Visiting Luxor – Day 2 continued…

Visiting Luxor – Day 2 continued

After our stomach-busting lunch at the wonderful Lebanese restaurant at the Steigenberger Nile Palace we were then invited to have a look at some of the hotel’s rooms and facilities, which I have to say were very impressive. The standard twin rooms are very good but if you request the rooms with Nile views, for a small extra charge, then I think you’ll have the perfect base for your stay in Luxor.Steigenberger Nile Palace Luxor - Suite with Nile view

Even more impressive are the standard suites that can accommodate 2 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. Having a main bedroom and a lounge, the children can be accommodated by using the large double sofa as a bed. Superior rooms have large terraces and wonderful panoramas of the Nile.

The hotel boasts several restaurants including Nubian, Lebanese and Italian which will give guests the opportunity to eat in different surroundings each night. With 2 outdoor swimming pools and excellent gym facilities and tennis courts the Steigenberger is an excellent hotel if your based in Luxor after your Nile cruise.

After our visit to the Steigenberger Nile Palace we took the opportunity to return to the Maritim Jolie Ville to re-charge our batteries as we were booked to see the Sound and Light Show at Karnak Temple that evening.

Sure enough, after what seemed the briefest time trying to catch 40 winks at the Jolie Ville it was time to catch our mini-bus transfer to Karnak Temple to enjoy the famous Sound and Light Show.

To reach Karnak Temple from the Jolie Ville entails travelling from one side of Luxor to the other. Not a long journey, maybe 20 minutes or so, and it was interesting to see Luxor at night and to drive along the Corniche as the residents took the opportunity to take an evening stroll in the warm atmosphere that Luxor enjoys almost year round.

On arrival at Karnak Temple it was clear from the number of coaches in the car park that there are still an awful lot of people visiting Egypt, and especially the Nile, from all over the world and we could hear all sorts of different languages being spoken as well as hearing lots of American, Australian, Canadian and South African accents.

Barbara and I have been to the Sound & Light Show at The Pyramids and that is really impressive and not to be missed so we were expecting much of the same. However the Sound and Light Show at Karnak is very different. It starts right amongst the Temple itself and the audience walks to various spots in the Temple ruins and the sound and light performances take place in and around the audience. As you can imagine the effect of the booming voices of the narrators as well as the atmospheric lighting create spine-tingling effects.

Sound and Light Show Karnak Temple - Sacred LakeEach time a narration ends you are signaled to move deeper into the Temple’s ruins to see and hear more of the story of the Temple and of Ancient Egypt. Eventually you reach the “Sacred Lake” where you are invited to take seats facing the lake and the finale of the presentation takes place as you look to the far end of the lake which looks over Luxor city, the Nile and across the river to The Valley of The Kings. It was a magical experience.

Barbara and I would highly recommend it but I would emphasise that the ground underfoot throughout the presentation is very uneven and definitely not suited to those in wheelchairs or for anyone unsure of their footing. There were people in wheelchairs at the beginning of the show but they soon found it impossible to go forward after the initial narration and even those with walking difficulties were really struggling towards the end and were missing out on the experience as they were so far behind the narration by the time they had caught up.

I can only imagine that those people asked if the Sound and Light show was suitable for wheelchair users and those with walking difficulties and had been told that it was. I’m not sure if that was because those who were asked were trying to be helpful and encouraging or if they were merely trying to sell tickets but I can state categorically that it is not suitable and if you are told otherwise then I would ignore that advice.

After our Karnak Temple experience we travelled over to the excellent 5 Star Sonesta St. George Hotel where we had been invited to have dinner and have a look around the hotel by the management but I’ll save that until tomorrows’ post.