Luxor it is then!

In our last post we left it open as to whether we'd head to Jordan and visit Petra or if we'd go to Luxor instead. Well, we decided on Luxor, and it was purely about the money. Going to Petra was just going to cost too much.  Here's the breakdown of how much a Petra trip would cost us:

• Bus from Dahab to Nuweiba: 15 LE ($3) each
• Ferry from Nuweiba to Aquaba, Jordan: $70 each
• Taxi from Aquaba to bus station in town: unknown, but let's say $3
• Public bus to Petra: unknown, but guide book says $10 each 
• Entry fees to Petra: $60 each Update: $60 would be for a three day pass, a one day pass is $25 each (or so the guide book says).
• Jordanian Visa: possibly free, but more likely 10 dinar (about $15) each

Then we'd have to double those costs to come back (getting another Egyptian visa for $15 each on our way back), unless we continued up further North into Jordan and into Israel before crossing back into Egypt (as there is no land crossing between Egypt and Jordan). So, assuming we returned the way we came, all the above costs add up to well over $500, before even considering food or lodging costs. Visiting Northern Jordan and Israel would have been fun and interesting, but it was never part of our plan so we knew nothing about it, and apparently Israel is very expensive. We met an American on our Mt. Sinai hike who had just come from Israel and he said prices were very high.

In contrast, an overnight bus to Luxor costs 120 LE (about $21). Then we can take an overnight train later back to Cairo, saving on lodging costs in both directions!

So, we leave for Luxor in a few minutes. It sounds really awesome, so we're excited to see the ancient sights down there.

Finally, one picture of the wonderful food that we've been enjoying here. The food in Egypt is outstanding, and one of the reasons we extended in the first place:

From Dahab and Mt. Sinai