Heaving on glops of suncreen and donning my Barmah kangaroo leather hat, I felt like Indiana Jones as I explored the Valley of the Kings and a lot in between today. After a few days in Aswan, last night I took the train to Luxor. My plan to sail on a felucca from Aswan to Luxor fell through due to the cost involved but I would end up sailing on a felucca today. When I arrived last night a guy put his hand on me and I had to yell out "don't touch me!!" in English. A police officer went over and spoke to the guy and then someone else, concerned for me, walked me out and then I was being heckled by taxi drivers. It turned out one of the guys who yelled out to me was Abdallah, my latest CouchSurfing host. For the first time ever, I'm officially CouchSurfing on a boat (although I've slept on boats many times before). On this journey I've had to deal with so many people incessantly asking me to buy something from their shop, get into their taxi, or take their tour; it's happened enough that when something legitimate happens, I'm on edge.
Enough with the complaints, now it's time to talk about my visit with Tutankhamum and other pharaohs. I had to break my Egypt routine of sleeping in late, so I got up early today. Abdallah arranged for someone to be my driver for the day as there are no minibuses and it's difficult to get around the area without a vehicle. Abdallah, his friend, and I sailed on their felucca over to the West Bank of the Nile and then I was picked up by my driver. As it was another hot day, I made sure to pack my hat, sunscreen, and water bottle. I also packed a few snacks to avoid paying (by Egyptian standards) exhorbitant prices at the Valley of the Kings. Many of these sites are specifically designed so you have to walk past all the souvenir stands on both the way there and back, therefore necessitating dealing with the hawkers and sellers. The entrance fee is 240 EGP and allows you to visit up to three tombs, but entry to Tutankhamun's tomb, the most famous of them all, is an additional 300 EGP. I was able to negotiate the student rate for both, saving me a good chunk of money. Photos for anything other than a phone require a "photo pass" but I wasn't charged for that, either. There are more than 65 tombs in the Valley of the Kings but only about 11 are open to the public. When I asked which tombs were the best to visit if I could pick three, of course someone tried to be my guide, so I asked a few people, and I had some ideas. The tomb of Ramses IX is where I wandered into first and wow, was I in awe!
In old guidebooks I've read that photography is strictly prohibited in the tombs and that guards won't hesitate to confiscate memory cards. This doesn't seem to be the case anymore. In exchange for some baksheesh, it's possible to hand the guard your camera to take photos in places otherwise inaccessible.
It was then time for King Tut. I learned about Tutankhuman when I read a book called "Tut's Mummy" in around Year 2 (2nd grade). Discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, Tut has a very small tomb for a man of his stature. Tut died very young in about 1323 BC, aged only about 18 or 19, and was buried in a tomb believed to have been built for another pharaoh. After Tut was mummified, he was buried in not one, but two coffins that are made of solid gold.
Whilst the coffins and most of the grave goods are on display at the Egyptian Museum, Tut's mummy is on display in a glass sarcophagus.
Wow! Seeing Tutankhamun is even more impressive than seeing Mao Zedong or Kim Il-sung. Amazed I am, as I've learned a lot about Tut over the years.
Next up I visited the tomb of Merenptah. He is on the left here...
Whilst I didn't find the tomb of Merenptah as impressive as that of Ramses IX or Tutankhamun, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. After a break for water and a cuppa, I was ready for the third and final tomb: the final resting place of Ramses III. The tomb is filled with all kinds of little detail.
Altogether I visited four tombs at the Valley of the Kings. Of the main three, I think I like the tomb of Ramses III the best. Despite the heat, it's easy to spend several hours here. It was after 2 PM and I still had a lot on my agenda. Largely avoiding all the shopkeepers, my driver then dropped me at the Temple of Hatshepsut.
There sure is a spectacular array of temples, tombs, and other architecture here in Egypt. It would be easy to spend a lifetime here and not see it all, and I'm sure there is at least one large temple buried somewhere deep beneath the sands of the Sahara. In most other places we'd think of a temple or other building built 100 to 200 years ago as being very old, but Hatshepsut's Temple was built in 15th century BC! Hatshepsut is regarded as one of the greatest pharaohs, and is the first named woman in human history. With the sun beaming down, the details are spectacular!
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The colour of Egypt in its purest form. Despite some of the hardships I've endured, Egypt never ceases to fascinate me. Many of the statues and temples were originally painted in bright colours but heat, sand, wind, and time have sandblasted most of it away. What has survived the sands of time is truly amazing.
If only I could soar like this bird. Time was running out, and I still had a lot more I wanted to do. True connoisseurs probably visit the West Bank over a course of three or four days. Visiting during summer definitely means there are fewer crowds, as I didn't have to share the sites with many people today.
My day of temples and tombs wouldn't be complete without a visit to Medinat Habu. Whilst not as famous as the other two sites, the site is made up of the Temples of Ramses III, Amun, and Ay & Horemheb.
This is the entrance to the Temple of Ramses III. My finger was on my camera so much today that my battery died whilst here.
Guards of course would ask for some baksheesh, and then I managed to snap a few more photos with my phone. I managed to have just enough juice (and energy) to get to the Colossi of Memnon.
These statues were part of the gateway of the Temple of Amenhotep III, which was destroyed by an earthquake more than three millennia ago. Out of water, out of battery, and out of energy, I was ready to get back on the Nile. Abdallah would meet me on the felucca and then it was time for a sailing journey to see the sunset. So peaceful...
Just when I thought I did all I could do for the day, we would sail over to Banana Island, right in the middle of the Nile. I couldn't leave without making a new friend.
A felucca doesn't typically have electricity or a toilet. To charge my devices, we went to Abdallah's brother's spice shop, which is open well into the wee hours. Tea would be my drink of choice this evening as I had so much to talk about. My feet ached and I nearly collapsed in exhaustion after such a long day. It's difficult to pick one highlight, but "meeting" the most famous pharaoh of all is at or near the top of the list. 
