I Miss My Mummy

       Now I am sure you all had your chance to read, reread and reread again wondering when I was going to type my part of the blog.  Just to do rumor control, no John did not leave me in a tomb somewhere, no I did not get GI illness, I was merely being a good student working hard and catching up on my sleep after having to wake up at 3 in the morning for an airplane to Luxor.
       So here, I will begin with our 3a.m. wake up call.  We sprang up from our “naps” and scurried on down to our buses where we meet our breakfast boxes.  Not only did we have our typical pastry breakfast but we also had our assortment of SASers who took it upon themselves to make this sleeping game a challenge.  That is right, they pulled all nighters.  Keep these brilliant kids in the back of your minds as we continue through our day.  When we finally arrived to a splendid Cairo airport we went through the process of two security checks and finally made it to our gate.  Once on the plane there was an hour to devote to sleep (because desert scenery is an oxymoron).  As we flew over the desert we finally descended to Luxor where first thing you saw was a sign that read: “Smile, your at Luxor International Airport.”  I think those who had now been up for over 24 hours were starting to feel the error of their decisions.  So we hopped on another bus and we cruise over the Nile to the West Bank.  Here we find the Valley of the Kings.  If you are not caught up on your Brendan Frasier movies (“The Mummy” or the sequels) or the history channel, the pharaohs of the modern age thought that building pyramids was just too flamboyant.  So they found a mountain that was shaped like a ginormous pyramid and secretly placed their tombs deep in the rock of the mountain.  So upon arrival we take these little trams up to the beginning to the tombs were mobs of street sellers await your arrival.  They walk next to you placing their trinkets in your hands and begin to drop the price down from five dollars to one with you not even saying a word.  But back to the Valley of the Kings- IT WAS INCREDIBLE! Once you step through the gate, you feel you have entered a hidden world.  There are entrances left and right to the tombs that lead you into the depths of these ancient tombs.  Everywhere you look inside the tombs, you see stories.  These stories are in pictures and hieroglyphics.  Ever seen the Prince of Egypt when Moses has dreams of the pictures coming alive?  Well that is what the walls look like! 
        After our exploring, we hopped on the buses to visit a tomb of the only female pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut.  It was extremely hot so staying out exploring her tomb was short lived.  The tomb was built into the side of a mountain and had three tiers.  Many different countries have and are continuing to excavate the area.  I will not bore you with what I think to be fascinating details about her rein, since John finds it unnecessary to put into my blog, but if you wish I would be happy to give you a lovely story.  Our next stop was of these two marble statues that were built for a mom and a wife of a pharaoh, the name escapes me now but all together now…awwww…what a sweet pharaoh.  Then we finally went back to the hotel to have our free time.  They always give us free time in the middle of the day/ late afternoon because the heat is too much to take.  They don’t call it the desert for nothing!  After a little rest we went to the Luxor Temple.  It was built by Amenophis III and Ramses II and was a temple dedicated to the god of Thebes.  Thebes is another name for Luxor.  Then we got to have a decent nights rest.
        The next morning we went to the Karnak Temple.  The most massive temple! Please if you google anything, google that.  Different pharaohs did their part and added on to it, making the largest temple.  Simply jaw dropping!  Words do not describe how Egyptians built it!  It is on the same playing field as the pyramids!  Then we got on the bus and went to the airport to drop off 2/3 of our group who had earlier flights.  We left the airport and they flew back to Cairo to have lunch at the first hotel and head home, this included John.  For me, we went back to the hotel and had two and half-hours of naptime! I was thrilled because I got to watch a little news and feel somewhat connected to the world, ironic I know! Then we had lunch and off to Cairo and then to Alexandria. 
        On our last day, we slept in a little and then headed out to visit the Alexandria’s Library.  Ptolemy I (the first) had this crazy idea that knowledge was a good thing to have.  The original library was the largest collection of manuscripts at its time.  But, like all great things, it was burnt down…CSI is still investigating but the prime suspects Julius Caesar.  If you get the chance check out their website (www.alexlib.org)! It has 1.5 million volumes on the internet database, for free!  Again another jaw dropping place! 
        To sum up this long blog, sorry, EGYPT WAS SIMPLY AMAZING!!!!
John and Mal