2026. 2. 3. 19:37ㆍTRAVEL | 여행/Africa | 아프리카
1. Luxor Temple: Encountering Layers of Time Under the Scorching Sun
Leaving the grandeur of Karnak Temple behind, I arrived at Luxor Temple at 3 PM. When I visited this place 11 years ago with my parents, it was evening, and the surroundings were draped in twilight. The image of the temple glowing elegantly under golden lights remains etched in my memory as the most beautiful "Egyptian Night."
Today, however, I walk this path not under artificial lights, but under the intense Egyptian sun. The harsh texture of the stone and the weight of thousands of years, once hidden by glamorous lighting, are laid bare under the blazing sun. My father, who suddenly left us in 2021—the memories of that day 11 years ago return with a painful sting. I find myself regretting my younger, impatient self, who hurried ahead to show him just one more thing instead of walking slowly to match his pace.
1-1. The Solitary Obelisk: An Unfinished Longing
At the temple entrance, I see a massive obelisk standing alone, next to a conspicuously empty space. Originally, a pair was meant to stand here like twins. One now stands in the Place de la Concorde in Paris, and seeing the remaining one yearning for its lost half feels particularly poignant today. What I considered a mere "trace of history" 11 years ago now feels like the empty space my father left behind. Sometimes, a void felt through absence is more overwhelming than a physical presence.
There are so many things I didn't realize when I was just a son, which I am only beginning to understand now that I have become a father to my own child.
1-2. Prayers Floating Above the Temple: Overlapping Eras of Faith
I encounter the peculiar sight of the white "Abu el-Haggag Mosque" appearing to float atop ancient Egyptian columns. It is a place of Islamic prayer built upon a temple that was once buried in sand. I wonder what my father thought as he looked at this sight 11 years ago. Time stacks in layers like this to become the present. Upon the memories of 11 years ago spent with my father, the boisterous laughter of my children is now being overlaid. I am building my current life upon the foundation of love that my father left behind.
1-3. The Avenue of Sphinxes: The Pace of Memory Across 3km
The 3km Avenue of Sphinxes connects Karnak and Luxor. Walking this path lined with hundreds of statues, I retrace my father’s footsteps with my children. Every time a long afternoon shadow touches my feet, I feel a lump in my throat, sensing my father’s gaze as he likely watched my back while I walked ahead. I should have told him then—let’s walk a little slower, let’s hold hands and walk to the very end of this road together.
2. Letting Go of a Photographer’s Greed to Embrace the Flow of Travel
As a chef and photographer of 23 years, I have always wanted to capture every fleeting moment in a perfect frame. However, during this trip, our guide Bahgat’s passion did not wait for me. The afternoon in Luxor flowed by so quickly that there was no time to change lenses or find the perfect composition. Though disappointed at first, I suddenly realized: perhaps this trip isn't about "preserving" the world through a viewfinder, but about revisiting the memories of my father and fully facing the "now" of my children with my own eyes and heart. The sunlight of Luxor taught me how to let go of a photographer’s greed.
3. A Small Miracle Found in a Trash Can
On the way back from the afternoon tour, miraculous news arrived. The restaurant staff had gone through the trash piece by piece and found the lower part of my son’s dental retainer! It’s not just 3,000-year-old artifacts that hold value. The humble warmth of the Egyptians, who treated a stranger’s predicament as their own, resembled the "Jeong" (affection/warmth) my father must have felt here 11 years ago. Repaying their sincere efforts, I felt once again that the warmth flowing between people is the greatest souvenir of any journey.
4. Epilogue: Preparing for the 3:30 AM Vigil
Travel is a constant series of uncertainties. It's a tight race against time between the dawn hot air balloon tour and the GoBus to Hurghada. Amidst the silence of the Egyptian tour operator, who has yet to reply to my WhatsApp messages, I recall my father’s boisterous laugh from 11 years ago. "Haha, it’ll work out somehow."
Carrying my anxiety, I try to get some short sleep, preparing for the 3:30 AM wake-up call. Though I didn't see the night view, it was a day in Luxor where I could see my father’s silhouette once more within the intense afternoon sun. My journey, having crossed 11 years of time, now moves toward another tomorrow.
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