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LUXOR

TRAVEL TIPS - Luxor

Nile Cruises            LUXOR - how many days?     

LUXOR train station           LUXOR hospital         

LUXOR - hassle capital of world?

 

NILE CRUISES

My personal opinion is that everyone should experience a Nile Cruise at least once in their life!  Luxurious and relaxing!  My recommendation is the Presidential Nile Cruises Company www.pnccruises.com

Trip Advisor has two threads running where people tell about their good and bad cruises ..this is the recommendations for the good one nile cruise reviews

LUXOR - how many days?

One of the most asked questions people coming to Egypt have is "How many days do I need to see the sights?"  It all depends on your level if interest in the temples, tombs, museums etc.  So many of my guests comment as they leave Mara House how they will have to come back because they didn't have enough time to see everything, while others wish they had not chosen their tours, guides or transport solely on price.

1 full day for Luxor West Bank - There are 5 main sites which are Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's Temple, Nobles Tombs, Deir El Medina (the workers' village - 2 pristine tombs) and Medinet Habu Temple. Depending on the length of time you stay in any one temple or tomb I suggest you do the West Bank in the summertime beginning at 7am and will probably finish around 4 pm if you stop for lunch in the middle of the day. (This is without incl shopping time in the alabaster factories etc!) Winter time you could start at 8am.

I think it is better to spend one relaxed, quality day on the West Bank, stopping for lunch if wanted, rather than dividing the West Bank into 2 half days and padding them out with trips to Papyrus or Alabaster shops.  Shopping is better done in the cool of the evening by yourself. 

The real enthusiasts may want to do a second day in the West Bank visiting the Ramesseum, Valley of the Queens, Tombs of Ay, Roy and Shuroy, Temple of Sety 1, and maybe even seeing another 3 tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
 
1 full day - ABYDOS and DENDERA - These two temples are the absolute best in Egypt, they are the most intact, most colourful, most mysterious and most exciting of all.   I am very passionate about these two temples and advise that if you see no other temple in Egypt SEE THESE TWO!!!!!! They involve a day trip from Luxor and you get 1 - 2 hours in Abydos and 2 hours in Dendera. If you decide to see them then REALLY see them with an expert.....don't waste your money by taking a cheap taxi without a guide - you won't have time to find the 'hot spots" by yourself and will just be hounded by the guardians wanting to show you this, that and the other........rubbish.

Abydos and Dendera are definitely two of Egypt's 'jewels" which 95% of tourists miss out on either by not seeing them at all or even worse.....taking the time to go there and not really understanding what they are looking at ..... don't price compare on these two!
 
1/2 day Karnk and Luxor Temples - If you are stuck for time you can do Karnak Temple before going to the WEST BANK and you can see Luxor Temple either after the WEST BANK or after coming back from ABYDOS and DENDERA. It is open until 9pm.
 
CONCLUSION:
If you wanted to get West Bank, Abydos/Dendera and Karnak/Luxor Temples in as short a time as possible your itinerary could look something like one of these three.

Itinerary 1
Day 1  Arrive in Luxor by train or plane around 6am.  Go Direct to the West Bank. PM nap. Museum
Day 2. Abydos and Dendera  (also have time to do Fellucca Sail afternoon and Karnak Sound/Light Show)
Day 3. Karnak and Luxor Temple.  Leave Luxor anytime after 3pm

Itinerary 2
Day 1.  Arrive in Luxor around mid-day.  Aftenoon go to see Karnak Temple
Day 2.  Abydos and Dendera (also have time to do Fellucca Sail afternoon and Karnak Sound/Light Show)
Day 3.  West Bank and Luxor Temple.  Leave Luxor after 8pm 

Itinerary 3
Day 1.  Arrive in Luxor by 6am.  Go to Karnak Temple and then West Bank.
Day 2.  Abydos and Dendera.  Then Luxor Temple at night-time. Leave Luxor after 8pm
 
Itinerary 4 - for the most energetic with only one day to spend in Luxor.
Arrive in Luxor BEFORE 6am.  Go Direct to Karnak Temple, Then onto the West Bank. Then finish up at Luxor Temple and back to the airport or train.  For this itinerary it is best to arrive by plane not train as the train could run up to 2 or 3 hours late which would leave your itinerary in ruins.
 
For anyone wanting to see the Temples along the Nile - add another day to the itinerary.
Leave Luxor at 6am going through the town of Esna onto Edfu where you stop to see the Temple of Horus (Horus, the husband of Hathor whose temple is Dendera) and carry on to stop again at Kom Ombo to visit the "Temple of Light & Dark" symbolising polarity.  This was the temple where initiates faced their fear of the known and the unknown by traversing the "path of darkness" which is still there today, although badly damaged.  Continue on to Aswan and take a motorboat trip to the famous Temple of Isis or Temple of Love at Philae.  Back in Luxor by 6pm
 
I have a theory about the times people get to the monuments......if all the guide books are advising people to be at the sites at 6am to avoid the crowds of tourists ???? Then that is sure to be the busiest time because everyone is following the guide books!! The very best time to come to Egypt at a time when tourism has declined or collapsed.....like after the Egyptian Revolution!  These are times you can have the sites more or less to yourself!

LUXOR train station - not for the faint-hearted!

Luxor Railway Station can be a nightmare for new arrivals. The touts are inside and outside the train station trying every possible means to divert people to hotels and accommodations in Luxor where they are given commission. A lady coming to stay once told me that having tried several times to get the taxi man to bring her to me, it was only when she said "I am a police woman and I am here to meet with some friends in the police whom I met in England so if you don't take me to where I want to go RIGHT NOW I will call one of them!" It then took the taxi driver about 7 minutes to deliver her to my door.
 
Some of the most common tactics at Luxor Train Station are:
  • One person asks where you are going then a second comes up to you (having been told by the first one where you are going) and gives you the name of your hotel....obviously you think he has been sent for you!
  • The line "I have been waiting for you!" To which you might reply "Oh, are you from ___________Hotel?" and off you go!
  • "You want hotel? Cheap room, very clean, Just 5 mins down the street!"
Then there is the "Battle of the Taxis" - as you are surrounded by drivers shouting "Tax! Tax!" (Tax is how the Egyptians say "taxi" )
 
When you ask the taxi driver does he know the "___________Hotel" he will always say "Yes, of course, get in, get in!" So in you get (remember agree the fare first) and the driver starts the engine and off you go. After a couple of seconds the driver usually asks again "where did you want to go?" Then you may be told any of the following:
 
  • It's closed down
  • Had a fire,
  • Owner may be sick, dead or gone on holidays
  • too far away
  • "oh you should not go there - they are all thieves and liars there! Bad, bad people"
  • last resort may be "So sorry, thought I knew where it was but don't remember now....
All of the above will be followed by something like "but I have a very very good, cheap, nice, clean hotel....good good hotel - best hotel in Allllll the Luxor - I can show you...if you don't like it no problem...up to you!"

Well, what are you going to do now?
 
If you want to avoid this scenario make direct contact with your hotel or apartment owner in Luxor before you arrive - confirm your arrival and ask to be met at the station.

Egyptian people are always smiling and friendly and for the most part genuinely so but tourists should keep their heads and use common sense when dealing with anyone working in the tourist industry. If something sounds too good to be true - it generally is!
On your way to your requested accommodation or wherever you will undoubtedly (after the first 5 mins of small talk such as what your name is, where you are from etc. - maybe an exchange of family information such as how many children, brothers, sisters etc both you and your driver have - whether you are married, single etc.)......you will undoubtedly be asked where you are going later in the day, tomorrow and the day after.

If you give this information you will then be asked how you are getting there, if you need or have a guide etc. THEN your taxi driver, with whom you are now firm friends will offer to take you to the same places for cheaper prices. And he will, to gain your confidence he will go lower than ANY price you give him - (so if you want to have some fun here - you know what to do next!).

You can engage in a game of tag with the taxi or calesh driver over the next few days if you have the speed of thought and energy.........being aware that stops for toilets, coffee, welcome drinks, quick stops at his "brother" place or invitations to his family home for dinner will most likely put you at some stage in an Alabaster, Papyrus, Jewellery, Perfume Shop, Bazaar, Coffee Shop or Restaurant where you "Egyptian Friend" will be handsomely paid for delivering you. Go anywhere especially in Luxor or Aswan with a local person and commission is automatically paid to your escort - later.

This is a situation it is very difficult to extricate yourself from because everyone you are introduced to is soooooooo nice! Because most tourists are now aware of this your "friend" may even be "honest" with you by telling you he is getting maybe 10% commission for helping you shop and he is going to share it with you.......don't you believe it - he is getting quite a bit more than that!

Last piece of advice - always agree the price BEFORE getting in the taxi (also calesh or felluca), agree the currency and agree that this is the TOTAL amount not per person.  Enjoy!

LUXOR - hospital

Should you require hospital treatment while in Luxor go to the International Hospital.  They have facilities for evacuating medical emergencies if necessary.  Hospital treatment is not cheap and you should be aware that you are required to pay the bill BEFORE you leave the hospital.  In fact you cannot leave the hospital without paying even if covered by insurance.

The hospital will accept telephoned, faxed or emailed confirmation from your insurance company that they will cover your expenses but they will not initiate the phone call to the insurance company.   So if you want to get out of the hospital in a hurry have your insurance contact numbers to hand and tell the Hospital Administrator you will pay for the cost of the phone call.  They will not offer you the facilities or suggest to you that you make the call yourself.  If you don't make the call yourself you could be waiting for hours for the insurance company to call the hospital back. (I waited 8 hours longer in the hospital with a friend because we did not know this!)

Then when the insurance company comes back to you to confirm the payment make sure you have someone in authority from the hospital with you to accept the confirmation if it is going to be given by phone.

LUXOR - hassle capital of the world?

Luxor is referred to as the "hassle capital of Egypt" and sometimes the "hassle capital of the world" frequently on the net.....and to some degree that is true......the hassle at Luxor Train Station drives me nuts (when I think about it, so I try not to!).

But the street hassle? - to some degree I have an explanation for it and sometimes when you gain an understanding of a different culture it takes the sting out of  the problem and provides you with a solution.

You are in Luxor/Aswan just stepped out of your hotel to take a stroll in the bazaar or along the Nile, when suddenly you are assailed by shouts of:

"Fellucca! Fellucca!"

"Tax! Tax!"

"Calesh! Calesh!"

"Come see my shop!"

"I will take you to the market! Only today market open!  Closed tomorrow!  Special Egyptian Market!  I will get you good price! Cheap! Cheap prices!"


Your initial reaction is to say "No" or "No Thank you!" in your native language or if you are reading the online tips, blogs etc. .you will have read that "La Shukran" (meaning "no thank you") will work a charm!  Well, no it won't so I have to wonder what other charms these tipsters and advisors used!

Everyone working with tourists in Luxor has a smattering of practically every language in the world (definitely they know the translation in every language for the word "NO" because it is being shouted at them every day) so, in Heaven's Name WHY won't any of them take "NO!"for an answer???

THE ANSWER IS VERY SIMPLE (and I can't understand why I have never seen it anywhere on the net and have never heard it from an Egyptian Guide, Travel Agent or Tour Operator/Leader)...
 
 "No!"     "No thank you!"     "Not now!"    "Tomorrow"  "Maybe Later!"
 
Walking away and staring either at the ground or straight ahead
Expressing dis-interest = not expressing interest
Shaking your head
Not answering

ARE ALL TACTICS USED WHEN BARGAINING 
 
Picture this....
Ahmed and his wife, Sammar stroll into the bazaar.   They are greeted with invitations to visit the various shops....they smile at some, they shake their heads at others.   They know they are going to buy her a jallabeya (long dress see photo above).   They are stopped in front of a shop selling clothes and Ahmed shakes his head at the man's invitation to come in.  The man persists - Ahmed and Sammar enter the shop.  The man in the bazaar knows they are going to buy a dress otherwise they would not have entered his shop and Ahmed would not have shaken his head at the initial invitation.

So another man in the shop rushes over to offer them tea, cola, water, ask who they are buying for Sammar or a family member)  and ask what colour they have in mind.  Not to pay them this attention is considered dis-respectful.  The shopkeeper pulls out various dresses and Sammar shows little or no interest while Ahmed is probably exchanging comments with passersby or others in the shop.  It is a leisurly event and nobody is in a hurry.  Ahmed asks the price of one of the jallabeyas and expresses lack of interest because of the price.

Eventually it comes down to one or two jallabeyas and they begin seriously discussing the price.  Ahmed or Sammar may get up to leave not having completed the deal.....now comes the last price from the shopkeeper.  There is a smile from Ahmed - he is happy to pay this for his lovely wife's jallabeya....more smiles all round, handshake between Ahmed and the shopkeeper - the deal has been agreed to everyone's satisfaction..

So every gesture used by tourists to turn away the taxi, calesh man etc. has been involved in this shopping adventure.  Now, can you understand that the men in the street shouting at you for the most part don't know if you are genuinely not interested or just really good at bargaining ! ?

SO WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?  What can tourists do to discourage the sellers and touts, enjoy their holiday, keep their sense of humour, get good bargains and keep their sanity?  ANSWER:  Walk like an Egyptian!!  So simple but not easy....needs a little bit of practice.  Walk out of the hotel, head high, make eye contact with the sellers, SMILE, NOD & KEEP WALKING.  Now you must do all 3 at the same time, this is why it takes practice.  Normally if we smile or acknowledge a person we tend to stop and chat...DON"T STOP!

By smiling and nodding you are acknowledging you heard the offer, think it is good/agreeable but you are not in the market for the product right now...but you must keep walking.  Smiling, nodding and stopping makes you dead meat!!  Pretend you are a King or Queen smiling and nodding to the crowds!

Additional side effects to using this strategy?  Of course!  You feel happy, confident and in control!

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