I find people here the salt of the earth and apart from the police oppression I love everything here.

Akshar you are very different in the sense that you are respectable , throw youself into the local culture, love the history and have integrated well into the local community. I see many foreign women that seem to have no concept of where they are living - AT ALL!!!!!

An example, one day I was enjoying a drink in Luxor and an English lady came in with a very loud voice talking about all and sundry to the waiters. She then proceeded to show them the underwear that she has just bought from the Lingerie shop at the bottom of TV street for a naughty night with her Egyptian Lover. The waiters were all Laughing but you knew that they had no respect for her and were laughing at her - not with her.
As soon as the people lose respect for you here there is no turning back. A lot of the time these women don't appear to know ANYTHING about the traditions here and probably don't care? It sometimes seems that they have moved here, love the sun and the male attention, think they are in Benidorm, have no understanding of what is acceptable here, show little respect for the locals and then wonder WHY they are being treatly poorly.

My guess is that despite their complaining they get far more attention here from the men that they would ever get at home. I think that maybe this is their reason for staying. Most women take little notice of the cat-calling in the street and the insincere flattery, treating it as a mild irritation. However, I often think that many of these women, who have perhaps not been complimented for years believe it!

I think that living in Luxor or anywhere else in Egypt, you get out of it what you put in. If you are prepared to learn about the Culture/traditions, are respectful and warm to the people, things can be fantastic.

If you come to Egypt expecting to create your own 'Mini Europe', knowing little of the culture and hence making many social faux pas,segregating yourself from the respectable community and complaining that this that and the other is not like at home then things will not be great.

Akshar - I was on the west bank a couple of weeks ago and it was great. I went over on the ferry and had a cup of tea at a local place - it was great. Everyone was nice.

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Originally posted by Kenzie:
Akshar - I was on the west bank a couple of weeks ago and it was great. I went over on the ferry and had a cup of tea at a local place - it was great. Everyone was nice.

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I am really glad you had a great experience on the West Bank. I know some people are scared of it but I think it is much much less hassle than the East and you can get to meet real people.

Claire you are the second person to call me respectable I am getting worried about my reputation. I never got called that in the UK lol

Seriously you get out what you put in and I think if you make an effort to integrate then you see a completely different place and enjoy it much more.