Day Eight - Home & Final Thoughts
We awake with hideous hangovers some time just gone 11am with less than an hour to pack and vacate our room. No doubt most clever guests were already prepared and packed last night, but that's being way too organised. Staying out until nearly four last night was a little rash perhaps, but you're a long time dead (although that's frankly the way I feel after waking).
We take a short walk into Luxor after packing (and paying our hideously expensive bar tab) to clear our heads and buy a couple of last minutes souvenirs with our remaining cash, and after lunch take the coach journey to the airport. I take back all I said about Luxor Airport not being too bad as for the return journey it's bedlam. Return travelling is never any fun at the best of times, and a pair of 'there's no place like home' Judy Garland shoes would always be gratefully received. Instead we wait in the packed airport for an age before finally boarding our Air 2000 flight home. The flight is horrible, I'm uncomfortable, and it's certainly not reassuring to know I have to be sat at my desk at work first thing in the morning, especially as we eventually arrive home at the unearthly hour of 3am. I need a holiday...
Well, it was a great holiday, thoroughly enjoyed all round. It's been nice to see some true culture and not just within the confines of a museum. On the whole I found the Egyptian people to be friendly and amenable, although that's me as a male talking - I'm sure some women would have vastly differing opinions, and I can certainly understand why. The tours were extremely well organised and our guide excellent and informative. I can wholly understand that some people would feel constrained by the regimentation of an group tour, but I genuinely feel that you need a lot of guidance around the historical places of interest in Egypt. The attractions have very little in the way of texts for you to read, and although we had our Rough Guide (highly recommended) with us, it's nothing compared to having an experienced Egyptologist, ready, able and eager to answer your questions and explain exactly what you're seeing.
I'm happy that a week was enough for us to see most of the interesting sites. I'd perhaps like sometime in the future to go to Cairo and see the pyramids, but for now I'm content.