Okay so we start the day a little after 4:00 am....why you say...CAUSE WE ARE HOT AIR BALLOONING IT TODAY BABY!!!!! Right across the valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens and Temple of Hatshepsut to name a few. I am feeling better today and Shauna is still Fine!

So we woke up no probs and of course the crew got us a box breakfast for the morning cause who knows what will happen if we don't eat every ten minutes....ha ha.

So we cruised all night to Luxor thru locks and all sorts of things...the ship banged around a few times on us in the wee hours...I didn't hear Celin Dion singing in the background...so went back to sleep....but when we woke up when the alarm clock went off we were still in the bed and it was dry soooo, so far so good. Only one problem the boat is parked on the east bank. We need to be on the West bank. Off we go via driver to a boat launch. Pretty cool water taxis....they are set up with tables and they serve tea and cakes....very nice. So we are off....to the west bank drinking tea and munching cake, by boat 10 minutes....by car 45......one bridge only in town....only built a few years ago also....pretty strange but true.

We get to the other side (they drive these boats like bumper cars) and they load us up into a van and we drive toward the mountains and then you start to see the glow of balloon burners lighting up the balloons....very cool....20-30 balloons in various stages of flight as the sun came up.

We get the senior pilot in the fleet, and it's the 5th largest balloon in the world! I'm looking around and thinking hey we got too many people to stand in a basket made of all things....wicker.....seriously....when was the last time you saw a plane made out of wicker?? Does wicker have mysterious strengths I am unaware of....if so I am sure I would have seen it used in Star Trek or something. Lot of folks to cram into a large sewing basket but dude had a few years under his belt and sure enough....we all fit. I think 25-30 people in all.....worked out cool we got buddied up with a guy from of all places....Tilburg, Holland.....Like what are the odds I only know 2 places in Holland....Amsterdam and of course Tilburg (cause I worked there for a bit)...so we hit it off....it was his 3rd ride so far.

Back to the story.....we got a corner spot in the balloon...very nice....30 folks standing in a sewing basket....in a field sourrounded by folks....hanging onto the basket. I am thinking you guys are being a bit dramatic here yes no....oh they taught us how to land....squat in the basket as low as you can go in order to kiss your bum good bye if you feel the need.....

The balloon was already filled and it was big......but do the math 25 X 180lbs (avg) = MUCHO Poundage to lift with a bag of air! Then he lit the burners....0k.....I am amazed I still got my eye brows cause crap that is some serious BTU's being shoved into the bag....

Our guy seems to know what he is doing, then I noticed we are anchored to the ground with a truck that was parked nearby....he unhooks.....all the guys holding us down let go and presto...we is flying in a vertical direction.....rising fast......

Absolutely bloody amazing view.........check out the pics....very quiet only could hear donkeys baaying in the distance and the sound of the burners every once in a while. We drifted across the valleys and temples to get a really cool view in the light of the rising sun. Then after a while we are crossing the Nile, apparently it only happens a couple of times a year.....really cool view.

Right about here Captain Kirk really starts using the burners.....still got me brows luckily.....then boing.....the basket jerks a bit. I look up and the balloon is on fire and one of the lines that holds the main vertical lines together is burnt thru....yayyyyy........Captain Kirk has no fear....ergo I shall not either.....I told Shauna to look at the jewellery store I was pointing at......as I watched chunks of our balloon float away in the other direction still smouldering.....the fire went out...that's good I think.....I point to another jewellery store for Shauna to see cause she didn't seem to be able to see the one I was sure I saw ..and aI take another look and all is ok it would seem as I look at the balloon...ok time to get a few more pics.

Funny thing we were traveling so slowly up high....as we came in to land it would seem we speed up. He dropped us into a field and we were clipping along pretty good when he called out to brace. So we did and boing.....we then got to land three more times.....we survived.

It was a blast...and it was only 8:00am...because we lucked out we got to cross the Nile (very rare)....only problem is that now our guide and the stuff we were going to see were on the other side, so they shuttle us from van to boat to some form of Lada taxi to get us to where we need to be and in the end it all worked out.....

Mohammed found us and off we headed to the Valley of the Kings. For us Canucks it is such a foreign landscape. It looks like a moonscape not a lick of grass anywhere. Only a gazillion tourists trying to do the same as us by the way.   Seems it is an Egyptian holiday also.....so guess where they go....hmmmm. Actually funny a lot of locals we talked to have not seen the temples or pyramids except on tv or pics.

Its very organized and we went to Ramses IV tomb first. Mohammed got us tickets for a 3 tomb tour. He picked out the best 3 currently open. You wait in a line to get in (lot of people) and again no pics or video once you make it in....once we got in I could not resist the challenge of sneaking a few.....cause the tomb is absolutely stunning. Traveled a lot of miles to see them. Shauna was mucho impressed. The colors and size is something to behold. We spent about 20 minutes inside then off to the next one Ramses IX.

This is were whilst standing in line quite orderly and civilized when a bunch of older frenchies just started to "try" to walk past everybody and butt in....gave em a big chunk of my brain on that....stopped em in there tracks and got some "Ya what he said!" in about 20 different languages.... the arrogance.....

So again no pics and stuff but could not resist.....we did travel a long way. You can not believe how colorful they still are. The amount of hieroglyphics is staggering. The guides are not allowed inside so he would fill us in on what to look for and how to go thru each one. Pretty cool....again it took about 20 minutes.

We took a quick peak at King Tut's but didn't go in it is apparently a bit lame...he only ruled for 6 years so not too big of a tomb. They brought his mummy back to the tomb but its in really bad shape due to how he was handled when they found him. We saw all of the goodies at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo already. Seems the golden face mask was a bit tricky to get off but that was not going to stop it from coming off....so the mummy got trashed. Can't argue with science can ya....
Then off to the final tomb we saw in the Valley....Ramses III. Wow very cool....course tried to sneak a few more pics.....got totally busted by one of the guards this time. So he takes me camera and bables something to me, I nod a lot....say sorry....all that...nothing.....ahhhh light bulb went off..... $50LE note slipped into the palm of said agitated guard.....and presto my problems went away.  

The tombs are pretty amazing.....if you are a history buff it does not get better than this. Shauna is enjoying this more than Angkor, which is surprising. Then it was done....time to leave...pity....walking out of the Valley of the Kings....you can't help but feel you've seen something special....

Mohammed found us an alabaster factory to check out and take a break.

Hard to describe the process of looking at or buying things here. Two words "Egyptian Hospitality", can't buy anything without experiencing it. They sit you down get you tea or pop or something and show you absolutely everything they have and how they made it. They are super great at the selling thing....they don't ask what you want...they ask you how many do you want. Very hard to not buy anything...but I can say it can be done.....not easy and not in this case...yup we got some alabaster stuff. The bags just got heavier.

Time to hit the Hatshepsut temple, the only Queen buried as a King. She ruled as a man so she said.

The temple is really amazing to see for real. I might suggest going in the summer though. There are a lot less tourists....but its +50C out there. Tonnes of security around it after the massacre, they roped off the area that the tourists were killed. No plaques or anything just roped the area off...they want no obvious reminders of it, can't blame them. Today though tonnes of group tours....but we worked around em.

The next stop was the Valley of the Queens.   Finally got a break from the crowds.....its not on the group tours route...heh heh. We almost had the place to ourselves.   We went into two of the tombs and they are actually in better condition than the ones in the Valley of the Kings. The hieroglyphics are the best we have seen so far.

Next stop Karnak - Temple of Amun

Okay......its really big.....check out the pics...its nine temples in one....crazy cool....stood in the exact same spot that Hatshepsut had her throne....neat. Still has color hieroglyphics on the walls. This took a while to go thru....and of course tonnes of group tours to weave thru....

Its been a crazy busy day....but one....but one more to go Luxor Temple....

Again....wow....check out the pics....

Long day.....food sleep early flight to Sharm el-Sheikh....another early rise, suppost to hit the road for 5:00 am.....but what a day. Shauna is speechless.....hmmmm.....