Luxor, Egypt and Valley of the Kings

Today was a looooong day. We had a grueling 13 hour tour from the port of Sefaga, Egypt to the city of Luxor and the Valley of the Kings.

I cannot tell you how amazed I am to actually be travelling to all these foreign places. I am actually in Egypt! We started out very early in the morning and spent 3.5 hours riding in a nice bus to Luxor, where we had lunch at the Hilton Hotel and then on to the Valley of the Kings and back to Luxor to see the temple. Then another long bus ride back to the ship. We had an excellent guide and everything ran smoothly. In addition to the guide, we had a gun toting security guard on board. We had a total of ten buses and we had to convoy as a security precaution. There was a tremendous amount of security everywhere. On the main road to Luxor, there were speed bumps in the middle of the road at various points and the traffic had to run the gauntlet at the checkpoints (there must have been at least 30 or 40 of them). It seemed like everyone carried a rifle.

We left the port at 8:15am and almost immediately we were out of civilization and into the barren desert. This area was rocky hills with wadis and interesting rock formations that were slightly red tinted. In fact, the name of the Red Sea comes from the color of the mountains lining the shores of the sea that are composed of red granite, and thus the reddish color is reflected in the water. The desert then became more flat, with rolling mounds of course sand and gravel type rock and plenty of sand dunes. The color here was tan and beige. We passed an oasis with trees and bushes, camels, goats, and a few buildings. It seemed so out of sorts to see this in the middle of nothing. Bedouins live here and comprise about 2% of the population.

We finally made it to the Nile Valley, which was lush and green with agriculture. The cities and villages here, as well as the people, looked like something out of the 1400s. Farming was done by hand. We could see people down on their knees cutting the crops and then either loading them onto donkey carts or tied together in a bundle and carried on the back. There were water buffalo and donkeys in the fields to help with the harvest and care of the crops. Date palms were everywhere. Everything was so primitive. Stables for the animals were nothing more than a few poles with a straw roof. Irrigation for the crops came from canals filled by the Nile River. Many homes were made from sun dried mud bricks and a thatched roof. Other buildings were made with concrete and brick and had concrete pillars with rebar extending out of it. We were told that as long as the building or house was unfinished, then people did not have to pay taxes. All the buildings had these rebar antennas, and they looked plenty old and decrepit. People rode donkeys for transportation. We saw kids play in the irrigation canals and play soccer on a dirt field with no shoes.

We finally saw the Nile River! What a thrill. It runs to the north and through 10 countries. It is quite wide at the spot we crossed and there were many large tour boats sitting idle along the shore. Just image Cleopatra riding on a river barge with her servants fanning her in the heat, feeding her grapes. Speaking of heat, it was hot, Hot, HOT. Dry heat they say. Well, it was better than the heat AND humidity in Mumbai. So what – hot is hot.

The Valley of the Kings was magnificent. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take our cameras along.  The pyramids were first used to bury pharaohs along with riches so they would have supplies for the journey to the next world. But looters were able to get into the pyramids and remove the riches and destroy the mummified remains. The pharaohs then decided to hide their bodies where no one could find them, thus the Valley of the Kings. It is located on the west side of the Nile and in ancient times, the regular folks were not allowed on this side of the river. There have been 63 tombs discovered so far. I toured the tombs of King Tut and Ramses 6 and I have got to say WOW! King Tut was a minor ruler and so his tomb was not as grand as some of the others. His mummified remains were on display as well as his sarcophagus. Ramses 6 tomb was FABULOUS. The etchings, carvings, drawings, paintings, hieroglyphics were pretty much still intact and the colors were just as rich as when they were originally done. We were not allowed to take pictures; we had to leave the camera in the bus. Michael had more energy and toured a few other tombs and I tried to keep from dying of the heat. My umbrella is wearing out from excessive sun use!
We then returned to the bus but first had to run through the annoying group of pesky vendors. There was security to chase them, but they ran from one place to another and still managed to bug the crap out of everyone. Next, we visited a palace for a queen who masqueraded as a man so she could be ruler. Intrigue, murder, incest. These folks made for some really good stories and gossip.

Our final stop was to see the Luxor Temple. The ruins were wonderful. The Luxor Temple was for the wife (forgot which one) and the Karnak Temple was for the husband. The avenue of the sphinx (1.8 miles long) connected the two temples. Sphinx statues lined both side of the boulevard; what a beautiful sight. Buildings were demolished so this site could be excavated. There is excavation everywhere in the city of Luxor and we saw many statutes and sphinx that have recently been uncovered.

As I reflect, what an experience we are having. This entire trip has been so wonderful and enriching. I may bitch about the heat and fatigue, and I am somewhat sarcastic and hopefully funny, but I am in awe of what I have seen and feel very privileged to be able to see a small part of the world we live in. I have met people from all over the world and I have seen people who can barely walk brave the conditions to see these wonders and I admire their strength and courage. I am truly blessed and thank Michael for making this all possible. Who woulda thunk that all my bitching about his bridge would have given us the world.