Hi guys, let’s continue our Egypt trip! Today I will take you to Edfu Temple, Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut Temple, Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple π β¨ π³οΈ
This blog post will combine 2-day itineraries because there was one day when I only visitted Edfu Temple and then did nothing, due to unforeseen circumstances.
So, on the 2nd day onboard the Nile cruise, we departed for Edfu Temple at 5am. So yes, I woke up super early again, at around 4 am π π π
Now that I think about it, I prefer waking up super early so I don’t have to explore Egyptian temples under the scorching sun.
Although December is winter in Egypt and it’s cold, the sunlight is still very strong!
Plus, photography-wise, sunrise gives a special vibe and lighting for the photos πΈ πΈ πΈ
Meeting a ‘Pharaoh’ at Edfu Temple, Egypt
It was a chilly morning departure, around 10Β°C. However, I still wanted to dress up because I didn’t want to waste the outfit that I’d prepared for the Galabia Night.
It wasn’t eventful because there were only a few people (not from my group tour) and they didn’t dress up. Guess most people were too tired β or maybe I was the only one excited π
Luckily, long johns are thin enough, so I wore some layers under the main top + knitted jacket. For the pants, I wore Uniqlo’s ultra-warm heattech leggings + another pair of thick leggings.
I kept my golden shimmy inside my bag; it wasn’t their time yet to shine, hehe!
In the itinerary, we would go to Edfu Temple in horse carriages.
But apparently, they couldn’t be pre-booked, so we waited on the roadside while our local tour guide, Ahmed, hailed them carriages like hailing taxis.
Before that, Ahmed had briefed us not to pay the coachman once we arrived at Edfu Temple. We should pay the round-trip fare after we return to the cruise.
It’s been ages since me and my sister hopped in a horse carriage. At first, we were excited…
But then we hoped we arrived faster because we couldn’t stand the dust and flying poo-poo from the horse π€£ π€£ π€£
When we arrived, the gate hadn’t opened and the sky was still dark. However, there was already a long line of travellers waiting to get inside.
Oh, by the way, Edfu Temple is dedicated to the falcon-headed god. Although small, it’s one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt!
I didn’t take many photos because there was nothing much to see… Egyptian temples started to feel the same to me. However, I had fun at Edfu Temple because:
- I could dress up π
- I did a quick belly dance at an Egyptian temple π
- I took a photo with a Chinese traveller who dressed up as Pharaoh π
On the way returning to the cruise, me and my sister just realized how skinny and dirty our horse was. Not only that, our coachman kept whipping the poor horse… We felt so bad for the horse!
If you travel to Egypt, I recommend not taking the horse carriages. Don’t support animal abuse!
π‘ Tips: I kept today’s outfit in a separate plastic bag because they were dirty and full of germs
Upon returning to the cruise, my sister opened our room door and I screamed loudly. The housekeeper was very naughty π π π
This is a retake video that we shot for our mom:
On that day, we were supposed to pass through Esna Lock around lunch time + visitted Luxor Temple + a papyrus factory.
Oh ya, Esna Lock is a lock and dam system on the Nile River.
Some people anticipated witnessing it because an interesting thing happens when cruises pass by the Esna Lock. There’s an 8-meter height difference between the river before and after the lock.
So, when a cruise enters Esna Lock, the gates behind are closed, and the water level in the lock is adjusted to the same level as the river downstream.
However, the cruises (not only ours) only managed to pass the Esna Lock in the afternoon and reached Luxor at night. So, we had a very relaxing day… tea time at the sundeck, dinner, then slept.
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A Beautiful Morning at Amenhotep III Sun Temple, Luxor
It’s time to say goodbye to the Nile cruise! Thank you for the great food and pleasant stay, MS Nile Premium!
We left the cruise at 7am and continued our journey by a private bus. Here’s the itinerary:
- Valley of the Kings
- Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
- Alabaster factory
- Karnak Temple
- Luxor Temple
- 4-hour ride to Hurghada
The day before, I asked my tour leader if it would be too rushed to visit all fo those places in one day. She assured me that it wouldn’t be rushed… Thankfully, she didn’t lie π π π
I’d prepared a special outfit for this busy day, hohoho… π π π
Since I take public transportation almost every day in Malaysia, I can’t really dress up. Only when I travel I can wear nice clothes, so I was happy!
OK, before we headed to the Valley of the Kings, we stopped by the Amenhotep III Sun Temple. It was the largest temple in the past, but now there’s nothing much to see.
However, I enjoyed this quick stop because of the view. This early morning view with hot air balloons in Luxor β¨ β¨ β¨
A Very Sunny Day at the Valley of the Kings, Luxor
We arrived at the Valley of the Kings at around 8:30am, but the sun was already scorchingly hot. I quickly put another layer of sunblock on my face before getting off the bus.
Since it was still morning, I guessed the sunlight wouldn’t be too harmful. Alright, time to wear the golden head accessories!
An uncle from my group tour: “Wah! Princess!!” π
My sister: “Don’t walk near me!” π
Me: π π π
I didn’t care what people said, I wanted to wear it that day. Besides, I would visit many Egyptian temples in one day, wearing the same outfit. I didn’t want my travel photos to look similar!
So, the easiest thing was to wear different accessories, hehe!
For the third one, I wanted to visit the one with a long queue, but Ahmed said we wouldn’t have enough time.
I couldn’t imagine how hot it would be if the group tour departed later than 7am… See? It wasn’t that bad joining group tours! They knew what to do!
So, basically, you can enter three out of four tombs at the Valley of the Kings. Ahmed suggested two most important tombs to visit and gave us 2 hours of free time.
Ahmed: “The other one is where they buried Ramses II, who chased Moses into the Red Sea.”
Me: “Really?? π€© π€© π€©
My sister: “But how did they know when he had drowned?”
Ahmed: “Nobody knows if he survived or drowned. When they found his mummy and analyzed it, they found traces of salt.”
Me: “Ok, let’s go there!!”
I couldn’t remember well what Ahmed said about the Ramses II tomb, but whether it was true or not, the idea of visitting the tomb of the pharaoh who caused Moses into the Red Sea already sold me.
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Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the Greatest Female Pharaoh in Egypt
The story of Queen Hatshepsut is very interesting. According to Ahmed, she was very smart and beautiful, hence attracting many men. However, she dressed and talked like a man.
Hatshepsut was originally married to Thutmose II and had no children. After her husband died, his mistress’s son, Thutmose III, inherited the throne at the age of two.
Since Thutmose III was still very young, Queen Hatshepsut temporarily ruled the land. It’s believed she dressed and talked like a man to establish herself in the Egyptian patriarchy.
Under her rule, the land grew very prosperous and peaceful. She was very powerful; she assumed the role of pharaoh (king) and built many temples.
The most famous and grand temple was built at Deir el-Bahari, which is now the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and her 3-level mortuary.
Ahmed said Queen Hatshepsut was killed by her stepson, Thutmose III, in revenge because she killed his mother.
The theory was backed by the fact that at the end of Thutmose III’s reign, there was an attempt to remove Queen Hatshepsut from Egyptian history.
For example, her monuments were ruined, her statues destroyed, and many of her achievements were said to belong to other pharaohs.
I didn’t stay for too long because it was very hot. Luckily, I brought a big hat and sunglasses! Afterward, the group tour had lunch and then headed to an alabaster factory.
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Visitting an Alabaster (Granite) Factory in Luxor
We stopped for around 1 hour at an alabaster factory in Luxor. Alabaster aka granite is famous in Egypt. If you want to buy souvenirs made of real alabaster, it’s better to visit the factory!
There was no hard selling at the factory. We were free to roam around the shop, and if we needed help, there were staff nearby ready to assist us.
I didn’t buy anything because I didn’t like buying souvenirs when travelling. The only thing that I usually buy are fridge magnets.
They don’t take up a lot of space and don’t collect as much dust as other stuff!
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Admiring the Beautiful Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple
It was around 4pm when we reached Karnak Temple, but the weather was still very hot. That day, I drank a lot of water so I didn’t fall sick and reapplied my sunblock several times.
At a glance, Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple look similar, but they’re not. Karnak Temple is dedicated to three Egyptian gods: Amun, Mut, and Khonsu.
- Amun: god of air and sky
- Mut: Amun’s consort; symbolizes fertility, protection, and royal motherhood
- Khonsu: the moon god, son of Amu and Mut
Karnak wasn’t just a temple. During the New Kingdom era, it was a major religious hub, an administrative hub, a royal treasury, etc.
From the north side of Luxor, we travelled to the south to explore the Luxor Temple. This magnificent temple was dedicated to the god Amun-ra.
Although the weather was very hot, I enjoyed exploring the Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple because they weren’t crowded. I had plenty of room to breathe, take photos, and see the carvings closely.
I’m so glad that I went to Egypt with my sister. She also loves photography and took many nice photos of me!
β€οΈ β€οΈ β€οΈ Thank you so much, sister! β€οΈ β€οΈ β€οΈ
Abaya: The Executive x Khanaan Shamlan
Bag: Longchamp (borrowed from my sister)
Afterward, we departed for Hurghada and reached our resort at around 7pm. In the next blog post, I will write an honest review of the resort that I stayed at π
Ok guys, it’s the end of our Egyptian temple hopping. I hope you enjoy our visit to Edfu Temple, Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut Temple, Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple! π
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