Day 126: Luxor from Safaga, Egypt

Friday, 12 May 2017
Steigenberger Nile Palace — Luxor
Position (at the hotel): 25.68.98N / 32.63.30E

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.
~ Henry Miller ~

Egypt — said to be the oldest tourist destination, with ancient Greeks and Romans coming here in droves to see the pyramids and the Colossi of Thebes.  This was the country we arrived in today when our ship docked in Safaga — one of Egypt’s biggest harbors — but with a population of only 50,000.  Not that we were going to be visiting the port city.  No.  Our destination was Luxor — the City of Palaces.  It was another hot, hot, hot day in the region.  The high in Luxor, I learned when we got to our hotel, was just over 102F (39C) today.  The bad news — according to our guide — it is supposed to be even hotter tomorrow.  But that’s for me to worry about after a good night’s rest.

I was up at 4:30a this morning.  My body clock, not realizing that we gained an over overnight because Egypt does not observe DST, thought it was 5:30a.  I went to sit on the veranda, but it was downright cold!  I’m not complaining, mind you.  The breeze felt good, but it was too chilly to sit outside without additional layers, and I was too lazy to dig them out from the suitcase under the bed.  The Red Sea was quite choppy, too.  Haven’t seen conditions like this in quite a while.

We had already finished our room service breakfast and were packing the last few items in our overnight bag when the shoreline came into view.  That was around 7:00a … so nice not to have heat haze or smog veiling the scenery … even if the landscape was not particularly exciting.

Cruise Director Ray came on the P/A around 7:30a with the announcement that the passports were ready to be picked up on deck 4.  We’d been told that the pilot would be bringing aboard the stamp necessary to give us entry into Egypt.  Nice that the plan worked as it speeded up disembarkation later.

Shortly before 8:00a, we headed to the gangway on deck 3.  It took 20 minutes or so before the ship was cleared.  Then, two Egyptian officers yelled out to the line of waiting passengers to open passports to the entry stamp page as we walked past them.  They didn’t really care to match faces to passport photos … just wanted to see the stamp.  Two minutes later we were off the ship and walking towards the minivans and small cars lined up on the pier, waiting to collect their passengers.

I booked today’s overland tour with Ramasside for just the two of us at USD $325/person … exclusive of dinner, but inclusive of hotel, transportation, guiding services, admissions, and lunch both days.  The price was not inexpensive perhaps, but the total for the two of us was less than what one person paid for a similar overnight with Oceania, so I think it wasn’t such a bad deal after all.  Our guide and driver — both named Mohammed … “call me Doma” our guide suggested — were waiting for us at the bottom of the gangway and led us to a van that could have easily accommodated 12 people with room to spare.  We were given to understand that the guides and drivers are free-lance, with the vehicles belonging to the drivers.  So mode of transport in part depended not only on group size, but also on what the assigned driver happened to own.

We were driving away from the ship in short order.  We didn’t go far, though.  Apologizing profusely for what he said was unnecessary red tape, Doma took us to the terminal.  Here we got out of the van to go through security.  Hah!  What security?  Sure, there was an x-ray machine — no one was manning it.  Sure, there were immigration kiosks — no one was manning them either.  So, we walked through the deserted terminal and went out the other door to get back in our vehicle … followed by fellow-passengers going through a similar process.  By 8:30a, we were driving out of the port … our destination: the convoy meeting point.

As we waited for the convoy to form up, Doma introduced himself and outlined his credentials — degree in tourism and archaeology; masters in hieroglyphics; 10 years experience as a guide.  We were obviously going to be in good hands.  Then he opened a map of Egypt and outlined the plan for our overland trip.

Our 170+ mile (280 km) drive would be made in two parts.  First we would drive — as a convoy — on a highway crossing the desert … about 1½ hours.  Then we would veer onto what he described as the Agricultural Road, which follows canals into which water from the Nile has been diverted for irrigation.  This section, he told us, could take anywhere from 2-3 hours, depending on traffic and the number of police/military checkpoints operational today.  He warned us that there would be lots of speed humps on this section — all built by the locals to slow down the traffic.  Convoying across the desert was a security measure I had read about and, therefore, expected.  In fact, I thought we would do so all the way to Luxor, but it turns out that once we turned onto the Agricultural Road, with all its towns and police/military checkpoints, a convoy was not only unnecessary, but also inconvenient.

It took about ten minutes for enough vehicles to line up to form the first convoy heading to Luxor.  We were then given the clearance to get moving.  Thus we set off on what I am going to term the “dance of the vehicles.”  Driving at the highest speed allowed, the vans and cars used both lanes of the newly-paved Desert Highway to juggle their positions in the convoy.  Soon tour busses were joining in the dance.  At a mandatory rest stop — the one and only one during our drive today — the vehicles all came to a helter-skelter stop.  We were one of the earlier vehicles to stop, so the ‘new’ bathrooms that we were directed to were clean, although the tile was wet and slippery.  Not sure I want to know what conditions were like for those who came in the vehicles that followed.  We later learned that the convoys usually stop at a bigger, more modern facility, but for some reason the drivers were directed to use this one today.

Once we turned off on to the Agricultural Road it was every man for himself.  The convoy dispersed, with all the vehicles going bumpity-bump-bump over the speed humps.  We went through occasional security checkpoints along the way.  At each one, our driver simply told the guard he was carrying two Americans to Luxor for an overnight stay.  This was recorded in a log along with the license plate.  Doma later explained that the license plate would be checked off by officials when we run the gauntlet of checkpoints on the way back tomorrow.  Thus if something were to go wrong in the interim and we didn’t go through the checkpoint, an alert would go out to look for us.

The road was a busy one and gave us a peek into daily life.  We passed lots of vehicles and pedestrians … men, women, and children were everywhere.  Some of the galabia-garbed men were carrying rifles — local policemen was the explanation we were given.  The fields were fertile … some still green; others showing the yellow color of harvest.  Amongst the trees lining the road were lots of date palms — 20 different types in Egypt according to Doma.  On one side of the road, a wide canal was filled with water diverted from the Nile.  We saw some kids swimming, but otherwise the water seemed to be used for its intended purpose — irrigation.  Sections of the road were lined with oleander bushes — the fiery red and pink flowers adding color to the scenery.

I commented to Doma that there sure was a lot of construction — multi-story buildings of what looked like adobe bricks.  He explained that most were actually completed — exterior paint jobs not being necessarily a priority here.  He also explained that a family would start constructing one or two stories of an apartment building and then stop until they had more money to continue, or leave it to the next generation to add on to the building as necessary when a son or daughter married.  That certainly explained all the rebar we saw sticking out of the top of buildings that looked to still be in the construction phase.

When we arrived in Luxor, we opted to delay our lunch and head directly to the Karnak Temple, a complex that is home to a series of temples constructed between 2055 BC and 100 AD … each built by a different ruler … each vying to make his temple bigger and better and more elaborately decorated than the preceding ruler.  It was 12:45p.  It was hot.  But in the end, it was worth it.  Not that there weren’t plenty of people at Karnak, but at least there were no large groups to contend with.

A quick aside about temples in Egypt before I continue.  There are two styles — divine and mortuary.

Divine temples were dedicated to a god or a triad of gods.  These were on the East Bank of the Nile — which is the side we visited today.  There are 20 such major temples remaining — including Karnak and Luxor.  Often subsequent pharaohs added on to these temples, with the innermost section being the oldest.  The temples consist of 5 elements: (1) Avenue of the Sphinx … can be different styles, including rams or falcons, or typical sphinxes; (2) pylons or gate; (3) open court with battle scenes and other stories relating to the pharaoh building the temple; (4) colonnade with depictions of events during the pharaoh’s life; (5) sanctuary … decorated with statues of gods; only entered by the king or priests. 

Mortuary temples, on the other hand, were built for a pharaoh to be worshipped as a deity after he passed into the next life.  These were constructed on the orders of the pharaohs while they were still alive so that the temples would be ready for when they died.  The longer the pharaoh lived, the more elaborate and highly decorated the temple would be.  These were always built on the West Bank of the Nile … where the sun sets.  They were constructed with different design elements, which I will write more about after we visit a few of them tomorrow.

Back to today.

I couldn’t help it … honest.  My first glimpse of the heavily carved pillars — there are 134 of them — in Karnak’s Hypostyle Hall brought to mind the scenes filmed here for the James Bond movie, “The Spy Who Loved Me” … featuring Roger Moore in his third portrayal of the fictional spy guy.  That was just a momentary lapse on my part though.  Soon I was focusing on what Doma was telling us about the series of temples here that were dedicated to Amun, Mut, and Khonsu … one of ancient Egypt’s triad of gods.  Everything was on such an overwhelming scale that it was no wonder the people of the time believed the temples to be where their gods lived.

From the Avenue of the Sphinx … at this temple they were portrayed as a ram; to the pylons protecting the temple; to the tall pillars topped with lotus capitals; to the carvings etched into seemingly every available surface; to the statues and obelisks; to the giant scarab sitting on a pedestal; to the Sacred Lake where statues of the gods were floated on barges … everything, but everything was amazing.  Then my attention was caught by the color that remained in some of the carvings from all those years ago … and my jaw dropped.  This was one of the most wondrous places I’ve ever seen, and I could have easily spent the entire day exploring its nooks and crannies.  But it was past 2:00p and our tummies wanted to be fed.

Continuing to chug Gatorade in huge gulps — trying to keep our electrolyte levels up and heat exhaustion at bay — we headed to the vehicle with Doma.  Ahhh … to have working A/C … such a wonderful thing.  Off we went to a local restaurant located within the hubbub of downtown Luxor.  I never did get the name of it.  The place was obviously one that Ramasside used for all groups booked through them.  Soon we were joined by others trickling in with their guides.  Doma said the waiter would bring a couple of mezes first — lebnah, tahini dip, and salad (we took a pass on the latter, though it was likely safe to eat) — followed by grilled chicken served with a side of rice.  It was all delicious.  Drinks were extra — USD $1 each for a soda … but 2 Egyptian Pounds if we wanted to pay with the local currency … which no one wants to accept … not even the Egyptians themselves.

We didn’t dally over lunch.  By 3:00p we were at the Temple of Luxor on the banks of the Nile River.  A newer temple, this one dates from around 1392 BC to somewhere around 300+ BC when Alexander the Great added a granite shrine.  The first part of the temple was built by Amenhotep and added on to by other pharaohs, including Tutankhamen and Rameses II.  Here the Avenue of the Sphinx was indeed lined with statues of the lion-bodied man, behind which a row of palm trees provided shade.  In front of the outer pylons — built by Rameses II — once stood two obelisks … one of which was given to Louis Philippe in 1831 and now stands at the Place de la Concorde in Paris.  At least the two colossal seated statues on either side of the gate and the standing one of Rameses II still remain.

This temple is also dedicated to the same triad of ancient Egyptian gods — Amun, his consort Mut, and their son Khonsu, the God of the Moon.  The Hypostyle Hall inside is smaller than the one in Karnak … just 32 columns.  The 14 columns of the colonnade at the far end of the courtyard are decorated with open-flower papyrus capitals.  The carvings were as impressive as the ones at Karnak; the colors — where they survived the ages — just as brilliant.  One thing that was different from Karnak was that this temple continued to be used by Christians and Muslims for worship … with the addition of a church and a mosque to the grounds … the latter still in use today.  It felt odd to stand inside a pagan temple and listen to the call to prayer by the muezzin at the mosque, but that’s exactly what we did.

Again, our timing for visiting was good.  There were very few people at the Luxor Temple, and by the time the groups started to show up, we were ready to leave.  Well, not really ready, but we were drained from the heat and we knew the right thing to do was to go to the hotel to rest up — especially since it was here that we ran into two fellow-passengers and changed part of our plans for tomorrow.  But more on that in tomorrow’s blog post ;-)

Of the hotel options presented to us by Ramasside, we opted for the Steigenberger.  Which turned out to be lovely.  Quite modern; simply but nicely decorated with all the amenities one might require.  Our room — # 414 — had a side view of the Nile and the pool area.  The balcony was small, but it was too hot to sit out until after sundown anyway, so that didn’t matter.  It being near the end of the tourist season — with Ramadan just two weeks away — the hotel was definitely under-booked … not that it really mattered to us.  The only negative — and it wasn't a biggie really — was that wi-fi was only available in the public areas.

Mui changed into his swimsuit as soon as we were settled, and down to the pool we went.  I found a lounge chair in the shade and sat down to read while he enjoyed the pool.  I was too distracted by the views and the dhows sailing on the Nile to get much reading done, however.  We stayed poolside until sundown.  The big bright orb was a lovely red ball on the horizon across the river from us … and when a couple of dhows sailed in front of the setting sun, our picture perfect sunset was complete.

Since we ate a late lunch, we weren’t very hungry.  But we knew we’d be missing breakfast, so a light dinner was in order.  Of the restaurants in the hotel only a few were open.  One of them was El Tarboush — featuring Lebanese dishes.  Situated in the courtyard it had outdoor seating, but it was too hot and humid to make al fresco dining pleasant.  When Mui asked if there was any way they could keep us cool, they directed us to a section towards the back and turned on a portable swamp cooler.  Excellent!

From the extensive menu, we selected hummus, stuffed grape leaves (meh), lebnah, falafel, and kobbeba [kibbe].  All of this was preceded by two dips — compliments of the chef … though we did not realize that and thought they were two of the cold mezes we had ordered.  Thus we ended up with more food than we originally wanted, but it was all so good that not much remained on the plates when we were done.  I washed my food down with Sakara, a local beer, and Mui ordered sparkling water.  The funny thing — the waiter automatically assumed the beer was for Mui and served it to him ;-)  For dessert, the waiter suggested muhallebi — a kind of pudding — so that’s what Mui ordered.  Luckily it was a small portion as I had no room left to eat another bite, so he had to do the ‘heavy lifting’ … so to speak.

Today turned out to be simply amazing … and we still have another day to enjoy here.  Doma had told us at the outset that most of what we would be seeing today would be about 4,000 years old.  That’s a number that is hard to wrap one’s head around — especially when one sees how well preserved some of the ruins are.  We’ve always had in mind to do a land-based trip to Egypt.  That decision has now solidified in our minds.

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