Hot air balloon and Karnak Temple

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Today some of us we up very early (3:30 am). We went back to the West Bank to enjoy a spectacular landscape that only hot air ballooning can provide. We glided over the temples and burial grounds as the sun rose over luxor. It was my first time in a hot air balloon and I loved it. We were 24 + the pilot in the basket. Before lifting off they showed us how to get in the landing position (2 hands on the rope handle, bent knees and lean back. They also explained the different of landing. English landing: hit the ground hard, then get dragged. American landing: several hard bounces. And finally the Egyptian landing: nice soft landing you can barely feel. You can really see from the air the line between the green patches and the desert.

The Karnak Temple Complex is home to three main temples, several smaller enclosed temples, and a number of outer temples - combining the achievements of many generations of ancient builders over a period of 1500 years. Around thirty different pharaohs contributed to the building process of this site, enabling it to reach a size, complexity and diversity not seen elsewhere. It was after all the New Kingdom's most sacred site. The Ancient complex covers a total area of 2 sq. km, and its name "Karnak" means "fortified settlement" in Arabic. The temple of Amun, the complex's main structure, is the largest place of worship ever built. It is surrounded by two other gigantic temples, dedicated to Amun's wife, Mut and his son, Khonsu, respectively. Although it might seem badly ruined today, there are still many features to Karnak that make it one of the largest and most impressive of all ancient sites in Egypt.

Tonight was our last night on the ship. At dessert time they noted a birthday and two 50th anniversaries, one being that of our travel companions Roger and Deanna. After dinner the crew entertained us in the lounge. It has been a very plaisant cruise.

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Photos

Landing in a farmer’s field
Oh, by the way we had an Egyptian landing. It was so smooth we did not feel the basket hit the ground and the pilot did not call out “landing position”.

Comments

[Lynne]

Spectacular!
That balloon ride looks amazing!