luxor

k: after a somewhat grueling 11-hour train ride, we're in luxor.
a: ah, yes...good ol' day train trip in first class....or wait?...
k: let's see ... I once took a 22-hour train ride through rural china. this was only 45% better.
a: I enjoyed the "wet and cozy" bathrooms...oh, so inviting.
k: anyway, we're in luxor now. I like to think of it as "the egyptian las vegas" to cairo's "middle eastern version of a mostly third world manhattan in the '70s."
a: wait, keith, did they slaughter sheep in the road in ny in the 70's?
k: hmm, I guess that's the third world part.
a: ah, yes.
k: our hotel ($52/night) has three things we're excited about: 1) internet, 2) tv, and 3) a heated rooftop pool. we know, we know - we didn't travel halfway around the world to sit around in the hotel on the internet, etc., but after the exhausting mess that was cairo, this is a really nice break/temporary luxury.
a: I still wouldn't say luxury - there isn't a fancy lobby, in fact it looks like a cross between a jewelry shop, 7-eleven and a disco. let me clarify though - I haven't said I was "this happy" in a while! but kidding aside, we are excited to see the James Bond sites of Luxor (just hope Jaws doesn't get us...)
k: and now, at 9:49 pm local time, we will probably start falling asleep. our train's early departure had us up at 6 this morning ...