Egypt 2011: 5/29/2011 Luxor/Steigenberger, sunrise hot air balloon, Luxor Museum, high tea at Old Winter Palace

Up at 3:30 am. Ouch! Pick up at 4:10 am for SUNRISE HOT AIR BALLOON ride with Dream Balloons. There are 10 of us-2 people from Hong Kong, 4 who are Dutch, 2 from New Zealand, and us. We are taken to a place by the Nile to board a boat that will take us over to the East Bank across the Nile to where we start our hot air balloon experience. On the boat General we have tea. Then driven to the balloon site. Unfortunately it's determined that it's too windy to fly. Not safe. We're taken back and will try again tomorrow. It's about 6:00 am when we get back to the hotel.

Reception at 3:45 am!

On the boat that will takes us to where the balloons are located

Tea is served to our group

Our boat

Waiting around

Sunrise

Putting away the balloon

Getting back on the boat

Almost back

We've returned to the West Bank

We started from the National ferry boat dock and now we're back

I have laundry that I drop off. Then it's time for breakfast at the Nubian Restaurant which is a buffet. There is an egg station so I have 1 egg over easy, fruit-watermelon and grapefruit, beef sausage, toast, apple juice, coffee. I'm hungry so I also have French toast. Lots of variety.

Lots of varieties of bread, rolls, pastries, muffins, etc.

Egg station and more-hot and cold items

Because the only thing scheduled for today had been the hot air balloon ride we have the rest of the day "at leisure". We decide to check out the LUXOR MUSEUM. We take a taxi there but I didn't make note of the cost getting there. Admission to the museum is 160 LE for both of us. Everything clearly labeled. Works in stone include a large pink granite head of Amenophis III, a statue of Tuthmosis III in green-black schist, a human body/crocodile head Sobek in alabaster, and much more. This museum is definitely worth a visit. Taxi back was 50 LE.

Admission ticket

Pink granite head of Amenhotep III

Alabaster-statue of human body crocodile head god Sobek with Amenhotep III

Ceremonial axe of Ahmose

Jewelry

Akenhaten

Hathor

Archer and his wife

Mummy King Ahmose

Statue Tutankhamun

King Thutmosis III

Canopic box and jars used in mummification process

Coffins

Gilded Hathor cow head from the tomb of Tutankhamun

Vivid colors on the inside of this sarcophagus

After we walk to Arkwright's which is just a few minutes away from our hotel. Walking out our hotel doors we're bombarded by guys trying to get us to take a taxi, take a caleche. Very aggressive. Since this store is only a few minutes away we can walk there on our own. We buy potato chips and several bottles of water for 14.5 LE. Then we just relax by the hotel pool for several hours. We get towels from Gamal.

Walking past lots of shops

Follow the sign

Sort of like a general store mainly food but a bit of everything you might need while on vacation

Spent several hours at the pool cooling off and relaxing

I've decided to do HIGH TEA-OLD WINTER PALACE. High tea usually takes place between 5:00-7:00 pm but they serve it here starting at 3:00 pm. I take a caleche there but Richard decides to walk. The caleche I chose had a healthy looking horse. Driver Ali and his horse Rambo. He asked for 5 LE for the ride but I gave him 10. The caleche drivers and so many others are really hurting by the drop in tourism due to the revolution/step down of Egypt's former leader Mubarak. We arrived a bit after 5:00 pm. The Old Winter Palace is very elegant with old world charm. Atmosphere by the buckets! Instead of being at a regular table and chairs we are seated on this sofa which has a coffee table in front of it. Our tea was tea bags of Lipton in a large pot of hot water. Then a silver tiered platter. Top is for the desserts which were yummy. Middle tier had 4 small loaves of pound cakes-banana, lemon, and I forget what the other 2 loaves were. Pots of jam and whipped cream. That was good too. The bottom tier had crustless sandwiches of egg salad, tuna, ham. I don't remember what the 4th sandwich was. It was 4 sandwiches cut in half. Tasty. It was nice but not as nice as the tea I've had back home or even on our trip to Hong Kong. With those teas it was Earl Grey or a chest was brought to the table where you could select your tea. Crustless finger sandwiches of cucumber and watercress, ham and cream cheese, egg salad, tuna salad. The whole sandwich was cut into 4 triangles. Instead of pound cake we would get scones with jam, maybe lemon curd, and Devonshire clotted cream. The dessert tier would be petite cakes, custards. However, those teas cost a lot more than this one did so I'm happy with what we got. It was held in such a classy setting, excellent service, and the food was quite good. Cost without tip was 150 LE. And that's for the 2 of us-everything that we had. I would definitely do this again. We run into people we know-the 2 New Zealand ladies from the aborted hot air balloon ride!

Ali and Rambo

Been around since 1887

Can't beat this atmosphere!

Our high tea

Unfortunately Ali is not outside the Old Winter Palace. He must have gone back to our hotel where he would have a better chance of getting some fares. I don't think the Old Winter Palace allows the caleche drivers to stand in front of the hotel. I start to walk back with Richard when we're approached by a caleche driver with a horse that looks like it's being treated well. He wants to take us back to our hotel. Richard wants to walk but I think-why not, these guys need the money. He asks if I'd like to see Luxor Temple which is fine with me. I give him 20 LE for the "scenic" route ride back to the hotel. Too bad it wasn't a bit later when Luxor Temple would have been lit up. At the hotel I use my debit card to get 2000 LE.