Ruins, Temples and Bakshish
Trip Start
May 30, 2009
1
9
37
Trip End
Aug 04, 2009
Luxor,
Nile River Valley,
Egypt
Sunday, June 21, 2009
So on the 1st day we just hung out playing more cards with Dan and it turned out Dan was very good at chess - the same as me so I had a great evening - it was the 1st game I lost here in Egypt but I did win over all against him.
Buit Dan left the next morning and Zeya and I decided to wait till the hottest part of the day to go and see a massive complex of ruins called Karnak
Bob Marley Hostel
. The temple was awsome and we were there for at least 2 hours but it was so hot - I could feel the lift being zapped out of me. It was tough and we read every word on every sign, took some great pictures and really abosrbed the place as much as we could - it was massive, much bigger the Abu SImbel and as impressive, just in a different way. The main advantage of the middle of the day is we were the only tourist stupid enough to be out there so there was not too many people around.We walked there and back as well and took in a bit of Luxor which is a lot nicer than Aswan in our oppinions. After an evening of quiet we met up with our friend Nathan from Cairo and he stayes at the Bob Marley hostel - it is a great place with great staff and more importantly - they actually have others staying there - amazing! We decided we would pack up and leave our other place to move here - but there is a big day on the cards tomorrow. We are going to cycle to the Valley of the Kings - another hot one me thinks!
Oh! And I got a fake student ID Woo Hoo!!!!!
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Yep - hot is the word
Bob Marley Hostel
!We got up at 7am and picked up our pre organised granny bikes and cycled past the Luxor temple (which you can see the whole complex from outside - I have no idea why people would pay to get in!) and got to the ferry. He tried to charge us a crazy amount but we bargained him down to the right price and then after a 10 min crossing with our granny bikes we set off towards the valley of the kings.
By 9am (the time we arived) it was already stiflingly hot. We went straight to the valley of the ings and looked around 3 of the tombs (it is all the ticket allows) We saw Rameses IX, Horemheb and Amenhetep III. All 3 were very special and photography was not allowed. Horemheb was extremely colourful and the nicest I think and Amenhetep III involved some climbing and some crazy rock aret which looks more like modern day than ancient Egyptian but it was still very cool - very cool, it was amazing. And finally we saw Rameses IX but this was over touristed and protected by glass - it was more of a spectacle than a tomb so not as good as the previous two.
After the valley of the kings we tried to get into Seti I, this was impossible as we needed a ticket from the ticket booth at the begining so back we went to get the ticket
Bob Marley Hostel
. While in the ticket both area we cycled over to the valley of the Queens which did not seem that impressive so we didnt go in. Then my contact lense decided to flip around the back of my eye which was fun!Then Zeya and I clcled all the way back to go to Hatshepsut. This was a very impresive temple and we enjoyed our time here, resting from the heat at the hottest part of the day. Zeya didnt want to go onto Seti I but I did and it was my personal favorite temple as I had the place to myself, it was eerie and huge and I clambered around the place for a while before it was time to cycle back to meet Zeya.
After the ride back which was excrushiatingly hot, we got on the Felucca, bargained hard for a cheap juice and I bought some food from the supermarket for lunch. We then quickly moved hostels and it was 5pm suddernly. We had literally been out in the heat all day and my head felt like it was going to expload, my skin was on fire and I wanted sleep. BUT I realised the football was just starting so watched Brasil thump the USA.
We met up with Lloyd, Emma and the other Felucca people for dinner in a nice takeway and then we all went back to watch the next game where Egypt beat Italy - as you can imagine that went down well over here
Sunset over Luxor
! We also bumped into our friend from Dahab - another Emma so that was a bit bizar! Now it is the middle of the day on the 19th and I have caught up with this log as I am scared to go outside into the heat again - my body needs a break. I think we will be here for a day or 2 longer but we have nothing on the cards. Then another jaunt up to Cairo and beyond.I managed to already make my money back on the student ID + 40 pounds which isnt all that much but I can probably use it in Jordan Israel as well so all is good.
Last night we were invited to a lavish meal at our hostel. During the day they saw me eating bread and cheese, the manager said something to the workers and before I knew it I had 2 nice curies and a salad for free, this coupled with the free breakfast and the free dinner make it the best hostel I have ever stayed at. The service is awsome, the room is nice, it is so cheap and everything is perfect. The Bob Marley hotel - Luxor.
I went with Emma Lloyd and Nathan to se some ruins next to the vally of th kings which were so colourful still after centuries. They depict how the deceased lived their lives. Hearding animals, teaching, eating and drinking - it was vry, very nice and we were back in time for lunch and more importantly missed the hottest part of the day.
Well. We had a boiring day today and have decided it is time to move on back up to Cairo. We miss Cairo, supprisingly, its just the long train journy there is not something to look forward to too much.
