Our days have a strange pattern here. To avoid the worst heat of the day, we get up very early, and are usually on the bus before 7. The temperature for the first hour or two of a site visit will be in the low 20s.
By late morning, as the temperature really starts to climb, we’re getting tired and grumpy and all Templed out, and it’s back to the boat for lunch and a nap. Afternoons are spent cruising the Nile, zzzzzing in your staterooms, scoping out the gift shop, or braving the sun deck with a possible dip in the pool. Evenings are for another site visit, or some event on board – tonight is Egyptian Night, and we’re supposed to dress like a local.
The pattern works well but can be quite disorienting. Did that activity I did earlier happen today or last night?
Anyway, we had a late night visit to Luxor Temple last night. It was specially lit up for us, and it looked spectacular with the moon shining overhead.
We weren’t back to the ship until 10:30 and then it was up again at 6 for today’s adventure. This morning we went to the Valley of the Kings. These later rulers had figured out that highly conspicuous tombs (I’m looking at you, pyramids) only leads to grave robbers. Did you know Cleopatra lived nearer to the present day than the times of the pyramids? Mind blowing. Ancient Egypt spanned a long time. They are still excavating the enormous site at the valley, and new discoveries continue to be made. We saw four tombs today including poor old King Tut, the Boy King Tutankhamen. His tomb wasn’t spectacular but it was the only one with a dead person inside.
Most kings start building their tombs as soon as they ascended the throne, butTut thought he had time on his side. His untimely death, cause unknown, took everyone by surprise, and they had to quickly build a tomb for him in time for his burial after his 70 day long mummification. His tomb wasn’t particularly elaborate but some of the ones we saw today were fabulous.
Hatshepsut temple was interesting for its size and also the fact that all her depictions on the walls were scratched off by supporters of her stepson after she died. Apparently she’s a hero of the trans community because she proclaimed herself king and ruled as a man. She’s often depicted with a beard.
We were all wilting by now but had one final visit to make, a local village to see how they lived. We were shown around a mud brick house by the second son of the family, who is actually a lawyer. I took no photos of the house but several of the camel in the backyard.
