Yep. Today is my new favorite day! Even in the heat, I absolutely LOVED everything I got to see today! It was stunning! I might be the only one considering it a favorite though.. haha!
We were at breakfast on the boat, bags packed and all, by 6:30. After breakfast, we met Osama and got immediately on a motorboat to cross the Nile River to get to the West Bank. There, our driver met us and started the drive towards the Valley of the Kings. I was giddy from the start, just knowing I was going to be a happy camper today, no matter the weather.
Our first stop was at the Colossi of Memnon.. where two massive statues of Pharoah Agamemnon III stand guarding his mortuary temple. Now, they greet us to the West Bank. When I say they’re massive, we’re talking over 60 feet tall. And as of right now, they’re standing alone, no walls or other parts of the temple close by (they’re still doing restorations in this area), so they feel even larger when you stand next to one and look up.
From there, we headed to the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. She was one of the greatest Pharohs of Egypt, and the second woman to rule the country alone. During her time as pharoh, there was mostly peacetime, and she was able to establish trade routes and treaties with neighboring nations. In her temple, her statues depict her as a king, with a false beard to show wisdom and muscles to show her strength. Her temple is a masterpiece with three terraces with staircases leading up the middle to each level. Beautiful just doesn’t seem to cut it.
After leaving Hatshepsut, we made our way to the Valley of the Kings-where many of the tombs of the pharaohs are. When I tell you that they’re incredible, I mean it. Words could never do it justice. Each tomb is down in the ground, carved out rooms with colors and carvings all the way from the entrance to the openings that held the sarcophagus and the mummified pharoh. Now, the majority of the mummies found have been moved to a temperature controlled museum in Cairo that we’ll get to visit before we leave Cairo.
The 4 tombs we got to see are those of King Ramses IX, King Ramses I, King Tutankhamen (or just King Tut lol), and King Ramses IV. Only King Tut’s tomb had his mummy in it.. and while his tomb was beautiful to see, I found the others more gorgeous and vibrant than his. His mummy was unbelievable to witness with my own eyes. I can’t believe his body is there, in a glass case, still very much intact, after thousands of years. I can’t even preserve my leftovers. It’s fascinating.
After seeing King Tut, our moms were quite over the entire thing. The heat was oppressive.. like nothing I’ve experienced before-and I was hiking in the deserts of California quite recently. I think that’s the only reason I wasn’t completely losing my mind-because the sweat that started to roll down my body never stopped.. it was a constant stream that was impressive all on its own. We could have bottled it, it was so free flowing. So, for our last tomb, our moms hung out under a fan in the shade, while Andrea and I sauntered through the heat.
I’m so glad I did. King Ramses IV was my favorite tomb. The colors were just magnificent, like they were painted yesterday. The walls were all covered in painted carvings and scenes so beautiful that if my spirit returns one day I might have to go there to find Ramses instead of myself. Ha. The golds and yellows were striking against the reds and blues. So absolutely amazing.
After the excitement and beauty there, I seriously would have went into every single tomb available to me.. even with my river of sweat-but quite literally, everyone else was actually melting. Mom looked close to passing out, Terri was zoned out, too, and Andrea was willing to put up with my shenanigans, but I didn’t want to keep our moms out there any longer or make anyone miserable, it was just too much. While our apps said it was 91 degrees, I sincerely think it was more than that-and humid.. with zero air movement. Stifling is the best way to describe it.. stifling, suffocating, oppressive.. but the skies looked gorgeous 😉
We walked back to the start of the tombs and got on a trolly-all of us trying to sneak some wind flow through our dresses for an ounce of relief. Back in the van, we thanked God for our air conditioner. It took a good 15-25 minutes for all of us to stop panting and to cool off a bit. We were driven back to our boat, the long way.. so no longer having to cross the river on the motorboats. Driving the long way around meant we got to put our luggage in this van and then be taken to our next hotel, Sonesta Luxor Hotel.
I think this may be my favorite hotel yet. We checked into our rooms, then went to lunch at the Italian restaurant on site. The food was great (mushroom risotto, can you believe it?), and Mom got Terri into a laughing fit so hard that we all ended up crying laughing for a solid 10 minutes! I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a while.. once we’d slow down, Terri would get going again causing a wave of renewed laughter. Ahhhhh, fantastic times! My face and abs are still sore!
After lunch, we made our way to the pool (after getting into our bathing suits) and swam until nightfall. Andrea and I had wine while swimming, floated and talking with two of the girls we met on the river cruise. There’s nothing like shared experiences to bring you together! Ha! They were miserable in the heat today too.
We ended up eating a light dinner on the terrace, overlooking the Nile River. It was gorgeous, and the heat had died down. Tomorrow we fly out early to Cairo for the day/night to then go to the White and Black Sand Deserts on Saturday. We’ll be with Sherif tomorrow, so we’re all pretty pumped to see him again. I know I am!