Nisse PowerMan wrote:
> 
> Nicola Earl wrote:
> >
> > I am booked to go to Egypt in June and was due to stay in Luxor for 4 days..
> >
> > The hotel i am booked in is the Old Winter Palace and ive heard this is a
> > really good hotel to stay in.. I have recently been informed by my tour
> > operator that the pool is closed at this hotel  between May and July...We
> > have been given the option to swap hotels..one of the options being the Le
> > Meridian....or they will bus us to the Karnak Sofitel for the use of there
> > pool.
> >
> > Has anyone got any advice on weather we should stay put in the Old Winter
> > palace or swap to the Le Meridian?.. Does anyone know how far the Sofitel
> > is from the Winter Palace?
> >
> > Thanks...
> 
> I stayed in a very nice small hotel in Luxor, think the name was Ramses
> Hotel. If I remember I'll check it up and get back with more info. This
> hotel has a nice pool where I enjoyed many cold Stella.
> 
> /Anders


Sorry, I checked and Ramses Hotel was in Aswan.

In Luxor I stayed at Windsor Hotel, a very nice small place with pool
and Stella beer.

I made some notes from my visit:
The references to the LP guide is about the 5:th edition.

------------------------------------


In Luxor I stayed at Windsor Hotel. This was the best of all hotels I
stayed at during my two trips to Egypt in 2002 and 2003 (Two stars
only). Windsor Luxor was more modern and focused at the international
tourists, and they have a small but nice pool. The AC compressor was
switched off and all controls had been removed so first thing I had to
do was to call for the chief engineer. He came and fixed the AC. I
showed him the water tube for water evacuation – and he knew what to do
in order to avoid flooding my room. Now a multi-toolkit would have been
handy if the chief engineer would not have been available and so
obliging. The AC was efficient and could cool down the room in no time.
This hotel also has a rooftop bar and some type of very small pool there
too. I’m not sure if it is decoration or really of any practical use.
However, the main pool was absolutely wonderful for a short swim and
then a cold Stella (8.50 EGP) after a walk around the hot sunny Luxor.
I really recommend this hotel; the location is near the Nile, near Luxor
Museum and on walking distance from the train station. My price was 20
EGP for the first night on the voucher I got in Ramses Hotel, Aswan.
Then I paid 60 EGP each night; total price for three nights was 140 EGP,
breakfast and all taxes included.

Other tourists that came to Windsor reception and asked for the price
was told it cost 80 EGP per night. The price list in my room said 45
USD, which at that time (March 2002) was about 185 EGP, per night.
The travel agent called me in the hotel and wanted to make some
arrangements, but I was not interested as I can do that easily myself.
He could arrange some trips, Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple, bla, bla and
bla. I told him I already done that. ‘But the room? I can arrange for
more nights.’ I told him I already done that. ‘But how? What did you
pay?’ Then I told him I paid the same as he arranged for the first night
– 20 EGP and that got him silent.
Windsor Hotel is on 20 to 25 minutes walking distance from the train
station, at normal pace.

Eating out:
Warning! The rice is not always cleaned from sand and small stones.
Don’t bite too hard or you may damage your teeth.
I liked Ali Baba Restaurant. It is an open-air restaurant upstairs so
you have a grand view of the street life below. First time there I had
Limejuice, Mint tea, Salad (= bread and Tahina), the price was 10 EGP.
Another time I went to Ali Baba I had Moussaka, Fresh Limejuice, Bread
and Mint Tea, all in all I paid 15 EGP.
Ali Baba Restaurant is near the mosque in Luxor Temple, Abu Al Haggag
and the mosque outside the temple, Luxor Temple Mosque. These two
mosques had a fierce duel as I had dinner. Luxor Temple Mosque started
10 s ahead of Abu Al Haggag. Abu Al Haggag though had a much stronger
amplifier and it seemed to be child's play, but then something went
wrong. Right on the finish as they pumped up the volume on maximum the
amplifier went into clipping and after a few staccato screams went dead
silent and remained so, which was good for my digestion.
Luxor Wena Hotel has a nice garden restaurant. I had Nicosia Salad,
Water, and Mint Tea and paid 12 EGP. Their menu is extensive and service
was good and so was the food.




Shopping:
Again film rolls were wrong priced. In Luxor they tried to charge me 17
EGP but I refused. Buy film while in Cairo!
Outside the Karnak Temple I went to a tourist shop for some new film.
They tried to charge 25 EGP for a single roll. Again I told them my
story about 10 EGP in Cairo, I offered him 15 EGP and he accepted that
for one roll Kodak Gold 200-36.

Near Emilio Hotel I found a photo shop with no bullshit attitude. Kodak
Gold 200-36 was 15 EGP. A bookshop in Luxor Tourist Centre charged 16
EGP for the same film; it’s all about finding the real shops, where
Egyptians shop themselves.

Sightseeing:
Luxor Museum is nice and well kept. I spent an hour there (12.00 –
13.00) and it was well spent time. However the tourist shop people were
far less pleasant. I asked for a film roll, Kodak Gold 36-200 and they
tried to rip me off, asking for 20 EGP. When I told them I could by the
same film at 10 EGP in Cairo they hurried to close and lock up the shop.

The Mummification Museum is an underground building on the Corniche.
Price was 20 EGP and the exhibition was interesting and well maintained
with information text in English.

After the mummy exhibition I went to the Luxor Temple, but it was a
disappointment in several ways. There were too many baksheesh hungry
scam pilots, too many people in general and no good light at this time
of day for my photo session. The good surprise was how beautiful and
solemn the place went after the sun set and the yellow-orange light was
switched on. Entrance was 20 EGP.

Entrance for Karnak Temple was 20 EGP. It was on the limit for walking
distance from Windsor Hotel where I stayed. There is a very good
information board with aerial photo of Luxor - Karnak just inside the
gates of Karnak Temple. As I studied the photo I overheard a self-styled
scam tout guide who lied to the tourists that hired him. He pointed at
Luxor Temple on the board and said ‘This is Mut Temple’. (Well, lie or
not, he was either lying or did not know, both are equally serious.) I
quickly double-checked with my excellent LP guide (5:th edition) and it
was clear that he was totally wrong, and so I told him and the two
tourists.

He went absolutely furious; it was interesting to see the mimics of his
face – and the two tourists. He told me not to interfere with his
guiding. Then I told them that the guide was wrong and showed them my
map and correlated to the huge aerial photo. He quickly dragged the two
tourists away further into the central parts of Karnak Temple, almost
with a thundercloud visible over his head, just like in the cartoons. At
least it made my day…

The size of everything in Karnak temple is impressing even though most
is ruined. I think it is well worth a visit, you need to relax so spend
2-3 hours there.

Valley of the Kings:
Start early, it can get hot in Luxor even in March! I got out around
07.00 in the morning. On the other hand you need to spend so much time
on the West Bank so it really don’t matter that much.
The local village ferry right across Luxor Temple was good enough. I
decided from start to rent a bicycle for the day and the price should be
around 5 EGP. Already on the ferry I got some unpleasant types following
me. The fat guy wanted me to go in his taxi, the thin one wanted me to
rent his bike at 10 EGP, but I said no thanks.

The ferry went quick to the West Bank (see map page 272-272) and I
hurried away from all scam touts. I started to think about how to get a
bike when a boy on bike asked me – Do you want to rent a bike or not?
Hm, maybe, what’s the price? His name was Mohammad and his shop was
Mohammads Bicycle – of course. We made a deal on 5 EGP for the day. I
only had 10 EGP notes so he left to change to small money while I
adjusted the seat. He found no change, handed me back the money and told
me I could pay later as I returned!

Now just head straight on! Soon you will enter a village, cross a small
canal and come to a four road crossing (see the Luxor West Bank map on
page 283). This is New Qurna, just head straight on. Within about 2 km
you will have Colossi of Memnon on the right side. The statues are in a
very bad shape however and not much to see.

After about another km you come to a T-crossing. Here are the ticket
offices in the building on the left side. Remember to buy all tickets
needed including camera ticket, there are no ticket offices at the
sites! I just bought a three-tomb ticket for Valley of the Kings (20
EGP) and no camera ticket (10 EGP each). One of the self-named guides
grunted a little as I took a picture later in a tomb.

A good advice is to split the day in half and spend the lunchtime
resting in a small but nice garden restaurant. Then choose Restaurant
Muhammed! Just continue past the ticket offices another 50 m down the
gravel road to the left and there it is! The huge trees around give a
nice shade and the food and service was excellent. I had Juice, Salad,
Cheese, Bread, Wheat (not rice), 4 Meatballs and a Curry of Potato and
Carrot. Then he offered me an Orange and I had some Mint Tea. All in all
it cost me 17 EGP. The best thing of all was that he had a clean and
working toilet.

My plan was to follow the tracks of Robert Carlsson who was there three
months ahead of me. His report was on the Web, it is all in Swedish,
http://www.jordenrunt.nu/dagbok/dagbok.htm, click on the Egypt link. Now
click Luxor 13 Jan, http://www.jordenrunt.nu/egypten/dagbok_020113.htm.
He went to the top of Qourna Hills and so did I.

I started from the ticket office, continued straight forward, then took
left in the first crossing, then right following the road up to Deir
al-Medina (see Roberts photos). Here I parked my bike near a police
checkpoint caravan. I told the police I was climbing the mountain and
there were no problems at all. It was not as hard as one might think to
climb the top. In fact, as I started the walk up a fresh cold breeze
started and it was a very pleasant walk up.

From the parking at Deir al-Medina the track is mostly made up of
concrete steps but I found it easier to walk on the gravel on the side
of the steps. There are two police stations, one half way up and the
second almost on the top of Qourna Hill. I think it is half way up
between these that another track turns right – north. Take this track if
you want to head straight to Valley of the Kings. It was really easy to
cross the lower hills over to this valley. It is also easy to cross over
to Deir al-Bahari, see the LP guide map page 283.

However, I continued all the way up to the top. From here I could see
Valley of the Kings on the north side and Valley of the Queens in the
south. All around was desert except in the east were the narrow green
belt shows the location of the Nile. The wind was smooth and nice on the
top. Then I continued to the Valley of the Kings. I walked back to the
top police station and from behind it descended. I found a track that
took me all the way down in the valley. Interesting enough I met a
souvenir tout on this mountain track.

I started with KV43, but the guard saw my camera and wanted a camera
ticket. ’What ticket? I don’t have a ticket!’ I had to give him 5 EGP
baksheesh. The tombs were enormously impressing! What an enormous work
to cut these tombs directly in the lime stone rock! And deep down was an
enormous stone sarcophagus. I also visited KV 8 with its huge hall and
granite sarcophagus. Here I took one flash photo and directly got the
self named guide asking for camera ticket. ’Ticket? What ticket? I don’t
have a ticket!’ He told me I MUST have a ticket – or else pay. I offered
him 50 Paisa (0.5 EGP) and told him that’s all I had. To my great luck
another team of tourists just arrived and he quickly figure out that
they probably were more profitable so he left. I quickly packed my
things and left. Finally I checked KV 14. To me the KV was so exciting I
could easily have spent a full day there.

An advice! There is a website for KV5, the newly re-discovered tomb.
Here you can find 3-D drawings of all tombs in pdf files. You can print
these drawings, preferably in A3 size for further study and as a basis
for decision on what tombs to visit. Look at:
http://www.thebanmappingproject.com. This fantastic resource is almost
better than actually going there.

From the Valley of the Kings it was really easy to take the lower path
back to Deir al-Medina and my bike but I think a much better alternative
is to take the path to Deir al-Bahari first. From the mountains you can
get really nice pictures of that temple. I paid 1 EGP to a woman in the
caravan for looking after my bike, then I could wash my hands in there
too. The police also got 1 EGP. I think it’s just common sense and good
behaviour to pay small sums for the help I get, when it is valuable.
Then I had my lunch in Restaurant Muhammed and after that took the bike
around. First I visited Medinat Habu; entrance ticket was 12 EGP. It was
built in 1479-1164 BC, almost 3.500 years ago! It is just amazing, I
mean, what’s left over in Europe or North America from these times? I
also biked back to Deir al-Bahari, climbed half way up on the northern
mountainside and got some nice photos. Then the police guards wanted me
to sit down and talk to them, but they did not want me to leave. The
whole thing was a little strange to me, but I was in no hurry so I just
had a rest. Then it was time to go back and I left the bike at Muhammads
Bicycle and paid the 5 EGP. Finally I left on the ferry; ticket was 1
EGP single way.

LP Guide, 5:th edition
Map Page 272-273 Luxor:
The street from the train station leading to Emilio Hotel (Item 21, on
the right hand side) is Sharia Ramses – nothing else! If you pass Emilio
Hotel, then turn right/north on Sharia Al-Karnak, and then THE NEXT
street on your right hand is Sharia Yousef Hassan.
Rainbow Internet Caf$(D??(B (Item 1) had closed in March 2002.






------------------------------------

Hope someone may find the info useful.

/Anders


> 
> --
> Remove the obvious part before replying by mail please!

-- 
Remove the obvious part before replying by mail please!