Day 24 - Monday November 17, 2025 - Exploring Luxor

 

The Temple of Karnak

This was our last morning on the ship and breakfast was at 6:30 and we were off the ship at 7:30 am   Sam, our guide did a fantastic job getting us to the temple before the hoards of people.  

Our first stop was the Temple of Karnak complex.  It was known as lpet-isu or “most select of places” by the ancient Egyptians.  It is a city of temples built over 2,000 years.  This could only have been the place of Gods.it is the largest religious building ever made covering about 200 acres.

It kind of a work in progress always being added to by the regime in power.  There were the Egyptians who built it and then when the Greeks conquered Egypt, they added to it, then came the Romans.  

Nearly every king who reigned during 1550–1069 BC, Egypt’s age of empire, left his mark here.

We walked from area to area where Sam told us the highlights and then moved to another location.  By the time we left at about 10 am, it was elbow to elbow with day trippers.  You could barely find a clear 4” to walk.  But we really had first sight of the temple this morning.

Notice the Rs(sphinx) on the right and left of the gate entrance 

Not only did the sculptures capture the Ram images, each only has Ramses II at the foot of each Ram.  This one is the best preserved.

Carvings of Ramses guarding a temple door

This is king Tut and his wife beneath him

The gate and entrance to what was the enclosed portion of the temple 

These carvings are over 6 feet tall 

These are the Egyptian hieroglyphics during their early reign 

There were 134 columns holding up the stone roof

The definition in these carvings on the columns and the color that remains is outstanding 

These obelisks were erected to honor the pharaoh ruling at the time.  This one is 200 tons and 80 ft tall. It belongs to king Tutumoses and is 3500 years old

This is the tallest of all of them annd was erected by Hatshepsut (c. 1473–1458 BC), standing at a colossal height of almost 100 feet tall and weighs over 300 tons.

This is a statue of King Tut who came onto the throne at 8 years of age, married at 11 and died at 18

The serenity pond built to have water flow from the Nile and used for contemplation 

We left there and went to a papyrus museum.  This was the first “shopping  trip”  we’ve been taken on.  Papyrus is made here using freshly grown papyrus from their fields.  Sam, our guide, trusts this business and we were warned about buying papyrus elsewhere in bazaars or anywhere for that matter.  It wouldn’t be real and would crack when rolled.   

Here at the museum, the owner showed us how it was made from the plant, cutting the stalk to size , peeling the outer green layer which is too tough to use for paper (papyrus) and then pounding and mashing the remaining white inner

core.  It is soaked for one to two weeks depending on what color you want the papyrus.  One week would get you beige colors and two weeks, darker brown colors.   It is then put under a weight and the water squeezed out.  The papyrus has a high sugar content and so the strips stick together without any glue.

Sam showing us a papyrus plant

The owner explains the process 

Cutting the inner core into strips

Here you see how two strips just stick together 

After drying under weight, the strips start to make up a sheet of paper (papyrus)

A finished sheet about two weeks in the making before they are hand painted by artists in their shops

Then of course it was time to shop.   Each item had a price on it and and was given a 25% discount.   Let’s say it still wasn’t cheap.  And yes a small painting will be making it home with me.

We went back to the shop for lunch.  Leave it to our guide!  We don’t eat lunch on the ships yesterday because of our long touring day so he worked a deal to get us lunch there today.  

From there , the bus took us literally across the street t Luxor Temple.   I’ve had enough temples and while I’m not overly tired right now, the tour would only be an hour, I stayed on the bus ( and got to write this).

From here we go to our hotel for the night; just one night before flying back to Cairo tomorrow morning.  5 am breakfast, out the door and onto the bus took at 5:55 am and to the airport for an 8 am flight.  In never going to leave this hotel today.  The room is fantastic and the shower is a walk in rather than the big bathtub I’ve had on the last two ships that are crazy difficult to get into and worse getting out.  I may not get out of the shower tonight.  

Luxor looks like the 3rd world country you expect.  Driving through the streets tells me I don’t want to walk on my own.   Our guide says it’s absolutely safe but not to believe anyone who says he knows your hotel and can take you somewhere.    You won’t get hurt, he says it’s safe, but they will hit you up for money.  

And then we drive up to this fantastic hotel.    Gorgeous and huge rooms.   Our guide made sure we all have views of the Nile.  4 different restaurants to close from.   I could live here if I never went out into the streets.

Wayne on his way in to our home, but just for one night 

Our building, the 2nd of two towers.  Ours faces the Nile.

The view from our balcony with the Nile in the background.  

Dinner tonight was on our own and it felt good to not eat with a group of people and a buffet.  We went downstairs to the Italian restaurant and had what I call American food, a pizza, with BEEF pepperoni because pork is off limits.   We split a small one which was plenty and then went to a shop in the hotel for some no pressure buying!  Amen!  It was a good evening and now to early bed as we leave at 5:45

for the airport.

We land tomorrow morning in Cairo and go to a Jewish synagogue as well as a Coptic church (Christian).  And afterwards the grand bazaar and more salespeople getting in our face trying to sell me something.  Spices, I want to look at spices.  I was told it would be cheaper than Istanbul.  We shall see.

We’re winding down our Egypt tour and on Thursday we fly again to Jordan for our journey to Petra and the last four days of our trip.