We're having so much fun here in Luxor! Here's what we've done so far:
Wednesday- after work, we piled into a van and drove the 2 hours to Luxor, arriving about 4:30pm. We checked into our favorite hotel (the Sonesta St. George) and immediately took some long, hot showers. Then we headed out to Television Street, one of the busiest in Luxor. There, we got internet and phone credit (I now have my own stick for internet), then got some really good Chinese food. The place is owned by the same people that own Oasis, the British cafe we go to all the time. They also have an Indian place that's pretty good, a pub we've never been to, and the Chinese place also has a whole separate Thai menu. Because they are owned by Brits, the food is usually pretty good and safe to eat.
Thursday- We got up early (well, 6am is still sleeping in for us) and took the ferry over to the West Bank. We love taking the ferry because it's only 1 Egyptian pound (which is something like $.15 in USD). Once over there, we contracted a taxi for the whole day, which is cheaper and easier than trying to find taxis at all the places once you're done. They are really starving for tourists this year, so we got a great deal and the driver is really nice. He took us to the Valley of the Kings first, where our special cards got us in to as many tombs as were open, instead of the normal 3. Nothing exciting was open, but we went through all we could nonetheless. After KV, we hopped over to the Ramesseum, which none of us had ever been to. I can see why tours don't go there, but it was really pretty. There were the famous scenes from the Battle of Kadesh and I even found some bakeries! I can't wait to get back and take a look at the publication of the site more closely.
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| King Ramses II tramples me with his mighty stallions. |
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| Bakery units on either side in mud brick, the Ramesseum in the background. Lindsey (in pink) waits while I photograph pretty much every single room. |
After there, we went to the Valley of the Queens, another place none of us had been (sorry, no cameras are allowed in KV or QV). Only three of the tombs were open, but they were really pretty. They even have some of the side chambers open to walk into. I was the only member of the group to be able to fully stand up in them, as they were only about 5'5" tall. That evening, we washed up and went to Chicago House for dinner. They gave us a nice tour of the place (which I've never seen without it being full of people for the Halloween party of Thanksgiving).
Friday- It was another early and busy day. We headed to the ferry again and found our taxi driver. He took us first to Medinet Habu (remember my smiting photos from last year?) so the new team members could get smitten. We also did some other fun ones, but I've been told I put them up at my own risk (which is death, according to Tasha). Then we walked over to Deir el-Medina, the village of the workmen who worked at the Valley of the Kings. We saw those few tombs and even got to visit the Ptolemaic temple at the site, which was really neat and I'd never been to before. Then it was up the 500+ stairs (I stopped counting at 513, but we continued to climb higher, just on an area without stairs) to hike the gebel over Deir el-Bahri again.
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| The views were gorgeous, as always. And yes, that is the shirt I wore last year. And yes, it is quite a bit looser. Though the food, especially in Luxor, is making it fit more snugly... |
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| I got brave and went all the way out so I could swing my feet over the edge. It was only like a 200 foot drop. |
There are some really fun photos that Aaron took of us, so when I can get those from him, I'll share. I know this was a repeat day from last year, but it will never get old. Afterwards, it was back to the hotel for showers and kindles. We made a quick stop on the way at a brand new grocery store, where I got a banana, mango, and soda for about $3. After an afternoon of relaxing, we tried to eat pizza, but a lot of the restaurants were closed for Eid. So we found the Indian place that we like and ate there. Then I got to skype with Dan: my favorite part of the whole day. :)
Today is a pool and shopping day for the most part. We slept in, enjoyed the amazing breakfast spread, and are now taking our kindles out to the pool for some relaxing R&R. Sometime in the afternoon we're going to go over to the tombs of Gourna, then our reis Eslam has invited the whole team over to his house for dinner.
Tomorrow, alas, it's back to Edfu. I'm sure there will be some shopping and McDonald's in the morning, but our van picks us up around 2, so we'll have to say goodbye to the A/C and nice showers. At least until next Thursday when we come back for a night for the Halloween party. I'll try to have something auto-post for tomorrow.
