Morning
Moon Over the Nile River
This
morning we are still at the same Luxor port. We had a very early breakfast and
joined our guide at 6:15a to the Valley of the Kings. Brenda and David went on
a hot air balloon ride, they left at 3 or 4a! We have the plan to connect with
their guide from that adventure near the Valley of the Kings and that worked
out well. On the way to pick them up we stopped at the famed Colossi of Memnon,
which is two 66 ft statues that weigh 1,000 tons. These are statues of
Amenhotep III. These statues were know by the ancient Greeks to emit haunting
voices (a whistle) at dawn. Though damaged now my nature and tourists, the
statues are still very impressive. There is other excavation going on in the
area as well. Then we waited for a
little while and they came from their excursion. As we waited we watched the
small world go by here in Memnon, 2 female goat herders, young men on donkeys,
etc. Then on to the Valley of the Kings.
Colossi of
Memnon
Goat Herd
We visited
3 tombs while at the Valley of the Kings. None of the tombs have anything in
them, but the carving and painting on the walls is still colorful after
thousands of years - not subjected to the sun or elements, it lasts. Strangely
enough even in these cavern type tombs it is warm. If we go into a cave in the
USA it is always cool inside. Perhaps the ones we went in are not deep enough?
There are some here that are very deep but people are not allowed in them. We
did not go in Tut's tomb, there is nothing in it and it costs extra. Anyway,
hiking into the tombs is relatively easy, hiking out, not so much. Fantastic to
see though, well worth it. We had plenty of time so we could go slow and rest
for minute a few times on the way up.
From there
we went to an Alabaster factory, not really a factory but 4 men hand carving a
variety of things from a variety of stones. They even had a stone called
Moonstone that glows in the dark! It really looks fake but it isn't I guess.
John
taking his hand at the Alabaster
On the way
back to our boat we visited the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. This beautiful
monument was built to the only female pharaoh. It rises out of the desert plain
in a series of terraces and merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that
surround it. Much of it was destroyed by her jealous stepson because he felt he
should be the pharaoh. Still vibrant colors remain in some places and there are
some sizable statues as well.
Temple of
Queen Hatshepsut
We arrived
back to the boat and rested for about 30 minutes before our scheduled lunch at
1p. We were to set sail at 1:30p but it was after 2p before that actually
happened. We found a nice, shady spot on the top deck to see the views from a
lounge and snap photos as desired. I had a nice conversation with a woman just
a bit younger than me. She and her friend are from Alexandrea. I gather she is
Muslim as she covers her head with a tied scarf and she asked me if we saw the
Citadel. I told her we did because we did see it from the freeway. She asked
and I told her the places we saw in Cairo. She didn't know of the Cavern or
Cave church, but her friend told her about it. She spoke English but her friend
didn't. Anyway, between the 3 of us we had a nice conversation. If not for
Radicals of many types, I believe people would live in peace(?) As our shade
moved, so did we - back to our cabin. We opened our drapes, enjoyed the AC and
watched the river flow by while sitting on our bed!
We got in the spirit of things wearing a Galabeya (traditional
long gown) for the Egypt evening. I bought mine in Cairo and a scarf for my
head on the boat. John got his outfit on the boat including the head gear for
US$15. Our photos were taken and I hope one turns out! Egyptian food was served
at dinner, which was very nice. After dinner we went up to the sun deck and
watched our travel to Edfu. We had a close trip under a bridge. Since the water
is low, I wonder what they would do if the water was high? There was a
"party" at 9:30p but I will say we are in our room by then and ready
for bed. Getting up at 5a - well, we just can't stay up too late tonight!
John and George
Of Note:
BBC news shows that Brazil is the #1 in qualifying for the World Cup! Will this
be the year we get the 6th World Cup Win?
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