Luggage And Bags: You will want to carry around plenty of water with you, so make sure your bag is not only roomy enough for this but that it's strong enough to hold a couple of 1.5 litre bottles too, in case you don't want to interrupt your sightseeing to find any.
Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: It goes without saying that you will be glad of sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat, as not only is the sun itself blindingly bright here, the reflection from the sand and stone can be dazzling too. I would also advise bringing some plasters with you, as you will most likely be doing plenty of walking and if the sand gets into your shoes, it could irritate and cause a blister.
Toiletries & Medical Supplies: Mosquito repellent is an absolute necessity; there were clouds of the creatures in any lit up area after dark. I used one of the natural citronella based ones, which seemed sufficient to put them off, or perhaps they found my vegetarian blood lacking in flavour! As a former beauty therapist, I must also advise you to look after your skin. Pack plenty of high factor sunscreen, not just to avoid burning but also to prevent the premature wrinkles caused by the sun's U.V.A. rays damaging your skin's natural elasticity. Also when you are away from the immediate area of the Nile, in the more desert like areas, such as those around the mortuary temples, the air is very drying to the skin, so take a good, rich body lotion, moisturiser and lip balm too. Of course, if all this is confusing, you could always consider packing me in your case and I would sort it all out for you!
Miscellaneous: I was delighted with, and would have been lost without, the small but extremely interesting book "Luxor: A Guide to Ancient Thebes" by Jill Kamill. Walking around alone, I found the book valuable in explaining everything I looked at,giving just the right amount of detail to allow me to understand everything I saw, without preventing me from forming and enjoying my own impressions of the place. It's a rather old book and is perhaps out of print now but if you can get hold of a copy, I'd really recommend it.
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on Apr 10, 2006
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