Back to things "serious." We start around 8 am after a (still) excellent breakfast for the temple of Karnak. We try to find a taxi at a reasonable price but in this city that lives and leaves the tourists, it is simply impossible! Go on for 20 LE for barely 4 km or about 2 to 4 times the normal price ... The city of Luxor is like a giant open-air site. Streets gutted piping running surface, bridges to span ... Even if it's for a good cause, to walk in off season is pretty painful. Sand in the eyes, breathing dust when ... Near the temple, the work is not valid and we can appreciate the place. 
Temple of Karnak. Seen on TV dozens of times, this temple is impressive once at his feet. An avenue of rams into small pharaohs between their legs welcomes us.
   
     
  Further, the famous pillared hall is discovered, and there also must admit, it's both beautiful, very good (say, well restored) and especially impressive. Across the remains of hieroglyphics color brighten the stone. On the wall, as a comic giant, one can see the different pharaohs fight, bringing the spices ... It's magic, especially when groups are rare and it is not difficult to isolate to assess the prospects by the columns in peace. 
        
  Further, part of the temple was built by Queen Hatshepsut, the only "Pharaoh" and rebellious as she ousted her handsome son of the throne and rule. Beautiful obelisks but the overall condition of this part of the temple is quite damaged. 
   
  Still further, we enter the shrine, the holy of holies of the temple, we can glimpse the beauty of the place of yesteryear. In addition, parts re-opened recently and which date from the time of Hatshepsut. The colors are still vivid but all representations of the queen were hammered by her step son, Tuthmosis III, who avenged his stepmother trying to erase its image of temple walls. 
Released this part of the temple, absolutely no tour group. So almost alone that we find the temple of Ramses II, very well preserved and other remains.
Back to the sacred lake and the second part of the temple.
Still no tourists horizon. It is getting hot, but we do not get discouraged and explore this part of the temple, then what does not work because the restorations are in progress.
Around us hundreds of stones are numbered and laid on the floor. They probably expect to find their place ... but when and where?
In the distance looms a small temple dedicated to Khu. It is in excellent condition and without a soul ... except that the visit of the guards!
     
   visit, user manual.  The visit of the temple is not easy if you're not in a group with a guide. Whenever we enter a part of the temple, a guard passes us and says "This way  . Given that in general it is the only way we follow, which he suggests that we want a guided tour. They begin to show us a god on a wall or a cow, taking the trouble to specify "  god" or "cowboy  . Also having eyes, we turn look, hoping they understand. Nothing will work, they continue. They said "The  Choukrane " a dozen times (no thank you) or "La la   vech '(Not gonna). Nothing works, they insist. After these polite responses, the only reply that the effect is "baksheesh   No" (no tip) or a huge annoyance. And this is repeated in every room  , with each new guardian   ... The worst is that they could give us information ... but this is not the case. It is usually a description of what is sees in a language Arabic-English-French which does not equal 10% of information given by our travel guides ... 
It's actually very painful. Even if we understand clearly that the tips that we could give them would enable them to live better by improving their salaries (actually ridiculous), we would stop such harassment after a single polite refusal from us. The most disturbing thing is to say that this behavior was caused by the tourists themselves who give freely and without reason ... and euros or dollars ... We feel a certain shame thinking about the image that some of our countrymen give us ...
Back to the city by the corniche along the Nile. Compared to Alexandria or Cairo, it has room to walk and especially the shadows! By cons, as elsewhere in the city, all kinds of touts harass us literally. Peculiarity of Luxor, a refusal nice for us turns into offense and was entitled to " why? "villains," OK, go away! "frustrated, all for just refuse to take a taxi or callèche and prefer walking along the Nile ... Thinking that we are doing here in Luxor is the only place we hear of " Egyptians" to tell us the price. In fact, as we said Mohsen El Kharga here " five" for a price means nothing: it is either: " five English pounds " (ie x10), " Five dollars (x8) or five euros (x7) ... To make it clear if the units is ensured a scam!
So the rhythm of the horns, " excuse me! "," not expensive, five pounds! "or" Felouca "As we move towards the temple of Luxor.
In the distance, the temple of Hatshepsut stands out from the mountains of the Theban necropolis. (If looking good if it is visible!)
  
Luxor Temple and Museum mummification. On the way we visit the museum of mummification. Well presented and conditioning, we learn a lot about the mummies. Even if it's a bit expensive for a museum that has only one room is a successful presentation. Luxor Temple is absolutely empty of tourists who prefer to eat are in the air conditioning that visiting a temple 14h! I find it very impressive.
  
        
Banana Island. We decided to go see the sunset on a felucca going on Banana Island. Nice ride on the Nile while the island itself is of little interest. Bananas are still good!
     
  
The Old Winter Palace, the hotel "historic" Luxor which has seen thousands of people! On the left, watch the New Winter Palace, which does not disfigure her big brother!
         
  fantastic sunset on the banks of the Nile still quite blank on the west bank.          Train. We find Abed and Carmen to go to the station. Exchange of good plans in the Valley of the Kings. At the station, completely work, we try to buy tickets for our return to Cairo. 
Mission near impossible: general disorganization, queues are not respected, turnkey, who is going to write things out listings as dozens of people wait ... Information crude and grotesque mess! I expect more than an hour for 2 tickets! We wish our trip to two traveling companions and return to the hotel.
Meals. Attempts to eat on the return. We begin by denying us our ticket because he is too old. Feeble excuse here or over Half of the tickets (we did the math!) are scrawled have the tape ... It then seeks to buy a packet of crisps. We announced a 10x its price! Nervousness before so in bad faith. Lying at 1am without eating, we decide not to continue with the Valley of the Kings, but to have a quiet day tomorrow. Main
 
Laundry : 23 LE (made by the hotel)
Taxi: 20 THE
Visits: 60 LE / person . (Temple of Karnak LE 20; Museum of mummification and LE 20 Luxor Temple 20 LE)
Meals + drinks : 40 THE
Felucca : 80 LE (we went through the hotel but after talking about us, it would have been cheaper to go directly to paying the feluccas around 50 LE)
Mem, Cards : 60 THE
 
>> To J20 - Luxor, a city of harassment, closed in August
 
  
Temple of Karnak. Seen on TV dozens of times, this temple is impressive once at his feet. An avenue of rams into small pharaohs between their legs welcomes us.
  A trace of the expedition of Napoleon ...  
 
 After the first tower (the entrance) is a festival of course, small rooms and aisles of all kinds. The statues are huge and well qu'abimées, one can easily imagine the former glory. Released this part of the temple, absolutely no tour group. So almost alone that we find the temple of Ramses II, very well preserved and other remains.
Back to the sacred lake and the second part of the temple.
Still no tourists horizon. It is getting hot, but we do not get discouraged and explore this part of the temple, then what does not work because the restorations are in progress.
Around us hundreds of stones are numbered and laid on the floor. They probably expect to find their place ... but when and where?
In the distance looms a small temple dedicated to Khu. It is in excellent condition and without a soul ... except that the visit of the guards!
It's actually very painful. Even if we understand clearly that the tips that we could give them would enable them to live better by improving their salaries (actually ridiculous), we would stop such harassment after a single polite refusal from us. The most disturbing thing is to say that this behavior was caused by the tourists themselves who give freely and without reason ... and euros or dollars ... We feel a certain shame thinking about the image that some of our countrymen give us ...
Back to the city by the corniche along the Nile. Compared to Alexandria or Cairo, it has room to walk and especially the shadows! By cons, as elsewhere in the city, all kinds of touts harass us literally. Peculiarity of Luxor, a refusal nice for us turns into offense and was entitled to " why? "villains," OK, go away! "frustrated, all for just refuse to take a taxi or callèche and prefer walking along the Nile ... Thinking that we are doing here in Luxor is the only place we hear of " Egyptians" to tell us the price. In fact, as we said Mohsen El Kharga here " five" for a price means nothing: it is either: " five English pounds " (ie x10), " Five dollars (x8) or five euros (x7) ... To make it clear if the units is ensured a scam!
So the rhythm of the horns, " excuse me! "," not expensive, five pounds! "or" Felouca "As we move towards the temple of Luxor.
In the distance, the temple of Hatshepsut stands out from the mountains of the Theban necropolis. (If looking good if it is visible!)
Luxor Temple and Museum mummification. On the way we visit the museum of mummification. Well presented and conditioning, we learn a lot about the mummies. Even if it's a bit expensive for a museum that has only one room is a successful presentation. Luxor Temple is absolutely empty of tourists who prefer to eat are in the air conditioning that visiting a temple 14h! I find it very impressive.
  The second obelisk is on the Place de la Concorde in Paris! PS: look at the size of people at the foot of it left!  
 
 The restoration work gives one side a little "too new" to the temple but it was nice to be able to imagine a little temple at the time it worked. A mosque was built in the temple. Anachronistic but also a bit annoying in such a place, especially with the muezzin ... Banana Island. We decided to go see the sunset on a felucca going on Banana Island. Nice ride on the Nile while the island itself is of little interest. Bananas are still good!
  The Old Winter Palace, the hotel "historic" Luxor which has seen thousands of people! On the left, watch the New Winter Palace, which does not disfigure her big brother!
Mission near impossible: general disorganization, queues are not respected, turnkey, who is going to write things out listings as dozens of people wait ... Information crude and grotesque mess! I expect more than an hour for 2 tickets! We wish our trip to two traveling companions and return to the hotel.
Meals. Attempts to eat on the return. We begin by denying us our ticket because he is too old. Feeble excuse here or over Half of the tickets (we did the math!) are scrawled have the tape ... It then seeks to buy a packet of crisps. We announced a 10x its price! Nervousness before so in bad faith. Lying at 1am without eating, we decide not to continue with the Valley of the Kings, but to have a quiet day tomorrow. Main
spending the day (for 2):Hotel : 60 THE
Laundry : 23 LE (made by the hotel)
Taxi: 20 THE
Visits: 60 LE / person . (Temple of Karnak LE 20; Museum of mummification and LE 20 Luxor Temple 20 LE)
Meals + drinks : 40 THE
Felucca : 80 LE (we went through the hotel but after talking about us, it would have been cheaper to go directly to paying the feluccas around 50 LE)
Mem, Cards : 60 THE
>> To J20 - Luxor, a city of harassment, closed in August
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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