Derry and Paul (Jackamy ) arrived in Hurghada on Friday 8^th February to spend some time with us on Blue Magic and to join us for a trip down the Nile on the Motor Cruiser ‘ The Nile Dolphin’.

 

Hurghada to Luxor

 

16 of us set off on our own private coach for the 3 and half hour road trip to Luxor.

A bit of a slow, bumpy ride with road works being carried out whilst the roads remained open and check points all the way.

Some parts of the road were just mud tracks !

 

 

 

The cruise ship was waiting alongside the quay, and in traditional sailing style the ships were rafted 6 or 7 abreast.

Ours was the fourth one out so getting aboard involved walking through three ships that were rather tired looking and obviously not in service.

This is sadly a reflection of the decline in tourism since the revolution two years ago.

Numbers have dwindled since the troubles in Egypt and we were almost the only customers on a ship with a capacity of over 100.

It was great for us as we had all the facilities to ourselves and Mark certainly made the most of no queues at the buffet !

 

 

 

We wasted no time setting off after lunch with our private guide Fatma to explore the sights on the East Bank.

First stop Karnak temple….

 

  

 

The size and detail of the monuments is simply breathtaking and it is difficult to comprehend that these were built over 3000 years ago.

 

   

 

An avenue of sphinxes lined each side of the approach to the temple.

The ram headed sphinx is a symbol of the God Amon who protects the pharaoh, shown between the beast’s front paws.

 

 

 

Next stop was Luxor Temple which was linked to Karnak Temple by an avenue of sphinxes over 2 kilometres long which archaeologists are still uncovering today.

 

The entrance to the temple with the two colossal statues of Ramses II

 

  

 

We were lucky to arrive just before sunset so we saw the temple in daylight and illuminated in the dark.

 

  

 

          

 

We also had the following morning free when we returned to see the avenue of the sphinxes which are human headed at this temple.

 

  

 

  

 

The town was very pretty with the backdrop of the temple and the Nile.

Horse and cart seemed to be the preferred mode of transport and we were frequently followed by drivers looking for business.

The Egyptians don’t seem to walk anywhere and are very puzzled when we tell them that we want to walk !

 

 

 

 

We wandered around the beautiful grounds of the Winter Palace Hotel, frequented by the British Royal family (see below) and other famous people,

 most notably Richard Gere !

 

 

  

 

We set sail in the afternoon and took to the sun deck for some relaxation and sun.

 

  

 

We have another seven days to go … so stay with us and discover Egypt on the Nile !