We were transported from the Sinai Peninsula town of Sharm El-Sheikh to the mainland port of Hurghada on the luxurious high speed 'Travco' passenger boat.  All accounts of Hurghada rated it poorly along with its trashed coral reefs, so we jumped on the next bus heading straight for Luxor.  It was 3 am by the time we arrived, and checked in at a hotel that offered us a double room w/air conditioning (a must in this climate) plus breakfast for a little over four dollars a night!  After rising in the late morning we filled the remainder of day one in Luxor familiarizing ourselves with the layout of the city and its monuments and caught our first glimpses of the famed river Nile.  Finally we felt that we had arrived in Egypt proper.  There was a real buzz to the place and the street scenes were more like those we had envisioned, especially after the all too familiar face of the Red Sea coastal towns.
The streets of Luxor are generally dirty and dusty and the acrid, diesel-perfumed air is laced with the smells of cooking and spices. The street vendors and taxi drivers all try to catch your attention and vye for your business, sometimes becoming pushy and incessant in their attempts; but this is life in Egypt, everyone is at the hustle, hard bargaining is the norm, and sometimes its just all too overbearing.  All said, the people are in fact very friendly, welcoming and happy just to chat with you and get to know more about where you are from and what you do.  'Welcome to Luxor' is spoken by all! Tourism is tantamount to the economy here, and everybody wants to do their best to make you feel at home, especially after the 1997 massacre of 58 tourists on the west bank at one of the temples.  This horrible incident crippled Egypt's tourism trade for quite some time, though it appears to be recovering now.  The presence of Tourism police is overwhelming, especially at all the monuments and places of high tourist density, obviously the Egyptian Government's way of showing tourists that they are now safe in this country.

    The Nile River is broad and beautiful, swiftly flowing north with its source in the Sudan.  It is flanked with a thin fertile strip of agricultural land before abruptly terminating at the sandy line of desert.  Unfortunately this River of Life, which the entire country is so heavily dependant on is quickly becoming very polluted, due to industry, agricultural run-off and the heavy traffic that plies its waters.  The big tour boats that resemble floating boxes, of which there are more than 500 on the river, belch diesel fumes that leave a horrible black streak hanging over the water; visibility is limited at times and the smog line is ever present. While venturing around the bustling streets of Luxor we inadvertently happened across the 'Brooke Hospital for Animals'; a privately funded free clinic which is part of a worldwide UK network that treats all animals but mainly focuses on horses and donkeys, which are abundant here in Egypt.  The non-profit clinic tries to educate local people with working animals how to care for them humanely as well as treating their sick or injured animals.  They provide some financial support to these Egyptians so that they can purchase alternate animals, instead of wearing out the ones that they work everyday.   They run an incentive program that provides a prize for the best kept horse and carriage each year. It has now been in operation for three decades and has two other clinics south of Luxor.  We saw some gruesome photos of abused animals that had been treated here, (before and after shots) and met the head vet who was a kind and compassionate man.  Without judgement he went on to explain to us that these people look at their animals as endentured slaves, and it was one of his jobs to educate these men on ethical treatment.  Our hearts went out to these poor creatures, but we felt that there was hope in this little place and that they were making a real difference for these animals as well as their owners.

Clicking on any picture will take you to a larger image and tell you more about the photo.

    In the evening Annette and I visited the Museum of Mummification, situated on Luxor's East bank overlooking the Nile.  It houses a fascinating collection of mummified specimens, implements of this ancient practice, coffins and other paraphernalia.  The tools they used included chisels, razors, tweezers, forceps, spatulas and spoons for removing the brain from the skull cavity, brushes for cleaning and needles for sewing the bodies back together.  There were four beautifully carved alabaster 'caponic' jars that were used to preserve the viscera of the deceased.   Each jar stood about 18 inches tall and had a carved head for the lid; the human-headed jar contained the liver, the falcon-headed the intestines, the jackal-headed the stomach and the baboon-headed the lungs.  There was a fully preserved body of the High Priest of Amunre complete in his carved and decorated coffin of the 21st dynasty.   Other examples of mummification included a baboon inside its coffin with the sealing resin evident, a cloth wrapped ibis (type of bird), a cat, fish, newly born crocodile and most impressive of all, a fully grown crocodile at least 7 feet long.  Many of these creatures were considered sacred to the ancient Egyptians and cults often arose around them.

Day 2.
    We opted to take a guided tour of Luxor's West Bank , where the valley of the Kings and Queens are located, as well as the Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut.   Our guide was 'Mr.Sunshine', who spoke very good English and was a veteran Egyptologist. From the exterior the tombs of the Great Pharohs are rather non-descript.   No more than a rectangular hole penetrating the steep limestone hillsides, yet what lies beyond is an awesome tribute to the great rulers of the Pharonic era.  We visited four underground tombs in all, one in the valley of the Queens and three in the valley of the Kings.  Typically from the entrance of the tomb you descend down a gradually sloping tunnel, often about 12-14 feet high, with colorful carvings and inscriptions depicting scenes from the life of the deceased King or Queen and passages from the Book of the Dead which refer to the afterlife.

    Valley of the Queens: Tomb of King Ramases III's son, Amunherkhepshep, who was only nine years old when he died.  Along with the empty sarcophogus of the young Prince, there was the remains of a 5-month old fetus.  It was reputed to have been aborted by the Queen as a result of her grief at the loss of her young son.  Valley of the Kings: Ramases VI, who ruled for 27 years, Ramases IX and Amenophis II.  These tombs date back as much as 1500 years BC and vary in condition.  In the case of Ramases VI, the tomb was known to the Greeks as far back as 300 BC.  It had been looted of all its treasures and suffered some damage over the centuries in the form of defacement and early graffiti.  The most recent find and most beautifully preserved tomb is that of Queen Nefertari, where the colorful wall paintings are as crisp as the day they were applied.   We unfortunately did not see this tomb; tickets are limited to only 150 visitors per day and for a limited viewing time of 10 minutes each at a cost of 30 dollars a head!  The imagery we did see in was breathtaking and we were truly awed that these colors could sustain so vividly over the millennium. The ancient Egyptians used a mixture of powdered stones, some precious and semi-precious, as well as minerals to obtain the necessary color and mixed this with a paste of arabic gum and eggs.  The size and complexity of the tombs was directly proportionate to the length of time a King or Queen ruled.  In the case of Ramases II his rule lasted 67 years, though the tomb is still being excavated and isn't open to the public yet.  Obviously it will be an impressive site when revealed.   As soon as a Pharoh was crowned, construction began on his/her tomb and when he/she died it ceased quite abruptly.  In the case of sudden death, you can see evidence of the inner chamber where the Pharoh was laid to rest being hastily completed.  The imagery is simple instead of the usual intricate carved inscriptions which were then painted.  The ingenious Egyptians used a series of reflective mirrors made from copper and bronze to transmit the sun's rays inside the otherwise pitch black chamber.  They also employed a kind of smokeless torch made from salt and vegetable oil.

    Chris and I decide to rent horses for a sunset ride into the desert on Luxor's west bank.  We run to the local ferry as the sun is rapidly advancing toward the western horizon.  We meet a young man named 'Ahmed' who was very eager to take us to his 'cousin's' stable.  Chris is willing to listen to him and we decide to accept his offer.  We get to the stables and meet the cranky owner and begin the usual bargaining for the hourly rate.  Having settled on the fee, they put me on a grey dapple Arabian stallion! (that's what I get for saying I have experience!) Chris is on a docile chestnut mare and our guide 'Ali' rides a donkey.  We head for the hills via a small Nubian village, passing through farm fields and quiet back streets.  I notice a stirring along the canal-side and catch a glimpse of a young alligator as it scurried for the protection of the reeds.  My horse seems eager to take off and as soon as we reached the desert dunes, 'Prince' takes off like a bullet and all I can do is pray that I don't fall.  I am mixed with terror and exhilaration simultaneously.  To have that kind of power beneath you is awesome.  Through the desert we run to the crest of a dune and stop there to admire the beautiful sunset, with its rich hues of purple and scarlet.  We gather to witness the fading light as the night approaches and return to the stables.

________________________________________________________________________

On to part 3... KARNAK, EGYPT