Luxor/Cairo, Egypt - May 16

Cairo gridlock



sunset view from Cairo hotel

 Our second day in Luxor starts with a visit to the Karnak temple.  This temple is dedicated to the god Amon.  The interesting thing to me (knowing very little about Ancient Egypt to begin with) is that each pharaoh for the next 2000 years added his won contribution to the temple.  Each temple we have seen has been open to the air – which is how they were constructed other than for a few inner rooms.  Karnak temple is actually connected to Luxor temple 3k away by an ‘avenue of sphinxes’.  This is very impressive. 

avenue of Sphinxes

Ramses II

Next is lunch back at the hotel, a 45 min flight to Cairo and check-in at our hotel.  The flight was uneventful and the hour drive to hotel was interesting to see another huge city.  My first impressions of Cairo is dirty with huge traffic gridlock, but more organized than I expected.  Our drive takes us through Tahrir Square, which isn’t what I think of as a square.  I think of a pedestrian area and this to me is more of an intersection – interesting to be there nonetheless.

entrance to temple

We take a bit of a walk along the Nile before dinner where we get approached a million times (not surprisingly) where we’re from (interestingly every Egyptian has a cousin in Canada!, as to Indians) with offers of boat rides, shisha smoking etc.  They aren’t too persistent and we move along.