Ferry ride over to Valley of the Kings
Never ending negotiations
Horse and Cart in Luxor
Entrance to the Temple of \Luxor
The road from \luxor to the Red Sea
When you run out of firelighters use local Egyptian Gin
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| Megawish Resort |
19 July 2011
Luxor
As there are many historical sites to see in Luxor & as our hotel (the Ibertol Hotel) which overlooks the Nile is very luxurious, we all decided that we needed to spend an extra day in Luxor. I think that we are becoming a bit soft & that our camping days for this trip are over! Certainly at the prices we are paying for our accommodation it does not make sense to camp.
After a very good breakfast on the patio we all decided to take a ferry across the Nile to the west bank where we hired a taxi to take us to the Valley of the Kings. This is where many of the kings had tombs built into a valley of high limestone cliffs. The drive &then walk to the tombs was through very harsh & arid mountains. Although there are many tombs, we decided to see only three. Although they have been partially defaced over the years they were still very impressive considering that they have been there since thousands of years BC - quite mind boggling.
After that our guide / driver took us to a factory which makes many of the curios out of stone etc. Needless to say we all ended up buying & although probably over paid, it was still an enjoyable experience. After that we visited the temple of Deir El- Bahari which is the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Although impressive, with views back over the green Nile valley, It was disappointing as we could not enter the inner temple.
We then went via the Colossi of Memnon before catching the ferry back to the hotel & having a well deserved swim & drink at the hotel swimming pool, which is in a barge which is on the Nile in front of the hotel. Doug, Charl & Mike then toured the Karnak Temple north of Luxor whereas the rest of us visited the Luxor Temple. Both were very impressive & ended a busy tourist day for all of us. What makes things tiring is that from the moment you step outside the hotel you are hassled by Egyptians trying to sell you something - it really gets to you big time, & can make a pleasant experience become unpleasant.
We also have given the English credit for their terms of “gypo guts” & “how to gypo work” as we have experienced these while being in Egypt! Luxor however is a beautiful city with tree lined streets along the Nile & beautifully decorated horse & carriages for transport. We have really enjoyed our stay here.
After an enjoyable meal at the hotel we all retired early. Unfortunately we have just discovered that 2 gas bottles have been stolen off the trailer which was parked across the road from the hotel. Tomorrow we drive about 260 kms to our destination of Hurghada on the Red Sea.
20 July 2011
Hurghada on the Red Sea
We all agreed that as the trip to Hurgada was only about 260kms on tar that we would leave Luxor at our own time. Rudi & Adri left first but had to turn back to Luxor a few times as the trailer’s shock absorber that Rudi had secured to his BMW kept coming loose. With a little help from wire Rudi secured it & they were on their way. They were followed by Mike, Charl & Doug, but they also did not get too far as Doug had a puncture due to a nail in the tyre. Roger & Jo left next with Cheryl & I bringing up the rear after enjoying a leisurely breakfast.
The drive was interesting with many contrasts. The first 65 kms was on a road in between the Nile & a canal. Although busy, the road was attractive as it was lined with beautiful & vibrant bougainvilleas. We then turned east & drove straight through the Eastern desert to the Red Sea. The desert started off being sandy, but soon descended through very rocky mountains, eventually returning to sand at the Red Sea.
We then drove about 50 kms next to the Red Sea through this sandy desert on a new double road. It became immediately evident that we were in tourist country as we passed many holiday developments. We eventually arrived at our resort, Magawish Swiss Inn Resort, which had been recommended by the other East London car guys who had stayed there a few days earlier. Doug negotiated that we pay 45Euros per person for lunch, dinner, bed & breakfast. As a result we decided to stay longer than one night. We soon however realised that this resort is geared for the masses. Although far from full there are many East Europeans staying at the resort. After lunch in a huge dining room we were given our room keys, but not given help to find our rooms or help with our luggage. It was very hot & as the resort is so big with chalets scattered over a large area, tempers ran high! Once we had eventually found our rooms we spent the rest of the afternoon around the pool & trying to consume our monies worth in drinks. This actually proved quite difficult as we discovered that the free drinks had to be drinks from Egypt. The beer is good but they pour it into very small glasses, the wine is also good, but usually with no ice. The spirits are undrinkable! Although the gin bottle looks like Gordons gin & the wisky looks like Johnnie Walker Red Lable, they taste completely different: the gin is Gordoons Special Cairo gin & the whisky John Azores Red Label!! Now we know how they manage to stop South Africans from drinking too much. After dinner none of us could drink any more local drinks, so we all went to bed early!
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