Luxor is a must to visit if you enjoy sight-seeing holidays, also if you have any interest in Egyptology, this is the place for you. In order to visit such a beautiful country you will require a Visa, purchased from the Egyptian embassy in London. You will need to send your passport to London and they will send you your passport via the post stamped and ready to go, for around £10 to £20 quid. (It was in 1999 when I visited, prices may have changed)
Injections I required were Tetnus, and Hepatitis A which I received from my GP. I also took a course of Malaria tablets, which can be purchased from any chemist, prices vary.
The pace of life here is slow and relaxed, so hopefully you will be able to adjust to this life style very quickly, and enjoy what Luxor has to offer.
The majority of hotels are close together. with in walking distance of one another, they are clean and airy, friendly staff are eager to help and are very pleasent. I wondered if this was to ensure that they got a
bashees,(tip) when your stay was over.
I stayed at the Winter Palace Hotel which over looks the Nile. This hotel I would give a five star rating to, for its cleanliness and service. As I said before the staff are helpful and eager to please, food is excellent and there is plenty of it. Breakfast is buffet style (No Bacon this is a Arab country)lunch the same, evening dinner is waiter service. The hotel itself is set in beautiful gardens, plenty of seating is jotted around so you are able to enjoy the views. A large swimming pool helps to complement the grounds.
There are so many places of interest to visit so be prepared for a lot of walking and take flat shoes with you to wear, never go any where with out the inevitable bottle of water, you will need it.
Valley of the Kings
An early morning start is made to visit here. You cross the Nile by ferry, a ten minute crossing. The first place you visit is the Valley of the Queens, you can go down into the Tombs if you wish, however it can be a little claustrophobic. It is a steep walk down but the paintings and Hyraglifics on the walls are beautiful, each one tells its own story. The tour guide who accompanies you fully explains who was buried in each tomb and what all the drawings mean. Next the Valley of the Kings, again you can go into the tombs where the tour guide explains everything to you. In this area is the most important tomb of all, the one every one knows about, Tutankhamuns, this tomb is unbelievable, you try to imagine all the treasures which surrounded this boy King, you really experience a part of history. The whole area in which both the Valley of the Kings and Queens is so peaceful and serene. The temperatures sore here and the heat is very intense. Overall a must to see.
Karnak Temple. Karnak Temple is another place to visit, the whole area is amass with large engraved columns which dwarf you as you stand beside them.A must to see is the avenue of Spinxs, they line both sides of the road to the approach of the temple entrance. In side here is a large lake surrounded by seating again very peaceful and tranquil.
Karnak Sound and Light Show. This is visited at night, the whole area is dark and sets the scene for the show that follows. The lake is lit up and you hear the water rippling, actors then narrate the story of Egypt long ago with the sounds to emphasise the story. A really excellent experience, well worth seeing.
Soukes Well what do I say about these. You need loads of time and patience. It took me two hours to buy T- shirts and table linen after all the haggleing was done, it is an experience I will never forget, but one I really enjoyed, my purchases I bought for next to nothing. Everything you buy here you haggle for, but I think that makes the fun of buying. Hopefully you come away with a bargain, you can buy anything here really cheap.
Shops There are a great deal of shops where they have fixed prices, these tend to be on the expensive side, and not as much fun as the soukes.
Visits to places that make papyras, perfumes and other sellable things can also be arranged and are really interesting as old methods are still used.
To sail in a falucca across the Nile is great, they are little sailing crafts owned by the locals. However negotiate a price before hand, the same goes for the horse drawn carriages.
Be careful crossing the roads. The drivers here are Mad, there is no order at all. It is facinating to stand on a street corner just to watch, 4-5 people on a motor bike, furniture moved about on carts loaded very precarisly, nobody giving way or caring. The noise is terrible.
One experiance you may feel you would like to try, is camel riding, I am not joking. No, I hear you say, its worth giving it a try. The villages on the North bank of the Nile have locals who take you on a camel tour along the banks of the Nile, here you have a chance to see the real Egypt, I felt as though I had gone back in time.The only thing wrong with this is that you have a stiff bum for a couple of days.
The down sides of this holiday for me were very few, they include the intense heat, dust,constant pestering of locals to buy their goods, asking for money and small children out on the streets begging.
Best buys for me were; spices, cotton garments and linen, Egyptian gold and perfume.
I would definatley go again.
SHOPPING BASKET. (In 1999)
Bottled Water - 20p from Street Venders. Cigarettes - 50p for 2o (Very BAD habit of mine!) T-Shirts - ranging from 50p up over after haggling. Table Linen - £2.00 which included table cloth & 6 napkins, after haggling. Spices - £1.00 which were mixed. (yum) Tea & Coffee - Approx 50p.
TOUR PRICES.
Valley Of The Kings - £10.00 GBP Karnak Temple - FREE Karnak Sound And Light - £8.00 GBP (All prices include coach and tour guide)
Total price of my holiday with Cosmos and flying with Air Tours on a late deal half board for Two long weeks was £489.00 (A bargain in my view)
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Hi glad you enjoyed your stay in Luxor,Its my favourite place in all the worid.Surprised you had to send your passport away,as we always just get our visa in Luxor airport.Last visit it was £15 but we have paid only £10 in the past and once got it free,but that was the year after the massacre at Hatshepsuts temple and not many were going.Ialways keep my inoculations up to date,but my GPdidnt mention Malaria tablets but we did need them when we went to Kenya.We,re going back to Luxor in April with our little godson,so I will need to check up on the visa situation before we go.
jasonmymail 11.10.2003 17:19
A really original and informative review, especially liked the shopping basket!
Bigbaz 11.08.2003 23:22
It sounds just great, almost like Tynemouth last Saturday..Baz
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Aug 9th, 2003
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