On Tourism: Luxor - Senmut Bed and Breakfast

Luxor is a maddening city. I am counting the hours until I escape tomorrow morning. Part of me wishes I had never left the peace and quiet of Dahab but I know that I would have regretted skipping the ruins located here.

Unlike Dahab, my expectations for Luxor were much higher. The initial drive from the airport to the Senmut Bed and Breakfast, located in the largely agricultural West Bank only raised my expectations. Luxor, seen from the comfort of my taxi, comprised of lush agricultural land on either side of the Nile buttressed by rugged mountains. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful. The city appeared to be worlds away from the hustle and bustle of Cairo or the kitsch of Dahab. It is not hard to see why Luxor became the cultural center of ancient Egypt. Initially, I thought the people of Luxor probably measured their days based on the needs of land. Spending a few hours in Luxor, however, quickly disabused me of such romantic notions.

Thomas Cook brought mass tourism to Egypt when his first tour group arrived in 1869. Nearly 150 years later, the tourism industry has left indelible impact on the people of Luxor. At this point the only other industry, outside of agriculture, is catering to tourists. As a result, every foreigner is seen as an opportunity to make money. Walking down the Corniche an-Nil one is met with a barrage of offers; everyone a great deal. There is not a moment of peace anywhere near the many attractions Luxor has to offer. Every transaction is also fraught the peril. If you have not signed a contract in blood before hand the price is likely to be astronomical. Even if there is an agreement that is no guarantee that the person will not try squeeze a few more pounds out of you based on some flimsy pretense. And frankly, it has left me exhausted.

All in all I spent the same amount of money in my two nights in Luxor as I would have if I had been on a package tour. I do wonder if taking a package tour would have made more sense. On one hand it would have cost the same without any of the hassles. On the other hand very little of the income from package tours trickles down to the residents of Luxor. The bulk of the income from package tours probably ends up as profit for the operators, with a small portion going towards the salaries of those lucky enough to have such jobs. Leaving most of the population out of the income stream and giving them no choice but to eek out an existence by competing aggressively for the remaining tourist dollars. Not only does this not improve the lives of the residents of Luxor, it also forces independent travelers to bear the brunt of their aspirations. It is a classic example of the deleterious effects of mass tourism, and something I had yet to encounter in Egypt. That being said, after my experiencing, I would not blame anyone for choosing the comforts of a cruise ship and guided tours when visiting Luxor.

Cairo: First Impressions

I finally have some down time to write a blog post. Egypt has so far been a little overwhelming. Arabic is a tough language to try to pick up using a Lonely Planet guide. But I have managed somehow with a lot of help from Betsy.

As I drove down to Zamalek from the airport my first impressions of Cairo was that it felt a lot like Karachi. Not only was the landscape similar but the buildings , store signs, and people would fit in perfectly in Karachi. The only difference is that Cairo's traffic is crazier. Red light, green light – it does not matter, cars and pedestrians do not stop moving. Crossing the streets felt like playing frogger.

Betsy, my brother's friend from UVA, was a tremendous asset during my first two nights in Cairo. She showed me around downtown as we walked to The Citidal, while passing 700 and 800 years old mosques (pictures coming). She even braved Khan al Khalil. Finally, she took me to meet one of her friends at a posh eatery over looking the Nile Without her help and Arabic, I would have been completely lost.

One of the coolest things I did in Cairo by myself was visit the Egyptian Museum. The museum is literally overflowing with antiquities from ancient Egypt. The first floor has the feel of a cluttered basement, with statues and stone tombs pilled up next to each other. About 75% of the pieces have no description. The museum has two floors. The first floor is arranged chronologically if you walk clockwise but little else in terms of guidance. The second floor is better curated and is the home of the treasures excavated from King Tut's tomb, which I learned was surprisingly messy. But what can you do with teenagers, right? Walking around the museum I was struck with how successful the rulers of ancient Egypt had been in achieving the immortality they sought for themselves. The significance of the Egyptian Museum's collection cannot be overstated. Visiting the museum has gotten me excited about visiting Giza and Luxor after I leave Dahab.

I have to go to bed now because I start my scuba lessons tomorrow. I will write about Dahab in the next few days.

PS A note on editing. I decided I am going to minimal editing because re-writing is very time consuming. If you see a big error please point it out. Thanks!