Tuesday, September 22, 2009

And a factory in Chicago that makes miniature models of factories (Luxor) - 14 April 2008

We slept on our felucca last night, covered in the cheap blankets we bought while visiting the Deutsches in Cairo. I had hoped to sleep in this morning, but the crew was up at 5 am and breakfast was served around 6.

We take a motorboat to Daroud (?) and then a bus to Luxor. We're given the option of some side excursion (I don't even remember what it was at this point) but I vote for going straight to Luxor and the creature comforts of a hotel. Thankfully most people are ok going on to Luxor.

There's a moment of panic when we get to Luxor - none of the ATMs will take my card. Finally on the 4th try we're able to get some cash.

Continuing the theme of being whiny Americans, Jen and I elect to go to Pizza Hut for lunch. Now I love me some Pizza Hut, but I have to say that the Meat Lover's was a disappointment. How can you call it a Meat Lover's without the pig-based meats?

After lunch we took a carriage ride to the Karnak Temple Complex. Here's Jan and Colleen, two of the other folks on our trip:


My favorite part of Karnak was the air-conditioned visitor's center, complete with a scale model of the entire complex:


It's not that the real thing isn't spectacular, it's that (in the abridged words of Sam Kinison) "It's in the desert!"



Something I had never thought about was that the ancient Egyptians actually used paint - so the stuff we see today is not what it looked like when it was new. In some places you can still see remnants:


After the official guided tour we were given 50 minutes to wander around on our own. As part of this I circled the Scarab below 7 times, because you're supposed to get a wish if you do:


Of the 50 minutes we used 30 - and there was only one person that used more of the time. Like I said - IT'S HOT!

For dinner Jen and I bailed on the group and went to an Indian restaurant. It was expensive, but well worth it.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I go to the Luxor too, but it's the one in Vegas. As a former Pizza Hut employee, I thank you for your patronage.