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Well Neil is off to Cairo later today; to go to the Queens Birthday Ball (having been invited due to his work here in Egypt helping over 200 buyers) this is kind of a day off for me. Although much of it will be spent writing up the blogs of the week so far along with reviews of the places we have been.

Before all this though… another early morning jog. Oh the joy. Although I did actually manage to complete the run this time so it isn’t all bad  Quick tips for anybody looking to go running in Egypt. Make sure you take a bottle of water with you, and wear a cap. I know, it’s all very basic stuff, but if it’s forgotten, you will suffer.

Along the roads pavements, the lamps are posted with distance signs for running, which are really helpful as you can set yourself a target of distance and can keep getting constant reminders every 20meters that you are getting closer. Great Motivation.

After the run and breakfast we went and spent an hour or so at Dream Beach. This was fantastic, Ehab had reserved some sun beds right in front of the entrance to the sea and it was great to finally take a dip. There really were some characters at Dream Beach… from the older gentleman who took part in the Aqua Aerobics in the most enthusiastic yet out of time way… to the young man who was quite happy doing headstands on his sun lounger before running off the end of the mini pier and doing back flips. It was to say the least, a very enjoyable time.

Returning from Dream Beach and Neil on his way to the airport, I decided to spend the afternoon writing a few blogs and spending of course spending a short time by the pool. I need to catch at least a little sun. Everybody (especially Nick) seems to think I look like a ghost still… I may just develop a complex. Come on Sun, give me a tan.

Later that night I went down to Papas Bar to watch England V Algeria. I was hoping to be celebrating a great win, get a little tipsy and then go off to HedKandi for the rest of the night. But a disappointing and goalless 0-0 draw just about dampened any desire to go out until silly o clock in the morning. So at about 12:30am I was off to grab a taxi.

This is when I came about something that I did not like. Whilst going to the Taxi, I was asked by the driver if I “wanted anything… Cocaine, Hash, Women”. This is the first time I have ever been approached in Egypt and it was a little worrying that it was the taxi driver that I had trusted to get me back to the hotel in one piece. Eventually I got back to the Soly Mar Hotel and was happy to get my head down and forget about the Taxi driver and the England Game.

As it turns out, a text message from Neil at around 6am proved that not only can he outrun me in the blistering heat of Hurghada, but that he also parties harder… This needs to change. I think the plan for Sunday night is a nightclub with agents and developers, that is my time to get things back on track.

A quick tip for people relating to Taxis… once again, just my own personal opinion and I am writing this quick note just as I have got back from Papas Bar:

1. When possible, do not get in a taxi alone. I have never had any problems other then the offering of drugs tonight; however I just feel that some people could feel a little unsafe in this situation if alone. I know I was slightly concerned.
2. Be careful if you are paying for your taxi (or anything else for that matter) with a 100 note. It has been known for people to give 50 Piastres instead of 50 Pounds in your change. So always take note of what is given you. The best way to avoid this is to pay with smaller notes.
3. Always make sure you agree beforehand the fair, the currency your paying with, whether it is per person, or just for the journey etc.. the majority of taxi drivers here in Hurghada will try and get away with what they can to make a little extra money.