I'm off to Luxor, Egypt for a week

I posted this on the Travel Forum but didn't get any feedback. Just wondering if anybody has been to Egypt, or in particular Luxor? Is there anything that is recomended to do/not do/see etc over there? Obviously this question is open to non-aquas too 😛

Well thanks a bunch for the feedback. Looks like I'll have to do loads of last minute homework on the place all on my ownio 😢

Ah thanx Archer! Have left packing till the last minute as per usual so tonight will be a frantic act of grabbing clothes and toiletries and stuffing them in the case. I'm a bit nervous about the terrorist threat there but I suppose I'll have to try to chill.

Thanks luv *hugs*. Good idea about the photo per day!

Well I just got back an hour ago. It was an amazing trip. The weather was 40 Degrees Celsius every day which was heavy going but I almost became adapted to it and then it was time to return to the milder climes of Ireland. Actually being in a desert for a week made me appreciate the rain that bit more!

Egypt is something else. In the week I was there I went to the Valley of The Kings, The Valley of the Queens, the renowned Temple of Hathshepsut, the famous Pyramids and Sphynx of Giza, the Collossi of Agamemnon, and endless statues, heiroglyph inscriptions, ancient implements and artefacts and of course, the mummies! The ancient Egyptions were a highly organised and passionate civilisation and the mind boggles that they were capable of creating and achieving so many wonderful artistic masterpieces and running such an efficient kingdom way back in 1500 BC.

I've never experienced the sheer hassle that we as foreign visitors got from the street vendors. It was quite scary at first but within a few days we got used to just blanking them and saying no no no!!

We went for a camel ride on the east bank of the Nile in Luxor and the standard of living was shockingly eye opening. I don't think I have experinced such poverty before. Some areas were not much more than slums, with families sleeping in hovels and incomplete houses with straw and boards for beds. There was an obvious absence of machinery out on the sugar and banana and maize plantations. Donkeys and human hands appeared to be doing the majority of the agricultural work.

Practically everyone that we encountered from the hotel staff, to the tour reps, to the bus driver at the airport, expected tips. It is with this unadulterated aim that nearly all people in the hospitality industry see us foreign visitors. I guess who can blame them. I got the impression that they saw all of us as endless money dispensers!

Having said all that, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Luxor and would recommend it to anybody who likes an exciting, informative and educational experience. Maybe brush up on your haggling skills first!

Here are some pics that I took in on my trip to Egypt last week.

http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k28/MD06_2006/Egypt% 2006/?start=0

O right I didn't know about that. But you reminded me about a funny fact that out tour guide told us about King Ramses II. He was the first ancient Egyptian king to ride in a taxi! His mummy needed some preservatve work done to it so it needed to be temporarily transferred to the London Museum. For whatever reason there wasn't a vehicle to collect the mummy from the airport. So the archaeological staff decided to put him in a taxi to the Museum. Hence he was the first man from Before Christ to take a ride in a taxi!

Thanks Aguaaqi. It was fun. It was kinda challenging too. But the fun outweighed the difficulties. 🙂