WOW! WE SAW THE TEMPLE OF KARNACK
Who takes a 10-hour train ride to Luxor to stay less than 10 hours and then gets on another train for 4 hours and then gets in a van for 3 hours – we do. The van ride was with 5 other tourists - all Japanese. At 3am in the van we drive to a meeting area that other vans have all met at. We then begin our journey with a police escort to The Temple of Karnack. When we asked why we needed to go in a convoy - the response we received was - partially for safety if there is a breakdown or wreak in such an extreme desert. The Temple is in the middle of nowhere.
The heat was intense, the drivers of our van gave us no information on the Temple and never engaged in conversation with any of the passengers. It would have been much more enjoyable to have had a guide give us information as we drove rather than waiting to receive information under the hot sun. We were told at the end of the trip we would have a chance to buy lunch before the trip home. The cafe at the site only sold water, soda, and chips. There was no type of lunch items to be bought. The amount of pressure to buy china made Egyptian trinkets is unbelievable and extremely uncomfortable. One of the young men pushing his products told us that they had 40 tourists for the day (the number from our convoy) and they use to have thousands of tourists.
So now you ask - are you happy you went and would you go again. Yes, I am happy I went because it is something I will never encounter again and it was absolutely amazing. Again the pictures I have taken do not do it justice. Would I go a second time? No, unless it became much more informative and comfortable - I think once is enough.
Thank you for your interest. Beth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnak
