8th June 2010

Mary and My Birthday

I went on an early morning Hot Air Balloon over the Nile and the Valley of the Kings with Margaret and Jules. It was wonderful floating over the Nile with magnificent views of Karnak and Luxor Temples as well as the Valley of the Queens. Back to camp and had breakfast we the group and then had a bus tour of the Valley of the Kings. I went into three tombs. Ramsis 3, 4 and 9. We saw the entrance of Tutanhkamouns' tomb. In modern times the valley has become famous for the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun (with its rumours of the Curse of the Pharaohs), and is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. In 1979, it became a World Heritage Site.

After our tour we went to an Alabaster Workshop and then onto the Valley of the Queens where I went into another three tombs. We saw the entrance to one of the most important tombs, Nefertari, who was the principal consort of King Ramses II. This tomb opens rarely and is $20k entrance per group. The Valley of the Queens is an isolated cemetery, at the southern part of the vast necropolis of Thebes, on the west bank of Luxor. It contains about 70 tombs, mainly belonging to Queens, Princesses, Princes and Nobles, who lived during the XIX and XX Dynasties. In general, these tombs are smaller than the ones of the Kings. The plans of these tombs usually consist of a small antechamber, a long narrow corridor with several side chambers, and at the end - the burial chamber.We did some shopping at the souqs and freshened up for our mystery night out. Neil and Johan organised a wonderful mystery night out at John and Johns restuarant. It was a Karaoke hotel run by an old English gentleman. Surprise Birthday Cake...........We sang until 1pm and came back to our campsite and went for a swim to cool down..