It's not all pyramids and mummies.
Holly Scratcherd sends us her picture postcard of
the other tourist attractions of this ancient civilization…

When I first thought about going to Egypt, I decided to go to Cairo, but after some investigation into the country I decided that the best sights were situated around Luxor.

Then, to my dismay, after I'd booked trip there was an incident at one of the temples. A fundamentalist group shot and killed some tourists including several Britons. I was worried to hear this, as I didn't want these groups to stop me visiting the country. It seemed as if my wonderful trip was quickly going down the toilet. Sure enough, within days, the tour operators withdrew Egyptian holidays to that region.

Luckily, however, after a month the holidays were reinstated and we were asked if we'd like to re-book our trip.

I considered this, and re-booked with a certain amount of trepidation. Actually that's a total understatement. I was so paranoid, I asked my other half, who used to be a paramedic, if he knew how to deal with bullet wounds.

Being scared shitless aside, the time flew by and soon it was time to leave. So, with my bikini and flip-flops packed, off we went to paradise. The flight was four-and-a-half hours, but it seemed no time at all. The sea began to give way to sand, sand, sand and a bit more sand. We flew over the Nile, where there was this almost ridiculous green oasis each side of the river, divided up evenly with irrigation channels leading off the river allowing for this amazing lush spot in the middle of the desert.

As I stepped off the plane in my combats and jumper (I left England in cold and drizzle) I was close to passing out and couldn't get into the air conditioned airport quick enough. The feeling of inhaling 46-centigrade air makes your nose burn and your head spin. The jumper had to go. I was prepared for it to be hot, but this hot! Later in the holiday, a tour guide told us that up until 1996, it hadn't rained since 1914.

As you walk out of the airport, local men ask to carry your bags to the coaches. If you say no, they snatch them from your hands, take them to the coach and demand money for the privilege. I, however, was not impressed and held onto my bag for dear life.

There was just one problem with Luxor. How can I possibly see everything in the time I had? The simple answer was that I couldn't. So we picked the things we felt that we couldn't go home without seeing. The fortnight twas carefully planned, allowing for plenty of time to take in the endless amounts of sun. Egypt is sunbathers' heaven. During our stay the temperature peaked at 52-centigrade.

We decided to see the local sights first before heading further afield. The first must-see was the Luxor temple. Seeing my first Egyptian monument in the flesh was a spine tingling experience. Even in the extreme heat, I got goose pimples seeing something that I never expected to see. It's hard to describe how unbelievably beautiful, ornate and fresh the engravings are. It's incredible to conceive that they were built thousands of years ago, as they look as if they were built yesterday.

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