Thursday, 6/6. Departed boat, nice drive along the Nile to Luxor. Lots of farmland. Luxor is smaller in appearance than expected. Hotel (on the shore of the Nile) is famous but ancient. Huge hallways, few electrical outlets, stuffy in attitude. Folks coming out of the dining room were formally dressed (one man had tux with long tails!). Many people were wearing period clothing for unknown reasons. For me (dressed in dusty cloths in need of a wash), it all just seemed wrong.
Karnack and Luxor Temples (on the eastern side of the Nile) were huge. Country is actively trying to rebuild both by re-erecting the torn down parts. A giant jigsaw puzzle. The two are connected by a 3 km avenue (nearly all renovated) lined with statues. Karnack had been expanded by generations of Kings in no particular fashion. Looked unorganized. Luxor is in the middle of the city and had been nearly buried in trash until Egypt began renovations. The still operating mosque’s original front door (in the center of the temple) is 20 feet above the dug-out temple grounds. Lots of young boys wandering round with no purpose. Made our security escort nervous.
Dinner was fine. Cafe afterwards (smoking pipes, loud music) not so much. Led half the group back to the hotel. Tour Leader Doug.
Our servers with Tour Leader. 
The chef. 
Very pretty views. No mansions. 
An unfinished wall. The temporary clay brick escarpment illustrate how they hauled the stones up to the wall’s top. 
An obelisk among the rubble. 
Karnack points towards the Western side of the Nile, where the Valley of the Kings is located. 
Ramsesses II is everywhere. 
The mosque, resting above the previously buried Temple.