We were now leaving the general aviation “friendly” area of Europe and starting a long trek across Africa and the Middle East . We had been warned that we would likely experience more difficulties with ground handling and flight procedures. Our concerns for the next few legs were high as we prepared to leave Europe !!
Our route Crete to Luxor on the Garmin 1000…..
The flight started with a rapid climb to clear the mountains on the south side of Crete before crossing a long stretch of the Mediterranean Sea and reaching the coast of Egypt . Again we had the good fortune of beautiful weather and views of the areas below. Crossing into Egypt , we were met with nothing but orange/brown desert below – three hours of nothing but sandy, desert; amazing how anything or anybody lives down there.
Crossing into Egypt – 3 hours @ 11,000’ over desert ……
Approaching Luxor , out of the haze, we could make out a long stretch of darker colored ground. This turned out to be the banks of the Nile River and the vegetation that grows for several kilometers on each side of the river. Beyond that area, again nothing but sand.
We were vectored around for the ILS approach by very competent controllers and landed at Luxor Airport after the 5 hour flight.
Once parked, we were met by a large group of airport staff with their various vehicles. Lec was nervous as this contingent surrounded the plane wearing serious Egyptian faces……..They turned out to be representatives of the handling agent, the fire department and the fueling company. I made the mistake of giving the handling agent senior representative a small gift and immediately 6 or 7 others were on me looking for their handout. I had no willingness and nothing to give them and once they understood that, they were OK and went about their duties.
We were cleared efficiently through the Egyptian authorities by the handling agent. Some crews do their own ground handling; although it is supposed to be mandatory to use an agent. For us, we decided on the agent as we did not want to spend hours in the airport potentially fighting a system that we knew nothing about. The costs to use Egyptian airports are expensive – around $600US – but most of this cost comes from airport charges that you would pay whether you do self handling or use the agent. Our agent fees were about $250 and for this he looked after everything. Arranged fuel, immigration clearance, delivery and pick up from the hotel, filed flight plan, transportation from the airplane to terminal etc. For me, it was worth paying him his fee; although we get spoiled in other countries where this is often free.
We had planned two full days here and we needed to get going fast to explore the vast Luxor area. Lec had prepared well for this site and she had a full agenda for us. Rather than taxies we hired a horse and buggy team for the two days. The driver was a tremendous Egyptian “character” named Kaled.
Kaled- our versatile driver…….
Not quite Ovation 3 speed but fun……..
Day one, he took us for the 2 ½ hour buggy ride over to the west bank. He knew everybody. We saw all of the typical attractions which were inspiring. Kaled also got us into some remote tombs where tourists are not normally allowed.
Day two was spent in Luxor at the Karnak Temple , Luxor Museum , Luxor Temple and city tour. That evening Kaled took us to his home for dinner with his family. This included Father and Mother and six brothers and sisters with their spouses and children. Maybe 20 people of all ages in total. They all welcomed us warmly and it was a very enjoyable evening. It left us with another positive impression of this great country.
Deep inside a private tomb…….
A word about the tourist areas in Egypt . This is our experience maybe not that of others…….Overall Egypt is a wonderful place to visit. The history, creations of the past and the people are unique in the world. Well worth coming to Egypt if you ever have the opportunity. In general, the people you encounter in tourist areas expect to be paid for “anything” they do for you. This would include taking your picture, you taking their picture, accepting directions etc. The vendors nearby the tourist attractions will try hard to sell you their merchandise and can be VERY persistent – most of their goods are junk - copies which they propose to be authentic. We refused to make eye contact or talk to any of these people – not a word. Once you speak ONE WORD they will be on you like a swarm of bees. If you ignore them they will go away quickly. The tourist vendors are a minority of people trying to make a living in a very competitive market. Once you get away from these tourist areas you will experience a more normal business climate in the typical shops of Luxor .
Having said this about the tourist element, the people of this country are generally friendly, helpful and enjoy meeting foreigners. Seeing the area from the horse and buggy was great. We travelled through small villages where the children ran out to the road to wave and say “hello” to these strangers. Seeing the local people working in primitive butcher shops, making mud walls, farming and so on gave us an appreciation of the hard life many face in this part of the world.
Egypt was a tremendous, positive experience for us. The cultural differences hit you immediately but since we live in Asia we may be more accustomed to this issue. We arrived expecting lots of problems but found the people, history and way of life to be fascinating and very enjoyable.
We will definitely be back to Egypt and spend much more time experiencing this great and historic place. In the meantime there are lots of typical Egyptian pictures in our Gallery section.
Final note – after years of scientific research without conclusive findings – I found the secret of building the pyramids and temples. I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph the Egyptian's secret building methods. .
Sitia to Luxor, Egypt
Crossing into Egypt – 3 hours @ 11,000’ over desert ……
