Once upon a time, Herodotus referred to Egypt as “The Gift of the Nile” and having brought the nation of Egypt into being one comes to realize its importance till this day.
Being the longest river in the world, it measures 6680km in length and is currently still seen as the nation’s lifeblood. Our next destination, Luxor is comprised of the East and West bank sides of the Nile, each with its own attractions and splendour. It is a significant part of the Nile Valley, the capital to the wonders of the ancient Middle Kingdom (2056 – 1650 BC).
We pulled into the Midan al-Mahatta train station Saturday evening after departing from Cairo at seven thirty that same morning. As we arrived we were informed of a rather new hotel within walking distance from the station, and with cheap rates advertised from the get go, we decided to take a look. What we found was The Princess Hotel, and we were more than happy to set up stay in their pink rooms with pink bathrooms, whilst brushing up on royal history throughout Luxor.
Once here, there are numerous ways to get round to the attractions, air conditioned bus with a tour guide seemingly the most convenient. We chose hiring bicycles for the day, and making our own way to and from the sites. As we were situated on the East Bank, we rode up to the ferry crossing, and along with our bikes, crossed to the other side on the pride and joy of a captain, who put in much effort decorating his boat.
At some stages, the up hills between sights were a bit steep but the scenic views and cool breeze made it much easier, and reaching our goals proved well worth the effort.
We were overwhelmed with the enormity of monuments, tombs and temples and spent the entire day gazing in and outside Pharaohs resting places enclosed at the Valley of the Kings. Officials rained on our parade by not allowing any photography within the tombs. We took two sneaky snapshots within Ramses the first, but were caught red handed and managed to get away after a harsh warning and a few quid. Shame on us!
Nearly exhausting history, we ended off the day with a final visit to the Luxor Temple. It seemed to come alive as the sun set over the magnificent statues and sphinxes resting within its walls, demanding utmost respect and admiration.
Next, we are departing by bus to Dahab for long awaited seaside fun in the sun!
Salaam!
Accommodation Rates: Princes Hotel, Luxor, 35 L.E. per double room per night including breakfast with shared bathroom/shower. Free internet access is available.
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