The port is the gateway to Luxor, a
six hour round trip drive from the port however we settled for Dendera a three
hour drive with a private excursion for six of us. After a review of our
passport stamp we were divided into two lines, men and women, for the x-ray
security check to enter the port terminal. Women attendants at the machine.
Very thoughtful in case of a pat-down. We stopped at seven check points on the
way to Dendera and none on the return. They take safety of their tourists
seriously. The port area immediately turned into an inhospitable landscape of
arid mountains along a modern four lane highway. The entirety of the Dendera complex sprawls across roughly
40,000 square meters and is surrounded by a mudbrick wall. Dendera, is an oasis
on the banks of the Nile, was inhabited by
thousands at its peak. The huge temple has many rooms and is well
preserved. Lunch was included with the tour and we were accompanied to the
restaurant by the tourist police. After
lunch we headed back to the ship. Amazing temple and will need to assimilate
the magnitude of our brief visit.
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not
intent on arriving. Lao Tzu
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