Luxor today and one year anniversary.

 Well there you go an almost perfect rose for my first blogging aniversary,,
  one year on and the flies are still here. should not be surprised really  the lord never took this curse off the land of Egypt.
The Third Plague (Exodus 8:16-19)
Vast swarms of gnats tormented people and animals.
The Fourth Plague (Exodus 8:20-32)
Vast swarms of flies through the land, spreading disease.
8.30 and this little guy has had enough as he rests his head on a parked car and gets 40 winks. as the flies clean around his tired eyes.

 The place is full of flies  one reason is all the horse , donkey  shit and piss everywhere,   they have cleaners but all they do is pick it up and put it in the nearest possible place like the open rubbish bins  that are parked everywhere, one favorite place to park a carriage for the horse to crap is outside  Mcdonalds here they wait just for the tourist who want to take a tour of Luxor with a big mac in one hand and a litre of coke in the other. otherwise park there all day, unless they get a call from one of the boats  they are needed  to fleece the tourist from the cruise,



'
Another donkey doing a hard days work the kids on this paper collection are maybe 7 years old.
'
And then we get the very angry. this nice man asked if I wanted a boat, no thank you I said,  why not?
because I only took one a few days ago  thank you.  you want a felucca sail boat.  no thank you.
 at that there were 3 school boys sitting on a bench  and asked him why was he hassling the tourist.  I understand enough of what is said here even though my Arabic is quite minimal,  and he told them to shut up.
 not as nice I  put it.  and one of the youngsters pounced on him  getting his school uniform ripped in the process,   I shouted to the guy,   smile for the camera.    the aggression on his face just made me laugh.   and the three youngsters pounced again, then a  cop came  and all went quiet again,   except for the hassle to the next poor tourist who comes along.

.
my horse look nice  with henna  tattoo,   no your horse has a problem  maybe worms certainly not getting enough food  and has to stand in this heat today its 40c 
.
This young lady was adamant she was going to get in the frame  I was trying to get a photo of the guy on the crutches  going into the mummification museum. then she came direct at me wanting money. I do not know whether it was the flies or the heat that was making the locals cross today.  
.
But this guy was sure pissed off cos I would not take a boat ride,  but why you don't take a boat ride,  this was the seventh guy in as many minutes to ask!   I am sorry,  I said,  today I will not take you up on your offer,    you know how much?    do not really care , I said,   as I do not want,  why not he again asked,
 ah well ,  I suppose hassle makes their day ,  but I am sorry to say not mine,  
.
Guarding the meat  or rather making sure the flies get their fair share.

.
Good job we have our wildlife to keep the flies in check 
.
Another way to attract the flies is to sell fish in the streets,  when there is to many flies they will put some nice polluted Nile water on  to make them look fresh,  the fish is always fresh here  and is usually sold by 10.00 in the morning.  local  Egyptians do not buy frozen food   can not trust it to be fresh???   
.
well over 2 ton   a bit hard on the poor donkey. but they say its much stronger than a horse.  maybe  . but the donkey takes longer to stop in an emergency  no shoes or brakes on this lot. 
.
Grandpa  teaching his grandson the reigns  or is he learning how to hassle the tourist first.

.
9.30 in the morning  and  plenty of rubbish from the tourists who come to visit the temple. mostly the rubbish consists of empty water bottles and cartons 
.
One would think that modern transport has not arrived in Egypt yet,   well not in the hands of local builders,
 this is not too overloaded but had one hell of a job stopping before almost  hitting the back of the minibus 
,
Flies and more flies, cooking in the horse shit is everyday life here 

Money  says the road sweeper  I just give you a carton  then another fight breaks out
,
No flies on these mannequins,  unlike any European young lady who would buy maybe the skirt and blouse
 the egyptian would buy the trousers to go with it,  not the wig though  a nice black scarf,  when I see the girls dressed up here they look as if they have bought from oxfam and wear all they have bought at one time.  
.
A farrier at work on one of the overworked horses, 

.
Not only I  get hassle,,,,    come along dear  the bus is waiting,

.
Look this papyrus cheap for you very cheap  you lucky man, (referring to the tourists partner)
Now the partner has seen something to photograph  maybe the horses  the temple is behind her? 
'
Oh look  darling  you take a photo of the nice horse and carriage.
While the tout  looks like he is in an auction minus gavel,  going once! 


.
 Yum yum ,  this is the street next to the market and the main tourist area  here the cleaners put the shit and whatever has no monetary value.  so the flies and goats can pick at it   and maybe the rats can also have a nibble,  and this is  the council that is spending $50million on the avenue of the sphinx  and received 300million sterling for Crocodile Island, from Maritem resorts.

The First Plague (Exodus 7:14-24)
All of the water in Egypt - right from water already in buckets and jars, to ponds, canals, streams, even the Nile River - turned to blood. Then all of the fish of the river died, causing a terrible stench.

 and today its made worse by the cruisers