30am, so sleep was difficult ;)

Getting ready for my trip back to the UK now, my bike’s stored in the basement of the apartment and I’m tying up a few loose ends.

Zoom Zoom.

Well that was interesting.

Took a cab to Sakalla, I think the driver’s name was Yensen Booton, he got me there in 10 minutes!

Had a look around the bike shop, walked out, walked back in and bought one!  A 150cc Nitro (Malaysian) cruiser.

Back to the apartment and finally managed to get my satellite working with the help of Ashraf. Tried to get an early night but didn’t sleep well until 6am then slept through my alarm as the battery went on my mobile.

Up at 11am and called the bike shop.  Picked my bike up at 12:15 and headed back to the apartment.  Saw Ashraf in Shahazara so stopped off and had a mango juice.  Drove the wrong way up the street to Cacao bar and had another mango juice in there. Went for a cruise around Dahar, got a rucksack and filled it with pots, pans, hammers and stuff then actually did go back to the apartment.

Had a bath, packed the rucksack and went to El Gouna for the evening.  El Gouna is a gated secure community, absolutely massive but only 2 ways in or out with security at both ends.  They refused to let me take my bike in as I don’t have a license plate yet so I had to leave it at the gatehouse and get a taxi to the marina.

Waited nearly an hour for Mel to turn up with Mary, Marie, Steve, Steve and Steve.  Had a good Vietnamese meal then headed to Papas Island for drinks.  Had a chat to Danny about the marketing job that had been advertised with Ministry of Sound/Hedkandi/Papas and Mel called Marcus and told him about me.

Marcus requested a cv so I have to get that sent off tomorrow.

Nice quiet drive back from El Gouna, the locals think I’m mad driving a bike in this cold, but to me it was a lovely balmy evening and I’m not the slightest bit chilly.

2:30 am so I’m off to bed with a vodka and fizzy blackcurrant. I’ve not had a drink al;l day so I deserve it.

Time Warp

Wow was it really only yesterday I posted my last entry.

I seem to fit so much into a day here.

Wasted half the afternoon waiting for the satellite guy to turn up so mopped the floors in the apartment and tidied up a bit.

Finally gave up and went shopping around 8pm.  Filled a trolley for less than £40 and had it delivered for 33p.

1kg fresh strawberries for 38p! 1/2kg king prawns for £1.75. 2 fish (unknown) for 13p!  Much goodness.

Found a great kitchen shop – I could spend all my money in there.

Crawled into bed around 00:30 and woke up at 13:15 after some bizarre dreams.  Managed to dress myself and have just finished my first coffee of the day.

I’m going to try and take a bus (not a cab) to Sakalla to look at some motorbikes.

Bloody Toe

Cooker’s now installed, went out today and got a fridge and all the bits to sort out the cooker.  I’m cooking with gas now!

Dresser top is now ensconced on the wall, that was a bitch to get up!

All I need to do now is sort myself out with a bike, seen a few but not sure whether to spend “that bit extra” for one I really want.

Was supposed to go to the quiz night in El Gouna tonight but it’s been cancelled.

Oh, the bloody toe?  Khalif dropped the cooker on my foot as he was carrying it into the apartment.

Back Home

Hmm, I’m getting lax with my postings.

After days of visiting people and getting myself down to Gatwick I finally arrived in Egypt after long delays.

In the airport I was waiting in the queue next to a lady who I got chatting to.  Turns out she was the nutter.  Turns out she sat next to me on the plane for 5 hours.  Oh well, made the flight interesting.

Arrived at the airport and cabbed myself back to the apartment.  There was water all over the streets and the cabbie explained that they’d had the worst thunderstorm for 14 years the previous day.  Picked up a bottle of vodka for Khalif on the way. Let myself into my apartment and total darkness, but after 2 minutes of panic I flicked the fuse box switch and power was restored.  Down to the El Hambra, a couple of beers and a curried prawn and I was ready for bed.

I’d just had a bath and readied myself for a good nap when Ashraf called me and invited me down to the Hard Rock Cafe, so I redressed and taxied it up to him where I had a couple of beers with him, tried to talk business over the loud rock music and gave up when I realised that it wasn’t the music stopping me from understanding him, he was too pissed to talk.  He’d drank himself through a hangover from the night before.  Lift home from a couple of Hard Rock staff and bed.

Up at midday after a good sleep, bath, coffee and then round to Amgad’s to catch up.  He was just up and looked really tired.  Coffee and arranged to go with Ashraf and his friend/customer Rami over in Sekalla at Joli Pub.

Went to change some money and get phone credit, met up with Nessim and dropped into the Caco Bar to catch up with the guys there. Ashraf called and met me in Shahrazara where he proceeded to down a couple of beers before we got a taxi to Sekalla.

Met Rami, lovely bloke, in his bar Joli.  His friends Abu Ashara (owns some rather large supermarkets here) and the director of tourism for Hurghada were there as well.  No business was discussed but Ashraf promptly got to work on a few beers.

I jumped a cab back to the apartment as Amgad had arranged for the local internet cafe to run a CAT5 cable across three streets to my apartment for me, so I met the guy there and bingo! I’m back on the internet.

Amgad called and arranged to pick me up about 10:30pm to go to Senzo Mall to buy some bits that I needed.  He arrived in a minibus with Hani driving and said we were picking up Nasiya along the way.

At Senzo bought a 5 hob cooker, 1400W microwave, satellite receiver, 32” LCD TV (more than I intended), plates, crockery, mop bucket, you know the kind of stuff.  Back at 2am.  Khalif couldn’t manage the cooker up the stairs so he’s going to grab another Bawab tomorrow and get it in for me.

Crawled into bed with my book and fell into a restless sleep, up at 6am now so I’ve got some laundry ready to go and decided to update this little bloglet.

Limbo

Not been up to much, recovering from the ‘flu.

Went into Alderhey to visit Clare’s daughter Meg who was having a brain op.  Op went well but she developed a bleed on the brain and was really bad yesterday, but seems to be recovering well today and has just gone down for another MRI scan.

Brake lights have packed in on the car so I have to take it to the auto-electrics shop tomorrow to get it checked out.

Still snow and ice everywhere although it seems to have started thawing at last, bloody cold though.

Woke up this morning, looked out of the window at the white mess and booked myself a flight back to Egypt.  I’ll be back in the UK at the start of Feb until about the 20th.

Dentists, Doctors and Sickness

Up early to get to the Dentists, shower and into town.  Booked in next week to get my two front teeth fixed.  But they were all I wanted for Christmas!

Doctors at 2:40 followed by Nurse at 3:00 for jabs.  Hep B 2nd jab and Flu jab,   Doc signed me off for another 3 months and put me on a reduction plan for my antidepressants.  Have to go back and see him in 2 weeks to get a prescription plan for Egypt.

Decided to pop into PC World and ended up getting a free (well, £40) lappy with a mobile broadband contract.  Nice.

Feeling fluish again so not long for wakefulness.

Mazzy New Year

Yep, ended up in the Mazzy after wandering around town and finding out that Liverpool had basically shut down for New Year’s day, but the good old Mazzy soldiered on.  Met a lovely bloke in there, Elliot, who’s just bought an apartment in Sharm el Sheik.  He reckons Corinne did a good job of making me look almost straight ;)

Big lie in on the 2nd followed by lunch at Estebans on Lark Lane, nice relaxed Tapas.  A quick pint in the Fulwood Arms to wish Paddy all the best then back into town where we watched a band at The Cavern, then another one at Flanagan’s, then off to the Mazzy again before heading to Puzzle to finish the night off.

Woke up with a chest infection and aches all over, I’ve decided it’s probably my poor kidneys screaming for help, so I downed a couple of glasses of soda water.

Saw Corinne off and headed back to Dad’s where a nice hot bath was in order.

Just watching MNU 0-1 LEEDS and catching up on here.

The Eve of New Year

Met up with Corinne for a Chinese buffet lunch then popped into the Britannia for a couple before heading back to Dad’s.  Taxi to Allerton Road to meet Paul, Tracy, Ritchie, Tony and Max in the New York Bar, then back to Tracy and Paul’s to see in the New Year.  Jolly good night :D

Took Corinne up to Goodison to see the ground but it was closed.  Had lunch at Red Hot World Buffet in Liverpool One – very nice indeed!  All you can eat Thai, Chinese, Tex Mex, Indian and stuff and top nosh besides!

Watched 1408, strange film, now back at Dad’s after bathing and getting ready to go out on the town with Corinne.  Off to the Mazzy tonight I think.