Originally this trip was supposed to be just relaxing and laying on the beach, maybe some snorkeling and swimming but no sight-seeing. I really was going to stick to it! But then...I got an email from our airline suggesting nearby places we should visit and found out that Luxor was only 3 hours away! How could I resist being so close?? I really didn't have a choice. So I last minute planned a couple days in Luxor as a side trip and we had a balanced vacation, albeit a hot balance.
We flew into Hurghada with a quick 40 minute layover in Cairo, luckily quite a few people on our plan were headed there so they held the plane for us. After a drive to the seemingly middle of the desert we arrived at Soma Bay which is a collection of 5 different hotels with restaurants and a really nice spa all together in one gated area. We booked at the Sheraton because we could have direct access to snorkeling right off the beach.
For the next few days we enjoyed the amenities of the resort, we relaxed in the pool, played in the sand at the beach, went snorkeling off the sandbar, and went out on a boat for a snorkeling adventure. It was hot but thanks to a nice breeze it was bearable. Maddy really enjoyed the kids club even though no other kids ever seemed to be there. And we enjoyed some afternoon time to ourselves to catch up on grownup talk and take an occasional nap. We got to use our new GoPro camera finally on our snorkeling adventures and although I don't think anything will ever compare to the Maldives it was still beautiful.
Early Saturday morning we got up and headed to Luxor with a driver and guide. The guide was really informative and it was interesting to hear his perspective about Egypt and world affairs. As were driving along on these seemingly abandoned roads we pull up to a checkpoint where our guide and the police are loudly discussing us in Arabic. I don't speak enough to follow along but I know the word Americans was used multiple times, then on of the officers gets in the front seat of our car. He was serving the role of "tourist police" and escorting us on the drive which we've had happen before it just was a reminder that we were not in Kansas anymore ;-). The road from our resort to Luxor was long and bumpy, silly me expected a highway or something, again forgot where I was! We arrived around 11am and decided to brave Karnak temple before heading to the hotel. It was so hot getting out of the car but I thought we would get used to it. I packed us one water (it was amateur hour really) and loaded down with sunscreen. Of course the entrance to the actual temple is no where near the car lot so by the time we got inside we were all pretty much done. Poor Maddy looked like a beet she was so red and after seeing three people pass out and peeing in a bathroom filled with steaming hot water we decided to admit defeat and retreat. Our poor guide was dealing with the heat a little better then us and even asked if Maddy would whine less if she was a boy (hilarious if you know my adventure loving fearless tomboy). Quite a few people were concerned I was going to pass out on the way out but I wasn't stopping until I made it back to the shade. So, in hindsight, it was a mistake, 117 degrees is too hot under any circumstances. We surveyed the damage which included sunburnt fingers and ears while recovering at our hotel. We told our guide to come back for us after the sun was down.
That evening we ventured back out to visit Luxor temple under the lights, it was still around 100 degrees but at least the sun was down. Luxor temple was as grand as I imagined and I really enjoyed seeing the reliefs built into walls and hearing the stories of Egyptian history. We then headed back to Karnak temple for the lights and sound show. We did the lights and sound show in Cairo when we visited there and it was wonderful, this one was different because you walk through the temple while they illuminate different elements, it was really cool. You finish by over looking the pond where they stored the boats and watching a light show and listening to a narrative. We even got a chance to walk around the beetle statue 7 times counterclockwise and make a wish on our way out. This wish did the trick for Maddy because she found her Minnie mouse right when we got home ;-) Our ride back to our hotel around 11pm really showed us local night life in Luxor, we witnessed tons of people picnicking and two wedding parties out celebrating. Overall we found Luxor to be much more conservative and traditional then Cairo and it was interesting to compare the two.
After the disastrous heat of the previous day we decided to start our time on the West bank at 5:30am. Project "beat the heat" was underway, we were the first people in the Valley of Kings and after a short trolly ride to the site we were on our way exploring! We got to visit three tombs plus King Tut's tomb which was the only one discovered intact. We were able to finally understand how King Tut's tomb escaped discovery because it was built directly under another tomb and none of the others were designed this way so no one considered digging there. The hieroglyphics in many of the tombs were breathtaking and well preserved in color and design, other areas were destroyed from raiders and one tomb even had ash covering part of the wall where soldiers had a fire burning using the tomb as shelter. Makes you wish that more of the tombs were left undiscovered so you could really enjoy the beauty of the discoveries. King Tut's tomb was especially special for us because we had originally seen pieces of the collection on exhibit in Houston then the full exhibit in Cairo and came full circle by getting to see the tomb and mummified remains in Luxor. Unfortunately no photography is allowed in the valley of kings but seeing it was memories enough. Disclaimer the photos below I stole off the internet, I didn't take any myself. I was amazed how deep some of the tombs were and the different rooms that were created. Our guide told us great stories about the history along with the meaning of the hieroglyphics. Maddy enjoyed the art and stories of enemies portrayed with missing heads, boats carrying pharaohs into the afterlife and the book of the dead portraying the balance scale judging the ruler's heart against the weight of a feather. We were leaving around the time all the large buses were arriving, it was perfect timing.
We visited Hatshepsut burial temple and although it was vast and remarkable in design most of the rooms were destroyed and no actual burial rooms exist any longer. Queen Hatshepsut was one of the famous female ruler of Egypt who posed as a male to gain the throne. We then visited the funerary temple of Amenhotop III where the only remaining pieces are two giant statues, it really gives you a chance to imagine how vast and great this area was originally. We finished our tour with a boat ride on the Nile river back to our hotel. We got to see the great temples from the water and Maddy got to try her hand at driving. We gathered our stuff and headed back to our resort to finish our last couple days of relaxing.
We enjoyed some pool time, some more snorkeling and laying around before it was time to head back to Saudi.
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