Safaga & Luxor, Egypt

            Thursday, 6 Apr 2017 –  The previous night we set our clocks back again by one hour, which was helpful because we were able to sleep a little more before getting ready for our 12-hour tour to the “Iconic Temples of Karnak & Luxor with Luxor Museum.”  Although our ship had docked at Safaga, Egypt by 6:00 AM and we were seated at our meeting place onboard the ship before 7:00 AM, no one was able to exit for Egyptian tours until Egypt granted permission to disembark.  Finally at 8:10 AM, our bus departed for the 3.5-hour bus ride to Luxor – or so we thought.  Actually, after a very short distance, we all got out of the bus at the terminal and, taking our passports with us, we went through a security line.  This stop was puzzling to us because our guide, Gaha, had instructed us to leave belongings on the bus but to take our passports; however, our passports were not checked there and only purses or whatever small items were carried with us were placed on the security belt.  (Passports had been checked before leaving the ship.) 

For at least the first 1.5 hours or more, our driver drove at a high speed on a divided highway through barren mountains in the desert.  For the last part of that time, we began to pass irrigated farmland and people often riding donkeys or on wagons pulled by donkeys.  Then, we turned onto a 2-lane city road that followed a large irrigation canal.  As we drove through some of the city of Qena, donkeys came to be replaced more and more frequently by motorcycles and cars.  As much as possible, our driver sped after a line of busses ahead of us.  However, frequent security check points with speed bumps on the pavement would slow our bus to a virtual stop, after which the driver would speed up again as much as possible.  Through the windshield, Sally watched traffic; our driver passed smaller vehicles, even if to do so, it was necessary to drive in the middle of the road.  Sometimes it was too stressful to watch!  Obviously, time was very important on this trip.

            At 12 noon, we stepped off the bus to visit the Luxor Museum.  Luxor, also known in ancient times as Thebes, is situated on the east bank of the Nile River.  For much of the next hour in the museum, we stayed with our guide.  Although the museum is not very large, it is well organized and interesting.  It houses an amazing collection of ancient artifacts, including much Pharaonic art.  Sally recognized some of the statues and artwork from familiar photos of famous ancient Egyptian art.

            At 1:25 PM our bus took us from the museum to a local hotel for a buffet-style lunch.  Although there was a lot of good food, the line was long and could have been better organized for those not interested in some parts of the meal.  A choice of wine, beer, or soft drinks was provided at no additional cost, besides water, which is unusual.  As it was, we were among the last two people to finish our meal, hurrying to the rest room when our guide told everyone to be on the bus in 7 minutes!

Karnac Temple

            Back on the bus by 2:30 PM, we were taken next to the Karnac Temple.   This temple is comprised of three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and several outer temples, dedicated to Pharaoh Amun.  The vast complex was built and enlarged over a span of 1,300 years.  Even though we were unable to walk through the entire area, after the amount of walking we did do while baking in the hot sun, we were soon extremely tired.

Luxor Temple

Avenue of the Sphinx

            Re-boarding our bus at 4:00 PM, we were taken to the spectacular Luxor Temple, built during the reign of Amenophis III over 5,000 years ago.  On the walls of the temple, we saw some of the best preserved artwork in Egypt.  We also found a collection of statues and obelisks that date back to the 14th century BC.  The impressive Avenue of the Sphinx links Karnak Temple with Luxor Temple and once stretched two miles.  We viewed the massive statues of Ramses II, the great halls and pylons and the pink granite obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut.  By this time of day, the sun was not beating down as hard on us, making this last (smaller) area easier to cover on foot.  During the time we were there, a mosque adjoining the temple was being used for a Muslim wedding; we could hear calls being made as part of their celebration.  Also on several occasions during our visit, we were approached by workers (or security personnel) dressed in the traditional local attire that attempted to lure us back into secluded areas of the temple to show us more sights – not sure what that was all about, but we didn’t taken any of them up on their offers!

            At 5:00 PM as our bus departed from Luxor Temple, we were provided with snacks and juice.  On the bus, lights were dimmed and many passengers (including Jesse) slept.  Unable to sleep, Sally watched the traffic through the windshield; the temperature display variation from 15 to 21 degrees Celsius (as the air conditioner turned on and off); and the clock.

            Near the pier, crowds of people were enjoying the fresh air, possibly more than usual because it was the evening before the Muslim holy day (Friday).  [Egypt is about 80 percent Muslim, and 20 percent Christian.]  At the end of that 3.5-hour drive, we arrived at the ship at about 8:35 PM.  Quite exhausted, we still visited the buffet for soup before bed.