Description: The taxi dropped us off and the “look at that”s started. This place has to be the award-winner for theme detail. Egyptian art is everywhere you look, such as colossal statues of pharaohs, columns with hieroglyphics, and of course the sphinx in front of the building. The only thing missing was Steve Martin, “walking like an Egyptian.”
One annoying aspect we encountered at the Luxor was the constant assault by time-share representatives. They approached us almost everywhere we went. This is a good way to score show tickets if you do have time to throw away. Instead we searched out “All that Glitters” and “Gem Hunters”.
Pyramid Café is a good spot for lunch. The menu has pizza, sandwiches, and salads. The food was prepared properly and tasted good. The decor was in keeping with the Egyptian theme. Dining chairs had style, but little comfort. They angled back too far, like a lounge chair. Consequently I had to sit at the edge of the seat throughout the meal. By the time we left, the circulation had been cut off in my legs for so long I could hardly walk.
On the atrium level of the Luxor we bought tickets to the exhibit Tomb & Museum of King Tutankhamen. Cost was $9.99 per adult. There were several attractions to choose from including two IMAX theaters. There was no waiting to enter the museum. An introductory video gave us the background on the archaeological find. In 1922 British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen. It took 10 years for Carter and his crew to complete the excavation. King Tut, the boy king, had a short reign of about 10 years that start when he was just 9 years old. His reign was insignificant. In life his only claim to fame seemed to be that he married the daughter of the beautiful Queen Nefertiti. His rich burial treasure has assured his place in history. About 3245 years after the tomb was sealed, Carter shone a light into a small hole he had knocked in a wall and was flabbergasted by what he saw. Among the items discovered were luxurious chests, thrones, beds, clothing, jewelry, chariots, swords, and many clay figures of animals and shabti. There were 413 shabti placed in the tomb where normally there would be one or two. This was a sign of love and respect for the boy king. The museum had some exhibits with authentic items, but the recreation of tomb chambers contained only reproductions. Still it was an impressive display. We were allowed to use cameras in the museum. However I would have liked to buy postcards of the objects we saw. They did have a wide variety of souvenirs of Egyptian art.
We took advantage of the free monorail. We boarded at the foot of the sphinx and first rode to Mandalay Bay, then back to the Luxor, and on to Excalibur.
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