12/16/2009
On Friday night, our second night there, we took a train from Cairo to Luxor where we would be getting on our cruise at. This was a new experience for me as well as a lot of people. I have been on a train before, but never overnight or that long or a ride. We arrived at the train station about forty-five minutes early to wait for the train. The train station was a little scary and made me a little nervous about getting on the train. The train station was very loud, dirty, and full of people. We went to the bathroom and it was just a hole in the ground, so I decide I could hold it until we got on the train. We were also becoming more nervous as we watched the other trains go by. The first train we saw was pitch black inside and the only person we saw was the guard who was in an open window, holding a gun, and wearing what looked like a world war one helmet. The second train that went by was full of people hanging out the windows yelling at us and staring. Someone described it as appearing to have about eight people for every four seats.
Finally our train arrived and it was much nicer looking then the previous two. We still had the guards sitting at the front and the back though. Our group had two entire cars to ourselves, and each two people had our own sleeping car or room. The room was tight quarters consisting of a couch with a pullout bed under it and another pullout bed on top of that one, a sink with towels and a mirror, two trays that fit into the walls for meals, an overhead luggage storage area which was a little too small for my large rolling suitcase to fit in, and a conjoining door to the room next to ours. There was one bathroom on each section which could only be used while the train was in motion, but it was much better than a hole in the ground.
We got on the train at about ten at night and right away were served dinner. The dinner consisted of some kind of meat, probably chicken, rice, an orange, and a roll. It was not too bad. While on the train, we did not venture to the other cars and pretty much didn’t see anyone other than our group and the people working on the train. We got ready for bed right after dinner and hung out in our rooms for a little while before going to sleep. The ride was pretty smooth and not too bad to sleep on. We were woken up at about five thirty or six to eat breakfast and get ready to leave. Breakfast consisted of five different kinds of bread with jelly and butter. About an hour later, we finished packing up our stuff and arrived in Luxor. Overall, the train ride was pretty fun and a neat experience.
Posted at 11:22 AM by Molly Welton