Luxor

---

We moved to the West Bank of Luxor and have found ourselves a gem of a place called El-Fayrouz. It's a lurid apricot palace with spacious and cool tiled rooms with a fantastic rooftop area and a very pleasant garden outback with seating under the shade of creeping plants and vines. I am sorry now that we stayed on the East Bank for the first 3 nights, although it was convenient for the things we wanted to see on the east bank like the Temple of Luxor and Karnak. I think after the two and the previous ones in Aswan and Cairo, I am just about getting to the 'all templed-out' point and they are all melding into the 'yet- another-Pharaonic-temple' syndrome for me. Rob is still raring to go...

The west bank seems to be a haven of calm after the hubbub of the east bank. The waterfront on the east bank is pleasant enough but one can't walk twenty paces without someone trying to sell you something or engage you in the opening spiel to their salespitch which goes something along the lines of 'hello where are you from?'.

Surprisingly, for the hassle capital of Egypt, Luxor seems pretty sedate to some of the more agressive souvenir or tourist touts we have come across in India. Nevertheless, if one is having a bad day in Luxor, it can seem that every man, his child and his cat are trying to sell you something or ask for baksheesh.

We rented some bicycles and had a bit of a ride around the place and we like what we see! It will be exciting whatwith the Valley of the Kings and Queens and the chance to have a peek in them.

---

Photos

Great Hypostyle Hall, Karnak Temple
There are 136 humongous columns in this hall - great place for a game of hide-and-seek