Luxor Terrace Apartment

Ahhhh Luxor, "the jewel of the Nile", the southernmost port we will be in on this trip. The Nile! Valley of the Kings - a lifelong dream of Marc's, who ran down 4 flights of stairs from our rooftop apartment to meet our driver, as though it was Christmas morning.

The vibe is beautiful on the West Bank of the Nile, dirt roads, small shops, donkeys with carts, robed men and women, call to prayer 5x/day, bustling ship, sailing and rowing vessels our view.

Well, Marc's research and patience paid off. Luxor accommodation was tough to find. AirBnB does not have listings that matched our criteria, so he ended up having to do lots and lots of searching. He ended up finding our Luxor angel Claudia, who with her husband Ali, manages many properties in Luxor. Together they run a great business, livinginluxor.com, and took care of us like family. We were comfortable with one another right from the moment Ali picked us up at the bus station. 

He brought us to our next home, the terrace with the umbrella in the photo below (click to enlarge for a better view). And with a good Egyptian tea brewed by the building's owner, Iman, we plotted out our 6 days. 

Not all of our apartments have had TV, and those that do, well, not a priority. But to check out Egyptian TV, we turn it on, and he first station we come to has.....camel races!

This apartment was all about the terrace! We spent most of our at-home time out here, never tiring of the action on the Nile or in the street below. We often commented that it was better than TV, no two days were the same on the banks of the Nile. Here's yet another reading spot of ours, at sunrise. Every single day we were up with the sun to enjoy spectacular sunrises, the early morning call to prayer emanating from numerable mosques all competing with one another in the clamour, the early sounds of birds rising, the loudening din of Luxor's East Bank waking, a hot cup of coffee in hand. A beautiful, beautiful spot to enjoy the HEAT!

Our first morning's breakfast, an Egyptian traditional one, prepared and served by Iman. What a welcome!

Here's a video, the early morning 360 on the banks of the Nile.

Iman is proud to take us on our 2nd walkabout after breakfast, helping us get set up with groceries for the week. Having been walked through the town by both Claudia and Iman, introduced to the shopkeepers we'll visit, ensures that we are welcomed, but most importantly, ensures that we are not harassed (mostly) as we walk the streets of the West Bank. Here's Marc and Iman on the way home.

As the week carries on, the temperatures rise, and there is no bigger heat-lover than Marc! With no sun hat, and wanting to stay on the terrace reading, he uses a t-shirt to fashion his Pharoah's head wrap. It works!, even though it's black. 

And our final morning's goodbye with Iman. He was sad to see us go. Tourism has disappeared here, and he is grateful for any and all visitors.