Sadly, this is also the site of the terrorist attack back in 1997 when a number of western tourists were murdered. The military presence didn't look all that impressive but we were assured that the hills were teeming with snipers and other protective measures. Here is a view from within the temple back towards the valley bellow.

Next we went to see the Karnak Temple which is right in the middle of the city of Luxor. This happens to be one of the largest temple complexes in the world and its scale is truly breathtaking. The following pictures of the entrance pylon may be impressive but they hardly do the place justice. It's really hard to convey the immensity of the temple, here are some examples of a few minor columns with people for scale. The obelisks that are still standing have been erect for three and a half thousand years; those that fall, though, don't fare as well. Next up is Luxor temple, right in the center of the city of Luxor. Curiously, in the middle of the temple is a mosque which is still being used. It is so high up because when they built it the temple was completely covered under layers of sand and at that time the mosque was at ground level. Once the temple was excavated they had to install a ladder to access the entrance to the mosque. The ancient Egyptians did most things on a grand scale, for example there were about 1,500 sphinxes lining this road leading from the temple

The Luxor Museum is very quiet and rather small but it holds some real gems, definitely worth a visit!

It took some explaining but we finally convinced one of our guides to take us to the place where locals go, and we discovered that the best Falafel in Luxor is to be had at a little stand right next to the Chicken Hut.

We took our Falafel and retired to one of the back streets to enjoy it with some strong Turkish coffee. Our guide indulged one of the few vices allowed people in this culture, a water pipe. Here is the pipe man bringing hot coals and covers to his customers. The cover goes over the coals so that wind doesn't scatter the ashes. Our friend seemed so happy puffing on the hookah that we had to wonder what he had in there. Illicit drugs are strictly prohibited (and penalties are severe), though, so it's unlikely that his pipe packed an extra kick.

We stayed at the Le Meridien in Luxor; the bad news is that in Egypt a 5-star hotel is not far above what we'd expect back home from a Comfort Inn, the good news is that a 5-star hotel costs on the order of about $60 a night.

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