Trip Advisor Listing!

I am so happy! Finally I got a listing on Trip Advisor under Things to Do, Attractions! I had help and the listing is being changed to reflect all that I now do, but its on there and available for review!

Please if anyone reading this has sailed on Spirit or taken a tour with us,  could I ask you to write a review for me?

Spirit of the Nile - Trip Advisor

Reiki and Chronic Pain

dGreat article here about the use of Reiki to treat chronic pain.  I personally confirm that using my own Reiki following abdominal hysterectomy a few years ago helped me to heal quickly, minimise pain and be able to leave the hospital sooner than normal.  Why not come to Luxor, Egypt and start on your own Reiki path. Learn how to use this amazing energy for yourself and for others.

Can Reiki help your chronic pain?

The practice of Reiki sounds almost too good to be true. By "laying on hands" on specific parts of your body or even just positioning hands slightly above your body, a qualified Reiki practitioner can help bring relief to your chronic pain and make you feel better than you have in years. It is an ancient Japanese technique and a form of alternative medicine also sometimes referred to as a "biofield" therapy.

In alternative medicine, Reiki is a treatment in which healing energy is channeled from the practitioner to the patient to enhance energy and reduce stress, pain, and fatigue. Practitioners say that it works by opening up a channel between healer and patient to transfer energy — a Reiki healer restores the body both physically and mentally.

During a Reiki session, muscles are relaxed, and energy flow is unblocked. This helps reduce physical tension and pain. Anxiety and stress also are reduced, helping to unblock and release emotional pain. Although you may not be completely pain-free, you feel relaxed, refreshed, and better able to cope with your condition.

Reiki and Chronic Pain: What the Research Shows

Though Reiki may sound very "new-agey," the effectiveness of this ancient treatment has been shown in some studies. "A [recent] issue of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine reviewed 66 clinical trials on biofield therapies," says Julie Kusiak, MA, a Reiki practitioner in the integrative medicine department at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. The authors of the review concluded that there was strong evidence that biofield therapies help reduce the intensity of pain in general and moderate evidence that these therapies help reduce the intensity of pain for people who are hospitalized or who have cancer, Kusiak says.

In addition, Kusiak says, a separate review article of 24 studies also showed that touch therapies were successful in reducing pain. This review article noted that the studies involving Reiki therapy seemed to have the most success.

When Reiki is examined for its impact on more specific types of pain, the results seem to hold up equally well. "Recent studies on Reiki therapy reflect a broad spectrum of its benefit for pain relief," says Kusiak. "During colonoscopy, Reiki treatment resulted in decreased anxiety and pain. With abdominal hysterectomies, the women who had Reiki therapy both before and after their procedures experienced lower anxiety and pain. Cancer patients being treated with Reiki reported lower fatigue, less pain, less anxiety, and better quality of life. And in a community of older adults, those who received Reiki therapy were documented to have reduced pain, anxiety, and depression."

Another plus about Reiki, adds Kusiak, is that it seems to be effective with very few side effects. "No serious side effects or risks have been identified in the medical literature on Reiki, and it is considered to be a very low-risk intervention," she says. "Since Reiki is facilitated either with a very light touch or with no touch — slightly off the body — it provides a therapeutic option for those who are in pain or unable to be touched."

Finding a Reiki Practitioner for Chronic Pain

If you're interested in finding a qualified practitioner of this alternative medicine, you can start by looking at Web sites such as The International Center for Reiki Training and Reiki Masters. However, Kusiak points out that standardization of the practice of Reiki is lacking in the United States, so your best bet might be to get a good reference and do some research on potential practitioners that you might be interested in.

"National standards are lacking for Reiki and other biofield therapies, so a key factor to consider would be the practitioner's level of experience and training," she says. "Ask them if they have an understanding of and experience treating your particular health concern. With serious medical concerns, you may need a practitioner who is affiliated with an integrative medicine program. Finally, as with any therapy, one needs to feel comfortable with the practitioner."

Photography in Luxor, Egypt

I just wanted to share the blog pages of a friend of mine who is a photographer here in Luxor, Egypt.

Her pictures are wonderful and bring to life all that Egypt has to offer.

Please take a look at her site

Egypt Unveiled

Ok, so she just told me that the blog is not complete, but please keep checking on it and in the meantime, check her Egypt Unveiled Facebook page. Please like it!!

Egypt Unveiled Photography - Facebook page

And a sneak preview of yesterday's Gurna fun fair, stick fighting and dancing horses

Gurna fair

Tomorrow should be the Dancing Horses display in Gurna, I am hoping to be there, but I know Helen will be and will be taking more photographs

Enjoy!!

More Abu Haggag Moulid 2011

Just another short video to show the participants of the procession who were running on Egyptian time! Late!

Abu Haggag Moulid....... running late!

Sheikh Abu Haggag Moulid 2011

Yesterday was the final day of the Moulid of Sheikh Abu Haggag, here in Luxor.
This is a 3 day celebration which culminates in a parade through the town.
I was lucky to spend time sitting happily on the balcony of Snacktime, overlooking the Abu Haggag Square, with Luxor Temple in the background.

A friend and I arrived around 11.30am, to watch the build up to the parade, which was scheduled to leave the Abu Haggag Mosque after the Friday Prayers                              


The atmosphere was building by the time we got there, with lots of stalls selling toys, sweets and shiny hats all around the square. Families were out in their best clothes and seemed determined to have a good time!

The floats taking part in the parade were still arriving when the call to prayer  was heard, camels and horses were gathering, getting ready to play their part.

We happily watched the build up and waited until the end of Friday prayers. The descendants of Sheikh Abu Haggag left the mosque and the  parade itself had formed a straggly melee of people, horses, camels, floats, trucks, donkeys and anything else that moved. It left in the direction of Youseff Hassan Street, where the Emilio Hotel is, to make its way around the town. 

All we needed to do now was to wait for its return, knowing that they would pass directly in front of us.

Roughly an hour and a half later, and a few bottles of water, we heard its arrival before we saw anything. The parade is led by the horses and camels, and the Descendants walk and chant at the head of the parade. They are followed by the camels carrying their loads.

Then the rest of the parade chaotically made its way past! Stick fighters, dancing, music (extremely loud) horses, more camels, donkey and carts, caleches carrying egyptian families.  My own felucca men were represented with a colourful display of 2 feluccas and a towboat!

All in all, we had a great day out!!

Next year I hope you can join us here in sunny Luxor, Egypt!

And finally, here is a small video of the arrival of the procession as viewed from the First floor balcony of Snacktime Restaurant.

Sheikh Abu Haggag Moulid, the arrival of the procession

Abu Haggag Moulid

Tonight I was out and about in Luxor. I met a friend who arrived in Luxor yesterday at the Nile Palace and we were joined by a couple more friends.
After a coffee and a natter, we headed out to watch the stickfighting taking place not far from the Emilio Hotel, heading towards the back of town.
The streets were manic, with cars, buses, motorbikes and people dressed up in their best clothes milling around everywhere. The streets were lined with stalls selling all the lovely sweet goodies available at festival times, music and fairy lights everywhere!
We didn't actually go anywhere near the main Abu Haggag square, but the friends who joined us had passed there on the way to the Nile Palace and said it was heaving with families enjoying the feast night!
Eventually we arrived at our destination and headed off to watch the stickfighting, pushing our way to the front of the crowd so that we had a good view! Amazing stuff! The stick fighters come from all over the Luxor Governorate for this event!
Once we had enough of the crowds, we headed to a nearby coffee shop for a cuppa, and then went back to our friends apartment where we enjoyed the rest of the evening chatting on the roof terrace.
Finally we walked back down towards the Emilio Hotel to find a taxi to take us back home. I was dropped off on the Corniche to take a motor boat back to my side of the river and my friend was taken back to the Nile Palace.
Tomorrow is the Feast Day of Abu Haggag and hopefully my friend will get to see the parade! Arrangements have been made........ very flexible ones as we never know exactly what time the parade will start. But we will be there!!

In the meantime, another friend of mine has blogged about the Feast, its origins and what happens. So I will not repeat what she says, I will just link you to her blog

Abu Haggag Moulid

Hopefully tomorrow I will get photos of the parade!

And yet another Museum blog from Paul Barford, courtesy of Nicole Hansen questioning the actual events of the January 28th 2011 looting incident.

January 28th looting in Egyptian museum

Sharing blogs

I love sharing other peoples blogs.... and today it seems the conspiracy theories that abound here in Egypt, are finally becoming clear.

This is one of Paul Barfords blog posts about the "new" inventory being planned for the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Enjoy

Egyptian museum inventory to begin

Zahi Hawass temporarily resigns from National Geographic

The Society News has commented on a New York Times story about the temporary resignation of Zahi Hawass from his position as "explorer-in-residence" for National Geographic at an annual salary of up to $200,000! How much? For what?
This is the link to the Society News webpage

http://societymatters.org/  If the link does not work, click on the homepage buttone

And the link to the New York Times story is

New York Times - Zahi Hawass

And there is more! Tourism Festival in Luxor! Apparently!

Apparently there is a Tourism Festival in Luxor. It  started yesterday and will last for 4 days. Hmmmm did notice a couple of those little hot air balloons at the Mummification Museum last night, and heard the strains of Aida, followed by Amr Diab and then the Balady, Balady, Balady song..... Wondered what it was all about.

Now I am curious as to how you would stage a Tourism Festival, with empty hotels, hardly any tourists, no promotion, not even a sign on a road. Who will see it? Well apart from the "dignitaries" that is......

http://english.youm7.com/News.asp?NewsID=341693

Don't ya just lurve this country!!

Luxor News - Jane Akshar: Two new monuments uncovered at Karnak Temple - Anc...

Interesting stuff as I love the area around the Temple of Ptah. Anyone with a bit of interest in spirituality will have been there already to have a word or two with Sekhmet!

Luxor News - Jane Akshar: Two new monuments uncovered at Karnak Temple - Anc...: "Two new monuments uncovered at Karnak Temple - Ancient Egypt - Heritage - Ahram Online : '2 / 2 Gallery This week, during their routine ex..."

More laughs with the Avenue of Sphinxes "open for tourists"

Luxor Times confirms the state of the Avenue of Sphinxes

Well done Luxor Times. I have been laughing about the latest news that the Avenue of Sphinxes here in Luxor, Egypt will officially open to tourists in October.
Please take a few minutes to read this blog and check out the photographs for yourself. Do YOU think this is a project only 3 months away from an official opening??

Avenue of Sphinxes to open in October 2011

The Avenue of Sphinxes is to open to the public in October 2011 and visitors will be able to walk the 2700 metre length of it.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/9/40/15168/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Avenue-of-Sphinxes-back-to-its-ancient-appearance.aspx

Actually, having seen it in the last few days, I have no idea where they think it is anything like its ancient appearance. Certainly the area close to the Luxor Temple end is nothing more than a huge hole in the ground. Its going to take a lot of work for it to come even close to its "ancient appearance". Maybe a few more bulldozers and some concrete slabs?  Or maybe I should head over there and give it a bit of Reiki to help it on its way!

Watch this space.