Karen from our BBS provides some info on the Giza Pyramids:

The pyramids that are currently open to visitors are Khufu (the Great pyramid), Khafre (the second pyramid) and one of the smaller Queen’s pyramids in front of Khufu. Menkaure’s pyramid is closed for restoration at the moment in keeping with their rotation system.

The general admission ticket to the Giza plateau (LE40) allows you to explore the vast plateau itself, grants you access to Khafre’s Valley Temple through which you reach the Sphinx enclosure, plus access to some of the subsidiary tombs and Queen’s pyramids next to Khufu’s pyramid. Additional tickets are required to visit the Solar Boat museum (LE35 - highly recommended) and get inside Khufu and Khafre’s pyramids.

Access to Khufu’s pyramid is limited to 300 people per day: 150 in the morning starting at 8am, and a further 150 in the afternoon starting at 1pm. As Adel said, you have to purchase the tickets (price: LE100) from a separate ticket office facing the north east corner of the pyramid. I’d recommend you get there right at 8 to be sure of getting a ticket. Right now it’s not too busy, but by the time you get here we’ll be going into high season and the site will be more crowded. In peak season it’s chaos around the ticket office with so many people for the limited tickets - kind of like opening day of the sales - lol!

If you miss out on getting a ticket for Khufu, then visiting Khafre’s pyramid is (in my personal opinion) just as good and in some ways better, since:

1. The numbers of visitors aren’t restricted and you can go in at any time
2. It’s a lot cheaper: LE20 instead of LE100
3. It’s easier to get in and out of - as in not so physically challenging
4. It’s lighter and brighter inside, the air exchangers work better and the burial chamber is well lit and larger than Khufu’s, as a result of which it’s a less claustrophobic experience than venturing inside the great pyramid.

Not off the BBS, and not the usual thing we would report, but interesting anyway:

HE’S DA MAN! An Egyptian villager claims to be the oldest man in the world.

Mohammed al Wasimy maintains he was born in 1875, making him 130 years old - unofficially.

Mohammed married his wife Fatima in 1950 when he was 75 and she was 14. They say they’re very happy together.

The sharp old codger says he can remember when Khidiwi Tawfig ruled Egypt from 1879 to 1892, and he says five kilograms of meat in the old days cost just a penny.

Mohammed attributes his longevity to his simple life, growing his own veggies and rearing his own animals.

“I have never been to a doctor in all my life,” he declares.

Guinness World Records says the oldest man alive is Puerto Rican Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, a young upstart who’s only a paltry 113 years old.

Move over, Mercado, there’s a new kid on the block.

This just in on the BBS:

Please we would need some arab musicians to take part in a concert in the UK and to promote their music in england in particular.
Please feel free to contact our business development manager in cairo egypt from ,Should you need any forther information please contact us with the following adress.
Contact:
Phone:(00202)7452351
Mob:(002)0125994849
E-mail:ebenejohnson@yahoo.com
Contact in U K :
Tel:00447720431026
E-mail:fs246uk@yahoo.co.uk

When asked about unutual places to visit in Luxor, Jane Akshar, our Luxor News Blog author provided her standard list of sites to see:

LUXOR

West Bank Highlights

Valley of Kings
Site of the burial of some of the most famous names in Egyptian history, this remote Valley houses some 64 tombs dating from the XVIII to XX dynasty. The most famous being Tutankhamen, (a separate ticket is required to visit this tomb).

Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple at Deir el Bahri
This unique temple was built by Queen Hatshepsut and designed by her architect Senmut. On the walls there are scenes of the most famous events of her reign, her divine birth, the expedition to Punt, the building of two gold covered obelisks.

Valley of the Queens
The recently restored tomb of Nefertari has highly restricted visiting and you may not be able to get a ticket or it may be closed for conservation reasons. However there are other tombs in the Valley which are included in the standard ticket e.g. Amunhirkhepshat, Queen Titi and Khaermweset

Colossi of Memnon
These two statues front the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, arguably the largest temple on the West bank. But now little remains but the so called Colossi

Quiet West Bank

This is an attempt to show you the other side of Luxor, you get away from the crowds at the main sites and often are the only tourists in there locations, although this can not be guaranteed. Suggested sites are:

Tomb of Ay
The Western branch of the Valley of the Kings is a haven of tranquillity after the over commercialism of the main valley. The tomb of Ay is very similar in style to that of Tutankhamen and still bears influences from the reign of Akhenaton.

Khokha Tombs
This small group of Nobles tombs Nefronpet, Dhutmosi and Nefersekheru contains some excellent relief’s, with wonderful colours. There are judgement scenes, ka statues and scenes from the Amun temple treasury.

Ramesseum
Thus is Ramses II mortuary temple and the inspiration for Shelley’s poem Ozymandias. The walls have scenes from Ramses famous battle against the Hittites and are a spin doctor’s delight as they show Ramses victorious and Hittite records tell a very different story.

West Bank at Leisure

Still want more, well there is much more to see and here are some further ideas.

Medinet Habu
This is the mortuary temple of Ramses III and shows scenes of the king’s triumph in battle and there are chapels dedicated to Ptah, Osirus and Soktar. Rare scenes of sea battles can be seen on the exterior wall. How did they count the dead, see the piles of hands and genitals!!

Tombs of the Nobles
Rahmoses, Userhat and Khaemhat are just one of the many groups of Nobles tombs. Each group of tombs requires a separate ticket and depending on your stamina and level of interest you can visit more if you wish. We can direct you to the least visited tombs where you can enjoy the pictures in isolation.

Recently opened are the tombs of Roy and Shu Roy which although small are very interesting. As they are not yet in the guide books they are seldom visited however they are superb examples of Nobles tombs.

Deir El Medina
This is a chance to see how the men who built the tombs lived, worshipped and died. The site consists of their temple dedicated to Hathor and Ma’at, the remains of the village and houses clearly showing rooms, cooking sites and sleeping platforms and their unique tombs with both royal and noble decoration styles. http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/medinahathor.htm

Temple of Seti I
Seti I was the father of Ramses II and the remains of his mortuary temple near the village of Gurna Ta’rif are still being excavated. It is dedicated to Amun, Seti and his father Ramses I. It is one of the quieter locations and can often be found deserted.

Temple of Merenptah
Although little remains of Merenptah’s mortuary temple enough is visible to do a comparison between those of his father (Ramses II) and grandfather (Seti I). There are also some fantastic, very colourful, remains of Amenhotep III temple including his monumental gateway and the contents of a small museum. http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/mortuarytemples.htm

East Bank

Karnak Temple – The centre of Amun worship since the 12th Dynasty, large enough to contain 10 cathedrals. Built and added to over a period of 1500 years. Lose yourself in the forest of columns in the hypostyle hall. Don’t miss the Open Air Museum, a quiet part of Karnak with many reconstructed shrines and temple parts.

Luxor Temple - Linked to Karnak temple by an avenue of sphinxes and originally built by Amenhotep III and added to by Ramses II

Sound and Light at Karnak Temple - One of the most spectacular sounds and lights in Egypt, processional with a good historical commentary,

Mummification Museum – Everything you wanted to know about mummification but were afraid to ask.

Luxor Museum – everything is well labelled and presented, it was arranged by the Brooklyn Museum of New York. A new exhibit on Egyptian Military history has just been opened. http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/luxormuseum.htm

Non ticketed sites.
The palace of Amenhotep III is one of the many non ticketed sites you can visit, some need special permission and we can help with that. http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/malkata.htm

Ramasseum Coffee shop
We take you to a coffee shop next to the Ramesseum, this shop is owned by the family of a man who worked with Howard Carter on Tutankhamen tomb. You can see photos of the grandfather as a young boy wearing one of Tutankhamen pectorals.

Breakfast at Ibrahim’s
Egypt’s answer to fast food, have a real Egyptian breakfast in a local café, no tourists here.

Jane Akshar - UK Co-owner of www.flatsinluxor.co.uk
Tours and Accommodation in Luxor

Then, Sonny Stengle came back with a few of his favorite off the wall sites:

less common places….. Malkatta, former palace of Amenophis III. (the only Pharaoh who lived on the westbank of Luxor.There used to be in ancient times a road from his palace Malkatta to his temple of which the Memnon colossus used to be the eastern entrance. At the moment german archeological team works there.) Not much to see, but one of the local guardians there will show you some interesting parts, the Japanes left after their excavations. Most of it is now in Cairo at the Egyptian Museum…. Be assured no tourists there at all…even the guards there are almost invisible…sure in September as it will be hotter than hot. The place is behind the Medinet Habu Temple, would say half a mile along the “green belt” to the south.

Once you are there you should visit the Monastery there (more or less 300 yards to the west).

If you drive along the “green belt” to the south you will be arriving after about 2 miles a well restored temple which was build for one of the local gods.

All this sure not tourist attractions, and it might be even difficult to find a driver to bring you there, it seems to be unknown to most locals! All is on the Westbank of Luxor.

Not often visited is the “Valley of the Apes” where at the end the tomb of Ay is situated. Ay was following Tuth ench amen as Pharaoh for two years…. If I remember correct, this tomb is regarding the paintings almost identical to Tuth`s tomb.

Ay`s tomb same way as Valley of Kings..but at the “Rest House” to the right… not towards the King’s Valley (tickets only at the “old” ticket office).

Jane sure will assist you on that if needed.

Di…enjoy Egypt!

And finally, Donna Hyora, gives a short account of her unutual experience there:

When I traveled alone in Egpt in 2003 I had my taxi driver drop me in the Valley of the Kings and then meet me Deir el-Medina after I climbed above the Valley of the Kings as the workmen did. I followed the trail and overlooked Hatshepsut’s temple. I bumped into a monk at a monestary. The walk and veiw were beyond description. Of course, Deir el-Medina is totally fascinating trying to picture the workmen’s city.

I ran out of water, so carry a lot if you make the trip. My digital camera was HOT. The taxi driver seemed relieved that this old gal survived the hike.

OK, this does not come from the BBS, but rather from an email. I was asked by a Maryland teacher what the custom was in Egypt when a child looses a baby tooth.

Well, there is no Tooth Fairy as such, but from ancient times, there is the sun, and the sun even has a nickname today.

In Egypt, when a baby tooth falls out, the parent places it in the child’s hand. And ask him to lock tight his hands around it, while singing a song to the sun. In the song, the Egyptian children use a nickname for the sun.

Literally, the song is, “You Sunny Sun, take the teeth o the buffalo and give me the doll teeth”. Basically, this means that the sun will take the old, bad tooth and replace it with a beautiful, strong new one. Afterwards, the child throws the old tooth as far as he or she can.

Now I am told that, like in America, the Egyptian kids are getting wiser and wiser, and that very soon, the child, if asked to perform this ritual, will answer with, “Give me a break, mom”. Obviously, it might work better if there was some money involved.

I think that this tradition clearly dates to ancient Egypt, considering that the song is sung to the sun.

Asked by someone from the UK what currency to take to Egypt, Joerg Heinz, a frequent visitor to Egypt and a regular on the BBS, replied:

There is no need to take LE with you.

You can change money at the banks inside the arrival terminals.

For cash advances ATM’s are commonly used. You can usually get either local currency, US dollars or Euros. Most credit cards are accepted in major hotels and restaurants. You should take travellers cheques in US Dollars or Pounds to avoid additional exchange rate charges.

When you carrying credit cards and traveller cheques usually not more than 100 Euros or USD is sufficient

It is easy to exchange currency so it is not necessary to carry large amounts of the local currency with you, except you planning to go to the market or eat out. And don`t forget to keep a supply of small change or small notes ready for tipping. 1 and 5 LE notes preferably.

According to Joerg Heinz ont the BBS:

Launched in Europe concurrently with a major exhibition in Paris entitled Pharaohs at the Arab World Institute on 12 October were KremEzzat’s new Pharaoh’s brand wellness drinks. Pharaoh’s are unique beverages whose recipes contain extracts of the carob, hibiscus, tamarind, liquorice, and peppermint plants that were valued by Egypt’s Pharaohs some 3,000 years ago for their tremendous health benefits.

Pharaoh’s Carob, Pharaoh’s Hibiscus, Pharaoh’s Tamarind, Pharaoh’s Liquorice, and Pharaoh’s Peppermint beverages are being served at the Arab World Institute throughout the duration of its Pharaohs heritage exhibition (through 5 April 2005), acknowledging the world’s fascination with the civilization of the Pharaohs.
It`s rumored they are developing another variety called Pharaoh`s SCHMEER.
But a lawsuit regarding the copyright has been filed . ))

For further information click here.

According to Joerg Heinz ont the BBS:

Launched in Europe concurrently with a major exhibition in Paris entitled Pharaohs at the Arab World Institute on 12 October were KremEzzat’s new Pharaoh’s brand wellness drinks. Pharaoh’s are unique beverages whose recipes contain extracts of the carob, hibiscus, tamarind, liquorice, and peppermint plants that were valued by Egypt’s Pharaohs some 3,000 years ago for their tremendous health benefits.

Pharaoh’s Carob, Pharaoh’s Hibiscus, Pharaoh’s Tamarind, Pharaoh’s Liquorice, and Pharaoh’s Peppermint beverages are being served at the Arab World Institute throughout the duration of its Pharaohs heritage exhibition (through 5 April 2005), acknowledging the world’s fascination with the civilization of the Pharaohs.
It`s rumored they are developing another variety called Pharaoh`s SCHMEER.
But a lawsuit regarding the copyright has been filed . ))

For further information click here:
http://www.kremezzat.com/home.asp

There have been a number of posts about an orphanage in luxor called the Sunshine Home for abandoned/orphaned children. They apparently do some very good work there, and regular bbs users are urging people to make contributions, or if you are in Luxor, drop by the home with any items that might be useful.

Contact information is:

Sunshine Project International
Chairman in Egypt - Dr. Amr Taha
Manager - Lorna Ford
Address - Sunshine Project International
371 Television Street,
Luxor.
Tel: 0020 95237 2400
Email - Lornaali2000@yahoo.com

Representative in England - Eve Lawton, 245 West Street, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 3HU
Tel: 01270 213916
Email - Eveterry2000@tiscali.co.uk