Horus Hotel Luxor

... on 24/7 which after a few days starts to get annoying. Cairo was not very touristy, which luxor was, which meant there was alot of hassle with people selling souvenirs, taxi's, horse + carts etc. We really enjoyed Alexandria as there was none of this at all. It seemed much more european (and laidback) than both cairo and luxor.

However, like cairo, there was a lot to see. We went to the luxor and karnak temples which are ...

... at the Nile Palace Hotel and I'd highly recommend it. Yes it's a real tourist hotel complete with nightly, truly dreadful live entertainment but it has a great feel. It has a courtyard for drinks and a number of decent if not memorable restaurants but the terrace on the Nile is fantastic with amazing views and felluca's for hire at a moments notice. It's not the Old Winter Palace but definitely worth checking out.

... It was a pleasant hotel and clean and friendly so we had no criticisms at all. It had many rooms and a nice rooftop area but sadly empty.

Tuesday 7th July. Up and on the roof at 7am we had a pleasant breakfast of the usual egg, cucumber, tomato, cheese, flat bread, yoghurt and jam and black tea to start the day. The minivan was full of us backpacker types and we headed across river to the Valley of the Kings and our guide rote like did a speedy synopsis of the site for ...

... way in which we were herded around quickly...so yeah...we were taken to another place Khalid probably gets a commission: a papyrus factory.

We were given a short demonstration on how papyrus is made which was pretty cool and enjoyable. Then we looked around at the hand painted papyrus, which was pretty well done. The shop was legitamite, unlike the people on the street, so I trusted that the stuff was real and hand painted and I liked it. Kristen thought she ...

... not sure why exactly. After lunch, we took a siesta and went back to take a nap. We watched our boat go through the locks at Esna and soaked our feet in the pool a bit. I tried to use the internet to email Mom because it was Mother's Day and I sent a message to Peter as well. The internet was extremely slow, but I was glad they had it, and the keyboard was in Arabic! It was pretty cool. Then it was time for dinner and more hanging out and talking. Pretty relaxed day.

... sit in Luxor (not the hotel and casino in Las Vegas) at the McDonalds, to which I purchased a Big and Tasty and am enjoying free internet.    Now to the events of yesterday, day 9 of this little adventure in my life.  We began the day with probably the hardest set of temples, as they were situated in a little land called the Valley of the Kings.  Now for those that haven't heard of this valley, it is situated next to the Valley of the Queens and Queen Hatshepsut's temple ...

... Christopher was having his first stomach flu, we decided to just have lunch board instead of going to MacDonalds, which he has been craving since we arrived at Luxor. We said our goodbyes to Rifyat and the rest of the group and especially the Captain , who was really very, very nice and caring. Always making sure we had enough water, taken care of and our regular seats. Au revoir Movenpick

... entrance workmen were cutting large blocks of white stone for the restoration being done.

Hatshepsut ruled as Pharaoh for 20 years. After using her role as regent for her step-son or nephew (I’ve heard both versions) Thuthmosis III to consolidate her power, she usurped the throne. She claimed divine birth, and to cement her hold on power, had herself portrayed as a man on official monuments. She was often ...