Luxor
Trip Start
Sep 07, 2010
1
6
8
Trip End
Sep 15, 2010
Luxor, Nile River Valley, Egypt
Sunday, September 12, 2010
After sailing nearly 300km up towards the red sea, it was finally nice to get off the felucca and stretch the legs, bum and back. But it was another hour drive to our first stop the kom ombo temple. Which was huge, it was essentially 2 temples made for 2 gods. Normally its one temple per god, but this one was for 2. As we were driving through the small town we noticed the rubbish mounds everywhere and found out that the Egyptians have no waste system, the rubbish just piles up in the streets. On our way to the next temple, we passed (and photographed) allot of men, children, people riding donkeys!
Our next temple was the temple of edfu The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus On our way out of the town I was desperate for the toilet and ray stopped at a local hangout and asked if we could use the toilet, he informed us there was no running water in the entire town but we could use it if we wanted to. I was desperate! But that was one of the worst toilets I’ve ever come across!
We arrived in Luxor just after lunch and decided to go find the internet, a guy from a shop got his son to take us to one that appeared to be in the slums of Luxor but we got there in the end. Then as we were leaving some boys followed us out, they must have been about 12 years old, at first they were talking to us nicely, then when we said bye they asked us for a kiss then when we said no they tried to touch our bums it was kinda scary, I mean no wonder women cover up, if 12 year olds treat women as a piece of meat imagine what their fathers are like. We fast-paced/almost ran back to the hotel but along the way ran into another 2 from the tour and decided to go for a wander on a mission to find a supermarket. Allot of people seemed like they wanted to help us but then we realised most of them just wanted us to pay them or go in their shop! It was very frustrating. We wandered through the bazaar which was a whole other story; the men keep yelling at us girls and trying to get us to look in their shop. I was getting kinda overwhelmed by them all. It was like being locked in a small room and their voices were the air that was taking over, I was almost at the hyperventilating stage when we hit the main rd. I guess I need to toughen up, but after those young boys trying to grab me and then the men hassling me, I welcomed the hotel for a nice shower and peace and quiet.
We had dinner at the hotel, it was yummy- was nice to have some meat. Then ray took us to a jewellery store and then caught a local bus (a van basically with its side door left open and people jumping in and out every 5 mins) back to the dreaded markets. My haggling is definitely getting better. I’m not sure if that because I’m actually getting good or cos I’m running out of money and can’t afford what they want!! We had a shisha with ray then headed home bout ten
