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We say good-bye to Cairo as we take the overnight train to the ancient city of Luxor. After a fitful sleep, I wake up to see the dawn peeking through the window.
"Sunrise. Pink sky. Dusty trees sprouting blooms of white birds. Villages of sand, mud brick. Green fields, Oxen, donkeys, stringy dogs begging at breakfast fires. One lone camel on the horizon. Then at last Thebes*, city of enlightenment...and dust."
Through the window of the train we watch as Luxor starts its day. A man in a donkey cart carries bamboo baskets of live chickens to market. A boy on a bicycle has a tray of fresh pita on his head. Baskets filled with fresh produce are carried on bikes, cars and trucks that kick up puffs of dust as they pass by.
Our luxury hotel, situated on the banks of the Nile, contrasts widely with the surrounding neighborhood houses of mud and thatch, with roofs that more often then not have caved in or are missing entirely.
"No problem - it hardly ever rains!"
The river flows much faster here and is cleaner than in Cairo. It is a lazy scene of modern cruise ships and ferries with the occasional felluca** sailing by.
Shopping in Luxor is quite good. There are many small shops selling leather, perfume, cotton shirts and galabayas and gold jewelry. We hit every gold shop on Gold Street, doing a lot of bargaining but buying very little, even though prices are better here than in Cairo. We finish the afternoon with a ride back to the hotel in a horse-drawn caleche.
Day two in Luxor arrives with beautiful sunshine. With our guide Emile, we head for the Temple of Karnak. The entrance is a long driveway, lined on each side with Ram-headed sphinxes, each with Pharaoh nestled between his paws and dotted at intervals with dusty pink bushes of Oleander. The Ram represents the Ram of Amon, the Pharaoh, Ramesses the second.
From its inception, the temple has been in a state of change. Almost every Pharoah from the middle kingdom was involved in construction and demolition. We enter into the open air, Great Court, also lined with the sphinxes. Then, with great anticipation, we pass through the pylon of Ramesses into the Hypostyle Hall, often called
"The noblest architectural work, ever executed by human hands!"
I am awestruck by the incredible beauty of the sunlight filtering through the forest of massive columns. The blue sky peeks in, where a roof once blocked the view. There are 132 columns ranging from 42 feet to 79 feet in height. Each colunm represents the papyrus plant, the hall a papyrus thicket, which in turn represents creation.
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