Traveling through Egypt was a lot easier to plan than I expected. There is a well trodden tourist route that covers all the major sites: the Pyramids in Cairo, temples and tombs in Luxor, temples and the picturesque Nile river in Aswan, a temple near the Sudanese border, and a few other stops inbetween. After a week of staring at magnificent columns, reliefs, hieroglyphics, statues, painted heiroglyphics and temple walls, it does start to dull the mind. The tombs in the Valley of the Kings were stunning although the valley itself reminded me of a big rock quarrie.
Egypt is a lot of fun. Though, you may get incessantly hassled by touts selling everything from water to Sphinxes to camel rides, the travel is easy, the food is good and its all quite cheap. Plus you met a lot of other nice travellers who all have fun stories to share. Some of the funniest tourist traps are the carpet "schools" in Cairo, the papyrus "institutes" in Giza and the alabaster "factories" in Luxor. Supposedly there to educate the visitor, they are simply shop fronts for selling goods. I did hear that there were kids enrolled in the carpet 'schools' which is not a happy thought. The alabaster workers were funny though; they sat outside in the shade with a chunk of alabaster in front of them, a chisel and hammer at the ready. Whenever a tourist wondered by, they would quickly start to 'work'. The rest of the time was tea time.
Me and my rented bike - for seeing the sights around Luxor.
Abu Simbel Temple which was relocated in the 1960's to save it from the Aswan Dam lake.
Early morning drive through the desert from Aswan to Abu Simbel, near Sudan.
Temple of Luxor at night.
Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor.
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Luxor.