Check Out & Onto Overnight Bus

We'd been promised by Big Mo, our guide, that we'd get first dibs on bus seats over the other group who were staying at another hotel. But when the bus arrived & we got on, we realised the other group had snuck in front of us & had already settled into their own seats. Luckily, I was one of the few in the group who got their own double seat so it wasn't as cramped as some others were.
We left the hotel at 4pm for the long drive ahead. The country areas outside Luxor were alive with people coming home from work or going to markets. Along the way we passed many security checkpoints, especially around the Sinai region. But fortunately I had quite a good rest on the trip, unlike most others, & was ready for the day ahead in Dhahab.

13th Nov - Karnak Temple

We headed out to the Karnak Temple at 9am, the final temple on our tour. It was a relatively short bus ride to get there, but the air-con comfort was highly appreciated. On the way out, we saw these emaciated horses being forced to pull carts with bunches of tourists in them, that had just poured off the docked cruisers. This temple was absolutely enormous, & I think one of the most spectacular on the tour. The statues were quite diverse & well intact. It felt amazing just walking through history in this way.

Luxor Temple by Night

After a big day, we went to the Luxor Temple at night, located on the East Bank of the River Nile. It was wonderful to wander through there at night, with the background sounds of the Islamic call to prayer in the adjoining Mosque. I spent lots of time meandering through the areas out of the way of the hordes of tourists. And the artefacts were spectacular.

Counselling a Local Woman

While I was browsing the shops at the hotel, I happened to develop a conversation with one of the saleswomen, Riham. We had a lovely chat, quite in-depth, about life - what she wants to do, how frustrated & unhappy she is at present, etc. She opened up quite a lot to me (as often happens) & poured her pain out. So we chatted about finding direction & keeping that focus. It was another great chat on the day, perhaps a bit more profound as well.