After crossing the Nile again, I went straight to the Valley of the Kings where many old pharaohs are buried. This was what I pictured of Egypt, sandy desert and hot as hell. Unfortunately, you can only visit three tombs a day, I want to say there are over 20, so you had to pick and choose carefully. I didn't know the significance of any of them, I remembered their names, but not when they ruled or what happened during their reign, so I just went into the biggest ones. The tombs were amazing and very detailed; hieroglyphics all over the wall and the original paint was still there. You are not allowed to take pictures in the tombs, so unfortunately I don't have any good photos, only ones I snapped with my phone and those are really blurry. While waiting for my last tomb visit, there were many Egyptian girls around me. One began to speak, shyly, broken English to me and asked about who I was. I am not sure what it was, but each one of them wanted multiple photos with me, what can I say? The security guard continued to yell at them, since you are not allowed to take photos, but they kept taking them anyway. I wanted to take a picture of them with my camera, but they said that they couldn't because their father wouldn't allow it; another reason why I'm glad I live in the free country that I live in. They all wrote down my Facebook name, so if they do end up friending me, I'll post a photo or two. This small fan club made others think I was a celebrity. People came up to me as I was walking out and gave me handshakes and what not, asking to take a photo with me. What would any other 23 year old guy do? Roll with it. I took photos and told them that I had starred in small films in the US and that my new one would be played at the Sundance Festival. I told them that we didn't have a concrete name yet, but to look out for me. I can see how the locals feed off the gulliblness of tourists.
After the Valley of the Kings, I went to the Temple of Hatshepsut, which is a two story temple in remembrance of one person. Breathtakingly amazing and huge. When I got to the top, l ran into an American that I had met the other day. Yesterday, right when I got into Luxor, I ran into this American man (22), who has been traveling for almost a year, studying bee keeping. After we met and parted ways, I instantly regretted not getting his email, but fate has a mind of its own and we met again at the top of Hatshepsut, what are the odds? This time, I was sure that we both got each others email.
After the Temple, I visited a local alabaster shop with my driver, where they were hand making poetry from blocks of stone. They showed me the step-by-step process of how everything is made. At first, this sounds really cool, but it is just a tourist trap. My local friends that I made in Luxor told me exactly what I was going to do and about the shops that I would visit (I had a driver through my hostel). He hit the bullseye with this one. While I was there, they basically beg you to buy stuff, it was rather annoying. They make you feel so guilty, that you almost have to, and then when your done, they BEG for a tip. Since I knew what was up, I went in there prepared. I looked at a small cup that sparked my interest, it was 800 Egyptian Pounds (roughly $120). While I was looking at it, he explained all the time and sweat that was poured into making it. I told him the only way I would buy it was for 200 Egyptian Pounds (roughly $30) and he accepted that. Just goes to show that it's all a game; tourists are just dollar signs with legs to them, it is unfortunate but true. Then after I bought that, they started to give me free stones, but wanted a tip; seriously? I said no, they then said to just keep the stones (trying to make me feel guilty). Before I left, I put the stones back on the table without them knowing.
After the alabaster shop, we went to the papyrus art shop. It was the exact same deal. My driver was upset that I didn't want anything. The reason why he was upset, is because he gets 50% commission from everything I buy (same goes for the alabaster shop). This really disgusted me and I wanted to go back to my hotel before I got scammed out of any more money. However, my driver, Ali, was a very nice man. He took me into his home, and his wife cooked us lunch. I met his kids and got to hangout in the wheat fields that he lives in. His house was extremely dirty, flies everywhere and dirt all over the walls. For any of you that are reading this that have been to a bar in Columbia, SC called Pavlovs, imagine the floor of Pavlovs EVERYWHERE. That is Egypt. Egypt is a dirty ball of garbage with amazing history. Got to take the good with the bad.
After we got done with lunch, we went to a local shisha bar and hung out for a couple hours. Egyptians love their shisha, they are always smoking it. I don't know how they are still alive, that stuff is terrible for you. If I remember correctly from freshman year of college, they were telling us that smoking one full shisha by yourself is the equivalent of smoking 2 packs of cigarettes. The shisha bar was good though, I was able to witness the hustle and bustle of the streets and watch them calm down as the sun set.
When I got back to the East Bank, I met back up with my local Egyptian friends. One of them's uncle has a horse and carriage, so we all hopped in and toured Luxor by night. I was a good experience and seeing the more rural side of Luxor was unforgettable. Once we got out of the busy streets, they let me drive, which steering the horse carriage is somewhat similar to riding a horse. It is weird how it is normal for a donkey or horse to be walking down the road, and all the traffic casually moves around you. If you were in the states, you would probably get run over by some pissed off driver. It was great to be able to make such good friends in the area. They were truly nice and I had to beg them to take some money. While I was with them, they paid for my food and drinks and took me on the carriage ride. Egyptian hospitality at its finest.
The reason why I am able to write this post is because I missed my 7:00am flight to Cairo. I set three alarms and slept through all of them. My ride to the airport also slept through his alarms... Why me? So I am currently on standby for the 10am flight to Cairo, doubtful. The next flight is at 1:40pm, and my flight leaves Cairo for Dubai at 7:00pm, not giving me much time at all to see the pyramids.I have a feeling that this might not be the last time this happens on my travels.
Only time will tell and anything is possible.
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