When I first arrived in Egypt, I fantasized about exploring cities other than Cairo. I got to visit Sharm el Sheikh with Mark and I looked forward to exploring Luxor and Aswan (Abu Simbel) after I was done with work. However, towards the end of my stay, I found myself drained out, tired from the stress of work and terribly homesick. I had just spent three months in Cairo – the longest time I’ve ever been away from home.
I also felt a sudden fear of travelling solo come over me, even though travelling alone is not new to me. In fact, I am a big advocate of solo travel. My trip to Luxor almost didn’t happen…
I gave myself reasons for why it shouldn’t too. The weather in Cairo was hot and humid, which meant that of Luxor and Aswan would be much worse. Mark wasn’t around to take wonderful pictures of me the sites.
I was travelling during the Eid celebrations, train berths and cabins were sold out, so were flights. The International SOS alert I was subscribed to sent me frequent warnings to avoid visiting tourist areas especially during public holidays and do places get more ‘touristy’ than Luxor?
Before I had the chance to reschedule my flight and run back home earlier than planned, I was reminded of a quote I had previously written about in this post.
“Conditions are never perfect. ‘Someday’ is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you…
― Timothy Ferriss, The Four Hour Work Week
Conditions are never perfect. ‘Someday’ is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you Share on X
So I made up my mind to go on the trip whether conditions were perfect or not. To tackle the fear of travelling alone, I opted to go with an organized tour. The result was five days of wonder, craziness and more wonder…
Day One & Two: Cairo to Luxor; Karnak, Luxor Temples
I arrived in Luxor at 9 am on a Saturday morning after a 12-hour train ride from Cairo. The weather was hot and unforgiving. I was visiting the city in August, the warmest month of the year, so this was expected. My guide (Sheema) picked me up from the train station and whisked me straight away to see the Karnak and Luxor Temples. I was happy to go with the flow so that we could end the tour early.
I was impressed by both temples, by the magnificent statues and intricate carvings on the temple walls. As my guide proudly filled me with vivid descriptions and stories, I could almost see them as they were over 2000 years ago. Glorious and truly magnificent.
After our time at the temples was over, Sheema and Kareem (my assigned driver) took me to a local restaurant to get lunch before calling it a day.
Day Two: Luxor: Hatshepsut Temple, Valley of the Kings…
The next day, we set out early in the morning to visit the attractions in the West Bank. On the itinerary was a stop at the Hatshepsut Temple, the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon. Again, I was left impressed by the stories and exploits of the Pharoah-Queen Hatshepsut and by the murals that lined the walls of tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
I also had some time to marvel at the Colossi of Memnon – two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. I didn’t have enough time to learn about them though because my guide whisked me off to a… (you guessed right) shop.
The shop owners and sculptors have perfected the art of entertainment. The sculptors sang as they gave us a brief tour of how stones were carved. Even though I didn’t buy anything here, I actually enjoyed the short demonstrations.
We ended the day with lunch on a boat and a cruise on the Nile River.
In the minutes before the boat returned to dock, I dipped my feet into the river, the coolness was a perfect contrast to the heat we’d been subjected to earlier. I had my third ‘I can’t believe I’m in Egypt’ moment. I was glad I said ‘Yes’ to Luxor…
Next post in series: Aswan & the Abu Simbel Temples
Hi Amarachi, I am also planning an Egypt trip and will like to use a tour company so I can see the best sites quickly and efficiently. Can you share the name of the tour company you used?
Hi Ron, I used a company called ‘Love Egypt Tours’. You can read reviews about them on TripAdvisor. One (unsolicited) piece of advice though, haha – when you use tour companies, be clear and specific about what you want and do not want. Overall, I would recommend these guys but if I could redo my tour, I would be more vocal about things I didn’t want included.
Firstly, your pictures are beautiful 😍
And so glad you decided to take this trip cos I just experienced Egypt through your story, I never knew Egypt is a lovely country, the Egypt I always get in my mind is that of the Bible 🤣
I will definitely love to explore Egypt, thanks for making me see the true beauty of Egypt.
Thanks Busayo!
Do you mean the Pharaoh-let-my-people-go-Egypt? haha.. I remember cruising on the Nile and thinking ‘where exactly did Pharaoh’s daughter find the baby Moses?’
Wonderful writing of a very interesting place. You make me wish I was there with you sharing the experience. Glad you decided to take the plunge and do the trip. Certainly looks worth the adventure from the pics.
Thank you, Keith 🙂
Hey Sunshine…great job on taking your own advice which is hard to do sometimes ..so well done! I really cannot wait to go to Egypt
Thanks Fisayo. Hope you get to visit soon. Can’t wait to see your ‘onlooking’ photos 😉
Wow, I’m glad you decided to go with it despite being tired and homesick. As you said conditions are never perfect. Funny after a ridiculously hectic work trip to Chile for two weeks, I texted my sister saying I just needed sleep and for a split second I was considering cancelling my plans to explore over the weekend. She told me I better not, which I knew but I was so exhausted and I needed to hear it. I’m all for rest where necessary but I got to see a part of the world that was on my radar for 7 years!!!
Welcome back home, hope you do a post on working in Egypt too and how that’s different. Your images are beautiful, and I hope I get to dip my feet in the Nile soon!
Thanks for your comment Dee and super glad to read that you didn’t cancel your plans. I can’t imagine wanting to visit a place for years and finally getting there but not doing anything outside of work (regardless of how basic that thing is). You have all the time to rest now that you’re back home 🙂 – I hope
I plan on writing about that – working in Egypt. It was a very different experience from touring but wonderful all the same, both for my career and for my personal development.
Hi Amarachi. Nice to hear about your experiences, but so not like you to be nervous about travelling alone. But you know what? I think you’ve found the perfect solution for those who want to travel solo, but also don’t – go with an organised group- not necessarily your friends! Any nice photos. I am off to do some research on Amenhotep III.
Madeline
http://www.madelinewilsonojo.com
Exactly, organized tours – private or group tours are best for people who are wary of travelling solo. They can be more expensive than traveling alone though. I’m slowly reading about a few Egyptian Pharaohs. The stories are fascinating.
Thanks Madeline. X