Luxor - The Sights

Karnak Temple, Luxor

Avenue of the Sphinx, Karnak Temple, Luxor

When we arrived, we took a walk up the Corniche. Our hotel was actually just next door to where we’d stayed nine years ago, so we were on semi-familiar territory, although after nine years, it really wasn’t so familiar any more.

As ever, we were stopped every minute by pleas for us to go on a caleche (horse-drawn carriage) or a felucca (small sailing boat). One guy was offering to clean my shoes for 1LE – it was quite sad to see how desperate they were for trade, now that so many tourists have been scared off from visiting Luxor (which felt perfectly safe). We ended up in a new area of greenery just by the museum and sat down for a while. Children came up trying to sell us water or cans of coke. The cruise boats were all lined up, but empty of tourists. We didn’t make it as far as Karnak temple.

The following day we met the organiser and our tour guide in reception and we set off to the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens while our guide tried to work out our plan for the day according to what we had and hadn’t seen on our previous trip all those years ago.

In the end, she compiled a good itinerary of three different tombs – one which was well preserved and near the surface; another one that was a bit of a climb to get inside; and a final one that was never completed. I got rather excited when she kept on talking about gods of prediction, but when I quizzed her about this, it turned out that she was saying “gods of protection”. My momentary hope of writing a book on the role of precognition in Ancient Egypt was thereby thwarted.

I can’t really give justice to the Valley of the Kings and photographs are not allowed – the etchings and drawings are magnificent and it’s hard to grasp just how ancient they are. It’s also the scale that is completely mind-boggling – over 65 are known about (albeit many are minor) and tombs are still being discovered; each individual tomb is huge with each King wishing to outdo previous ones (sadly, human nature appears to remain constant!).

We progressed from there to the Tombs of the Nobles, which are also impressive but have a different style from those in the Valley of the Kings, and then onto the little-visited Madinat Habu, where the paintings are better preserved even than in Karnak Temple.

Looking back, we should have skipped the trip to the Alabaster workshop (it was optional), as the explanation was very quick and even after Lena had bought a set of alabaster cups, the guy selling the items asked for a 20 LE baksheesh and then got into a right strop when we refused to give him anything!

The following day we visited Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple. Karnak Temple is amazing for its scale and the achievement of what seem like impossible feats when you understand when this was done, the amount of work devoted to it, and how much of it is still standing. The avenue of the Sphinx is continually being found to be longer than originally thought. I really love Karnak Temple. 

Luxor Temple is remarkable for its embodiment of various religions and it’s like walking through eras of history as you go. It’s situated right in the middle of the Corniche and has its own charm; historically it is probably the more interesting of the two (although my favourite is Karnak).

Every visitor to Egypt should go to Luxor!

Luxor - Getting There

Sunset on the Nile

Lena and I had originally planned on going on a five-day Nile cruise, but somehow the days came and went and before we knew it, there wasn’t really much time left. Oh well, next visit!

However, we decided we had enough time to do a two-night, three-day stay in Luxor. Fortunately, Safi was able to give us the names and numbers of taxi drivers to take us there (there is a bus, but it wasn’t recommended!), plus someone who would organise a driver and an Egyptologist to take us round the various sites.

The taxi arrived on time and Safi waved us off. You’d think that would be it, but as it turned out, the driver had problems finding his way out of Sahl Hasheesh, so 15 minutes later, we were pretty much still at base camp. We made it out in the end, though. I felt a bit like someone that had been let out for a day, as I suddenly realised that I hadn’t travelled out of Hurghada at all since I’d arrived here in October (ie, not travelled out of Hurghada within Egypt).

For some reason, I thought Safaga was only a few minutes away, but it took quite a bit of driving to get there. Eventually, we turned into the mountains (yes, mountains!) and even spotted a safari van there (no idea what a safari does!). We speculated that you wouldn’t really want to be driving along those roads with someone you didn’t trust as you could easily get lost in the mountains if you were dumped there and it would be a furnace in the summer months.

We’d been informed that the journey would take 4 hours, but our driver sped along (as Lena said, he didn’t like to be behind another car) and the roads were fairly empty, apart from when we got stuck behind a gritter on a bit of the road that had been newly tarmacked – our driver’s frustration was at a peak at this point. Nevertheless, his car was comfortable and had beaded seats which stopped you from getting too hot as you sat and he was a very pleasant guy. I would definitely travel with him again.

Half-way through, we stopped at a large diner for a quick break. It was in the middle of nowhere and presumably must only serve those travelling between Luxor and Hurghada (and vice versa). There’s no train between the two towns, so road travel is your only option (or a flight, I guess). As soon as we stepped out of the car, a guy came up to us to try to sell us his wares, but once inside the café, we were left in peace.

I guess they must get coach parties, since the dining room was huge and the washrooms housed quite a number of facilities. It felt strange to be the only two people sitting there in that huge space. There were saloon doors into the toilets. Fortunately Lena noticed that, weirdly, the toilet paper was hanging up by the washbasins (I was searching the individual cabins for paper to no avail and never thought to look anywhere else!). On our way out, we were suddenly informed that we had to pay 1LE each for their use (there was a box specially made for this, so I think it was probably true!).

We continued our journey. On our way, we passed through a number of check points (or even “chick point”), but the driver was stopped only as we entered into Luxor.

My main surprise on coming into Luxor was how green it was, given that Hurghada is mostly desert. In Hurghada, greenery is a sign of wealth. In Luxor, of course, they have the Nile, so there were many fields of crops, and the streets were lined with trees and flowers, I think mainly yellow compared with the pink and white that predominate in Hurghada. It felt very different in almost every respect from Hurghada; it could almost have been a different country.

We were expecting to be met by the main organiser at the hotel, but instead he joined us in our taxi on the outskirts of Luxor and immediately asked for money. We were alarmed at first, but it all turned out to be fine. After a small resistance from the organiser, we agreed that we would be met at 10am the next morning to go to Valley of the Kings (they are used to going a lot earlier to avoid the heat, but we wanted to avoid an early rise!).

We’d booked a twin room with a full Nile view – most of the hotels are nearly empty in Luxor and prices are reasonable – so on that first night we ordered dinner in our room (or, rather, balcony) so that we could take full advantage of the scene before us. There’s something very primordial about the Nile; it’s still a working river and something about it tugs at your heart. Luxor has to be one of the most amazing places in the world.

Sahl Hasheesh - First Massage

Massage Facilities on the Beach

As a thank you for her stay, Lena kindly offered to treat me to a massage (thank you, Lena!) at the Dr Fish / Sole Sensations spa in Sahl Hasheesh.

Lena had already received one or two massages there, so she was able to guide me a bit as to the procedures. Although there is a dedicated tent on the beach for massages, we went into the room at the back for ours.

We were tended to by two women; one was wearing a headscarf and so it felt quite strange to be almost naked and then massaged by someone who clearly believed in covering up. We couldn’t help wondering what it was like for this woman to have this job (did she find it weird, was it OK because we were foreigners and she could stay in her preferred dress, did she understand the benefits, etc).

As you might expect from a professional massage, our treatments focused on our individual needs (although somehow we hadn’t really expected this). Consequently, my masseuse focused strongly on my previously broken foot and my calf (which I had problems with many years ago), without me even mentioning them; in fact, she focused on it so much that I began to wonder whether any other part of my body would be massaged at all. At one point, I heard the other masseuse slapping Lena’s body (I was convinced it was her back, but it turned out to be her leg) and I began to feel quite envious that she was getting a full body massage whereas I was seemingly only having a single-leg massage. Meanwhile, it transpired that Lena was worrying that I’d been taken off somewhere because she couldn’t hear any noise coming from my couch at all!

Eventually, the massage did work up to my back and the masseuse was so strong that she almost winded me as she pressed down (Lena said she heard me grunting!). The two of them got up on the tables to ensure that they gave full pressure as they worked. Lena was obviously hardier than me!

Towards the end, we had a hot stone massage, which neither of us had ever had before. We heard the clacking of the stones as they prepared them (I thought it sounded a bit like castanets). I was completely shocked at how hot the stones were when placed on my body. For the first few – placed at the very bottom of my spine – they were extremely hot but just about bearable, but later I had to whimper a bit. Again, Lena was a lot hardier and was completely silent (I began to wonder if they had to wait for me to be finished before starting on her). All in all, though, it was a truly brilliant experience and I felt totally relaxed afterwards. A huge thank you to Lena!

When it was over, we did the Egyptian thing of accepting the offer of a cup of tea with the guy in charge. Although it appeared to have been a slow day, he mentioned that they were opening up an extra section, so the spa must be doing OK. Many Egyptians are very happy to talk about the political situation, which I find quite surprising. Despite the hard circumstances and poverty that many face just now, there is an underlying current of optimism. I’m not sure if this is based on the sense that the people have power to change things or whether optimism in the face of adversity is an inherent trait of the Egyptian people. Or maybe it’s a bit of both.

Sahl Hasheesh - Walking Around the Old Town

Old Town Courtyard

Ironically, the Old Town in Sahl Hasheesh is quite new. It’s designed to be a place of little streets where you wander through and look at the shops, with the occasional courtyard and fountain. When complete and full of visitors, it should be a very attractive place to be. However, at the moment, tourism is still down from the peak, developments in Sahl Hasheesh have stalled, and many shops are empty.

As in El Gouna, it’s a policy in Sahl Hasheesh that tourists shouldn’t be hassled, but this doesn’t mean that the shopkeepers won’t try to persuade you to come in their shops. For much of the evening, they stand outside in the warm night air, trying to entice customers in. I guess many of them are bored and looking as much for someone to chat to as anything else. Consequently, if you want to go to the Old Town, you have to make a point of it, and you have to be prepared to stop and chat with every single shop owner (but you can just say “no” and that’s OK!). It’s just how it is and you can’t blame them for trying to get business as they need the money in order to survive.

Anyway, Lena and I had set aside an evening for the purpose of wandering around the Old Town. I can’t even remember now all the people to whom we talked. Each time you get stopped, you also get invited in for a cup of tea. It’s part of Egyptian hospitality. I have no idea if I am being rude for virtually always refusing, but if I accepted every invitation, I would be bloated and not get home until 2am!

The most memorable shops for me were a tea shop that had some beautifully-smelling guava tea and that also sold a dried-up root thing that developed into a flower, I think, when immersed in water; another shop sold papyrus and the guy demonstrated how he had some special pictures that glowed in the dark; a third shop sold some very good quality leather bags of all colours and sizes. We went into one shop selling sandals. The poor guy there who was trying to sell us a pair was being watched by his boss, so when he was unsuccessful, his manager stepped in! At each stop, we were offered tea.

We also discovered a courtyard with a small fountain that I hadn’t seen before (pictured, but looks even more beautiful when the fountain is working!). There’s only one shop there just now (selling jewellery) and he’s finding it hard to get people even to know it’s there. If he speaks to people out on the seafront, they immediately withdraw, so it’s tough to do business.

The owner of a perfume shop claimed that I had promised to have tea with him the next time he saw me and he managed to guilt me into accepting the offer (“no hassle”) this time. Fortunately for us (if you look at it that way), two customers suddenly came into his shop just as we sat down, so we made a hasty and polite exit.

I hope that tourism picks up and the population of Sahl Hasheesh grows in time so that people can make a good living by setting up shop here. The Old Town is beautifully designed and will make a lovely place for a stroll and a shop. Actually, it already does, if only the people would come!

Sahl Hasheesh - Returning at Night

The Foyer at El Andalous

When Lena first arrived, there were mountains across the bay and a moon in the sky at night. As time progressed, the mountains disappeared (sand storm / heat haze?), as did the moon (total mystery!). The mountains did gradually reappear, but we barely saw the moon again. It became a bit of a nightly mission to try and find it.

Anyway, we mentioned the mystery of the disappearing moon to Esmat on our way back from Hurghada and he gave some kind of explanation, which neither of us caught, so I’m still just as clueless (please contribute to the blog, if you have an answer!). One evening, towards the end of Lena’s stay, we saw the new moon on its back, holding the shadow of the rest of the moon. Two hours later, the moon had disappeared again. It was truly bizarre!

Esmat drove slowly as we entered Sahl Hasheesh and commented that if he had some waiting time in the evening, he would often come to this spot as the stars were so much more visible there. It was true! Thousands of stars were above our heads. Occasionally, as we drove along at night returning from a day out, we would see a fox running across the sands, eyes gleaming.

As we drove towards the Entrance Piazza, Esmat remarked that he could see a ship in the distance and that it wasn’t normally there. It took me a while to latch on to what he was talking about. He drives the route often and so he knows what looks normal and what doesn’t – me, I don’t pay much attention to anything, and wouldn’t have a clue what is usually there.

Eventually, I saw something large and bright in front of us; it appeared to be above the Entrance Piazza, and I couldn’t really see that it could possibly be a ship and I wasn’t convinced that it wasn’t a shop or something that was there all the time. Lena then pointed it out to me to confirm that this was what Esmat was talking about. At first, I was convinced that Esmat was joking. It didn’t look anything like a ship; surely it was a shop that’s always there and he was having us on? However, he was right and I was wrong. It was a huge passenger ship docked at Sahl Hasheesh across the bay from El Andalous. It was bizarre to see its shape floating in the air as we sat in the car. It didn’t seem quite right.

After arriving at El Andalous and paying Esmat, Lena and I walked along the pier to take a closer look. The liner seemed twice its actual size because it was reflected in the water. As we turned back to return to El Andalous, I noticed that the glass-bottomed boat still had staff around, so I took the opportunity to ask when they sailed and how much it cost. After giving us the information, the guy invited us on board to take a look at what it was like.

I would have hesitated to accept the invitation, but to my surprise Lena agreed, and so we both stepped onto the boat. Lena said afterwards that she felt completely safe in so doing; my worry had been more that we would be charged or I would feel obliged to pay a baksheesh (and how much?). Anyway, I was very glad that Lena agreed and this taught me that I must take more opportunities when they are given and stop worrying!

We went down inside to the glass-bottomed viewing room and even though it was night (around 10pm), plenty of fish were swimming round the boat. We sat down with a full view of everything in the sea around us and the guy pointed out squid, tuna (?), and other sea life. The fish swam right up to the windows. Weirdly, you could hear the fish whoosh around outside as there were whole shoals of them. It was an amazing experience. The guy told us that the fish that appear at night were different from the ones seen during the day; apparently the boat goes up towards Makadi Bay every morning. I was never really very convinced about these glass-bottomed boats before, but now I think they must be great and will join every visitor that wishes to go!

We thanked him and left. Before we knew it, that was another day gone.

Hurghada - Fish Market

Fish for Sale!

Boat Making

My life took a fairly fishy theme once Lena arrived. Just behind the mosque, there’s the fish market. It’s quite an interesting place so we dived in there (not literally!) for a quick visit.

We arrived quite late in the day so, by the time we strolled round, quite a few stalls had packed up and the place smelled of its produce. Here, as pretty much anywhere in Hurghada, a few wild cats were strolling about or just hiding from the sun among the stalls.

There is a huge variety of fish for sale, including parrot fish (I provided a photograph of a live one in an earlier blog). I remember Brigitte reporting back from her trip to the market feeling distressed that people could kill and eat these beautiful fish. But there they were, rows of them, covered in ice, ready for purchase.

It’s hot and it’s open air, so flies were buzzing about. It’s a market, so you have to barter the price – I heard one local arguing over the price of a parrot fish. Towards the back, there’s even a place where the fish are cooked directly from the stalls and you can eat it at the counter. I believe it’s very good, but I’m not that brave. Similarly, there is a fish restaurant opposite the market, which is reputed to be excellent. If you are a fish person, food-wise, it would be a good thing to have this restaurant at the top of your list to do.

Also to the back of the fish market, at the right, is a small harbour for all the fishing boats. Presumably, they come here, offload the fish, which then go directly to the market stalls. You can’t really get fresher than that. However, these small boats make a stark contrast to the luxury liners in the Marina situated just next door.

You get a good view of the mosque from the fish market and at the back, to the left, there’s also a boat yard, where you can see boats in various stages of construction. The boats are all made of wood, on land, in the backdrop of the mosque to the left. It’s quite a sight and gives you an idea of how all the trades (fishermen, boat maker, market trader, chef) come together.

Hurghada - First Time in Mosque

Columns Outside Hurghada Mosque

Someone (hello, Holger!) misinformed me that Hurghada was the only mosque in Egypt that didn’t allow foreigners inside. Either I misunderstood or things have changed because, to my surprise, I discovered that foreigners, and even women, were allowed to enter the building.

I started off showing Lena the outside of the mosque, which I’ve seen now on several occasions, while we assessed whether the rumour that we could go in was true. The public square outside is huge and it’s good to wander round anyway and observe the impressive building, funded by the people of Hurghada. Anyway, as we were walking about, somebody stopped us and said that we had to wear a galabaya, obtainable from a cabin at the other side of the mosque. This was news to me, since on no previous occasion had this been required.

Not wishing to argue, we went over to the booth and dressed appropriately (although neither of us was skimpily clad in the first place). Now looking like two good Muslim women, we re-entered the square, taking photos of each other. A guy beckoned us to indicate that we could go inside if we wished. We took our shoes off and went in.

The mosque was clearly set up for tourists  as inside there was a model of the mosque and free brochures explaining various aspects of Islam in a number of languages. The large rug covering the floor indicated where the men needed to kneel to pray (women had a separate building). I believe any text on the walls was passages from the Koran. Once we'd finished looking, we returned to the cabin to hand back our galabayas. Again, the guy inside helped us and we did our best to ensure our t-shirts didn’t walk up our backs as the galabayas came off. I went in second and gave the man our baksheesh.

As I exited, Lena was waiting for me outside,open-mouthed. She informed me that a random guy sitting just outside the cabin had “got his tackle out” to show (wave at?) her on her way out! Right by the mosque and in broad daylight! So much for the women having to cover up! He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t end up getting his thing chopped off!