Driving from Luxor to Aswan

Day three of our trip involved us driving by road from Luxor to the beautiful city of Aswan (or Asswan as its’ correctly spelt). Barbara and I have visited Aswan on a number of occasions but each time we have arrived by Nile cruise ship. As we’ve sailed down the Nile to Aswan we’ve seen the road that seems to follow the river and often wondered what the drive would be like.

We’ve also seen the railway track that at certain points seems to hug the river too. As we’ve sailed we’ve watched the farmers tending their fields as well as the people who’s settlements and houses are perched right on the river bank. Driving down gave us the opportunity to see what was on the other side of the bank and drive through the various small towns on the way to Aswan.

In total the drive took us about two and a half to three hours but our driver wasn’t’ rushing and often we found ourselves caught up in reasonably busy traffic. So I imagine we could have arrived in Aswan more quickly but we weren’t’ in a rush.

What was really noticeable was the intense greenery of the fields and farms between the road and the Nile and the almost complete desert conditions of the land on the other side of the road. According to conversations we had on the drive the majority of Egypt’s citizens live either on the edges of the Nile or in Cairo. From the lush greenery of the land beside the Nile you can see why. For mile after mile we passed field after field of banana trees, corn, cabbages and other root vegetables being tended by farmers and workers who seemed oblivious to the almost 30 degree heat. Continue reading “Driving from Luxor to Aswan”

November 30, 2012November 30, 2012

Visiting Luxor – Day 2 continued…

Visiting Luxor – Day 2 continued

After our stomach-busting lunch at the wonderful Lebanese restaurant at the Steigenberger Nile Palace we were then invited to have a look at some of the hotel’s rooms and facilities, which I have to say were very impressive. The standard twin rooms are very good but if you request the rooms with Nile views, for a small extra charge, then I think you’ll have the perfect base for your stay in Luxor.

Even more impressive are the standard suites that can accommodate 2 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. Having a main bedroom and a lounge, the children can be accommodated by using the large double sofa as a bed. Superior rooms have large terraces and wonderful panoramas of the Nile.

The hotel boasts several restaurants including Nubian, Lebanese and Italian which will give guests the opportunity to eat in different surroundings each night. With 2 outdoor swimming pools and excellent gym facilities and tennis courts the Steigenberger is an excellent hotel if your based in Luxor after your Nile cruise.

After our visit to the Steigenberger Nile Palace we took the opportunity to return to the Maritim Jolie Ville to re-charge our batteries as we were booked to see the Sound and Light Show at Karnak Temple that evening.

Sure enough, after what seemed the briefest time trying to catch 40 winks at the Jolie Ville it was time to catch our mini-bus transfer to Karnak Temple to enjoy the famous Sound and Light Show.

To reach Karnak Temple from the Jolie Ville entails travelling from one side of Luxor to the other. Not a long journey, maybe 20 minutes or so, and it was interesting to see Luxor at night and to drive along the Corniche as the residents took the opportunity to take an evening stroll in the warm atmosphere that Luxor enjoys almost year round.

On arrival at Karnak Temple it was clear from the number of coaches in the car park that there are still an awful lot of people visiting Egypt, and especially the Nile, from all over the world and we could hear all sorts of different languages being spoken as well as hearing lots of American, Australian, Canadian and South African accents.

Barbara and I have been to the Sound & Light Show at The Pyramids and that is really impressive and not to be missed so we were expecting much of the same. However the Sound and Light Show at Karnak is very different. It starts right amongst the Temple itself and the audience walks to various spots in the Temple ruins and the sound and light performances take place in and around the audience. As you can imagine the effect of the booming voices of the narrators as well as the atmospheric lighting create spine-tingling effects.

Each time a narration ends you are signaled to move deeper into the Temple’s ruins to see and hear more of the story of the Temple and of Ancient Egypt. Eventually you reach the “Sacred Lake” where you are invited to take seats facing the lake and the finale of the presentation takes place as you look to the far end of the lake which looks over Luxor city, the Nile and across the river to The Valley of The Kings. It was a magical experience.

Barbara and I would highly recommend it but I would emphasise that the ground underfoot throughout the presentation is very uneven and definitely not suited to those in wheelchairs or for anyone unsure of their footing. There were people in wheelchairs at the beginning of the show but they soon found it impossible to go forward after the initial narration and even those with walking difficulties were really struggling towards the end and were missing out on the experience as they were so far behind the narration by the time they had caught up.

I can only imagine that those people asked if the Sound and Light show was suitable for wheelchair users and those with walking difficulties and had been told that it was. I’m not sure if that was because those who were asked were trying to be helpful and encouraging or if they were merely trying to sell tickets but I can state categorically that it is not suitable and if you are told otherwise then I would ignore that advice.

After our Karnak Temple experience we travelled over to the excellent 5 Star Sonesta St. George Hotel where we had been invited to have dinner and have a look around the hotel by the management but I’ll save that until tomorrows’ post.

November 26, 2012November 26, 2012

Visiting Egypt

As regular readers to the Nile Cruise blog will know Barbara and I spent the week before last (12th to the 20th November) in Egypt visiting Cairo, Luxor and Aswan and introducing ourselves to hotel owners and ships managers.

We are currently selling a lot of Nile cruises and we felt it was a good time to pop over and experience for ourselves how things are at the moment.

We try and visit Egypt as often as possible each year, not just for pleasure but to stay in touch with people that we know and people that we do business with.

We visited Egypt just after the revolution about 18 months ago and found that everyone we spoke to was really excited about the future. Some eighteen months later people are just as excited but perhaps a little tired of waiting for some of the things they were expecting to materialise.

So things are getting back to normal but the tourist industry is still a little slower than people hoped it would be this long after the revolution.

However, as a tourist its’ probably a great time to go as queues are a lot smaller than they would normally be and when you visit the ancient sites such as The Valley of The Kings or the Egyptian Museum in Cairo you will find them a lot less crowded than normal.

During our visit we visited some of the main sites that you would visit on a Nile cruise such as Kom Ombo Temple, Karnak Temple and The Valley of The Kings as well as The Pyramids, The Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. However we didn’t’ sail this time but took the road journey from Luxor down to Aswan with the road hugging the banks of the Nile as we travelled. Continue reading “Visiting Egypt”

October 16, 2012

The Pyramid of Khafre

The Pyramid of Khafre has recently re-opened along with six other ancient tombs at Giza, Cairo after a long period of restoration.

The restoration took over 10 years after it was discovered that the large volume of visitors over the years had raised levels of humidity inside the structures to levels of up to 80 per cent. Apparently every visitor to the Pyramids releases an average of 20 grams of water vapour through sweat and this was causing damage to the plaster that covers part of the Grand Gallery.

According to a recent article in the Daily Mail: Continue reading

July 3, 2012July 3, 2012

The Temple of Horus, Edfu

Continuing our ongoing series about the places you’ll visit on your Nile cruise itinerary we are going to look at The Temple of Horus, Edfu.

Edfu, which is approximately 70 miles to the south of Luxor was regarded by Ancient Egyptians as the place most closely associated with Horus, the falcon-headed god. On your visit to Edfu you will see one of the best-conserved sites in Egypt. It is also the second largest temple after the Temples of Karnak. Continue reading “The Temple of Horus, Edfu”