Date: Tuesday, 31 March 2009 12:29 AM
Hello all
Luxor, pop 150,000, is on the Nile, 25.5 degrees north of the equator, just one degree closer to the equator than Noosa is, but very different, as you'd imagine.
Egypt just gets better and better. Our guide, travelling with us, is a 43 year old professional Egyptologist (name: Magdy -- a Coptic Catholic Egyptian, and as such a second class citizen in his own nation). His takes on contemporary life in Egypt and his knowledge of the ancient Egyptian civilisations fill our days with interesting discussions. These discussions are prompted by the amazing structures and monuments that abound hereabouts and the inevitable scenes of everyday life which are inevitably encountered as we move about, usually in air conditioned buses, although horse drawn carts are on the agenda this evening, and water transport is in the offing as we have just embarked on the Tu-ya, a 140 passenger floating, and Nile-worthy hotel.
We left Cairo yesterday by air, arriving at Luxor in less than one hour on a comfortable Egypt Air flight (no hassles whatsoever). Immediately on arrival we were whisked off to the Temple of Karnak, in the centre of the city and almost on the banks of the Nile, which rushes past, brilliant blue and clear (this doesn't necessarily mean clean), at some 10kph, on its journey north to the Mediterranean. Karnak is astounding, and just nearby, linked by a 3km (I think) causeway lined with 1800 (yes, 1800, some of which are still being excavated) sphinxes to the Temple of Luxor, also astounding, and which we visited at sunset yesterday. Between the two visits we checked in to our Nile front hotel. Mary and I thought a mistake must have been made as our room was luxurious with a magnificent view of the Nile and the mountain range to the west, on the left bank of the Nile, and which contains among many other ancient wonders, the Valley of the Kings. Rarely do we stay in such luxury but we savoured it -- after all it was the hotel the tour had booked for us and for which we'd already paid.
The WOW factor continued this morning with a visit to the western bank of the Nile including, of course, a stop at the Valley of the Kings -- burial place of many of the Pharaohs from the New Kingdom, dating from (don't quote me on this) 1300BC, some 900 years after the Middle Kingdom pharaohs were entombed in their pyramids. Tutankhamun's tomb is the most well known in the Valley, but there are the tombs of at least 62 other "Kings" nearby.
Anyway, enough about the ancient Egypt tourist stuff, which I have to say, is mind boggling -- if you haven't been here and have the resources to do so, I say come.
The beer. We found some in Cairo, eventually. Of course, we could buy at super-inflated prices in the hotel but that goes against the grain. Jim and I, with the help of a sympathetic local, found, in a back street, a hole in the wall which offered access to large quantities of local (real) beer and we bought as much as we and our fellow travellers could reasonably consume in the 36 hours or so before we had to fly to Luxor. Wine continues to be unavailable or undrinkable.
Illness. Most have been briefly touched by stomach "troubles" but all seem really well today. Needless to say, those who drink beer are among the group least affected.
Weather. Fantastic. Cool clear nights (10-14°C), sunny days (up to 26°C). Light breezes.
Tomorrow our vessel sails at about noon for the south. Our cabin is sumptuous, even including a fridge and separate, personal bathroom containing a full sized bath, but alas, no bidet. Lest you think that the bath is for sleeping in, be assured that two excellent beds are also provided. All meals are provided and there's even a swimming pool (not the Nile).
Before we sail, some of us, M & I included, are booked in for a hot-air balloon ride over the western bank, at sunrise. Early this morning we counted some 24 balloons, each with its basket of tourists in suspense, rising in the dawn mist, to drift gently on the 2-3kph northerly breeze.
Anyway, some pics:
Mary on our hotel room balcony, soon after check-in yesterday (Sunday) afternoon). Yes that's the Nile. The Valley of the Kings is among those background hills, and the water treatment plant is next door.
The balloons as seen from our balcony, this morning. Tomorrow we'll be up there.
In the Valley of the Kings, there is a continuous need for workers of many kinds as excavating continues. This pic shows one of the more highly skilled workers whose duties consist largely of solving the three dimensional jigsaw puzzle presented by the need to reconstruct various shattered earthenware urns and vessels whose shards litter the excavation sites. As you can see, he's doing a pretty good job.
Painted depiction of Anubis, the agent who assists the newly dead in their transition to the after life (as I understand it). This painting is in the mummification room of the enormous and astounding funerary temple of Hatshepsut, on the western bank of the Nile and faintly visible (the temple, not the painting) from our hotel room of yesterday.
Temple of Karnak
Anyway, I must get going as the next thing on our activity list is a horse-drawn carriage ride at sunset through the beautiful, green and flowery riverside city of Luxor, due to start in about an hour.
Thanks all for your emails. Hope you enjoy this one. Those who have been here will no doubt reminisce about that visit and hopefully agree that this is a profoundly interesting place.
Regards
Kev & Mary Long
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