Nice resturants serving real Egyptin food are mainly over here on the West Bank and you can cross over in 10 minutes. Try Tutankamun and El Gezera Hotel Roof top. Abu Hagg in Luxor city is great for barbecued meat and the Sheraton Italian resturant is good and not outrageously expensive.

There is masses more to see on the West Bank like the workmans village and recently opened tombs like Roy and Shu Roy. Email me and I wwill send you some ideas janeREMOVE@THISflatsinluxor.co.uk

September is still hot but not outrageous I would suggest getting out early and sightseeing then sleeping when it is really hot and then down by the pool. Which is lovely at the Winter palace. In the gardens at the back

Have a lovely time

What does a typical Egyptian entree consist of? I've eaten Lebanese and Turkish food, which the meat was good, but I hated the veggies. I'm not sure if all mideastern entree are similar?

I also notice you're advertising flats in Luxor, how close are those to the Valley of Kings and Temple of Karnak. Also how far is Aswan? If I wanted to visit the Abu simbel. I know this isn't my thread, but I just want to know.

quote:

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Originally posted by homeylu:
Originally posted by Ashkar
[b]Nice resturants serving real Egyptin food are mainly over here on the West Bank and you can cross over in 10 minutes. Try Tutankamun and El Gezera Hotel Roof top. Abu Hagg in Luxor city is great for barbecued meat and the Sheraton Italian resturant is good and not outrageously expensive.

What does a typical Egyptian entree consist of? I've eaten Lebanese and Turkish food, which the meat was good, but I hated the veggies. I'm not sure if all mideastern entree are similar?

I also notice you're advertising flats in Luxor, how close are those to the Valley of Kings and Temple of Karnak. Also how far is Aswan? If I wanted to visit the Abu simbel. I know this isn't my thread, but I just want to know.

[/B]

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We are 10 minutes from Valley of Kings and the other West Bank sites and by boat to Luxor temple 5 minutes and Karnak 20 minutes.

Aswan and Abu Simble involve an overnight at Aswan. Why not visit my website and email me janeREMOVE@THISflatsinluxor.co.uk

The food is quite variable lots of vegetarian dishes as well as meat dishes. Quite different from Lebanese/Syrian food which I know well. Often it is various meat stews with a variety of spices, stuffed pigeon, rabbit, chicken, duck roast or fried. Stuffed cabbage, a dried bean stew, stuffed vine leaves, various dips and salads.

quote:

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Originally posted by frances:
hi there
i was just wondering jane if you got the email i sent you asking about other information about luxor its just i havent heard from you cheers!

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No I didn't, did you REMOVE THIS in my email address. I put that in to stop robots harvesting my email address from these forums and getting even more spam emails. My poor antosapm software is overworkd as it is.

Do try again. janeREMOVE@THISflatsinluxor.co.uk

The Mercure (Etap) has a singer in the evening in the outside area and that can be a pleasant place to spend a couple of hours but the drinks are pricey (not compared to the Winter Palace though)to cover the overheads. There is a disco there too which has a belly dancer (some are better than others).

There is a restaurant on the West Bank called the Tutenkhamun which has good food and a roof top view across the river to Luxor. That is a nice place to while away a couple of hours.

The shops do not shut until after midnight in the summer so you can wander through the souk and bargain away some time there. The temples on the EAst Bank don't shut until 10.00 pm either.

Have a lovely holiday.

Which bit of September will you be there?

The jewellers are mainly around the souk and at the top of Station Street and everything is within walking distance of your hotel; including Luxor temple which is a couple of hundred yards away.

There are quite a lot of higher prices shops near the big hotel on Ibn el Walid Street but the souk is more interesting. (there is some hassle when people try to get you into their shops but treat it as a game). Gold is sold by weight and is usually good value.

There are lots of opportunities for retail therapy but do not expect any department type stores are there are non except the Government store (best place for cotton towels) and that is straight out of the nineteen twenties.

Anything else you want to know you can either post it or e-mail me on Lizasutton@hotmail.com

Your guide should know which tombs are actually open at the moment - its pointless me speculating as you are not going for a while yet and things change.

One temple I would insist on going to is the Medinet Habu (Ramses III). It is of a slightly different style than some of the others as the pillars are shorter and more sturdy and it has some great colours still showing especially on the remaining bits of the roof.

Another temple which is of interest and off the beaten track is the one at the Dier el Medina (workers village) it was built later than the others but there is a wonderful painting of Amun there with his blue skin still in full colour.

If you have time at Karnak get your guide to take to the temple of Khonsu which is in a far corner. It has not been tarted up like the rest and gives an idea of what the temples were like before they were made ready for mass tourism.

You can actually go around all the temples and tombs without a guide. In fact, if you have a decent guide book, you are usually better off on your own as then you are not rushed about. I have seen tours come into a temple and go before I have got past the first pylon. If your other half is as interested in the culture as he sounds, then I think that you might ind yourself rrevisitng places. I have been to karnak more times than I can count and I never tire of it. Each time I dinf something different.

As a tourist, it is interesting to get a calleche up to Karnak. The driver will wait for you and take you back again and it will cost very little. It is the same with the Valley of the Kings, etc. If you cross the river on the local ferry (2 LE return for visitors) then you can easily arrange a taxi on the other side to take you around and wait for you. Alternatively if you are energetic, then hire a bicycle (5 - 10 LE per day). It's quite a long way to the Valley of the Kings (and all up hill on the first leg through the canyon) but it in intersting (and all down hill on the way back).

Photocopy various pages of your guidebook before you come out and stuff them in your suitcase then you do not have to cart the whole guidebook around with you all the time. You will have enough trouble carting around bottles of water.

You must take a felucca trip on the river at sunset to watch the sun disappear behind the mountain. (Bring good mosquito repellent with you as they can be vicious at dusk on the water).

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Originally posted by frances:
so one british pound is equal to 11 of egyptians pounds?

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I'm a Glasweigan (not boasting) and my accent is easily understood by shopkeepers and whoever in Egypt.

In fact, there have been a few occasions when - and no disrespect to my English friends on these boards - when the English holiday tour rep has misunderstood me, including some fellow English tourists.

Last March 2003 at Mena House Oberoi in Cairo, I chatted to fellow tourists at breakfast and they apologised that they didnt understand me.
Last November 2003 on a Nile Cruise my fellow diners on a daily basis would say they didnt understand me, even when I make the effort to speak a little slower and clearer.
Yet they hear Scottish accents on tv and film all the time(usually we're the bad guys and alcoholics). Egyptians would hear less Scottish accents than them. I've only met/heard 4 Scottish tourists in my 12 times in Egypt.

Most Egyptian shopkeepers, guides, drivers etc ... would say "oh you speak English" which yes is true but some also say "ah, you are Scottish" in first few words of speaking to them, which always amazes me.
Your accent will be accepted. As will your money!

Remember you cant exchange Scottish currency over there, it's a b*gger to get hold of English bank notes before I go but I make sure I have a few tucked in back of my purse (Scottish purse - complete with moths) in safety deposit box.

The Amoun restaurant near Luxor temple is best for fish, Maxime's (just past the Isis hotel) is best for steak, and there are several cheap and cheerful restaurants in and around the souk (Abu Hussein) that have good chicken. Pizzas everywhere are a bit ropey (in my opinion).

Original posting : Again, it depends what you like. Maxime's is a French run restaurant and deals mainly with European food. Good old bangers and mash can be got at one of the restaurants run by John and John and a Scottish woman (with her husband) runs the Jamboree. Snobs is run by an English woman called Penny and they have some excellent food and more than competative prices. I seldom cook lunch for myself as I can eat out cheaper than I can cook for myself.

Fortunately, you can get just about any type of food that you want in Luxor, There is even a McDonalds, but no KFC or Pizza Hut. Thank goodness. The Tutankhamun on the west bank serves good food too, although the menu is limited to what he has cooked that day.

For atmosphere, I like the pavement restaurants as there you can sit and watch the forever interesting goings-on around you.

Jane has some good tips on where to get the best beans for breakfast. The best felafel I am told is to be found in Television Street but I usually get mine by the bakers near the Horus Hotel.

I'm from the rough east end of Glasgow. The rich west end would probably have difficulty in understanding me.
As for you South Lanarkshire folks, well, I'd need to provide subtitles!

The tough Glasweigan is a bit of a front.
I'm not a ned, I don't drop my "h's", I've never owned a shellsuit or a Burberry cap. I pay my council tax, grudgingly. I actually have a colour tv licence for my colour tv. See, I'm no' all that bad.

Isn't it amazing how we are portrayed in the media? I feel as though I'm letting the side down by being a non-drinker, non-smoker, non-gambler and no criminal record.

It was a dream of mine since doing a project on Egypt at primary school 20-odd years ago that I would see the pyramids and the mysterious tombsn when I was "grown up".
I dont know if I ever did "grow up" but I've been to Egypt 12 times now and I never tire of it.

When I first went to Egypt, it was via the overnight coach £24 return from Glasgow's Buchanan Street Bus Station to Manchester Airport. I arrived at 4 a.m. and slept alone on 1st floor of Terminal 2 departures, on a bench, with the cold air conditioning blowing on me and the constant security tannoy announcments echo-ing over the me.
I lay there uncomfortable clutching my hand luggage, my suitcase strapped up and tied around my ankle (seemed a good idea at the time!). My dreams of Egypt kept me content.
But the discomfort was worth it.
Changed days, now I fly down the night before and stay at airport hotel (Bewleys or Radisson if I skip my council tax - only kidding).
I havent been to Egypt for 8 months now and I long to return.

Maybe Egypt will be your dream destination too.

Wise-woman I was always under the impression that you lived here.

Eight months is a long time, I don't know how I've coped.
Not been a good year so far for me healthwise (dental abscess, dental extraction, major dental treatment, 2 ear infections and a minor operation with overnight stay in hospital).

Found it hard to plan ahead. Waiting for something else to go wrong next.
Thanks to periods of Sciatica, I havent shifted the pounds I gained over the festive season - yes I know that was 7 months ago but I also over indulged at Easter. The supermarkets shouldn't sell half price giant size Bounty and Dairy Milk easter eggs. I cant resist a special offer or temptation itself.
Got my full allocation of annual leave to use up.

Been looking on internet and teletext holidays but no great offers for Egypt for later in year. Too hot for me just now.
I could book something last minute but would still like to plan it just now, to give me "a reason to live".

I do envy you guys who live in and frequently visit Egypt and enjoy reading your experiences and comments.

What I look forward to most is stepping out the door of the plane and breathing in my first whiff (usually unpleasant) of Luxor. Arriving at sunset, magical.