We had breakfast before we checked out of our Nile River cruise. Adel had a driver standing by when we disembarked to take us to the hotel we’d stay during our time in Luxor. As we pulled up to the hotel, I snapped a picture of tourist who were taking a buggy ride, not particularly uncommon I suppose, but the horseman looked so authentic in his attire I couldn’t resist. The driver waited as we checked in, the process went smoothly, and soon we were on our way for a day of temple tours. Our first stop on the day’s itinerary was the Karnak Temple, one of the largest temple complexes in the world. It has been home for more than 3,500 years to the statue of lioness goddess Sekhmet. We walked through the visitor center first. It was there that I learned, through a giant-sized replica of the grounds, that I’d walk through Sphinx Avenue, the Sanctuary, Middle Kingdom Court, an ancient pool, and the temples of Opet, Akh-menou, and Khonsu.
I felt such a powerful energy walking through the ruins of ancient Egypt. Adel once again faded into the background, which allowed me to stroll at my leisure. There was one “tour troller” who attempted to engage me in an impromptu tour, but at this point, I knew how to handle him. He soon walked away realizing he wasn’t going to get anything from me. I was once again captivated by how the sunlight danced throughout the temples. As I walked through, I thought about how we’ve evolved as human beings. The connection of past, present and future resonated with me more than it ever had before.
As we finished up the Karnak temple tour, I came across a very interesting event going on. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has funded a restoration project for the Great Hypostyle Hall in Karnak Temple. It’s a very delicate process that consists of documentation of damage, cleaning the paint layer, re-adhension of the separate part of the stone, injecting cracks, consolidation of the weak parts of the stone, plaster and finally fixing the color layer. Adel told me that those working on this project are volunteers, they are not paid. I was impressed also with the number of women working on the project. I’m assuming it’s probably because they have delicate hands for such a delicate job.
Our next stop after lunch was the Luxor Temple. I loved walking through Sphinx Avenue. But it was at this temple that I truly witnessed the attempt made to erase ancient Egypt’s culture. I shook my head overwhelmed with sadness and resentment. All I could utter was, “damn shame”. I was exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically from the day’s temple tours. By the time we returned to AraCan Hotel & Resort, I bid Adel a good evening, ordered a grilled chicken salad from room service, had a quiet contemplative dinner. I took a quick video, showered, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, I enjoyed breakfast and then we checked out of the hotel. Even though we checked out, the hotel would hold onto our luggage for the day. We would return later to retrieve them, then fly back to Cairo. But in the meantime, we spent the day visiting the Temple Dendera to visit the goddess Hathor. She is the goddess of abundance, love and joy. Afterwards, we continued on to Abydos to visit the Temple of Osiris. I stood in one of the most powerful places on the planet, the Holies of Holy. I made sure to bask in the magical streams of light that pierce the temple ceilings.
We flew back to Cairo in the late afternoon. Needless to say, I had had my fill of Temple Tours. After a good night’s sleep back at Adel’s Bed & Breakfast, we would be switching gears completely, from touring temples, to camping out in the desert for a couple days. Stay tuned…