Valleys of The Kings and Queens

Continued from Day 1: A temple. church and mosque

DAY 2: Luxor / Edfu

It’s an early 5am morning call for the bus ride to The Valley Of The Kings. The air is cool but very quickly becomes hot as the sun comes up. Along the way, we pass the house of Howard Carter - the man who discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamon - on top of a hill, now left unused.

DOWN IN THE TOMBS
The best time to visit The Valley is as early as possible before the crowds start and before the sun gets too hot. Still it is very hot. Our ticket entitles us to fixed visits to 3 tombs of 3 different Ramses, but unfortunately not the most important king, Ramses II which is under restoration. A plastic model in the main building shows the maze of tombs under the valley which helps in configuring the relative locations of the tombs. There are still many tombs to be discovered since some known kings’ tombs have not yet been found. Entrance to King Tut’s tomb costs an additional 60 pounds (about US$15). However entrance fees change at will and differ from time to time.

The stairs down into the tombs are quite steep and can be taxing for the elderly. It is quite cool inside the tombs and the walls are cold to the touch. No photos are allowed inside the tombs. The caretakers at the entrance of each tomb tears off 2 corners and the middle portion of the ticket with each tomb entry. A primitive yet effective way of regulating your entry. The human lines go into the tombs in a single file, make a circle around the tomb and go out in a single file. There isn’t much room inside the tombs. The walls and ceilings of the tombs are covered with paintings and hieroglyphics. It’s a definite worthwhile experience to go inside the tombs.

THE ONLY FEMALE FULL PHAROAH OF EGYPT

The Queen Hatshepsut Temple (pronounce “Hak-chek-soup”) is on the other side of the hills of The Valley Of The Kings. Queen Hatshepsut is the only female full pharoah of Egypt - a legitimate pharoah in her own right. Sadly, her temple has been mostly destroyed by her step-son Tutmosis. What is left now is but a small section of the the original complex. We are taken up the 1km or so road to the temple on a train of carriages pulled by a forklift. This temple is also the site where over 10 years ago, a tour bus full of tourists were machine-gunned down after they got off the bus. Apparently the terrorists rode with them to the temple.

The heat here must have been one of the worst during the time I am in Egypt. I daresay it must have been at least 35 degrees Celsius. I nearly got knocked out from heat exhaustion. On the way out, I bought a map of the River Nile which had illustrations of all the attractions along the Nile for 25 pounds. I got ripped off. I did not check at the time but a similar version is sold for 10 pounds on board the cruise ship.

After Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple, the tour coach made a quick stopover to see the Colossi of Memnon. These statues are huge but very badly damaged and used to flank the entrance to a grand temple. Very sad.

THE ALABASTER SHOP
And it is time to bring the tourists to a tourist shop again. This time, it’s an alabaster shop. They make all kinds of souvenirs out of different types of alabaster. I got a small pyramid made of white alabaster for 60 pounds (US$15). The workmanship could have been better. I’m forced to bargain as in Egypt, bargaining is part of their culture.

COFFEE BREAK
It’s not yet the end of the day but we are already back on the cruise ship, in time for coffee break! We set sail for Edfu and have to cross the Esna Locks. Egyptians really know how to make pastries and desserts - they are delicious.