the birds have less to say for themselves

location: King's Island, Luxor

mood: contemplative

music: muezzin and the hoopoes calling

Ok, well, that might be exaggerating a little... I'm sat outside a bungalow in a resort on a private island in the middle of the Nile, the sun is shining and we went stargazing in the desert last night, so not that tough, I'll grant.

It will bug me a little when I'm back at work on Friday and the general assumption is that two weeks' holiday somehow equals doing sod all.  Frankly it's hard work even staying awake in 43 degree weather, let alone doing anything, and dear god, we've done a hell of a lot recently.  Sure, I guess you can probably relax a bit more if you don't mind going crispy red with third degree sunburn, going down with sunstroke and every stomach bug going and wandering around rural Egyptian towns wearing not very much... There are lots of folk we've travelled with doing exactly that. They seem to be having fun, and I keep staring in awe at quite how red someone's skin can get while they're still apparently ambulatory. 

But... It wasn't the worst thing that's ever happened here.  Eventually it shifted public opinion back against the extremists, and then 9/11 happened and the world changed again.
Heh.  It's going on for 5pm now, two tiny lizards are warring on the patio, the last of the muezzins are calling and I will absolutely miss that sound after I leave tomorrow.