Day 2
Luxor Temple
A bunch of baboons in front of the obelisk
Luxor temple is incredible. The giant head of Ramesses II is ridiculous as are all of the enormous statues. We explored the temple for most of the morning. The lotiform columns make you feel so small while begging you to imagine what the temple would have looked like in ancient Egyptian times. I feel so lucky to aimlessly wander through a temple most ancient Egyptians would have never been able to see in their lifetimes. I love walking into shrines and being able to come face to face with the art. Even the hieroglyphs are beautiful. Like Greek and Roman statues, it's hard to imagine everything painted, but it must have been incredibly bright, and to modern standards gaudy looking. I can barely imagine things covered in gold, silver or electrum.
In Rome, the pope hat; in Egypt, the crown of Upper Egypt. It's a little big though.
the HUGE head of Ramesses II
I though he deserved an offering back after thousands of years of offering the gods stuff.
Its disturbing to see how bird poop and ignorant people can really ruin stuff. The acidity in the bird crap really wares away the images, but not like the idiot kid who was carving his name into Alexander the Great's bark shrine which has some of the greatest hieroglyphs. I didn't know what language he spoke but I yelled at him to stop and he did. Idiot. I was more shocked that the Egyptian guards would bring tourists up to one room and tell them to touch the wall all for a baksheesh (tip). Way to preserve your history modern Egyptians...
Good preservation!
Bad preservation. This is what happens when you touch reliefs, people.
I finally got to eat Egyptian street food. While a risk, it's something I was eager to dive into and luckily I feel fine so far. I had something called koshary which is basically macaroni with lentils, chickpeas and some kind of sauce. I'm not big on strange or strong spices but I was surprised how much I actually liked it! After lunch, I laid on a reclining chair on the roof next to the pool in the warm breezy weather and stared at Luxor temple until I fell asleep. I awoke at 2:55pm to the Mosques' reminder to pray. I'm not sure how else to exlain it. The LOUD noises of Luxor -- the constant honking of cars and buses and the clipclops of the horse's shoes on the pavement -- are droned to the echoes of an arabic prayer that fills the city. I'm not sure what it is but it's beautiful and an amazing reminder that I'm not in suburban New Jersey anymore. I soaked that moment in like a sponge and for the first time in a long time was relaxed and at peace.
That would be an entire cow on the sidewalk. Especially love the head!
We tried to go to the Luxor Museum with our passes, but because they were temporary ones and not the permanent ones we will receive soon, they wouldn't let us in. Instead we walked the corniche along the Nile. It really is as beautiful at sunset as you image (as long as you overlook the garbage along the shore and the 100 men trying to get you to pay them for a boat ride). We keep eating American food, which I guess is smart in the beginning, but I hope we start eating more local food. I got soup at the Italian restaurant tonight because I'll be eating Italian for the next 4 months and I figured I'd save it for the good stuff.
In denial...
We start work tomorrow. Breakfast at 6:00 a.m. and out the door by 6:30! Luckily we only work until 1 or 2, though I'm not sure whether or not to consider it work yet. I don't think I'll be pickaxing or moving buckets like I was in Peru. Not sure how I feel about that yet. I have so much to learn and can't wait to get started!
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