We walked around for awhile to soak in the awe of Karnak. As the sun furiously beat down on us, we continued to walk along the Nile River toward the train station located in the center of town. Throughout our journey there were microbuses, taxis and horse carriages offering us rides. They seemed unable to grasp the concept of two tourists choosing to walk over receiving a ride. One carriage driver told Kale that I was, "nooo good. madam, noooo good." I suppose he was insulted when I crossed the street to get out of the shadow of his lingering carriage.
After about a half-hour walk, we made it to the shop-lined street where we would find the Egyptian Railway at the end. We climbed the steps, passed the Egyptian police guarding the entrance with AK-47's, and were inside the station. Unfortunately for us, there was no air running through the station whatsoever, and sweat was literally pouring from our foreheads, necks, backs and arms.
On a quick side note, makeup is absolutely pointless here. You are better off keeping a fresh face, and just accepting your natural beauty. I have managed to make it three days without makeup, and although I feel plain, and my eyes look like beady pink rims with a few hairs sticking out for lashes, my skin is better off for it in the long run. We decided not to purchase our train tickets right then because we wanted to definitely stay an extra day, and possibly two. We would return when we knew exactly when we were ready to leave Luxor.
After leaving the train station, we walked back down the street in the direction we came from, and stumbled upon a large street market housed in a narrow alleyway. We decided to have a look, and passed small shops with every type of Egyptian jewelry, clothing, artwork, food and music you could imagine. As soon as we started walking down the alley, we were bombarded by offers to visit everyone's shop, and try on everyone's clothing. We stopped at a small clothing shop, and met the owner, Bob. Behind his shop was a glass door, which lead to a room that was approximately 10 ft x 10 ft with a high ceiling with built-in shelves that houses Egyptian cotton blouses and pants from floor to ceiling. The brick floor had three small stools where he told us we could sit while he showed us some pieces of clothing. The stools were about one-foot off the ground, by the way. He brought us some tea, and we tried of some shirts, and ended up with two white cotton blouses. After we made our purchase, he made us some tea, and we sat and talked for a while. We met one of his friends while we were there. She was a very nice English lady in her late forties to early fifties. She volunteers at an orphanage here in Luxor. After about half an hour, we said our good-byes and headed for Luxor Temple. It was amazing!
Luxor Temple, which is located on the east bank of the Nile, is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex that was founded in 1400 B.C.E. The most notable parts of the temple that are still standing are the baroque chapels, the colonnade, the sun court, the entrance pylon and two obelisks, one of which was sent to France. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area. We walked around for about an hour, and then decided it was time for happy hour.
After about a half-hour walk, we made it to the shop-lined street where we would find the Egyptian Railway at the end. We climbed the steps, passed the Egyptian police guarding the entrance with AK-47's, and were inside the station. Unfortunately for us, there was no air running through the station whatsoever, and sweat was literally pouring from our foreheads, necks, backs and arms.
On a quick side note, makeup is absolutely pointless here. You are better off keeping a fresh face, and just accepting your natural beauty. I have managed to make it three days without makeup, and although I feel plain, and my eyes look like beady pink rims with a few hairs sticking out for lashes, my skin is better off for it in the long run. We decided not to purchase our train tickets right then because we wanted to definitely stay an extra day, and possibly two. We would return when we knew exactly when we were ready to leave Luxor.
After leaving the train station, we walked back down the street in the direction we came from, and stumbled upon a large street market housed in a narrow alleyway. We decided to have a look, and passed small shops with every type of Egyptian jewelry, clothing, artwork, food and music you could imagine. As soon as we started walking down the alley, we were bombarded by offers to visit everyone's shop, and try on everyone's clothing. We stopped at a small clothing shop, and met the owner, Bob. Behind his shop was a glass door, which lead to a room that was approximately 10 ft x 10 ft with a high ceiling with built-in shelves that houses Egyptian cotton blouses and pants from floor to ceiling. The brick floor had three small stools where he told us we could sit while he showed us some pieces of clothing. The stools were about one-foot off the ground, by the way. He brought us some tea, and we tried of some shirts, and ended up with two white cotton blouses. After we made our purchase, he made us some tea, and we sat and talked for a while. We met one of his friends while we were there. She was a very nice English lady in her late forties to early fifties. She volunteers at an orphanage here in Luxor. After about half an hour, we said our good-byes and headed for Luxor Temple. It was amazing!
Luxor Temple, which is located on the east bank of the Nile, is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex that was founded in 1400 B.C.E. The most notable parts of the temple that are still standing are the baroque chapels, the colonnade, the sun court, the entrance pylon and two obelisks, one of which was sent to France. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in the area. We walked around for about an hour, and then decided it was time for happy hour.
About ten minutes later we found ourselves in a small open-air bar with two ice-cold Sakara beers in front of us. Sakara is an Egyptian beer by the way. It's a lager. At this particular moment, I don't think I had ever tasted anything so amazing. Then again, we had been walking around in 120-degree weather for the previous four hours.
After leaving the small bar, we headed for a roof-top restaurant to watch the sunset behind the West Bank of the Nile. It had been a day full of excitement and education. We looked forward to the next day, which would take us to the West Bank, The Valley of the Kings, and Banana Island.
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