Eternal Nile Day 3
Eternal Nile
DAY 3 - Monday, November 29, 2004 - Karnak Temple, Falucca Ride & Luxor Temple
We set the alarm for 3:45 and hotel wake-up came just after 4 AM. We had plenty of time to get a light breakfast and then board the bus at 5:20. It took the porters about 20 minutes to load the luggage so we left the hotel at 5:40 for the ten minute ride to the airport.
We followed Shahinaz and had no problems going through the two sets of security for domestic flights. Our flight was uneventful; I took a few photos over the Eastern Sahara. When we approached Luxor the land on both sides of the Nile was a bright green for about 10 miles each way.
Luxor airport is under construction and there are only temporary tent like facilities for domestic flights. We watched the porters collect our baggage, we had to identify them, and then were amazed as they lifted them on top of or 20 passenger mini-bus and placed them on the racks.
Luxor is about 10 times smaller than Cairo, with the population of 1.7 million people. Luxor means Palace in Arabic and was the scene of an ancient capital.
The route from the airport passed through typical rural countryside with mud brick buildings, farm plots of corn and vegetables and date palm groves. Most people wear the traditional long flowing dress with men wearing the white turban to avoid the heat of the sun.
We went directly to the gigantic Temple of Karnak, with its massive gate built by Ptolemy III. Today this is one of the most fascinating ancient sites in Egypt.
Ancient Egyptians, who believed that Amun-Re first created himself and then everything else, called Karnak Ipet-Isut, "the most perfect of places." For millennia, successive kings and queens added their own tributes to Amun-Re here, replacing or expanding existing monuments in ever more grand styles.
The main enclosure is known as the Precinct of Amun. It was built by a succession of rulers starting in the 12th dynasty and was expanded and redesigned over a period of some 1,500 years.
We walked through the breathtaking Hall of Pillars and saw the tallest obelisk in Egypt, cut from a single piece of pink granite and raised by Queen Hatshepsut in honor of Amun. It still stands almost 100 feet high.
Upon the death of the queen's husband, when the toddler nephew was to be crowned successor, she seized control and became pharaoh. Fearful that the citizens of her empire would not accept a queen, she declared herself king—dressing in male garb and wearing a ceremonial beard for the most important occasions.
When her nephew, Thutmose III, grew to manhood and wrested control of Egypt, he had Hatshepsut's name marked out or replaced in most hieroglyphics and ordered the destruction of the queen's two magnificent obelisks—a task, we were grateful to see, that was only half executed.
We were given about 40 minutes on our own to explore and take more pictures of the Temple. It was interesting to see archaeologist students still working on more excavations and there are many piles of numbered ruins just waiting, like a puzzle, to be put together again.
Across the street from the entrance to the Temple of Karnac, there were a few shops where Gennie stopped to buy a straw hat. Bargaining is expected and when the man asked for 95 Egyptian Pounds, Gennie offered 20. They settled on 25, both being happy in the negotiations. The exchange rate is about $1 - LE 6.
At 11:30 we met at the bus as we were ready for lunch. On our way to the hotel we drove on a Nile River frontage road seeing hundreds of cruise ships moored on the river side of the avenue and on the other side there were horse drawn carts waiting for tourists.
We passed many exclusive hotels and stopped at the Le Meridien for our lunch. As we entered we again had to go through a security metal detector - this is typical of hotels in Egypt. They had a beautiful patio and we were able to walk around and take photographs of the cruise ships, feluccas, or small masted sailing boats, and the cattle grazing under the palm trees on the other bank.
After lunch we drove to our hotel which is the Sofitel New Winter Palace founded in 1887, the most famous of Luxor's hotels - the former palace of residence of King Farouk. It was the residence for Agatha Christie and Noel Coward when they were filming the Murder on the Nile.
We had a little time to wash out a few clothes and to look at this morning's pictures. At 3:45 we met our group at the main lobby for a short walk to the Nile River bank. Here we boarded a felucca, a traditional broadsail boat used for thousands of years on the Nile, for a cocktail cruise on this great river.
With their fin-like sails sewn from vertical strips of cloth, feluccas have become icons for the Nile. Designed by ancient Egyptian builders to ferry stones and other heavy objects from shore to shore, they are now beloved as pleasure boats. Just at sunset we docked and walked another short distanced to Luxor Temple.
As the lights came on at dusk we visited Luxor Temple, built by the New Kingdom Pharaoh Amenophis III. The temple was extended by other rulers over the centuries, and now consists of several structures, halls, and courtyards. Originally built by Amenhotep III and rebuilt by Ramses II, it eventually became buried under sand, debris, and hovels.
Just a century ago, when it was rediscovered and the rubble cleared away, the interiors were found to be nearly perfectly preserved. Exploring this temple at night gave us a different perspective as one could see the hieroglyphics stand out in the shadows of the lights.
We stayed there until 6:15 when we walked back through the city streets this time to our hotel. People are constantly trying to sell us little imitation artifacts and they will not take no for an answer.
We have seen many Americans here as well as Orientals, South Americans speaking Spanish, French, Germans and other Europeans. It is a real conglomeration of people. The Egyptians always ask where we are from.
Sofitel Pavilion Winter Palace - - - Meals: B & L
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