Up the Nile

Our last few days in Egypt will be spent at Luxor, about 700 kms south of Cairo. Luxor was the capital of Egypt around 3000 years ago and contains a large number of ancient statues, tombs and temples, including the tombs of Tutankhamun and Nefertari. Our first impression of Luxor is that it is a hot, very poor town with little sanitation and lots of people trying to get money out of you. Who can blame them though – the difference in wealth between the tourists and locals is shocking. Its a place where half carcases of raw meat hang out the front of shops and 5 Egyptian pounds ($1 AU/US) will get you an 1 hr ride in a horse and carriage. Fortunately our experiences in Cairo have wisened us up a bit, so you just get used to saying no. I’d also like to be able to say the last couple of days have been enjoyable but Warwick has come down with a bad stomach virus so he’s not ventured far from the hotel room. Plus a big sand storm has blown into Luxor limiting the visibility. Exploring Luxor alone has been an interesting experience.

The centre of Luxor, not particularly exciting I know but right behind you is.....

The Avenue of Sphinxs (above) was once 2 kms long and leads to the Luxor Temple (above also but you can't see it for all the sand in the air, better pic below)

To escape the heat (and the locals, sorry but sometime Sacha space is needed) I headed to the Mummification museum, which was small but interesting. I would have liked a bit more info on the mummification process than the body is washed and then wrapped in bandages covered in resin, maybe they should google it! Mummified man above and below, ram and crocodile.

Temple of Amun – massive temple complex spanning 100 acres build over a 1300 year period for the king of Gods, Amun. Though very difficult to see much given all the sand in the air.

Tomorrow is our last day in Egypt and we’re heading out to the Valley of the Kings, which was the burial site for the pharaohs at the time. Hopefully the sand has cleared and Warwick is well enough to come along.