Temples, Touts and Temperature

About half an hour after we had left Giza our dinners (pre-ordered when we booked the train tickets) were delivered to us - one chicken and one beef. They were a bit like airline food except not quite as tasty. Still, since we hadn't had a chance to stock up on any snacks due to the mad rush for the train they were better than nothing. We slept fairly well considering all the gentle bumping and swaying of the carriage. We were woken fairly early though, at about 5:15am, by the delivery of breakfast. This was a modest collection of little cakes and pastries of indeterminate freshness.

We pulled into Luxor Station about 6:00am, which was only about 15 minutes behind schedule - not that we cared at that time of day. We were booked to stay at the Pyramid Luxor Hotel on the much quieter west bank of the Nile and we knew that from the train station to the ferry terminal was an easy walk of about 10-15 minutes. Therefore we declined all the offers from the taxi and sulky drivers (bidding started at EGP30 and got down to EGP5 by the time we were out of earshot) and just made our way down the still quiet street to the wharf. We had to detour around the grounds of the Luxor Temple, which looked quite impressive from the outside and which we planned to see later, just before reaching the river.

Balloons aloft!

We didn't have to wait long for the ferry across the river and we didn't begrudge the fare of a few pounds each even though it seemed to be free or minimal cost for the locals. It was a short but very pleasant ride in the early morning light. We could see numerous colourful hot air balloons taking to the sky further over on the west bank, undoubtedly to offer the occupants spectacular views of the terrain and temples hereabouts. We reached our hotel by 7:15am and were able to wait on the rooftop terrace - with free coffee and water - for the hour or so it took to prepare our room for a (free) early check-in. Given the timing of the daily sleeper train I guess they are fairly used to early arrivals.

Our plan for the day was to see the Temple of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor. The former was supposed to be best seen from early afternoon, once the morning tour groups had left, and the latter was recommended to be viewed around sunset. Therefore, once checked into our room, we figured we had a few hours to take it easy. We started by planning which sites we wanted to see on the west bank tomorrow as this required arranging transport for at least half a day - since they are too far apart to walk, there's no public transport, and it's still too hot at this time of year to consider hiring bicycles. The arrangement we settled on was to hire a car + driver through our hotel, even though this made it more expensive (at EGP600 or AU$47) than if we'd been prepared to find our own driver and haggle over a price directly with him. However with the local tourism industry still in the doldrums since the Arab Spring and attacks on tourist buses, we didn't mind contributing a bit extra to the local industry to save ourselves some hassle. Also, we knew making the booking through the hotel ensured the driver would be reliable - we had heard stories of  drivers disappearing while you were visiting one of the sites because they got a better offer, or claiming they were owed extra money above the agreed price for waiting time, air conditioning and anything else they could think of.

Nice presentation.

During the morning we noticed that there was no hot water in our room and when I asked about it I was told that there was a switch on the wall outside the bathroom that needs to be turned on. Switch duly found and flipped. About noon we headed up to the local "main" street where we found a little restaurant called Bil Hana Wa Shifa, which provided a nice inexpensive meal. We also found a pharmacy to replenish our depleted stock of sunscreen after yesterday's mishap at the end of our desert tour. We saw an interesting looking patisserie too, but apparently its opening time was 3:00pm, so we just noted that for later. We caught the ferry back to the east bank and started walking towards the Temple of Karnak as we searched for an ATM. It was pretty hot by now and, after finding an ATM, still a long way to the temple so we ended up accepting a taxi driver's eventual offer of EGP20 for the trip.

Entry path to Karnak Temple.

We arrived at the Temple of Karnak about 1:45pm and paid EGP120 each to enter. It's quite a big temple complex, with the site covering over 2km². Various pharaohs added to it over about 1500 years - but most extensively during the period of the New Kingdom (about 1500-1000BC) when it was known as "The Most Esteemed Of Places".

Fisheye view.

Diagonal view.

The approach to the temple entrance is along a pathway lined by sphinx like statues that are in various stages of disintegration or restoration. The massive gateway leads into a large courtyard where the walls are lined with hieroglyphics that narrate various legends and stories of ancient battles. The Temple of Ramses III is off to the right but for my money the most impressive part of the temple was straight ahead - the Great Hypostyle Hall. It is like being in a forest of 134 giant columns towering above you. The roof has nearly all gone now so it is quite light, but it must have been a bit dark and imposing when covered. There are still stone beams across the tops of some columns and many of these are still adorned on the underside with colourful hieroglyphics.

Underside of crossbeams.

Decorations in pillar tops.

Moving on you come to the Obelisk of Hatshepsut, which at 30 metres is the tallest in Egypt. Apparently it was originally covered in an alloy of gold and silver. Beyond that the temple remains are more badly ruined so there was less of the "Wow!" factor for me. We did a circuit to the south of the temple to see the Sacred Lake - quite big but not overly impressive in its own right. Nor were the prices charged by the cafe next to it.

The obelisk.

We had been led to believe that the Karnak Temple closed at 4:00pm but as we left at about 3:45pm we realised that either we had been misinformed or a whole lot of people were entering for a very quick look indeed. No matter, we'd seen everything we'd wanted to see and were ready to move on. Given that it was so hot we wouldn't have minded moving on with an ice cream in hand, but the shops around the temple entrance wanted an extortionate EGP30 for them, not the EGP10 we'd paid in Cairo.

Riverside promenade.

We started off to see if we could walk back to the Temple of Luxor, initially accompanied by a rowdy bunch of young school kids wanting to practice their English with all the usual questions. Before we'd gone too far the road veered away from the river but there seemed to be a walkway along the bank so we followed that. The walkway actually became quite a nice promenade, with lots of grassy areas and we couldn't work out why more people were not making use of it. We stopped at one point to dip our hands into the waters of the Nile, which we hadn't actually touched until now. Later we had a chat to couple of young French guys who were trying to find the entrance to the Luxor Museum, which, on the map, seemed to be right next to us. I think we were looking at the back of it and the entrance was around the other side.

View of temple from the wharf side.

It ended up being quite a long walk, but with a cooling breeze coming off the river it was much more bearable - and much more scenic - than a walk via the road would have been. The Luxor Temple is situated opposite the ferry wharf we used to cross to our hotel, but the entrance was around the other side which entailed a walk of an extra few hundred metres.

The sphinx lined road.

We were actually feeling fairly weary by the time we'd bought our entry tickets (for EGP100 each). Sunset was approaching and this is considered a good time to see the temple with the last of the sun's rays on the stone pillars and walls. Mostly built between 1390-1213BC, the temple later served the purposes of the Romans and the early Christians. By the 14th century the temple was sufficiently forgotten that a mosque was built over part of it. The temple has now been completely excavated. Apparently in ancient times the temples of Karnak and Luxor were connected by a special three kilometre long road lined with sphinxes, and part of this ancient road just in front of the temple has been excavated too.

Between the rows.

The columns lit up at dusk.

The temple entrance at night.

We really enjoyed looking around Luxor Temple, which is possibly more appealing than Karnak. Perhaps it is just that it is more contained so it's more enjoyable to just stroll around a smaller area. We stayed until it was pretty much fully dark (being in the middle of town it stays open until 9:00pm). This allowed us to see the temple under lights, which certainly added to the experience. When it came time to leave, although it was virtually only a stone's throw to the ferry wharf, we had to exit in the opposite direction and walk all the way back around to the other side - and it was a slow walk as we were feeling pretty tired after the long hot afternoon of walking in, around and between the two temples.

When we made it back to our hotel, Laura hopped straight in the bath while I went back up the street to gather some food for dinner. The bakery was now open so I managed to find some things there that looking tasty. I also bought some yoghurt for Laura and a "hamburger" from a takeaway shop. Though, once I got back to the hotel and unwrapped it, the hamburger looked nothing like the picture of the Aussie style burger on the menu - it was just a little meat patty in a small bun. Still, with the fruit, bread and cheese we already had it was enough.

The next morning we were at breakfast promptly at 7:00am because at 7:30am our car was due to arrive to ferry us around all the sites we wanted to visit on the west bank. After breakfast I mentioned that the hot water still wasn't working so the guy on reception said to leave our room key and he'd check on it during the day.

Our driver arrived about 7:40am so we set off on our day of chauffeured touring. First up was the Valley of the Kings. Around 1750BC the Pharaohs got sick of building pyramids to be buried in, and opted instead for underground burial chambers, mostly in what became known as the Valley of the Kings (and not Valley of the Pharaohs for some reason!). Royal burials in the Valley of the Kings started around 1500BC, and continued for about 500 years.

Valley map marked with tombs we saw.

Naturally the path to the ticket office funnels you through a colonnade of shops selling souvenirs and craft works, whose touts were keen to attract our attention (unsuccessfully) as we passed through.
The entry fee of EGP160 (AU$12.40) each entitled us to visit any three of about a dozen tombs currently open to the public - excluding that of Tutankhamen, for which there is a special ticket costing another EGP200. We opted against this extra as from our reading it seems that the popularity of this tomb belonging to a short-lived and otherwise nondescript pharaoh has more to do with the fame of its discovery than anything particularly special about the tomb itself. (The actual burial chamber is said to be small, plain and finished in a hurry after Tut's early death aged about 20). WE also planned to visit Howard Carter's house, where a replica tomb existed, later in the day. There's nothing to stop you buying extra tickets if you want to see another three tombs, but we figured three would be enough. I also declined to pay an extra EGP300 to take my camera with me when it seemed most tombs had a "No Photography" rule anyway. There were little shuttle trains waiting outside the ticket office, which cost another EGP4 each, but since it was already pretty hot we figured we might as well save ourselves some walking. However it turned out that this shuttle was only to the the actual entry gate about 200 metres away -  it didn't offer a drop off around the various tombs stretching up the valley.

The valley is quite desolate.

We'd done some reading through the LP guide to try and pick which three tombs to see, and from a shortlist of about 5-6 made our selection. However, when checking in my DSLR camera at the valley entrance (which left me with only two cameras - my Canon compact and my iPhone!) the chap there had some recommendation about which tombs to see. As they were all on our short list we changed our preferences slightly, reasoning he had no vested interest in which ones we saw. The valley itself is a pretty desolate looking place - barren and rocky and not a blade of vegetation in sight. And still pretty hot in the back-end of summer - must be unbearable in mid-summer.

Map of KV2.

The passageway.

Colourful text.

First up was tomb KV2 (for Kings Valley #2), belonging to Ramses IV (who reigned 1156-1150BC). This is the only tomb to contain text from the ancient Book of Nut, which traces the sun's daily path through the cosmos. The red granite sarcophagus is the largest one in the valley - empty now of course, his mummy having been relocated to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. I noticed that despite the "No photography" rule plenty of people were using cameras - mostly smart phones or little compacts - to take photos with various degrees of discretion, so I figured I might as well do so too. One chappy was even taking photos with a flash which is a BIG no-no given the damage that can do to the delicate colours in the tomb. I didn't see any caretakers tell him off, but I sure did!

Map of KV14.

A winged god figure.

Someone's excited?

We planned to visit KV11 next but somehow missed the sign for it and continued on to KV14 instead. It was originally for Queen Tawosret but later reused by her successor King Setnakhte (1188-1186BC) who added a second burial chamber for himself. Tawosret's burial chamber is notable for scenes from the Book of Caverns.

Map of KV11.

Text in colorful relief.

We backtracked and found KV11 belonging to Ramses III (1186-1156BC) and went in to check out our lucky last choice. It must have been getting pretty crowded in the valley by the time they were digging this burial chamber because about half way down they broke through into the neighbouring tomb of Amenmeses - oops! - and had to change the line slightly. Maybe that's why it ended up being one of the longest tombs in the valley. At least that meant plenty of wall space for colourful reliefs depicting the usual burial texts. Ramses III managed to spread himself around in the afterlife - his sarcophagus is in the Louvre in Paris, the lid of it is in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, and his mummy is in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

By this time it was about 10:15 and we were finished with the Valley of the Kings. We noted that there was no ticket check when we hopped on the little shuttle train outside the entrance. On the way back through "souvenir alley" Laura actually managed to buy a little "alabaster" lizard for EGP50 - the vendor's opening asking price had been EGP650 (AU$50)!

The cliff towers over the temple.

Some of the colourful artwork.

The god Horus and pharaoh.

We piled into our air-conditioned car for the next stop, which was to see the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, or "Hot Chicken Soup" as the queen's name is sometimes rendered in jest. Here we parted with another EGP80 each but decided to forego the short shuttle train ride to the entrance and just strolled over instead. Much of this temple has been meticulously reconstructed from its previous state of disrepair and some refurbishment is still ongoing. It is a massive structure spread over three levels and dramatically situated in front of towering red cliffs. There are a lot of colourful depictions of various religious texts on the walls - amazing that so much of the colour still survives.

View of columns.

Working in the fields.

After spending an hour here we treated ourselves to a free ride back to the ticket office on the shuttle train (they don't check for return tickets) and headed for Deir el-Medina or the Workmen's Village. This is where we discovered that we needed to buy tickets for this venue, and others we wanted to see, from a central ticket office in Habu village just under a kilometre away. So we hopped back in the car to be chauffeured there, and bought what we believed were all the tickets we required for the rest of the day (Workmen's Village + Habu Temple EGP80, and Howard Carter's House EGP50).

Panorama of the Workmen's Village.

Rabbit v Snake!

Anubis tends to a mummy.

Spreading their wings.

Back at the Workman's Village, as well as viewing the remains of what was once a walled village for the middle class artisans who worked on the various tombs and monuments in the area, there are at least three tombs made by and for the artisans themselves. These are decorated in a less formal way than the royal tombs and the illustrations on the walls have more to do with everyday life. They have quite vibrant colours and are an interesting counterpoint to the royal tombs. Access to some of these tombs is quite steep though and being small they were quite hot and stuffy inside. Given the midday heat and lack of shade we opted against taking a stroll through the remains of the actual village itself, or over to the Temple of Hathor on the far side of the village, and headed back to the car.

We went next to see the Medinat Habu Temple and ran into a problem. Due to a miscommunication we thought our tickets for the Workmen's Village included entry to the Habu Temple. We later worked out that they included entry to the Hathor Temple back at the Workman's Village. Anyway they wouldn't let us in, understandable in retrospect but frustrating at the time, so we had to head back outside and find our driver who wasn't expecting us so soon.

Along the way a man trying to sell us scarves we didn't want latched onto us and couldn't seem to take 'No' for an answer. Even once we were in the car he kept getting his hand in the door to stop Laura closing it so we could drive away. In frustration I eventually leant over, snatched the white scarf from this hand, and tossed it out the door so we could close it and leave. This was a bit cruel  as the guy was really just desperate to make a living in a tourist market that hasn't nearly recovered from the effects of the Arab Spring uprising in 2011 and subsequent civil unrest. Tourism in Egypt is slowly recovering but hotel occupancy rates are still reported to be well below 50%. This explains why, in places like Luxor in particular, which have little else in the way of industry to fall back on, taxi drivers, tour guides and tourist shop owners can be particularly persistent. From our perspective it can be annoying, but from their perspective they are desperate to make a living and put food on the table.

The Syrian Gate.

Lots of writing on the walls.

Decorated columns.

We returned to the central ticket office not far away, bought the correct tickets for the Habu Temple (EGP60 each), and by 1:00pm we were back to check it out. I'm glad we did because it was quite impressive. It is also fairly compact so we only needed about half an hour to have a good look around. It was primarily built as a memorial temple to Ramses III in about 1160BC. You enter through what is know as the Syrian Gate, which is considered a fairly unique feature in these parts. The reliefs on the walls inside include highly stylised depictions of the victory by Ramses III over the Libyans.

The Colossi.

The next thing we went to see we definitely didn't need tickets for - the Colossi of Memnon. These two massive stone statues of Amenhotep III were built in 1350BC and originally marked the entry to Amenhotep's Memorial Temple. However the temple was destroyed by an earthquake about 1200BC and these Colossi are all that's left. One of them used to have a crack in it that was reported to result in a whistle like noise around dawn, until a Roman emperor had the crack repaired in the 1st or 2nd century AD. The statues are easily seen from the road or the car park adjacent, so Laura was able to view them from the comfort of the air conditioned car while I hopped out to take a couple of photos.

The replica of Tut's tomb.

Our last stop was to see the Carter House. As the name implies, the Carter House is where Howard Carter lived during his search for Tutankhamen's tomb. The restored house is set in a nice garden that offers the only greenery for some distance around. The grounds were also "protected" by a horde of particularly persistent young boys eager to try and sell us the usual array of tourist trinkets. The inside of the house contained numerous personal artefacts as well as pictures of the excavation, which made interesting viewing. Out the back was the replica of Tutankhamen's tomb, which the caretaker had to unlock to let us into. The replica itself was not overly interesting - much like the real thing we're told - but the adjacent information displays describing how the tomb was found and cataloged were fascinating.

Leaving the Carter House after about 35 minutes - and running the gauntlet of the schoolboy mafia again - we hopped into the car one last time for the drive back to our hotel, arriving about 2:45pm. I asked at reception if the hot water was now OK and the guy on duty apologised that he'd hadn't yet checked. However he came up with us straight away to look into it. It turned out that there was also a switch on the water heater itself that needed to be turned on. Pity he didn't mention that yesterday.

After freshening up we went out again almost straight away to go back to the Bil Hana Wa Shifa restaurant for a late lunch. It being comfortably after 3:00pm by the time we'd finished lunch we continued up the street so that together we could check out the patisserie we had seen yesterday. After much careful deliberation we bought a range of little Egyptian cakes which were all quite nice.

Thereafter we had a couple of lazy hours. Now that the hot water was working I had a shower to wash my hair. (I know - it was so hot out that you'd think a cold shower would be welcome, but it's hard to wash your hair under a completely cold shower!)

As dusk approached we walked down to the ferry to head over to the east bank. The first job was to visit an ATM to replenish our cash after a lot of ticket buying over the last two days - all up EGP1,300 (AU$100) for the two of us. That done we went to the train station to see if we could buy tickets for tomorrow's 9:00am train to Aswan. Having no joy at the ticket counter it wasn't until Laura had enlisted the aid of the Station Master that we were told we couldn't buy them tonight but instead we'd have to come back at 7:00am tomorrow. Weird! And it meant an earlier start in the morning than we'd hoped for.

We had considered going in search of a bakery that showed up on Google Maps but we ended up just getting some dinner instead at the Al Hareef restaurant across the road from the train station. It was pretty standard Egyptian fare but tasty and OK value. Afterwards we returned to the wharf and caught the ferry back to our hotel. When we explained that we'd have to leave tomorrow before the 7:00am start time for breakfast we were assured that it was OK to come down for breakfast at 6:00am, which was nice. Then we just had to make sure we were all packed up ready for an early getaway tomorrow.

The next morning we were up before 6:00am so that we could bring our bags down with us to breakfast, all ready to go straight after we'd eaten. We certainly weren't the only ones having an early start. It looked like other guests were planning to take advantage of the fact that the Valley of the Kings opens at 6:00am, and begin exploring before the day gathered heat.

We had a good connection catching the ferry and an easy walk to the station to arrive about five minutes before the appointed hour. Again it was only with the assistance of the Station Master that we learnt that there was actually a train at 7:35am but that we could only buy the first class air-con tickets on board, for EGP96 (AU$7.45) each. Which was fine by us - less time to wait.

Sure enough the train turned up pretty much on time, we found comfortable seats in a spacious first class carriage and the conductor duly came along and sold us the required tickets at the advertised price. Farewell Luxor, it's been an enjoyable visit.