April 4, 2009
Somehow I had it in my head that I was riding the sleeper train all the way down to Aswan and then coming back up. So, when we arrived at Luxor station, I was noting all the people getting off the train feeling ready to get out when there was a knock on my door. I hadn’t had breakfast yet, so figured it was the guy asking if I wanted my breakfast. Instead, I saw a man with my name on a card telling me that I was to get off there. Confusion settled in as I was certain my ticket said to Aswan, but I said OK anyway.
Ehab introduced himself as my driver for the day and the manager of the Luxor/Aswan region for Ramses Tours. We set off in his car and it was necessary to hold on for my life… Ehab drove like a madman going 120kph (75mph) without ever slowing down and using his horn if anyone was in sight who might threaten a release of the gas pedal. Due to slight fatigue, hunger and shock, I was feeling pretty car sick by the time we arrived to the boat I was to sleep on for the next three nights. Luckily, Ehab was considerate enough to give me a few hours to take a nap, settle in and recoup before setting off for sightseeing in Luxor. Before he left, Ehab also suggested that I consider adding on some extra tours since I was going to be in Luxor for two full days and I should see both banks of the Nile there. It was true that I should see the sites, but I was also wanting to conserve my money a bit, so I said I would think about it.
When Ehab returned, he had brought along a female tour guide for the day. I don’t recall her name and we didn’t really connect well as I was still tired and yes, in need of coffee!!! But, she was pleasant enough. We started with the Valley of the Kings.
I saw the inside of 3 tombs – Ramses IV, one of 60-some sons of Ramses II and Ramses IX. The paintings and carvings were amazing to look at. You wouldn’t even know that they are so old because the manner in which they were painted was unique and they have been preserved so well. There were quite a few people there, so it took a bit away from the awe-factor, but I was still a little sad I couldn’t take pictures! There were many other tombs there including that of King Tut, but my guide explained it wasn’t so interesting to see since everything was taken to the Egyptian Museum anyway. I’m not sure now if that was just an excuse to appease me for the cheaper ticket or what, but truthfully I was probably satisfied enough. π
Somewhere on the way we stopped at an Alabaster Factory aka a shop in hopes of me buying something. I wasn’t really interested….
From there we moved to the Temple of Hatshepsut (hot-chip-soup) or Deir al-Bahri.
Now this lady had a great story as far as I’m concerned. I love it when I hear in history that a woman took over power. I’m not sure why as I’m not necessarily a feminist, but I appreciate a woman with ambition. So, Queen or rather King Hatshepsut spread a story about how she was a descendant of the Sun-god as there was no proper male heir to the throne. However, she dressed and appeared like a man to the public – which is also very interesting…. Anyway, this temple was built for her and it was spectacular. Unfortunately, much of it had been destroyed or worn away, but the statues were quite impressive here.
On the way back to the boat (only a half-day itinerary), we stopped at the Colossi Memnon, which were two massive statues showing the remains of a very large temple on the West Bank. However, without maintenance of the walls it slowly dissolved from the regular flooding of the Nile.
I had decided to just spend the afternoon chilling on the boat, using the pool and relaxing as I was starting to feel overwhelmed with information and being so alone. So, Ehab offered to give me a free city tour at night so that I wasn’t too bored on the boat. I thought that was kind of him and said sure. So, he dropped me off back at the boat where I had my lunch and then relaxed. It was much warmer in Luxor than in Cairo, so I used the pool, tried to study, read my book and just chilled out. It was good. By the time the evening came around, I was refreshed and feeling much happier!
Ehab picked me up at 6pm and again recommended that perhaps I should see the Light & Sound Show at the Karnak Temple and then we’d do the city and in the morning he’d give me half price for the East Bank tour to see Luxor Temple. Since I had already been reconsidering this option, I agreed. I mean, I was there to see stuff! So, we first stopped to see what time the show started and found we had some time, so Ehab took me on the night tour first. We had a nice conversation. Ehab pointed out how many of the buildings in the city have been destroyed for excavation by the government and then rebuilt. He seemed very concerned about the loss of culture, which was a fair point. I was able to see the local market, which looks like any other market in a non-mall culture country. The only difference is the quantity of items or number of variations offered.
From there, we walked through the touristy market, which was a typical foreigners-attraction, but they venders were entertaining as usual. Ehab bought me some bread on the way out and offered to get me a taste of local Egyptian food for after the show even though I would still have dinner on the boat. π
Karnak Temple is massive. The columns reach for what seems like forever in the sky. At night, this impressive feel is amplified. The show was a nice change of medium to get some history, though I only really paid attention to half of it. You listen to the story and then walk to another part of the temple to hear more and work your way through the grounds until you get to seating over the lake and the story continues. It was pretty cool, if not a little cheesey, but hey it was something different. I liked the quote, “Remember, the huge size of this temple is not based on the size of man, but was built the size of the gods!” While it would be considered quite small from a god-like perspective (I would think), it is pretty impressive from the man-size viewpoint!
After the show, Ehab met me to take me back to the boat. As soon as I got back in, they called me to eat dinner, which I didn’t want because it was so late and Ehab had bought me my first Egyptian specialty, which I fell in love with (more on that later). So, I attempted to eat a bit and then crashed into bed for the end of Day 3.
More to come…
-T
