Waking Up in Luxor
Killing Time
I’m still fighting off a head cold and chest congestion, so
I slept late. Check out was at noon and pickup wasn’t scheduled until 3:30pm.
The hotel would hold my bags until I was ready to leave for the night train at
9:45pm. I was welcome to utilize hotel facilities which included the pool,
wireless internet, and a decent lobby. I
woke up around 11am, showered, and packed. I was ready to leave the hotel room
ten minutes past noon – right when they called to remind that checkout was at noon.
I had a few hours to kill before being picked up, so I
checked my bags and walked up and down the street of the hotel. I stopped by a
shop next to the hotel to get some stamps for postcards and explored the town.
I got a quick bite to eat at KFC (I know, I know) and head back to the hotel to
update my blog. I looked around a while for a power outlet when the man at
reception directed me to the couch next to the front desk. The customer service
at this place was pretty remarkable. I stayed for a single night. For that,
they let me check in very early and use the facilities well past sunset the
next day.
Tours
I was scheduled to tour the East Bank of the Nile in the
town of Luxor. This consisted of the Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple. The basic
itinerary had today as a free day, but leaving Luxor without touring Luxor
Temple seemed like blasphemy – and it was only $65.
Mr. Abdul was at the lobby right on time. I was further in
the back of the lobby and started looking for him right when he was scheduled
to arrive at 3:30pm. He had arrived without the driver and said he would be
there shortly. When the driver arrived, he asked how I was feeling. He could
tell I wasn’t much better and insisted we stop by a pharmacy. Like the day
before, we stopped by a pharmacy and picked up some medicated cough drops. He
referred to the man behind the counter as a ‘doctor’ who offered product and
dosage advice. We also stopped to get water. This man can work a deal for me.
I’ve gotten in the habit of asking the guides to pick up essentials for me
since the merchants will sell to them at a much lower price. He asked me for 5
Egyptian pounds and returned with a 1.5
liter bottle of Dasani water and 2 Egyptian pounds in change. Talk about
honesty.
Me & Mr. Abdul
Karnak Temples
Outside Karnak
In front of one of the huge columns.
Check out the inscriptions on the column!
Me and more columns!
Wide Columns
Original colors
Sphinx outside the entrance
The Luxor Temple is situated between the Nile and the town, so it falls nicely into view if you eat at any of the restaurants surrounding it. Luxor temple is famous because of it’s creator, Ramsey the Great. He appears with his wife at the entrance. About a thousand years later Alexander the Great added on to the temple. At one time there was a 2 mile path of Sphinxes connecting the Luxor
Man under sign I do not know
Outside Luxor
Sphinx used to connect Luxor Temple to Karnack Temple
Distance between the two temples was 2 miles!
Outside Luxor
Killing even more time…
Finding Dinner
As I walked down the cross street near the hotel I came across a quaint restaurant called Casablanca. The menu was outside next to the sign so I took a look – it had traditional Egyptian food that sounded good to me. I ordered garlic bread, kebob, fries, and a Coke. When the Coke arrived I reached for my water bottle and noticed it was missing. My water bottle was gone! I figured I'd eventually forget something somewhere on this trip, so I just accepted I left it at the hotel or in the car. This water bottle was a vacuum insulated water bottle with a built in carbon filter, so it wasn't just an ordinary water filter. I will note the water bottle works extremely well. The same driver was to return so maybe I'd find it in the car, or back at the hotel. Back to dinner. The garlic bread came out first and had more spices than I had anticipated – in the end it was tasty. The kebob was beef and also was tasty. The bill was right at 70 Egyptian pounds. As I was the only one in the restaurant, I had made small talk with the waiter. He spoke broken English and appeared to run the place. The menu out front said all prices include tax and service (tip), although the man said differently when I asked if service was included. Before Mr. Abdul left, I recalled him telling me the car would arrive at 9:15pm to take me to the train. The itinerary the Luxor manager gave me when I arrived said 9:45pm. Needless to say, I was a little confused. Since there wasn't much to do in the area, I head back to the hotel and updated my blog. When I first got to the hotel I did a quick search for my water bottle finding nothing. Something in me suggested I walk to the counter and at least see if anyone found anything. The front desk clerk was gone, but my bottle was there! Yippee!
Casablanca Restaurant
Garlic Bread
Kebob
Leaving for the train
Around 9:45 a man, who looked very much like my friend Dean Dang, came looking for me. I assumed he was the driver, instead he escorted me to the car and later to the train. Figuring I'd want water for the train, I asked if he could purchase some from a vendor. I could see him point at me when he made the purchase, but he got me a 1.5 liter bottle for 5 Egyptian pounds. Not bad.
All Aboard
The train left around 10pm was was fairly uneventful. Since I was leaving from Luxor, the train ride was a couple of hours shorter than the original train ride to Aswan. I had wanted to make my way to the club car for a while, as it offered WiFi for something like $1 USD. However, I couldn't find the steward to ask which way it the club car was. I did make a limited effort to find it myself and wandered down a couple of cars. After traversing a couple of cars I figured it'd be best just to return and get some rest. The sleeper compartments adjacent to me did not appear to have smokers this time! Score!
One of the trains that passed by at Luxor station before my train arrived
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