Jewel of the Nile

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We took the overnight train to Luxor. Getting to the train station in Cairo was a fun experience! We noticed a day or so ago that all taxis have roof racks. Matt wondered if they even use their trunks? This brings up that every taxi we have been in is literally falling apart, but not the typical things are broken. The door handles, window handles, locks, etc..are all broken off. These are parts on cars that never break? We don’t understand? Anyway, so come to find out, Matt was right! They just throw your luggage up on this rack without tying it down. This made the ride extra nervous because of all of the braking/swerving you do on a typical car ride. We had images of our luggage flying into the street only to be hit by the hundreds of cars that are around you. We were dropped off and immediately approached by a Tourist Police Officer who pointed us in the right direction (this was the first time we had seen one do anything besides just stand around with their machine gun!).


The best thing about the overnight train to Luxor is that you don’t waste 9 hours of a day traveling…you can sleep it away. The worst thing is that it is a crappy night’s sleep. We arrived in Luxor at 5:30am and made our way to the Sheraton hotel. They let us check in and get our room which was fabulous! I have to admit that we are just tickled to have upgraded to a 5-star hotel (keep in mind we’re paying $70 per night). The shower is fabulous, the bed is fabulous, there’s restaurants, etc…we are very happy. Not to mention the view!!!!!!! The Nile is right outside our window and it is just how you imagine it would look. Luxor is the “Jewel of the Nile!”


We had some breakfast and then decided to make our way to the Temple of Luxor. This temple was built between 1387-1349 BC and was primarily used for religious celebrations. It is in excellent condition! This temple seems to dwarf the Forum in Rome. Not only is the age of this place far older than both of those, but the size is larger too. The hieroglyphics are in good condition and you can still see the color on many of them. Next to the Luxor Temple is the Avenue of the Sphinx’s which is a road lined on both sides by Sphinx statues. In ancient times it led all the way to the Karnak Temple which is 3km away. Only 58 of the approximately 700+have been uncovered here, but the government is in the process of excavating them all and has torn up the streets, homes, etc…in the process. We forgot to mention that the Temple of Luxor and Karnak are both smack in the middle of the city of Luxor (McDonalds across the street).


Outside the temple we ran into a horse and buggy driver who offered to take us to Karnak for appx. $2. It was a nice ride and on the way he persuaded us to let him wait for us and take us wherever we wanted to go to next for another $1…OK?


Karnak was the largest and most impressive religious center in ancient Egypt, and holds over 2,000 years of history for the Egyptians. It is approximately 300,000 square meters in size and it too is in excellent condition! (Considering it’s appx. 3500 years old?). Words can’t describe how you feel being surrounded by this much history - not only are you surrounded by it , but you can touch it! Of course as with every other monument in Egypt there are the “Bedouin Men” around (looking for Baksheesh=tips) that point you towards important things, if they speak English will give you some info, etc…We ran into one and he actually took us way off to the side of the main buildings to another area where there was a great room still filled with colorful hieroglyphics. It was neat because there was only a small hole in the ceiling for light to come in and they have a large board covered in Aluminum Foil to reflect the light which in turn lights up the room! On our way back, he did some kind of marriage blessing thing where first he had Matt touch a symbol on the wall and then to his head 3 times, then Erin, then we did it to each other, then we had to kiss three times. I guess there is no divorcing now!


We stopped for a water break and saw an English woman throwing up in a garbage can…a reminder that we have been lucky (and smart) so far! Overall, Karnak was the best historical temple/monument we have seen! We went back to our friendly horse driver and were on our way to eat lunch in a recommended restaurant. He wanted us to stop at a Papyrus museum/shop for a demo, so we thought “Why Not?” It’s actually a really cool process and to see the hand painted pieces up close was cool. We ended up purchasing a few items (which gives our horse driver E£5).


We made it to our restaurant for lunch and dined on Lamb Tangine and Kabobs. After we were finished the owner of the restaurant came up and asked if Erin would read a letter to him. He hands her this letter and it is from a British lady - it was an odd letter that we couldn’t figure out. It said she loved him a lot, hugs and kisses, etc…We weren’t sure if they had a relationship or what?? He looked so happy and proud as the letter was being read…then he asked Erin if she would write a letter for him. The funny thing was when asked what he wanted to say, he said “Just that I miss you very much, want you to be my wife, just write nice things from a woman, you’re a woman.” So Erin wrote a love letter to her saying that he missed her very much and could not wait for her return to Luxor. He was very happy with how the letter turned out and had her fill out the envelope and everything. Another weird experience in Egypt!


We continued on our horse and buggy tour as our driver took us to the Souq. This is a local market that is WAY local. We are planning on going back on Friday. We had a guy bring up a dead goat head to take a picture and surprisingly lots of smiles and waves from the people. Our tour continued to Luxor village which was a horribly impoverished area, where once again you cannot believe/comprehend people are living this way. There were tons of children running along side the buggy waving. We saw a boy that broke our heart, his eye was swollen shut and we can only imagine what could’ve been wrong. There is no medical care available, or at least he didn’t see a doctor…it’s heartbreaking. The thing is that we feel like if we would’ve stopped in this village they would’ve run out offering us tea, etc…People with nothing, extending their hospitality.


Our driver dropped us at the Luxor Museum which was very refreshing to visit after the Egyptian Museum in Cairo! The artifacts are displayed properly with explanations, humidity control, glass, proper lighting, etc…
You wish that obnoxious Head of Antiquities for Egypt (Tom you know who I’m talking about) would actually make sure all of Egypts treasures are properly maintained, signed, and free from trash, instead of worrying about Egypt getting back many of its artifacts from other countries.


We then headed back to Luxor Temple at night. They light it up, and it is quite breathtaking. Matt, of course, took lots of pictures at night. It’s one of those places that you just want to sit and enjoy for hours. Most couples were walking and holding hands…I (Erin) was holding tripods, filters, and lenses (as you can see Matt is loving his new Fisheye lens) Anyway…thanks everyone for all of your responses to our blogs and photos! We only hope that it helps capture a small portion of what we are experiencing here. I am very lucky to be married to such a talented photographer (he gives himself far too little credit). I would like to think that I am an excellent photographic assistant…fetching equipment, scouting for photo ops, and distracting shop people so Matt can steal shots. Anyway, it is great to hear the photos are enjoyed and I am glad Matt gets to hear how talented he is!!

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Photos

Worshiping the Gods
The things Erin goes through for Matt! But he loves the picture!

Gazing upon History
This picture was candid...but inspired the rest

Obelisk at Luxor
They were a pair, but one stands in the Place de Concorde in Paris

The Gear
This is what Matt carries around all day to produce our photos!

It's Mighty Big
How hard was it to build these huge temples? Check out the scale of Erin to the temple!

Comments

[Sue Rigos]

Tomb Robbers
Is that what you are doing. robbing tombs? Fabulous photos and journalistic reporting. Maybe you might want to change careers? Luxor is truly amazing and you've captured it so well. Good Luck on your next leg of your trip.