The pool at the Meridien Luxor offers a modern oasis with views to the Nile and the west bank. Heavenly! |
Luxor, Egypt -- East Bank "Bonus Day" |
Look how closely packed these enormous columns are |
What a treat to wander through the Great Hypostyle Hall once more |
Our second visit to Karnak gave us the chance to look for unusual photo angles |
We love nothing more than a "bonus day" to explore on our own an amazing sight like Karnak Temple |
Explorations near sunset let us capture the interplay of sunlight and shadow on this stone column with papyrus etching |
Hieroglyphics with papyrus leaves -- How much more Egyptian can you get? |
We wandered to parts of the temple complex less often visited |
If we hadn't explored on our own, we would have missed these views across the Sacred Lake to Queen Hatshepsut's obelisk |
Flowering vines droop from the balconies |
The view down to the large tiled courtyard from our second-floor room at the Meridien Luxor |
The fee to enter Karnak on your own is quite low -- 20 Egyptian pounds (about $4 US) when we visited |
Doorway view of Queen Hatshepsut's obelisk |
Our favorite view of Karnak Temple Complex, from the far side of the Sacred Lake |
Egyptian priests stood in this exact same spot before purifying themselves |
Our horse-and-buggy driver insists on waiting for us while we explore Karnak Temple, then he takes us on the return trip, but hardly in a direct line. Instead we find ourselves in the midst of Luxor's central market as dusk falls. This is the real deal, where the locals shop. Our horse clops through narrow alleys with vendor stalls crowded to either side. Men with turbans smoke sheesha pipes at outdoor cafes and women purchase food for dinner. At a butcher’s shop we watch three men struggle mightily to attach an entire cow’s carcass to a meat hook hanging just outside the shop. We get a glimpse inside a mosque of men bowing and praying. Narrow side alleys sport hundreds of fluttering triangular flags, their meaning unknown to us. Bowls brimming with colorful spices fill vendor stalls. It's intoxicating to be virtually the only tourists making their way through Luxor marketplace at night. We pass a shop and our driver insists we get out and take a look around. "Just look," he assures us. Okay, we look, and we end up buying a pretty piece of papyrus artwork and some perfume for our moms. So much for just looking. Our driver stops once again at a spice store. The spice merchant has us smell each spice by rubbing it with his finger against our palms. He asks us to try to identify what each spice is. Confidingly, he whispers in my ear so I can impress Robin with my great knowledge. Cardamom, I say -- and what a surprise, I'm right. Coriander. Red saffron. Oregano. Robin is duly impressed before being let in on the secret. Of course by the end of all this we've purchased five small bags of spices. We manage to barter the price down from a ridiculously high 350 Egyptian pounds to 85 (about $14). I have no idea if this is a good deal or not (probably not), but what the heck. I tell the driver, "Please, no more stops, we're out of money," and it's not far from the truth in terms of what we've brought with us. He nods pleasantly and we continue on our way, clip clopping through back alleys and poorly lit streets that are alternately packed with people and alarmingly empty. In one dark alleyway our only company is a stray cat bounding over a stone wall. But we finally find ourselves within sight of the Luxor Meridien. We've been gone much longer than expected, but we can hardly regret it because we've had such an adventure. Now all that's left is haggling with the driver. A ride that was supposed to cost 20 Egyptian pounds round-trip (a very low sum we never expected to pay) has now blossomed into 100 Egyptian pounds. The driver would like more, of course, but that's all he's going to get because it's all I have left in my wallet after all the stops we've made. In any case, we're quite sure he's getting a cut from the shops we visited. In the end, the $20 US we spend isn't much, especially when you consider the ride to and from Karnak, the long wait at the temple, and the “bonus detour" through the marketplace that we didn’t ask for but did enjoy. They say it's good to stay open to unexpected experiences when you're traveling, and this was certainly an unexpected but highly memorable experience. |
Late afternoon sunlight bathes this ancient doorway in soft light |
Exploring Luxor's Central Market |
Start of our horse and buggy ride from the hotel to Karnak |