Egypt4u

But staying in a top hotel is hardly mixing with the locals IMO and that is what you were all going on about, that programme is about people actually living in a house surrounded by the locals and having to eat, drink, shop and s**t where the locals do and not inside an hotel. Staying in a decent hotel and travelling about to visit the sites is hardly living with the locals, most of us do that sort of thing regardless of where we holiday and mix with locals, so I see nothing special about India from that point of view. I bet there are not many on the hotel and tourist route that would be travelling on those trains and using those street and train toilets unless they were desperate and as for you not getting the trotts well consider yourself very lucky indeed. I have a cast iron stomach and Mrs H being in the cheffing buisiness knew all about food hygiene, but we have both been victims in third world countries from bad hygiene with me once over having to have a doctor in Egypt as I was so ill and having travelled widely I can assure you it rarely if ever happens anywhere else. So you swig your Lassie down and I will stick with bottled (branded) water, food so hot it would melt lead and plenty of handgel.

I have never said LIVING with the locals, just MIXING to get a feel of what their lives are like.

But that was my point, we all usually mix with the locals to a greater or lesser extent, so the reallity is that no tourist has a monopoly on mixing with them as almost everyone will do so when they visit the attractions, markets and shops. The people in the programme are supposed to be experiencing living amongst the locals, shopping in their shops, using their doctors and having all their daily interactions with their chosen community and that is a lot different to someone being on a holiday, very much like all those people who actually think they are the only ones being invited to have dinner with their hotel waiter and his family when holidaying in Egypt, but they still come back thinking they have mixed with the real people when in fact they have interacted with commerce in some way or another.

I only ever got one really bad dose of the wildies in egypt... whilst staying at the winter palace and eating a chicken shwerma for dinner. Hell i was sick, and on the loo for hours and then sick again, then dehydrated. I ended up getting a jab in my arse and taking rehydration salts to get back on my feet. Now i have eaten in some places that honestly looked a bit dodgy, and been invited for dinner in god knows how many egyptian homes where they havnt got a pot to pi$$ in, and never had a problem afterwards.

So have I Robbo and never been ill, but then again I have on one occasion thought I was dieing but is anyone really trying to say that the chances of getting the trotts are greater when eating in the UK, USA or the rest of Europe as against the likes of India? Every programme I have seen on the TV about India has people cramped up on the bog

Horus, we in this country have had wedding guests die after a reception, from eating contaminated food! The food specialists say that a high percentage of the chickens we buy from a supermarket etc. are contaminated, and looking at the colour of the supposedly 'cooked' meat on programmes like Masterchef, I'm not surprised! I have eaten in many private homes in Egypt and never once have myself or my husband suffered any ill effects. And no - it wasn't the waiter's, nor was there any finance involved!

Good grief Ruby, you are beginning to sound like Stan, mention something about cruelty to children in Egypt and he would bring up about children sweeping chimneys in Dickensian times. All chicken is contaminated, not just in the UK, but at least we have laws that are usually enforced to avoid food poisoning and most of that is because of bacteria (salmonella) being spread when handling it in the raw state and proper cooking will always kill it off. If you have properly sterilised surfaces and cook it properly, chill it correctly and do not reheat it again unless it is taken once more to a high cooking temperature then you will have no problems. If on the other hand you are comparing the programme on India where they were slitting the chickens throat, stuffing it in a filthy bucket to die, then gutting and cleaning them in a big pile on a surface running with slime and god knows what else and thinking that those conditions for preparing food are sanitary, then I will never convince any of you differently. So all I can say is feel free to eat what and where you please it will never change my mind, one near death experience was enough thanks very much, something I have never had concern about anywhere else I have travelled and I have actually been around quite a bit and crapping through the eye of a needle is not on my current wish list.

Food poisoning is not fun at all. I've sadly had it a couple of times through my life. One from eating at a pretty good restaurant here and one other time in Mexico. Thought I'd die but was up and about in 2 or 3 days during the Mexican "experience."

I have a bottle where I can pour water and then have a battery operated infrared deal that kills off bacteria and germs. I use it when travelling and credit it with keeping parasites out of and off me. Handy little thing.

I ate everything in Egypt, often ate from the street vendors at night in Maadi & Helwan, loved the kebabs. In Trinidad my friends have a block of wood they cut the heads off of everything on and cook in huge outdoor pots but I've never had a case of food poisoning there. (touch wood and/or anything else that will prevent me from ever getting it again). Course I think the bugs and germs in Trinidad don't like the highly peppered and spiced Indian food so they don't hang about long

I like hanging with locals and I like staying in large hotels. I'm finding the older I get though the more I want comfort than I want to mix.

How's about I'll join H and WE will hang about in the 4 to 5 STARS while you guys can tell us about how it felt to hang with locals!

I apparently picked up Typhoid from a 5* hotel in Cairo - but had no digestive problems as symptoms. I had a very busy day, then in the evening went to a wedding and the next morning when I went to get up I fell on the floor, semiconscious.

Luckily I fell ill at home, the excellent doctor confided to my family to barrier nurse me and try to keep me away from the hospital, where I would likely die. I had high antibodies for a month which was longer than expected, but at least I lost 21lbs in weight.

It said it all to me when they both reached into their bags and pulled out half a toilet roll, it reminded me of my first visit when most of our group including ourselves had to do the same thing out of dire necessity.

In fairness, I have never been to India, and as beautiful as it looks on many programs, I just dont fancy it. It looks too dirty and grubby and I have yet to meet anyone who has been who didnt end up with a case of the wildies, so I shall pass. I know many parts of Luxor look dirty and grubby too, but inside the houses always seem very clean. For all i know, it could be the same in India but it just doesnt appeal to me. When I went to Sri Lanka, it appeared that a lot of people were very poor and had very little, but I thought in general the place was very clean. Its probably just down to individual perception of a place. We all fancy different places for different reasons

Two years ago my gf took a one month tour of India. Organized tour with a group. After about 2 weeks she became really ill but it was because of the extremely high levels of air pollution in the cities. Ended up in hospital on oxygen. I don't know exactly which city this happened in but it was one of the big ones.

Something akin to when I'd gaze out upon the pyramids IF I could see them through the smog of Cairo (hack hack cough cough)

Watched the last of the three programs in this series this evening and would have liked there to be more.
Whatever the pros and cons and differing opinions, this was undoubtedly an enjoyable and entertaining series. And in the end all eight personalities gained affection for the country and would return.
Jan Leeming and Wayne Sleep have definite plans to return for a few months each year and Bobby George extended his stay by 10 days so his wife could join him to look for accommodation for a long stay.
OK, they were shepherded around to join things like yoga and meditation groups but they did nothing that anyone else couldn't do.

I watched the programme myself and really enjoyed it. Surprising how the different personalities came through. Jan Leeming for example strikes me as being very insecure and craving someone to love her. I can well imagine that her personality would make her difficult to live with and she is seeking something elusive in her life, I imagine that she will make more of a relationship with the lady she met there of a similar personality to herself and can see her spending some time each year there, although I doubt that the newness will wear off. Roy Walker struck me as being very lonely and not really enjoying it as much as he could have, it was obvious that he still missed his wife terribly after all these years and that put a downer on his enjoyment, I felt myself sympathising with him as he pushed the lighted candle out into the Ganges in her memory. Pattie Boulaye was only along for the ride and no doubt the money and to me had little real input or interest.

Miriam Margolyes was a bit too old to cope with the change and although I think she enjoyed it I could not see her living there. Similar with Sylvester McCoy, I think he found it fascinating but only for a holiday. Rosemary Shrager still had other axes to grind and I doubt if she would seriously consider moving out there. Wayne Sleep on the other hand seemed quite keen and I have to admit that I found it strange that someone like him would say things like “Oh I think I could afford that” when rents of about £150 P/M were being discussed and he meant it, it was not said tongue in cheek, one always imagines that these celebrities are quite well off.

The only one who I thought was probably considering a retirement there was Bobby George, but I doubt he is looking at everything with the same eyes typical of a Luxor expat after a few short holidays in Egypt. It all seems like an ideal from the standpoint of a short stay, but the reality will be something different. Fortunately he brought out his (much younger) wife to have a look and I have no doubt that once she sees everything for herself that common sense will prevail and he will soon be back in his home in the UK on a permanent basis. Having said all that I did enjoy it, but maybe more for the general information rather than thinking that anyone would actually move out there on a permanent basis.

Good summary H and glad you found the program enjoyable to watch. I don't think any of them would seriously consider moving there but I think there was some genuine consideration for a longer stay more frequently.
You summed up Jan Leeming very well. She has been married 5 times, I think, and as she told us repeatedly, has been on her own for the last 12 years. Fragile and insecure.

Bobby George was his usual self but obviously suffering with arthritis. He is 72 and Marie his wife is only 60 so, as you say, it is doubtful that she is ready to upsticks.

I really enjoyed the program, totally different to watch them experience the holiday/stay rather than any shop, magazine etc etc to sell only showing all the good side.

Married 5 times.........Wow! didn't know that.............what did she do to them all

Wish I could get it

After her first trip to Egypt, I asked my well travelled friend what she thought of it.

"It's rather like India, but more 'in your face' " she said.

MD, 'in your face' would be the operative word