Luxor

Well what can I say about Luxor, except that it's my favourite place in Egypt.

The amount of history, monuments & temples here is unbelievable. I would have no problem spending a few weeks here that's for sure. The first place we checked out was Luxor Temple as it's located next door to most of the hotels. Amazing! Now let me just warn you in this Luxor section you will hear the word "amazing" mentioned quite a few times.

Luxor Temple is quite big & a definite must see for any one. The temple is surrounded once again by some statues of who else but Ramses. As you enter the temple it is broken up into quite a few court yards. Not too long ago in 1989 they found 26 New Kingdom statues hidden under the main court yard. These pristine statues are now on display at Luxor Museum. After our guide had showed us around & told us all the wonderful stories we were led outside & shown the "Ram Headed Sphinx. These line the entrance to the temple & in the old days they use to run a few kilometers down the road to join up to the magnificent Karnak Temple.

May favourite thing I saw in Egypt would have to be Karnak Temple. Not enough can be said about it. I knew this would also be one of my favourites before I got here based on what I had read. The first night we arrived into Luxor we headed to the Sound & Light Show at Karnak Temple. This was possibly the best thing we could have done to build the excitement for this temple. It is the only sound & light show in Egypt were you get to walk through & not just sit on a seat. The light would light up just enough so you could make out the shapes & also enjoy the show. By the end of the night though, it had me well & truly excited for the visit the next day.

We rose quite early for breakfast then made our way down stairs to our waiting horse & carriage. We managed to arrive ahead of the crowd but it wasn't long before the tourist buses came flooding in. We heard a few stories from our guide before we were set of to explore by ourselves. The most amazing thing about this place would have to be the hypostlye hall in the middle. The pillars that use to support a roof are about 25 meters high & still have a little bit of colour showing on the underside.

The thing that makes Karnak so amazing is the sheer size of the place, it's 1.5 kilometers by 800 meters. Just inside the first courtyard is a statue of Ramses which is fully intact & looks amazing with the wall & palm trees behind it. I was determined to get the perfect shot of it & stood there for 20 minutes with no luck. That was until Peter from my trip set up his tripod for me & it was like Moses parting the Red Sea. The crowd just got out of the way & I took my shot. That photo now hangs in my lounge room, or at least it did when I had a home.

Another big one for us in Luxor was "The Valley of The Kings". We rose early once again for a drive across the Nile rive & then into the desert mountains. Along the way we stopped at the Colossi of Memnon, a pair of seated statues in a field that use to be a temple. It is said that some of the great conquerors of all time past by these statues & believed hey were haunted as they use to sing & speak. It is thought today that it would of just been the wind blowing between the rocks.

As you drive into the Valley of The Kings you pass a small but humble house on your right situated up on a slight hill. This was the home of the famous archaeologist Howard Carter, the man who discovered & shared King Tut's Tomb with the world. Once you purchase your ticket it entitles you to enter three tombs of your choice, except for one, Tut's. If you want to see this one you have to buy a separate admission ticket. When you enter a tomb, you usually have to make you way down some very steep stairs & then through a hallway. The colour on the wall's just takes your breath away. It's so hard to believe that they were painted up to 5000 years ago. All the hieroglyphic are covered by protective glass to stop ignorant idiots from fingering them. You can no longer take photo's because a lot of the people kept breaking the "NO FLASH" rule.

Whilst in Luxor we also visited the Mummie Museum which was good. Not as big as Cairo's museum but it does showcase everything the ancient Egyptian use to mummify including people, cats, birds, crocodiles & anything else that moved.