Templed out in Luxor

After the peace and tranquility of the desert, Luxor is a shock to the system. It is hot, noisy, dirty and smelly. You are hassled constantly and pickpocketing is rife. You have to bargain for everything as they think nothing of charging tourists five times more than the local price, even for basics like a bottle of water. This can become very tiresome but at the same time, you have to feel some sympathy. With tourist numbers low, times are tough for many people.

That aside, the concentration of monuments, temples and tombs is astounding. Although this is a group trip, the activities you do are your choice and we are able to make our own plans for our time here in Luxor. I've been to Luxor Temple, Avenue of Sphinxes, Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut Temple - or Hot Chicken Soup Temple as she is known locally. There is much more you could see but that is enough for me - I am definitely templed out!

Luxor Temple at night was particularly spectacular, all lit up, and much more enjoyable in the evening rather than in the heat of the day. Luxor is by far the hottest place to date. Temperatures in Cairo were really pleasant and in the desert, there was always a breeze and it was cooler at night. The heat here in Luxor is relentless and we are all starting to worry about how hot it might be in Sudan.

For the sake of clarity - and just so people don't think I am doing this trip in style - I should point out that when I refer to staying in hotels, these are very basic hotels i.e. shared bathrooms, no air con, and you provide your own towel and even toilet paper. More like hostels really. Still, when you have been camping in the desert for four nights, you are just grateful for a bed and running water....

The location of our hotel in Luxor

Luxor Temple

Hatshepsut Temple