SO COOL! but SO HOT! - في الأقصر

First off, happy belated 50th, Mrs. Toft!

"So, just how hot is it in Luxor these days?" you ask. Well, today it was 110°F - painful. Tomorrow it's only supposed to be 97°, tho. Being basically in the middle of the desert if you step more than five feet away from the Nile, it's also pretty ungodly dry.

And now, PHOTOS! (way too many, just to warn you)


Breakfast at the Nubian Oasis Hotel is included in the approximately $3 I spend a night staying here! This is about the best breakfast I've had in weeks. The hotel, however, isn't air conditioned, which kind of sucks.

Today we saw some of the coolest things so far, which is saying a lot! First we went to the Valley of the Kings.


It's a good way into the mountainous desert (in order to prevent grave robbing, tho it didn't do a very good job), so we had to take these little carts to the different tombs.

We saw the tombs of Ramses I, III and IV, but couldn't take photos inside. They were amazing! This is the stuff you see in movies and on archeology TV shows (what? you don't watch archeology TV shows?!). It was covered in hieroglyphics and paintings of the gods.


Next we went to Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple. It was really cool. And here you are allowed to take photos. (For those of you who were wondering, Hatshepsut is the pharaoh who married her half-brother, dressed up like a man, and sort of usurped the throne from her son.)


hieroglyphics in Hatshepsut's Temple


sphinxes around Hatshepsut's Temple

Next up we went to the Valley of the Queens. Here we also went into a few tombs, but they weren't as cool as the King's tombs. And again, no photos allowed.


doorway to one of the Queens' tombs


Next we drove to the Colossi of Memnon. They were huge. But I was so hot in the car, that I'd taken off my shoes (thinking we were done with the trip already). So when we had to jump out of the car, I had to skip across the burning tar to the comparatively cool sand in order to get a good view.


the Nile at Luxor


This was my lunch. It cost less than $2 and was delicious. (tomato soup with lemon and falafel - delicious!)


Luxor seems like it's a lot poorer than Cairo to me, but it might just be that we're living in a low-income area. For example, there is a flock of goats that lives near us and wanders the streets.

Memphis, Saqqara, and Giza - الأهرام وأبو الهول

So today was about the best day ever! First, Alex and Vera joined up with us in Cairo (they both just got done with their semesters abroad in Namibia). Then we went to Memphis, Saqqara, and Giza - spectacular! And our guide was extremely knowledgeable and funny.


First we drove out to Memphis and saw this giant statue of Ramses II (the one who didn't get along with Moses, in case you forgot).


Then we went to a school where they learn how to make carpets.


And then we started with the amazing PYRAMIDS! This is the step pyramid at Saqqara, which was designed by Imhotep, whom you've probably heard of. This pyramid is also the first one ever built.


It was so ungodly hot, tho! Ahh! And there were these giant bursts of wind that chucked sand in your face every once in a while.


the Pyramids at Giza (and a tractor)
This photo cracks me up.


Then I went to take a photo of a camel (the first camel I've seen in Egypt), and this Egyptian guy started pushing me towards it, and he even wrapped his turban-deal around my head while I was trying to get on. In this photo I'm almost falling off and dying as the camel stands up.


Pyramids and the Sphinx
We went inside the pyramid on the right. It was extremely muggy, and we had to bend in half to squeeze down the tiny shaft to the burial chamber - BUT WE WERE INSIDE A PYRAMID!


and another photo of the pyramids
I took about 80 photos…

So today I saw the only remaining wonder of the world, and yesterday I saw the place where another wonder (the Lighthouse of Alexandria) used to be. I love my life.