Too many Tuks!

I am shattered!

Today's mission was to visit the Pyramid of Tuk and a Temple in the village of Qeft.

It all started very well as a friend and I had visited before and knew roughly where to go. We arrived at the broken pyramid and were greeted by an elderly lady and her children 'Come for tea' she beckoned.
It's a tradition here to greet all guests with tea, but we declined as we were eager to have a look around and explore. I met the most wonderful children, who were very happy to just have a chat and take photo's of us with their mobile phones. I quite enjoyed being on the other side of the camera for a change!

We headed off to Qena, which is known for it's pottery and not really on the tourist map. On the outskirts of the City, we were told of a great place to stop and have shai (Tea) before the drive to Qeft.

Pyramid Patrick pulls put a sharp knife and begins to cut a slab of carrot cake up into 4 pieces! He had brought it from Luxor, purposely to have with our tea :-)

Onwards and upwards, we proceeded through Qena, albeit slowly due to Police checks on vehicles passing through.

We had a 20 minute drive or so until we arrived in Qeft, so we sat back and admired the countryside in the winter sunshine.

Qeft was hustle, bustle and noise! People beaming from ear to ear, waving and welcoming us to their village. We needed directions and found the Hyundai saloon a little difficult to maneuver, around the tight streets, that resembled a rabbit warren. 'Should have taken a Tuk Tuk ' I said!

Tuk Tuks are a small, 3 wheeled car, with a hairdryer for an engine, which sounds like a sewing machine when it runs. They are not found in Luxor, no-one really knows why, but I would love one! The young lads that own them, 'Supe' them up, with alloy wheels, long aerials with fur things hanging of off them (Like the Mods and their Lambretta's in the 60's) tassles and fringes, extra mirrors, chrome accessories and even furry dice!

We eventually battled through the streets, having to back down against the Tuk Tuks flying around, to arrive at our Temple. Surrounded by rubbish, this once grand monument, had been forgotten and stood neglected. Sadly, we needed special permission to even get near, which we did not have.

Whilst waiting for discussions to end, I noticed this boy sat watching us....the proud owner of a tuk tuk.

What with the Pyramid of Tuk as well, I felt tuk'd out when I finally got home!