After crossing the Nile to return from our rural west bank adventures, we had some free time in Luxor city. We decided to take a walk up to the promenade. This was probably a mistake, the walk itself was alright, but involved constantly turning down various carriage drivers. My guide and guide book both agreed to be careful with such rides, as drivers were known to take passengers away from the tourist area and then charge more to give the trip back. Nonetheless, taxis aren't a problem and they may have gotten us past the gauntlet to enjoy a more leisurely walk in the city center. That said, some of our fellow travelers walked the same route without incident, so perhaps it was something in the way we carried ourselves.
On the trip back, we paralleled our route one block away from the main street. This made all the difference in the world, Luxor is dense but it's no Cairo and the side streets on a workday are neither vacant nor bustling. The people we saw weren't looking to sell us things, they were just moving around their neighborhood, running errands, and the like. I don't travel in a search for authenticity, but I do enjoy seeing parts of other countries that aren't there to cater to me or sell me things. Of course, the incentives for vendors are particularly strong in the developing world: the ratio of per capita GDPs between the U.S. and Egypt 47,400 to 6,200. However, as we'd see in more detail in future days, Luxor, ancient capital of upper Egypt, is more than just a tourist town and has a pleasantly different character when you get oft the main strip.
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