Luxor: East Bank (Living) & West Bank (Death)

We arrived after taking the night train from the Giza station. The train was a unique experience. I have taken many trains, even overnight trains. However, I had never taken a sleeper car train. The service was attentive and the food was not bad, actually pretty good. Service was contained to the cabin. That was a bit tight with luggage and a 6-foot 4-inch husband. After some confusion about the arrival time, we pulled into the station later than originally scheduled. The onslaught of hawkers for transportation options is overwhelming as you step outside of the station. Find a ride and go. The first thing you notice as your cab pulls away is that the traffic is not as congested as in Cairo.

Luxor is quite different to Cairo. Cairo represents congestion and city life. Luxor shows the more relaxed pace of village life in Egypt. The East bank of Luxor is the touristy side and more city-like. The West bank is where the locals live and where the ancient Egyptians were buried. The East bank with Luxor and Karnak temples represents "living". On the East bank, the ancients worshiped deities and went about everyday life. The West bank with its burial chambers represents "death". On the West bank, tourists visit the burial chambers of royalty and nobility of ancient Egypt. History lesson aside, if you want to experience life like a local and a more pastoral setting, choose the West bank. 

We stayed at Alhambra Hotel. I was hooked by the "look" of the building. The Conrad Hilton in Cairo is more luxurious but the architecture is as dull as can be expected. The rooms are clean, very inexpensive, and the staff will help you book any tours you could want. Ask for Akhmed, in cab number 123. From the hotel, you can walk to the Nile and take the ferry across for 1 Egyptian Pound (LE). The ferries leave every few minutes. It was a great to travel the same manner as the locals travel. However, the novelty wears off as soon as you step off the ferry. As a tourist, you will be singled out by every calesh (horse-drawn carriage) and cab driver constantly; thinks gnats during a hot Georgia summer - relentless. Hire a cab to take you around very little money. I think we paid about 150 LE. With the exchange rate, it was way cheaper than pre-booking online and paying in Euros or US Dollars. Side note, almost everyone speaks more than 1 foreign language. American should take a hint.

Cairo has the Pyramids, The Sphinx, Egyptian Museum, and awe-inspiring mosques. Luxor has the temples and tombs which capture the imagination due to their scale and profusion.

Album will be updated as time allows. Pictures of the trip may be found at Flickr Photo Album for Egypt.