My life in Luxor, Egypt: how I stayed sane during COVID in the dangerous months before my escape.

What you will see in the videos below are from the last months that I spent in Luxor—which happened to also be the first months of Covid—checking flights constantly to see if there was any way to get out, as life became increasingly dangerous. You’ll notice in the main video above, I mention that there are challenges I can’t talk about. I had to wait until I was safely out of the country before I could reveal those challenges. It’s all in my upcoming book, The Seduction of Islam. Despite the dangers I faced, I am forever thankful I lived in Luxor. If I hadn’t, I would never have been able to write all these essays and my upcoming book, which I hope and pray will open the eyes of many. If you value my essays and believe my book is important, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. It is because of your support that I am able to spend the long hours needed to research, write and record my essays and write this book. Thank you with all my heart!Below are some videos that show what life was like in Luxor during Covid, and my workouts, which was how I stayed sane. I rode my bike almost daily. I took the video below one morning, at the end of my bike ride. There’s always some drama going on in Luxor. A couple of men were having an argument and of course, everyone had to get involved. As the fight broke out, I was about to go into the little shop on my right and buy some yogurt and eggs and other simple foods. Of course, there was no ordering anything online as people did in the US. I bought fresh produce from the fruit and vegetable stalls, straight from the farmers, no different than I always did. There was no social distancing and masks were unheard of. After all, what man was going to cover his face with a mask the way women did? Below are some of my workouts that I did to stay sane as I waited to get out of Luxor. Those of you who have read my writing know this is a life-long discipline. I’m a second-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, first degree brown belt in Eskrima (Filipino stick and knife fighting) and a full contact boxer and kickboxer. My training sustained me during those last challenging months in Luxor. In this video, I’m using resistance bands. They’re easy to pack in a suitcase and I’d brought them from the US. These bands are pretty tight so it’s a really good workout for the arms. Notice how I use my entire body, twisting with the punches, this strengthens the core. And it’s what you’re supposed to do when you punch. You don’t have to have big muscles to pack a powerful punch. You just have to know how to use your body, it all starts with your core. Before I moved into Gitte’s villa, I was staying in an apartment building. You can see its rooftop terrace below. I love this Middle Eastern house design. Everyone has a rooftop terrace where you can sit in the cool of the evening and watch the sunset. The second view is from the rooftop towards Mount El Qurn and the Valley of the King. In the mornings I often went up here to work out. Because of Covid, I was the only person staying in this building, except for the Dutch wife of the manager of the building. That’s another story…No weights? No problem! Below, I’m using a heavy water bottle instead. There’s never an excuse not to train! Fantastic workout for the core! You can do this anywhere. In the boxing ring back home, we’d tie a rope from one corner to another, to practice bobbing and weaving and punching. So, I improvised and used the clothesline on the roof! I usually did one thousand to two thousand jumps with the rope. Nothing fancy, just consistent jumping. I’m not a fan of jumping rope, but I do it anyway! There was a low wall on one side where I could do steps up and down. Mountain climbers, burpees, push-ups and sit-ups were all part of my workout. And now for another look at life in Luxor. Below is the main road from Ramla leading to the Valley of the Kings. I’m riding on the back of this young man’s half-motorcycle with a cart stuck on behind it, going to meet the woman who was supposed to help me organize My World Project for youth in Luxor, connecting them with youth in Los Angeles. It never happened—the reasons why are in my book. In this video, you get a glimpse of the busy streets. You can see the cafes are packed with men, as always, except now out of boredom because there were no tourists, no foreign women to seduce, and no money to be earned. Below you can see what wasn’t normal about life in Luxor during Covid. No tourists at the tourist sites!This is the Colossus of Memnon, the two great statues guarding the way to the Valley of Kings. The little shops should have been open and filled with tourist. But it’s like a ghost town, except for one shop. Despite the dangers we faced, in other ways, this was a magical time. That’s Gitte in the video. Gitte and I had all the temples and the tombs to ourselves, as if we had stepped back to the days of the pharaohs. The video below is from one of my last nights in Luxor before Gitte and I managed to get a plane out of Luxor for Cairo. About a week before, we’d left Gitte’s villa since we no longer felt safe there. She was staying in a hotel, and I was staying in this apartment with this wonderful view. When I write about watching the moon rise above Luxor Temple, this is what I’m talking about. I never tired of this view and I still miss it. Below me is the main road that goes along the Nile but look how it’s made of dirt. They’ve now built a beautiful corniche, similar to the one on the east bank. As you can see, it’s amazing how many people they can fit on a motorbike. I’ve seen entire families, father, mother, a couple of kids, and a baby, plus packages. I hope you enjoyed that little window into my life in Luxor. I cannot tell you how happy, excited, and, yes, nervous, I will be when The Seduction of Islam is finally published. I expect it to be published sometime in January/February of 2027. I pray it will open many eyes to the truth of Islam and the dangers it holds for the West, while at the same time immersing readers in a magical world they would otherwise never understand or appreciate. Life is complicated. I still love Luxor. I still miss it. On the other hand, I know I can never return. All because I stood against what I knew was wrong and refused to remain silent about it. Islam does not allow a single word of criticism, nor do the men who follow Mohammed’s teachings. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit khmezek.substack.com/subscribe