Day 179: Luxor

Luxor was my favorite place in Egypt. There were many historical sights within easy reach. The traffic was not congested like Cairo. The accommodation was cheap. Last but not least, the McDonald's in front of the Luxor Temple had a free Internet Wifi that actually works.

Luxor Temple at night

The Valley of the Kings was on the top of our list. When we got there, there was a "mini-train" waiting to drive you to the main gate. It wasn't free, of course. When I asked how long it would take to walk to the main gate, I was told five minutes. It took us less than that. It was so short that we saw the same people waiting in the mini-train being dropped off at the main gate. I think you spend more time waiting for the mini-train to fill up than walking. The Valley of the King was in the Horn mountain. The setting was spectacular, especially given the historical significance. Once inside the tombs, we were a bit disappointed because they were all empty. Most treasures were on display in the Cairo museum. Several tombs were closed (not sure why).

The Karnak temple was equally splendid ... if you can filter out the other one thousand tourists. Boy oh boy, that place was busy. Loads of tour buses. The packaged tourists come in herds. Despite the crowd, the scale of the ruins was beyond my expectation. If you go there, go in early morning to avoid the crowd.

Nile River at Luxorpoor donkey

check out the unfinished roof tops all over the city