Day Seven - Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, Funky Nightclub
And here we are, our last full day in Egypt. We awake to find ourselves moored back in Luxor, with the weather having returned back to clear skies. Lisa, although still delicate is thankfully feeling slightly better, and willing to make today's trip. After breakfast at a reasonably civilised time we hop on the coach to be taken to the first of the last two temples we are visiting, Karnak Temple.
One of the many things that have impressed me about Egypt, is that whilst it is possible for a fair amount of 'Temple Fatigue' to set in, all of the temples that we have visited have been substantially unique. Karnak is no exception, and is by far the largest - encompassing a sprawling 60+ acres. The lead-up to the entrance is impressively flanked by dozens of sphinxes with rams' heads. Shortly upon entering we visit the Great Hypostyle Hall, containing gargantuan, intricately carved pillars symmetrically populating the area. It was here that part of The Spy Who Loved Me was filmed in the 70s - I have to confess I always thought that the film was made in Cairo (which I suppose is where everyone considers the epicentre of ancient Egypt to be). When we return to the hall during our free time, it is extremely atmospheric and humbling to walk around and through the hall, ruined only by the inevitably large amount of groups of tourists, with their respective guides constantly having to raise their voices in whatever language they're narrating in order to be heard.
We spend a healthy amount of time here on our own after having only scratched the surface with our guide (and with a temple extensive as this, it is no criticism). Many of the local 'curators' persistently grab us and frog-march us around their respective areas in search of baksheesh (tips). At one point I am led by a policeman carrying a kalashnikov into a roped-off area so I can view a mini-Sphinx. Being only a couple of feet in size, it's actually quite pathetic when compared to the other magnificent views on offer here. He is insistent on me taking a photograph of it, and I eventually oblige, but draw the line at crossing his palm with silver - kalashnikov or no. He's a copper here paid to do a job, not try and make a fast buck...
After Karnak, we are taken on another one of the commission-led shopping tours. This time it's to a jeweller for some gold and the like. Irritatingly, we're stuck here for an hour, and retire to the coach after only a brief moment perusing their wares.
And so, our final temple - the city's eponymously-titled temple by the edge of the Nile. Although it is somewhat humbled by stature of Karnak, it still more than holds it's own. Originally the entrance was flanked by two enormous 25-metre high obelisks, but one of these was given to the French in 1835 (though quite how the French must have got there would have been a feat in itself). Ironically, we only saw this at the Place de la Concorde last August when we visited Paris to see the eclipse (but, that, as they say, Is another story...). I honestly can't say then that I had expected to see it's kin so soon. The temple is a lot more intimate, and we went around it relatively quickly, although we do try to soak it all up - this is the last we'll be seeing for the holiday.
So eventually we return to the boat and spend a splendid final afternoon in the sun. In the evening we have our farewell dinner, and the guides go off to the airport to collect the new arrivals from Manchester (the boat has been split into two groups, us arriving a day later). Max suggests to a few of us that we check out a new nightclub in that's opened up in Luxor when they get back. Lisa and I were supposed to be doing a camel trek tomorrow morning just outside of Luxor, but it was cancelled due to us being the only ones signing up for the excursion - something I was really looking forward to, doing my Lawrence Of Arabia bit across the desert. Instead, with nothing to do in the morning, we decide to visit the club - I'm certainly intrigued by the idea, and not sure what to expect from the club; since Egyptian women would be considered total whores for going out and socialising, it'll probably be lots of Egyptian men dancing together!
Blimey - there's lots of Egyptian men dancing together...
We had quite a few drinks with some other passengers during the course of the evening - the Manchester plane's been delayed by a couple of hours, which also means our club trip has been too. This means we drink and drink until by the time they finally return, it's gone 11pm and I'm half cut already. About midnight, the half-dozen or so of us set off in a taxi. The club is actually part of a hotel, and is pretty nondescript in décor, following the usual style of hotel-clubs. It wasn't particularly busy at upon arrival, and we sit down and get ourselves drinks (yes, alcohol). The music is typical western pop - Cher, Ricky Martin etc, though obviously it's considered quite radical and exciting out there; at one point Max excitedly runs up to us after speaking to the DJ, telling us how they're going to be playing Britney Spears next. Like, brilliant!
Every so often the music changes and a belly-dancer appears and jigs around for a while. But like I said, apart from a couple of western female tourists, there's no sign of any Egyptian women, so the club (which steadily gets a lot busier) is full of men, happily dancing together. It's a strange culture.
It's getting very late and I'm getting particularly drunk. Eventually we leave at 3:30am, managing to hail a taxi back to the boat. Drunk as I may be, I know how bad I'm going to feel in the morning, nursing a nightmare of a hangover, and having to deal with the return trip home, as well as packing in the morning. Breakfast, I think, will be a non-starter.