Egypt: Karnak & Luxor Temples

We visited 2 temples close to our hotel in Luxor. Karnak temple was dedicated to the worship of Amon and it's the largest temple in the world. It's area could encompass at least 4 Notre Dames. It had 134 22m columns and no roof but still had skylights.

Luxor Temple was a 10 min walk from the hotel and the last one we would see on this tour. It was built by Amon Hotemp and had an example of Egyptian porn, with the portrayal of a sperm, even though at the time, the Egyptians had no way of seeing them. This is a mystery alongside their ability to build the pyramids and cut certain stones without diamond.

In the evening, we had a 4hr bus journey from Luxor to Hurghada. There, instead of the crumbling and half-built buildings of Luxor & Aswan, was a modern American-style mall. We picked up food for our dinner and the following day's breakfast. Some went to the Golden Arches.

One group opted to upgrade to a hotel stay in Hurghada followed by a 3hr ferry trip to Sharm-El-Sheik and then a short bus ride to Dahab, our eventual destination. I didn't one to pay another EGP400 so I resigned myself to a 13hr bus journey the long way round, NE and then Se to Dahab.

Overheard on a Bus: Homophobia not Racism

"Be a bitch to your gay friends but don't be a bitch to a black woman in London"

Heard on a Bus: Taxing Thought

"You pay too many taxes to be unhappy"

Wrist Pain: Biopsy Diary

0700: I woke up and broke my fast with a glass of water. Muslim practice had been forced on me during this time of Ramadan. I rushed to the hospital for my biopsy. I was running late so took the Tube rather than the bus as I'm appalled that the metro costs 73% more than the bus. My biopsy is considered to be a minor operation which should only take 1/2 hr, so I was to be operated in the Day Surgery Unit. I'd be kicked out before bedtime.

0805: I had managed to negotiate a delay in my arrival time from 0730 to 0800 - so I arrived 5 min late. As I checked in at reception, I got a phone call telling me that my operation was to be in the afternoon and I wouldn't need to arrive till 11am. Doh!! Apparently they tell everyone to turn up early in the morning and don't sort out the order of operations till the day itself. (I reckon they expect no-shows and don't want to plan anything till they know who bothers to turn up.) So, I had a long wait. I was told I could go home and come back later. I thought this was a bad idea as I would be tempted to succumb to the growls of my empty stomach. Instead, I waited in the waiting room with the other patients - non-patients are banned from occupying space there. I noticed a woman wearing a pink dress with a low-cut top. She looked dressed for a tea-party. I listened to The Corrs & Avril Lavigne on my MP3 player.

0900: I was upgraded into the First Class waiting room. It had a portable TV with a loop aerial. I dozed there for a few hours.

1130: the hand surgeon spoke to me. To ensure he attacked the right target, he drew an arrow on my right forearm, pointing to my right wrist. Soon afterwards, the anesthetist spoke to me.

1230: Working Lunch (the best daily business and financial programme) was about to start on BBC2, I was asked to get change into my operation outfit. It has an unflattering gap at the back and have cords to be tied together. After getting changed, I was ushered into the pre-operation waiting room.

1300: I was asked to lie on a trolley and wheeled into the operating room. The general anesthetic was injected into my left arm and it felt cold. That's all I remember.

1430: I woke up on the same trolley at in the recovery room amongst half-a-dozen other cut up people. The local anesthetic was wearing off and I asked for painkillers. The stabbed wrist was hurting more than it was before the operation.

1530: I was wheeled back to a semi-private room - I was to share it with an old man who had a hernia repaired. I was offered a sandwich - my first meal for 16 hours - and got a turkey one, with a cup of tea.

1545: My parents arrived.

1730: I was allowed to leave the hospital.