Night Train and Luxor

Lets just say one word to start off... night train... equals.... DEATH. After that note from Ashley, this time around, after the Mosques, they took us to the train station where we rode a night train to Luxor. The train was not the most pleasant experience. Most of us got sick from the food, the beds were uncomfortable, and the toitlets were clogged with no toilet paper or paper towels or soap. (Though at least you didn't have to tip anyone to use them). In Luxor, we started out by going to see the tombs at the Valley of the Kings. They were kind of fun, with a lot of heiroglyphics and paintings, though it was very hot outside in the desert. Then we went to the temple of a Queen which was cool as well. After that we went to two statues which were kind of in the middle of no where, and then toured a couple of ancient temples which were really cool. They had the same basic layout as the temple of Solomon, with an outer court where everyone was aloud to enter and do their sacrifices, then in inner court just for the priests, and a Holy of Holies (the Arab tour guides even called the inner most room by this name) where only the Pharaoh or High Priest could enter. The first temple, Karnack, was huge with a couple extra shrines inside. The Temple at Luxor was a little smaller, but it had some Roman influence from when Alexander the Great conquered the area and had them add an addition to the inner room with himself carned on the walls in Egyptian style. Afterwards we took another boat ride on the nile, and then the night train back to Cairo.