Egypt... Done by myself!!! Visiting Luxor and Cairo..
EGYPT: TRAVELERS DIY, NO .... TOUR!
A Christmas of about twenty years ago stupii asking my parents as a gift a very special gift for my age (10 years), not the classic track of the radio, nor the new Atari and even a new bicycle, but surprise of surprises a book the old Egypt. After a moment of dismay and disbelief, I read in their eyes a sort of ill-pleased, and so after a few days we went to choose my both amazing gift.
Therefore more than two decades ago, my passion for Ancient Egypt and Egyptology in the genre, but although he had the opportunity several times in subsequent years, I decided never to plan a trip that both places had dreamed.
I wanted to make an unforgettable journey, but without support to travel agents and I continued to ask whether it would be possible, given the political situation in Egypt and the Middle East in general.
This year I decided, and after reading some reports (by the way, that sadness to read of people who have been in Egypt at Sharm, Marsa Alam or cruise on the Nile without seeing Cairo and the Valley of the Kings! !), I decided it was time and thanks for Alitalia bid (a / r Milano-Cairo for € 200), along with my birth companion for an unforgettable adventure ....
6 DECEMBER
Our plane takes off on time at 21:50 from Malpensa Airport and after nearly 4 hours of flight landed at 02.40 at the airport in Cairo. We buy your visa (cc.12 € per head), pass without problems and within minutes the passport control, then we exit the airport to reach Terminal 1 at 05.00 from where the other flight to Luxor. Barely set foot outside the airport will welcome some shady appears that would convince us to take a taxy, but although we tired to resist until the shuttle in 10 minutes brings us to the domestic Terminal. The flight to Luxor dell'Egyptair (bought on the internet for € 70) is convenient and punctual.
Luxor DECEMBER 7
We arrive in ancient Thebes to 06.00 collect your luggage at 06.30 and we are already at the hotel (airport-taxy Luxor pounds = 30 cc. € 4.2).
Partner Tutotel to stay for a relatively modern structure near the center in Salah el Din St., paying € 20 a room with rich breakfast included.
We rest and an hour after breakfast, depart towards 9.30 to the discovery of the capital of Egypt, but not before being passed into the station to book tickets for the night train that will take us days in Cairo.
Then we head towards the banks of the Nile to board the ferry (opposite the Temple of Luxor) that we must carry on the Western side and here the problems begin: we are practically assaulted by true vultures that we offer tours of all types . We are still a bit sleepy for the night after giving some blank assaults went blank and we rely on one of these that we promise to bring in taxy at all sites in the West Bank.
The first cheat suffer boarding the ferry, the locals pay 1 pound us despite my protests will pay 4 a head (it will be for the case was a tangent to the taxi driver?), Be noted that the second day of mindful cheat us present to board and pound with a pass without ...
However we arrived on the other side to expect the brother of 'vulture', which explains that the tour should have done, I just block and say meanwhile lead to the Valley of the Kings, then you will see. Arriving at the valley, I pay the taxy (40 pounds, about € 5.2, practically stealing and think that it was requesting party 200, that is!) And free the driver because our intention is to do some of trekking and reach the Temple of Hatsepsut directly from the Valley on foot, but he insists and tells us that we expect at the end of the walk, which balls ....
Before departure, I had planned the visit knowing that the ticket had the right to visit graves, only 3 (35 ft with the ISIC Card cc.4, € 6) and that of Tutankhamen to be paid separately.
I opted for those Ramesse VI, Sethi I and III Tuthmosi, unfortunately the first two are closed, then we see those Tuthmosi III, IV Tuthmosi and Ramesse III.
But we start with the most famous and renowned tomb of the Valley, the famous boy pharaoh Tutankhamen, also because there is surprisingly empty, there is none, the barbaric horde of tourists all-inclusive "is already gone ... we do the ticket (40 p. a head cc.5 €) and after leaving the camera from the keeper go down in the grave, through the corridor and then arrive in the funerary chamber.
The emotion is very strong, having read thousands of books on the discovery of the century, we are finally within this mythical tomb, but I must say the truth in the structure if we disappoint a lot, is rather small and is mostly empty, l 'only thing of some significance is the wooden sarcophagus containing the mummy of Pharaoh (although invisible).
We leave the tomb with a mixture of joy (for essercela enjoyed in complete solitude) and disappointed (we were expecting something more ...).
We head towards the tomb diTuthmosi III, among the very few tourists and lots of police and self-offering for the improbable photo to receive an anchor most unlikely tip ... the tomb is reached via a steep staircase iron through an anchor more steep ravine, to the attendant, then as happens in other tombs, it is proposed to follow us to explain the beauty of the tomb, but we decline the offer by providing yet another deception. Crossing a deep well through a bridge and arrive all'anticamera lavishly adorned with hundreds of images and supported by two pillars, and we continue to reach the burial chamber where it is nice to show them the sarcophagus of the pharaoh in quartzite carved in the shape of a cartouche. This tomb repay us for the disappointment of that part of Tut. It is really nice and its inacessibilità makes it even more interesting, and especially the tourist island from the chaos of the rest of the Valley.
Let quest'oasi peace and quiet and there thrown back into chaos the tombs of the central site, visit the Ramesse III. Fortunately, we avoid a mega group that comes from the tomb just as we enter, it's really long (cc.125mt) the walls are decorated with brightly painted high reliefs representing the ritual texts of the tradition, with scenes of everyday life alternate figures of a guinea fowl presence of various gods. The tomb is very beautiful but because of its central location within the Valley too busy, which does not succeed to enjoy in peace and silence in religious as we wanted. We leave this site and decide to thrown back among the mountains by going to visit the last tomb, that of Tuthmosi IV. Isolated and can be reached after a short but intense climb and ignored by the majority of visitors, proves to be a wonderful discovery. The tomb is very large and deep, two flights of stairs down to the burial chamber in which a huge sarcophagus covered with hieroglyphics. We enjoy the magic of the place in perfect solitude for more than 20 minutes after the arrival of the first tourists come back to the surface and after a moment of relaxation with a view over the valley we leave for our walk to Deir al-Bahri.
We knew that the path leading to the Temple of Hatshepsut began behind the Tomb of Seth.