One of the greatest things about Egypt is there is always something you haven't seen yet. This comes in really handy when friends or relatives visit, because it means you aren’t forced to visit the same places for a second or third time. Recently my mother came all the way from Oregon to visit and it gave me a last chance to see a few things for the last time and a few things for the first time. The first time I visited the Pyramids at Giza I left feeling a bit disappointed. Things felt rushed and overly commercialized, there was a lot of hassling and it just didn’t live up to my expectations. When I found out my mother was coming to visit one of the first thoughts was "oh man.. I have to visit Giza again!". Fortunately my second trip was much more memorable than the first. It is nice to take your time and enjoy everything around you. This includes walking around at a slow pace, admiring the scale of the structure, its shadow, the angles and all of the other aspects that make this one of the most amazing places on earth. It also helps to step back and watch all the other people. Instead of being bothered by the constant stream of Egyptians wanting their picture with you, or the relentless pursuit of postcard salesman, take a deep breathe and let everything coalesce into a whole experience. I also had the chance to re-visit Luxor and the spectacular temples of Karnak, Luxor and Hatshepsut, along with the Valley’s of the Kings and Queens. On my first visit I was with a tour guide and I must emphasize that seeing these sites on your own, at your own pace, is much more pleasant as it provides a greater feeling of discovery than having someone dictate a seemingly endless reel of facts while hurrying you along. Generally I really dislike organized tours so I was really excited to see Luxor again on my own terms. In Luxor we stayed at the Nefertiti Hotel, which is a small backpackers hotel near Luxor Temple. The accommodations are simple and cheap ($16 a night for 2 people), but very clean and there is a great rooftop terrace overlooking the Nile and Luxor Temple. We traveled to Karnak Temples via horse carriage during the day and at night visited Luxor Temple among the lights. I found Luxor Temple to be much more enjoyable at night. Not only did the lights actually accentuate the structure itself, but the atmosphere was very calm and relaxed. For our trip to the West Bank we again dropped the tour and instead arranged our own transportation to the sites, which allowed us to spend as much time at each site as we wanted. We haggled for a taxi to drive us to each site, wait for us and take us to the next one for a total cost of LE 120 (~$25). Among all of the amazing things in Luxor, the highlight must have been a hot air balloon ride at the crack of dawn. The air was crisp, the scenery was amazing and watching from above as both the farms of rural Egypt and the city of Luxor come alive was an experience I will not soon forget.