As the crow flies , the distance between Aswan and Luxor is 181 km but we were on a boat and depended on various factors, chief among them being the locks at Esna. We were scheduled to dock at Luxor around noon but there was heavy traffic at the locks and we only got our slot by around 1 – 2.

While the boys played pool, the rest of us spent the morning on deck sipping wine and munching on some munchies we had got from home. Carrying nibbles is very important because we didn’t find any shops close to our hotel. Nor did the ship have any stuff on board. Ms Papaya tried sunbathing.

A strange shopping experience

Have you ever had your goods tossed at you from a distance of about 25 feet below and then tossed the money back?

Well this unique shopping experience can only happen at Esna while you are waiting your turn to go through the lock. As the cruise boats are line up on one side of the river, tiny row boats with one or two men come paddling alongside with bundles of cotton goods – table cloths, caftans, shirts which they fling up to the upper deck of your ship. Suddenly you may find something flying past you and when you pick it up it could be a shirt or a skirt. If you choose to keep it, you can ask the deckhand at the railing to bargain for you or toss it back and ask for another. This tossing back and forth goes on till both sides are satisfied and the deckhand finally seals the deal by throwing the money to the merchants below.

The locks are essential to maintain the water levels for agriculture that is prevalent along the banks of this ancient river. The lock is as ancient as the Ptolemaic era whence it was built and has been modified and updated over the time. Old Esna lock was built in 1908 during the reign of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II ( The the great-great grandson of Muhamad Ali Pasha) . Then, it was renovated and reopened on January 1st, 1996.

Esna a city on the West bank of the Nile is definitely worth a visit . Unfortunately, we had too few days so we had to be satisfied with just passing through the locks.

Light show at the temple of Luxor

So by the time we actually docked it was once again sunset and we had to see the much awaited Luxor temple in darkness. Of course Ahmad told us that we were lucky to see it in the dark as it is quite spectacular all lit up. Besides, he said that all the temples were similar in structure and we could also see it in the day time as we would pass it again. But if we wanted a proper tour of this grand ancient Temple, it was now or never.

So, I joined in with the rest of the ship who got off to see the Temple.

Ahmad explained to us that that this temple that was built in the 14th Century BC and though it was a major temple made in honour of the god Amun Ra, it somehow lost its importance and lay abandoned and buried in sand for centuries till it was discovered by a French Archeologist Gaston Maspero in 1884.

AHmad told us that no one had the faintest idea of anything so grand existing below the city and locals often used bits of stone that were from the ruins in the construction of their own homes. He claims that his own grandfather had used some stones while building his house.

This seemed quite logical because the temple is actually in the middle of the town square and the Abu Haggag Mosque which is still in use has a doorway half way up proving that most of the temple was buried under sand till it was completely excavated.

And sure enough the guide was right. The next day on our way to the Balloon ride, we passed the temple again. As a matter of fact, we had our lunch later that day at a McDonalds actually overlooking the Temple.

But even though it was really dark and at times we had to shine our phone torches to see our way, it was a wonderful , magical experience walking down the Avenue of Sphinxes. This UNESCO designated Heritage site is also marked as the largest outdoor museum in the world.

Undoubtedly, the night light made for splendid photography like the panoramic view of the Temple taken by none other than Ms. Papaya. It is beautiful isn’t it?

We returned to the ship for a good night’s rest, looking forward to our balloon ride the next day.

Ciao