"My week in Luxor" a Luxor Travel Page by vcorne00

This was a last-minute holiday; 7 nights in the Winter Palace Hotel, Luxor on a bed and breakfast basis.
July is the hottest month of the year in Luxor and the temperature was consistently around 43 degrees celcius in the daytime, cooling off to 34 in the night.
It meant that travelling around was best done in the early part of the day or later in the evening. Luckily the tourist industry is geared up for this with the temples, museums and tombs opening from 0600 and many open until 2100.
Monday is the main transfer day in the resort and the full-on much-hassling traders hit hardest on Monday evenings.

I found the 'modern-day' Luxor far from interesting, dirty too. The ancient world that lies all around was, however, fascinating and often breathtaking.

I visited the temples at Karnak and Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the Collussi of Ramesses at Memnon. I also went to Cairo for the day - this was via a trip organised by one of the many travel companies in Luxor.
I also spent a morning over on the West Bank of the Nile; all of this left two and a half days for pool-side chilling!

I spent some time reading guides to Egypt prior to arriving (I like the DK guides but there are many others worth using).
What the guides do not help you with is how to deal with the shock of the onslaught of traders demanding bakshish (tips) for services you don't want. My first run-in occured as I got on the transfer bus. I carried my own case to the bus but someone literally lifted my case onto the bus roof and demanded a tip. Like most tourists I only had high denominations so I suggest you quiclky get change BEFORE leaving the terminal - buy a bottle of water for instance. I gave him 10 Egyptian Pounds, LE (about a pound) - he was livid but I remained resolute.

Another skill is bartering. Although I am used to this from places like Turkey and the Gambia, prices in the Souk are much more inflated here. My suggestion - as given to me by a local - is to come in at 10% of their opening price and not be phased by it. Only bid if you want something, and walk away if you reach your price limit.

I found the modern day Luxor to be dirty and unattractive. I did not feel compelled to walk around every night as I have done EVERYWHERE else I have visited. Despite knowing some Arabic I did not feel I 'got into' the culture of the locals. I think the level of poverty there almost forced people to be in your face selling for all it is worth.

VERDICT: Ancient sites a must see - Luxor I would avoid and I will definitely not visit Egypt again.