| Jan 22, 2012 |
| Traveling to Luxor Egypt in 2012? You should! |
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| Our guides in Egypt have had a rocky 2011. The Revolution in Cairo’s Al Tahrir (Liberation) Square and the subsequent civil unrest have caused tourist numbers to drop, even though the majority of the country is perfectly safe to visit. This is the case with Luxor. |
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While it sits a significant distance South of Cairo (almost 700km!), the region has experienced a severe drop in visitor numbers, affecting the livelihoods of those dependent on tourism. Nahla, one of our most popular guides in the Luxor region, invites travelers to return once more to this ancient and compelling land. And know that when you come, you’ll have far fewer crowds to contend with than people have experienced in the past!
Here are Nahla’s suggestions of the Top Five Tours to do while you’re in Luxor (Thebes).
1. Karnak & Luxor Temple half-day tour
Karnak is the biggest temple complex in the world, covering an area of 100 hectares and there is nowhere more impressive to the first-time visitor. Much of it has been restored during the last century. In ancient times, Karnak was known as Ipet-isut, 'The most select of places'. When the Arabs invaded Egypt they used to call it “the Khawarnak” meaning “the fortress” and the word has been mis-pronounced into modern Karnak. Karnak is connected to Luxor Temple by the 3 km avenue of Sphinxes.
2. The Valley of the Kings, Queens half day tour
The Valley of the Kings where the Pharaohs of the new kingdom were buried in tombs cuts through the limestone mountains. The Valley contains 62 known tombs (numbered KV1-62) but only 24 of them contained royal burials, many others being empty, undecorated, or belonging to privileged high-status officials of Thebes. Many of the queens of the New Kingdom were buried in a separate valley known as the Valley of the Queens, where the royal children were buried with their queen mothers. You must not miss the Temple of Hachepsuit, which surpassed anything which had been built before, both in its architecture and its beautiful carved reliefs.
3. Nobles, Artisans Tombs, and Ramasses
This Tour is designed for the tourist interested in exploring the real life of both ancient Egypt and its ancient people. When you visit The Artisans tombs (the tomb-builders village - 1500BC) you will come out with one conclusion: mankind has not changed much in 3000 years! These tombs are rich in decoration of their daily life activities and interests, while the Nobles’ tombs reflect the spoiled wild life of the elite in ancient Egypt. The Ramaseum Temple is evidence of the incredible engineering of the Ramasses II era (1300).
4. Tour to Hathor Temple in Dendera
Dendera is a huge temple built for the worship of the female goddess Hathor, the mistress of love, music and motherhood. It is the most intact temple in the world, dating back to 180BC. This temple is famous for its huge scaled outlets and unique rare scenes never found anywhere else. If you are a regular visitor to Egypt who has never been to Dendera, or a first-time visitor, definitely visit! It will enrich your soul with the beautiful and intact stories depicted on its enormous walls. Queen Cleopatra commemorated her legendary love story here, and many rare astronomical and zodiac scenes are also on display.
5. The Museum of Luxor and the Mummification Museum
Luxor Museum houses a unique assortment of the best quality artworks from the Predynastic Period to the Islamic Epoch. Among the most extraordinary exhibits of the museum are the relics and artefacts that were originally found in the tomb of the illustrious Tutankhamen, and the assortment of twenty-six, extraordinarily well preserved New Kingdom sculptures that were discovered buried in a hidden storage space adjacent to Luxor Temple in 1989.
The Mummification Museum in the city of Luxor is one of the finest sites to learn about the strange secrets of the pharaohs. The ancient mummification procedure of Egyptians has inspired awe of our people throughout the world. The Mummification Museum displays the various substances used in mummification including the natron salt.
Back in September, Nahla wrote about the best places to try local cuisine while in Luxor. Check it out, here: Nahla's Restaurant Suggestions in Luxor. |
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| Jan 19, 2012 |
| Gung Hei Fat Choi! |
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| With New Year’s Eve celebrations a few weeks behind us, it’s time to turn our attention to another culture’s winter celebration: the Chinese New Year. The New Year in China, (also called “Lunar New Year”) does not occur on the same calendar day each year – at least not in the traditional Western sense. The first day of the New Year coincides with the second new moon after the Winter Solstice, which means it can begin anywhere from late January to mid-February, depending on the year. |
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Each lunar year is tied to the Chinese Zodiac, which rotates through twelve different animals: this Monday January 23rd 2012, we will be ushering in the Year of the Dragon. The Dragon is the only mythical animal in the Chinese Zodiac, and is revered as a powerful symbol. The Year of the Dragon is predicted to be an ambitious and daring one.
Chinese New Year celebrations aren’t limited to Mainland China. Anywhere you find a significant Chinese population, you’ll find Lunar New Year festivals. Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand all have large celebrations, and outside of Asia, cities like San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver boast popular parades and festivities.
Have you ever been part of the celebrations? They leave a lasting impression! They continue for a full 15 days and are made up of colourful, boisterous and well-loved traditions. My favourite part of the Chinese New Year are the Lion Dancers, with their bright and ornate costumes, strident drumbeats and athletic performers. In Vancouver, decorative red lanterns hang everywhere and we all hope for the January rains to hold off so residents can line the downtown parade route, which winds through the city’s traditional Chinatown.
Rituals to attract good luck and banish bad are played out in every Chinese home. At gatherings, families pass around small tokens, like oranges, which are believed to bring prosperity. They also give money to children in small, red envelopes. (Red is considered a lucky colour and is seen everywhere at this time of year.) Right before the New Year arrives, families do a thorough house clean, to sweep out any bad luck that accumulated the year before. Then they get to put up their feet and relax, because it is considered bad luck to clean during the New Year celebrations, lest any good luck be swept away.
While most of us probably aren’t traveling to China this month, seeking out Lunar New Year celebrations in your city is a great way to be a tourist at home. Take part in the revels, try some food you haven’t tried before and enjoy learning something new about a culture other than your own.
Gung Hei Fat Choi! |
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| Jan 16, 2012 |
| How to Spend a Perfect Day in Turin (Torino)! |
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| Carol, a long-time guide in Torino (Turin) Italy, is here today to share with us her “perfect day” of eating, drinking and sightseeing in her hometown. If you are traveling to Torino in 2012, keep these tips handy for exploring the city! |
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My perfect day in Torino starts with a good, strong cup of Espresso coffee: Torino is home to Lavazza, one of the most important roasters in the world with an over one-hundred-year history.
When visiting this Italian region you will discover that it is home to the Slow Food Movement: despite this I always say that, yes, we are the land of slow food, but coffee is the only thing that is fast in this country. Italians tend to spend very little time indulging in coffee: if you have already been to Italy, you must have noticed that Italians stand at the counter, consume their shot of caffeine and they’re gone. Feel free to do it the Italian way, but if you need a break halfway through your sightseeing day, you can also choose to take your time among many historic cafes that have been around for more than a century: they are cozy, nestled under the city’s porticoes and full of architectural and decorative history.
After a coffee, your day in Torino continues with a walk in the center of town where you can choose to either wander around in the 16th century Piazzas and more recent walking areas or visit one of the city’s museums. On a crystal blue day I suggest to experience vertigo with a trip in the lift up Mole Antonelliana, Torino’s most famous landmark and home to the Cinema Museum with its collection distributed over 5 levels. This is the only museum that I suggest for families with children under five.
The route continues to the center of the city, Piazza Castello: scattered all round this area are the city’s great museums:
- The Egyptian museum, with the largest collection (30,000 items) of Egyptian artifacts this side of the Nile River.
- The Royal Armory, the Savoy family weapons’ collection;
- Palazzo Madama, an incongruous but nonetheless intriguing jigsaw of very different historical periods, home to the Ancient Art Museum;
- Palazzo Reale or the Royal Palace: built in the 17th century: the Savoy family ruled their kingdom from here until 1865
- The Risorgimento Museum if you wish to learn more about the Italian history you missed: in 1861 this city was the first capital of the newly united country of Italy.
Halfway through the full day itinerary, a lunch break is paramount! Italy is pizza and pasta land but there’s still lots more to discover: have you ever tried “farinata”? If you are a passionate chickpea consumer, this is a must-try.
Let’s go back to those vintage cafés and top off lunch with Bicerin, a layered drink of melted chocolate, coffee and milk cream.
The afternoon of my perfect day in Torino is spent strolling along the banks of river Po towards Parco del Valentino, a green lung for locals with its Borgo Medievale (Medieval Hamlet) and the Castello del Valentino, a closed-to-the-public imposing summer palace dating back to the 16th century.
We started off with a cup of coffee, but just before dinner we must check out any café in the downtown area to experience the unmissable “premeal”, the aperitivo: alcoholic or not, it is intended to stimulate your appetite but it generally comes with a buffet so large that dinner afterwards is optional.
Thanks for sharing such a fabulous itinerary with us, Carol! If any traveler is headed to this Northern Italian city in 2012, consider spending some time with this extremely knowledgeable and fun local guide. You get get in touch with Carol via her guide profile page. |
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| Jan 13, 2012 |
| ToursByLocals Guide Featured in Indonesian Press |
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| We recently received an interesting message from our guide Ira, who lives and works on the central Indonesian island of Java. Ira had been speaking to a reporter from the country's national newspaper, Seputar Indonesia, and sent us a link to the article. |
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In the article, Ira talks to the journalist about the benefits of getting involved in Java's tourism industry by becoming a ToursByLocals guide. She is enjoying showing travelers around Jakarta, while earning a good living and furthering her career in tourism. Through ToursByLocals, she has so far met groups of tourists from the United States, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia (all of whom, it should be noted, gave her a solid 5-star rating on our site.)
This, at least, is what we deduce through the google translate app we used to translate the article into English. While we boast many languages between us at the ToursByLocals office, no one can speak a word of Bahasa Indonesian. (Well, that's not strictly true. I do still remember how to say "thank you"!)
So, terima kasih Ira, for taking the time to talk about your positive experience with ToursByLocals! We're grateful to have you as such an enthusiastic part of our team. |
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