Luxor & the Valley of the Kings

20-21st Sept

Watching the Nile swirl in eddies & flows, the great volume of water, always moving, it made me think it is a great analogy for the movement of life. Never resting, appearing calm on the surface at times but moving underneath, sustaining life for thousands of years. Until the building of the great High Dam & the flooding to create Lake Nasser, the Nile would flood & displace thousands of people.

Nile-o-meters built at the temples indicated the level of the Nile, and consequently the taxes collected by the priests were set for the coming year. If the Nile was high, it indicated a prosperous year & therefore higher taxes, a low water level the transverse was true.

Mon/Tue 20-21/9  

Arriving in Luxor, we relaxed by the pool for the afternoon. I indulged in a mani-pedi, and a full-body scrub & mud wrap.  You don't want to be shy or self-conscious for that one! Off to bed early, because yet again an early morning wakeup call for our balloon ride!  

Tues morn we were picked up & taken to the dock for a short ferry ride across the Nile to the West Bank.  We serenely floated above Hatshepsut's Temple. Beyond the temple lies the Valley of the Kings, our destination later that morning.  Having the Chief Test Pilot on board made both Jamie & I feel extremely safe & confident.  After a very gentle landing in one of the surrounding fields, we were whisked to see the imposing Temple of Hatshepsut, which acts as an entrance way to the V of the Kings.  Hatshepsut was the only female that acted as Pharaoh, so go girl power!

Arriving in the Valley, we chose to visit the tombs of Ramses I, III, & IX, but first visited the tomb that sits directly above Tutankhamen's, that of Ramses V & VI. Extraordinarily bright in colour, there was no-one else visiting the tomb at that moment. It made the entrance & descent quite surreal, as you could imagine a royal mummy being carried by his loyal subjects into the heart of the burial chamber.  All the mummies have been removed, but Tutankhamen's mummy is still in his burial chamber so we decided to let him rest in peace...

Alexandria to Aswan

Tue/Wed 14-15 Sept - A leisurely drive to the coast delivered us to the sunny city of Alexandria, our home for the next two days.  After exploring the Greco-Roman catacombs, we were taken on a tour of the brilliant UNESCO-funded project, Biblioteca Alexandrina (for me a personal highlight, because I LOVE libraries. I can hear Jamie in the background saying "nerd").  This new library replaces the ancient library that once stood here, and is now the second largest library in the world.

Being by the Mediterranean blows away the dust & grime of Cairo & we rewarded ourselves with a fresh seafood dinner.  The following morning after visiting Qaitbey Citadel which not only stands on the site but is partially built from the blocks of the Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria, we walked along the gorgeous Corniche & sat on the terrace of the Sofitel & people-watched.  In the afternoon we headed for Cairo to board our overnight train to Aswan, 900kms to the south.

Thu/Fri 16-17 Sept - Arriving in Aswan, we visited the Temple of Philae which has to be approached by boat.  This temple was saved from the creation of the High Dam by moving 40,000 blocks & pieces to a higher island. A remarkable feat.  It was a very early night for all, as we had a 2am wake-up call.  Abu Simbel is best seen at sunrise, and it is accessed either by a very long bus ride or a 30-min plane ride.  Luckily for us it was a short trip on Memphis Air to see the great temple of Rameses II, and the four colossi that guard the entrance. This was another site that was saved from the flooding of the river Nile to create Lake Nasser.  At lunchtime we were back in Aswan & boarding our river cruise for the next three days.

Sat/Sun 18-19 Sept - Cruising is a great way to see this part of the country, as you can lounge on the sundeck, dip in the pool & watch the ancient scenery pass by.  The blocked toilets & constant diesel fumes are not exactly conducive to enjoyable travel, however.  The cruising is interspersed with temple visits, such as the Temple of Horus (Falcon-headed god) at Kom Ombo, and Edfu Temple.  However there is a distinct possibility that "temple-fatigue" will soon set in...

Pyramids, Sphinx, Ramses II

Nothing prepares you for your first glimpse of the Pyramids. You expect them to be like Uluru; you know, stuck out in the middle of nowhere, but civilisation is encroaching on these ancient monuments. We visited the Great Pyramid complex on Monday 13 Sept. Even though we were there at opening time, all the tickets to the interior of the Great Pyramid were sold out. No matter, we visited inside the "middle" pyramid, just as creepy I'm sure.

After a few photographic opportunities, the Sphinx was next on our agenda. Sitting in a small "pit" it is actually a lot smaller than usually depicted, but just as majestic. Jamie made me pose in a "kissing the Sphinx" shot (which I hate), but hey everyone was doing it even the cool italians!

After the Papyrus factory (they always get you!), we had a traditional Egyptian meal, the carb-loaded "koshari" lunch. Jamie is doing a food journal so he can explain that one!

The Egyptian Museum was another highlight of the day. After seeing the Narmer Palette (first known use of hieroglyphs) and some other amazing artifacts, we hit the jackpot. I got to eyeball Tutankhamen's death mask, with no-one else around! We saw just a fraction what was in his burial chamber & the treasures & jewellery just blow your mind.

We also visited the hall of the royal mummies, and paid our respects to some of the greatest pharaohs that existed. The mummy of Ramses II (aka Ramses the Great) takes pride of place, and we are closing the loop by visiting his extraordinary temple at Abu Simbel later this week. Unfortunately no photos can be taken inside the museum, but stay tuned for some snaps of the pyramids & the Sphinx.

Julie & Jamie

Countdown Begins to EMPS

The countdown has begun to Egypt, Morocco, Portugal & Spain (from here on in to be known as EMPS)! Jamie & I take off in two weeks, with Egypt as our first stop. Joining us on this section of our trip will be Jamie's mum, Penny, and his sister, Samantha.

We have our Egyptian pounds (baksheesh!) and Euro, but you cannot buy Moroccan dirham outside of that country, so will have to wait til Casablanca to see what it looks like.

So if you have any tips on traveling on the road, or just want to say hello, make sure you leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you!

Oh, by the way, I'm typing this on the computer we are taking away, so I'm still getting used to Apple-based controls (instead of Microsoft). Sorry if the formatting is crap, or I accidentally post halfway thru a blog, LOL!!

Julie & Jamie
The Travelling Foxes