Our first stop today was the Temple of Karnak. It was another one of my favorite things in Egypt. It towers like a Gothic church. (Each of these pillars is thicker than a tree!)
the first peace treaty in the world, between Egypt (Ramses II) and the Hittite Empire (Hatusili III)
(hieroglyphics in the Temple of Karnak)
that forest of pillars again, with Vera, Alex, Sara and the best tour guide ever - Doaa!
goats outside of Karnak
Vera is skeptical as our evil driver hands us what is apparently a train ticket to Cairo for three people. It is indecipherable even for native Egyptians and is written with pen on torn blue paper. That's what I call "official."
Next up was the Temple of Luxor. It wasn't as cool as Karnak, but it was still pretty sweet.
Roman-era painting of (possibly) the Last Supper
Notice how the newer, Christian stuff has mainly worn away, while the thousands-of-years-older Egyptian stuff has remained. This supports my theory that people are so fascinated by the ancient Egyptians because they have come closer to permanence than anyone else.
Alexander the Great, depicted as a pharaoh and remembered by the Egyptians as a liberator, being given the key of life (Ankh) by the sun god Ra
We asked some man and his wife to take a photo of us. While we were positioning ourselves, the wife walks in front of us, ready to be photographed (by my camera?!). Then he snaps this award-worthy portrait. After that she walks right up to him so her face covers the entire shot.
(Notice I'm not even ready for the photo, because he gave us absolutely no warning.)
And we just got back into Cairo. The overnight train again took 12 hrs, partially because we were stopped next to some green, lit-up minaret for literally an hour and a half! Bleh. I hate the trains in Egypt.
Oh, and before I close, I want to address two comments/questions on my last post:
1) Shockingly, Luxor manages to defy natural law and maintain an extremely hot temperature right through midnight.
2) And as to the "Welcome to Alaska" thing: We actually got three more "Welcome to Alaska"s in Luxor, so we decided to start asking around. But no one knows for certain. A friend of Sara's says it's because of the ironic temperature difference between the two places. The wonderful Doaa suggested that they just don't know what they're saying. Our tour guide from the day before (Menan) said she thought Alaska was a well-known city, and that the Egyptians just assume most Americans come from there.
8 comments:
So now you have yet another lousy train story...
The temples etc look truly amazing though. I especially liked the line of birds (pigeons?) at the top right of your first photo. And the hieroglyphics are everywhere! Even on the underside of the beams! What an amazing journey - from fellucas to camels!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Love
Dad
ps.Thanks for the answers!
Good morning!
The blue train ticket to Cairo - did you really use that?
I loved the close-up of the Temple of Karnak.
Was your train ride back air-conditioned? On the way back to Cairo you have some sort of couchette/recliner, or was it just a regular train?
I hope you had a couchette of some sort; 12 hours is a long ride!
Welcome to Alaska - I can't figure that out. Is there some sort of American television show named that that the Egyptians might be familiar with?
Well, the trip to Luxor was long and hot but in the end I am sure you would say it was well worth it.
I think you fly back to Konstanz later today (or is it tomorrow?)
Have a safe trip.
Back to classes! That is a novel idea.
thank you for all the wonderful posts.
love you
Oh! I thought those "birds were LIGHTS! It struck me as incongruous. I like the birds better...
So these pillars... what kind of tree are they thicker than?
I miss you a ton! I'm glad to see you're having so much fun, and I thought I'd let you know that your entertaining blog has kept me from falling asleep more than once at work. :)
When you come back I think it's high time we lose another game, don't you think?!
Oh, and I'm putting in two votes this 'blog-a-day' thing...
I think I will start producing my own train tickets for Baltimore/ DC. I wonder what the metro would think?
Very cool posts Colin, love the pics. Even the one taken by the inept man and wife team! What a lot of history and culture you are getting a chance to see. Welcome to Alaska is a bewilderment... fun tho. I googled it and this is what they had to say:
"welcome to alaska" an Egytian welcome to tourists sarcastically reffering to the local heat
hmmm there was also this:
ALASKA CAMP, DAHAB / EGYPT
Welcome to Alaska Camp, Dahab/Egypt
Alaska Camp is dedicated to independent backpacker travellers in Dahab, Egypt.
Right in the heart of Dahab`s main beach (only 10 Metres to the sea), Alaska Camp provides the perfect base - great value, local culture, unbeatable atmosphere and the opportunity to meet other travelers from really all over the world.
Gr Pat getting in rather late on Sunday...Colin, I loved hearing about Temple of Karnak. You are too young, but a few years back on the Johnny Carson TV show, JC played Karnak the Magician in a crazy skit. Maybe your folks would remember; it was clever and everyone laughed just looking at it even before they began to talk.
Couldn't help thinking, on that long train ride...what if you had ended up beside a RED light in the minaret? You would prob still be there!
Love your photos, all of them. The food always intrigues and doesn't look too bad; not for $3 and a place to sleep !!! Back to classes and Constanz. Love, Gr Pat
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