Mulvaneys on the Nile

Mulvaneys on the Nile

Not many people that I know, are familiar with Luxor. Had I not taught a unit on Egypt in BC I probably would not have given it a second glance. When you think Egypt, you think Cairo. Luxor may not have the pyramids but it does have many extraordinary temples that are in remarkably good condition. Luxor is deep in the heart of Egypt on the Nile. I have been told that Cairo is incredibly busy and dirty. Luxor was relaxed and fairly clean. Luxor, in ancient times was known as Thebes, and for many generations it was the Capital of the ancient Egyptian Empire.
Our little hotel was on the west side of the Nile, away from downtown Luxor. However we were only 10 minutes out from several temples and the burial tombs of the Pharohs called the Valley of the Kings.
Our hotel felt like a little oasis. It had a nice little pool and cozy courtyard. The owner was very obliging. The atmosphere was great but the food was expensive and sadly mediocre.

The mural around the pool was a colorful mixture of papyrus stalks and iris...nice touch!

There was lots of room to sit around and read. The sun was warm and the eucalyptus trees kept the mosquitos away.

Our hotel was built to match a traditional style, the owner built it on his own. His family owns a local alabaster facility where they make vases etc...

Sunrise
Ballooning, first thing in the morning

A little local boy, he started crying seconds later.

Around the Desert Paradise Lodge was a government housing project. The families used to live in the mountains in ancient cave like dwellings, some had never had electricity before in their homes. The homes, below, are 3 room dwellings- yellow and pink. The mountains in the background are where the Pharoahs were buried, including King Tut.
Our first day went to see the Valley of the Kings ...Few of the following pictures are mine as you are forbidden to take pictures and if you are caught the fines are pretty stiff.
The tombs are caves with long walk ways deep into the mountain ... each entrance was a different tomb for a different pharoah.
The tunnels can go deep, the walls on the way down are covered in heirpglyphics. The humidity in the chambers at the base is stifling. But its worth the sweat

The color of many images is well preserved, being underground.

They are still finding new tunnels!
King Tut's Tomb

In BC we test reading skills 3 times a year. Every year we give theour students 3 passages to read. One of the passages is about a female pharoah named Hapshetsut.
Well, prior to the reading I had never heard of her

But when go to Luxor her's is one of the biggest temples. There are monuments dedicated to her in many locations.

At night her temple is beautifully lit. Her story is very interesting...

A woman ahead of her time...

Many cool statues, everything is a god in ancient Egypt.. this is Horus (the falcon), god of the sky and of war.
These are recent dwellings of local workers just above the temple.
The rock face above the pillars was daunting, you felt that any moment something would come tumbling down...

At the end of our first day we took a water taxi across the Nile, the two kids below were our drivers and Dad navigated.

on the Nile River, what a rush!

We hired a caleche driver to show us the sights of Luxor, not that I had much choice in the matter. The cabbie hounded me for three blocks as I did my best to evade him. I thought I had lost him by doubling back along the river walk way, but when I made my way back up to the road... there he was! I figured he had the home turf advantage and it was easier to just give in.

The caleche ride took us down some very narrow streets... it was an intimate experience at times, and it ended up being fun. He took us to a shop that sold papyrus , cotton and alabaster ... go figure, it just happened to be on the route! I started to feel like a pawn... but hey the shop was cool and being seasoned travellers we have learned how to say no! Or in Egypt... Halas! (enough!)

The next day was devoted to Karnak and Luxor Temples the center pieces of Luxor. Of the two Karnak was far more interesting. The columns in the temple are completely covered in heiroglyphics and are massive!!
The entrance is flank by rams with the bodies of lions .

The statues are guardian sphynxes which protect the entrance to Karnak

But the columns are what stood out the most for me, they were astounding...

I believe this is Thutmose I but I'm not sure.. after 3 days I was confusing my pharoahs with my Gods with my tour guide... it started to get rough.

Oblisk dedicated to Hapshetsut was knocked over in an attempt to erase the record of her reign. Her son was jealous as she stayed on the throne as a regent pharoah while he waited in the wings... A woman on the throne while a son waits to be king, this sounds oddly familiar.
The scarab statue ... if you go around it once it brings you good luck... If go around 10 times a new husband ... ?

The entrance to Luxor temple has a colossus of Ramsesses II on either side, beautiful black rock

Our guide Mohammed with Lenore

There were spots where the heiroglyphics looked liked they had been carved last week. Its amazing to think that these carvings are outside and exposed to the elements and after 3500 years are still so well definded.

The columns of the Luxor temple are ment to look like papyrus stalks...

The souq in Luxor is very colorful and fun, lots of interesting products if you can handle the aggressive merchants...

The color and feel of the place was great...
We spent a day on a felucca cruising the Nile... however , no wind :(

we made the best of it !
Felucca- traditional fishing boat
We stopped at banana island ... and as you can see its appropriately named


Banana leaves are big!

There were lots of donkeys everywhere, very common in the streets, they seemed to mainly with children.
This little guy had a real hard time convincing the donkey to follow him. He was actually pretty mean to the animal and it seemed to me that the donkey was having none of it!

The last temple saw was the Habu temple , which doesn't get alot of press because it's smaller and doesnt have the statues or obelisks that the others have, but the heiroglyphics here were so well defined and preserved, it made the visit worth while.

Habu Temple
Look at the depth and relief of the carving... amazing to run your hands over it.A new friend
The granite was beautiful ! !

Looking upwards under an archway..
There is literally no unmarked surfaces! Everything has a story carved on it.Girl's day out at the temple ... Love the colors!

All templed out!

This was our favorite place to eat and hang out. It was right on the Nile it was very warm and cozy.

The owner, Mohammed was the nicest Egyptian we met. He was kind fellow who was all about his patrons enjoying themselves. A wonderful man, he was fair and square... he certainly understood the western frame of mind!

The decor was early Saturday morning garage sale, but it all worked ... we were feet from the Nile and the curried lamb was delicious.
A pre-meal camel ride made for the perfect Egyptian experience

After meal hubbly bubbly, to top off the evening.

We left the next morning. The history of Egypt is mind boggling. To be able to spend a few days on and around the Nile river was a once in a lifetime experience, we are blessed.

Farewell to Thebes and your Kings

Doha Musings 5 - Growing Stuff

Here are a collection of thoughts and refelctions of late in Doha ...

In Qatar in November and December comes the irrestible urge to .... plant stuff!! The heat has boken and you can put around the courtyard and not pass out from heat exhuastion. The temperature is a perfect 25 C, and everything is in bloom. When everyone back home is batting down the hatches in preparation for winter blizzards, our windows are opening, we are turning off the AC and finally moving outside. Our spring planting happens now...
When we arrived here, a year and a half ago ( hard to believe ), our little condo was collection of concrete and brick. But its amazing what a little potting soil, a little water and constant sunlight can accomplish...

Our courtyard looked like this last year
Tearing up rocks to plant trees
There's one ....
And this is what it looks like now!
Bouganvillea !
They bloom like crazy and come in a varieyty of colors.
More of them..

Our front entrance before
and now
Every weekend it seems we pick up a new plant or some gardenning paraphenalia. It starts feeling more and more like a home.

And outside our gate ....
Before
After


You're in a desert and the dust and the constant heat can get to you but being able to make things grow. Taking a blank slate and splashing it with color makes it bearable.

Today December 18th is national day! Qatar's day of Independence... And as with last year, a day off work was granted the week before by our Emir. We had been waiting for the announcement of when the day off would fall as it impacts our school with end of term exams. Would it be Thursday December 16th? or Sunday December 19th? We waited with baited breath to find out... On the wednesday it was finally leaked that the holiday was definetly not Thursday..The student body collectively groaned. It would be Sunday, which is during our Christmas and therefore of no use..:( Poor kids ... a couple of chagrined teachers I might add.

For the last week the Qatari Air Force has been conducting exercises over the city.... I presume in order to show the populace the might of its French Dassault Mirage 2000-5DAs fighter jets ...
The planes make a phenomenal amount of noise as they fly around in formation above our school. Pretty cool to watch, but you always have that niggling feeling that there's always the chance of an error and one of those planes might land a little prematurely :(



The article below appeared in the Qatari news recently ... A big sting opperation shut down the creation of some dangerous contraband...

Arrests for ‘offensive’ cakes sale

The Preventive Security Department at the Ministry of Interior has arrested a number of persons of different nationalities for making cakes of “offensive and abrasive models” and selling them in one of the restaurants in Doha.
A spokesman for the ministry said the culprits were arrested on a tip-off. “The information from a source was passed on to the Preventive Security Department. Search and surveillance proved the information to be correct and the permission of the Public Prosecution was sought to conduct a raid at the site.
“A sting operation was carried out to trap the suspects,” the official said. “The Public Prosecution has ordered to detain them and to file a case and to refer them to the concerned court.”
The official said the operation was held as part of the efforts of the security agencies under the Ministry of Interior to maintain the safety and security of the community and to respect its values, characters and public norms.

Well there it is ... everyone can sleep soundly tonight

We took a big leap this year and put Christmas lights out to decorate our entrance from the street. We are the only family to take the adventurous leap... I feel like the Griswolds!

If you look real hard you can see my lights above the garage door ... they're the only ones in the neighboorhood.. And by the by, Lenore did a heck of a job on the christmas tree...

Happy Holidays !