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Published: October 24th 2009
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We had a smooth crossing between Sharm El Sheikh and Safaga. Not that it mattered: we were both weary from the day's activities and the next day's excursion was to start around 6. At about 4 we took on a pilot and started maneuvering into the docks at Safaga. This is a major port for Australian wheat and alumina so you can imagine how romantic the surroundings are. Still it was a lovely sunrise and the seas were calm. Quickly to the buses and through the deserted streets. Again the coastal mountains were completely without vegetation and mostly jagged granite. The road to Luxor ran through the narrow valleys which were lush by comparison: one to two sage bushes per 50km. This changed completely as we got to the canals of the Nile and then the landscape became rich farmland. The population density seemed a lot lower than say the outskirts of Alexandria but still these are poor people.
The trip was punctuated by armed checkpoints which slowed us considerably but the guide assured us that they only shoot with a clear reason. We drove straight to the Valley of the Kings: a very famous and popular place where at
least 20 of the rulers of southern Egypt were buried, and the graveyard of ancient Thebes. Before going any further we have to declare that is nearly impossible in the Blog format to do justice to these wonders of human heritage. Our descriptions are merely a taste...
We visited three burial chambers (three Pharaohs and one Queen who decided she was a Pharaoh)which were dug as much as 200 m into the granite of a closed canyon outside Luxor. Each had a different structure but they shared images of the dead Pharaohs, the sun god (Ra), the gods associated with death and the journey of the person to the after-life. It was stunning to see depictions of heaven and hell, and observe a relatively modern view of sin and judgement represented in stone at least 1400 years before Christ. Most of the hieroglyphics and carved images were still coloured brightly. Archeological discovery is still active here in new Pharoic tombs and mastabas of notable citzens..
We also saw Al-Deir Al-Bahari temple built into another sand and stone rugged mountain outside town - the mountain itself was spectacular. Amazingly the modern reconstruction of a closely-located temple was inferior to
The Nile
Luxor, Egypt the older. Lunch was at the Sheraton which overlooks the mountains described earlier but from the opposite shore of the Nile. Falukahs, Nile cruise ships, the whole bit.
From there to the two massive temple complexes of Luxor city - Karnak and Luxor temples. Words defy our wonderment, especially Karnak. Completely decorated 35m obelisks and 23m columns shaped like bundles of reeds, reaching into the cloudless blue sky. Rows of sphinxes and massive statues of Ramses II. Some similarities to Angkor Wot but well separated in space and time.
Before heading back to the boat we wished friends Mike and Suzie farewell after sharing some great travel and life experiences with them. Last seen taking in sunset over the Nile.
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