Destination Luxor & Karnak Temple

Thursday, Sept 23
A very early start – up at 4:30, luggage outside the rooms by 5:15, buffet breakfast (far too good to be eaten in such haste) onto the bus by 6 am and off to the airport for our flight to Luxor. Everything goes like clockwork, with Abdu herding us safely and we, the Mashi Mashi Group (as we have been named) play our part happily by being on time and following our leader. It seems that in no time we have arrived at Luxor where we immediately head for Karnak Temple. It seems trite to say that this temple is magnificent – but it is. Yet that hardly describes the legacy of the many different Pharaohs who made their mark with building, expanding, improving, changing, and demolishing this awe-inspiring complex. After reading about the antiquities of Ancient Egypt and anticipating the moment of seeing some of them as real objects, not pictures in the glossy books, it is hard to describe the feeling when you are actual arrive in their presence. I felt oddly as everything before was fiction – but suddenly it has become reality. (Too obscure for a holiday blog? Okay.) The famous hypostyle hall is particularly impressive; but that just leads you along the axis to more wonders. Peter appreciated the sense of light and space. I was thrilled to see the real life versions of inscriptions and images I had read about.

It was mightily hot but Insight keeps us well supplied with bottled water and Abdu has a knack of finding the one shady spot in a sundrenched temple to gather us for his history lessons. Abdu gave us a tour of important pieces and set us loose to explore on our own. When we set off on our own, we found that not many other tourists ventured beyond the main axis and it was quiet and unpopulated except for the ever vigilant self-appointed guides.
Our special find was the Festival Hall built by Tuthmose III. It was exciting to find colour preserved on some of the inscriptions. A guard showed us a couple of highlights, including the influence of Christians on the site. He took us to a sanctuary with a cobra carving on a pedestal. I must remember to ask Abdu about that.
In the afternoon we set sail aboard MS Miriam downstream to Dendara. Our cabin is spacious and comfortable. Food on board is delicious. The tiny plunge pool is enough to keep us frying in the shade. We’re set for our gentle cruise on the Nile.