Took the overnight train from Cairo to Luxor, the ancient capital city of Thebes. Luxor is divided into West and East by the Nile. The east side, where I am staying, is home to the new city as well as several of the ancient temples, while the west side is where the Valley of the Kings is located. Today I visited the Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple and tomorrow I am going to the Valley of the Kings.

Karnak Temple

Luxor Temple

More photos of Karnak and Luxor

Luxor is usually one of the busiest tourist destinations in Egypt, and although there are some other individual tourists here and a few groups, it is still relatively empty (as you can see in the photos). I had a guide tell me that at this time of year it would usually be difficult to find a spot in Karnak temple to even speak to his group, yet today he was able to stand pretty much anywhere in the vast complex.

Despite this, most Egyptians I’ve met seem fairly optimistic about their future. Most people are eager to talk to me about the revolution, asking me how I feel about it, and explaining their reasons for supporting it (I haven’t met anyone who didn’t support it). “Look at how the people live,” a man says to me, pointing to the poverty stricken city, “Many live on 10 Egyptian pounds a day (under $2), while Mubarak stole billions from Egypt.”

“We believe tomorrow will be better than yesterday,” a guide tells me, explaining that even if things don’t get better in his lifetime he believes they will be better for his son.