April 3, 2022 – Valley of the Kings

I had a good night’s sleep . Breakfast was at 5:30am so we could leave at 630am.

We got to the Valley of the Kings just after 7:30am. Our guide told us we would walk through the Valley of the Vultures before getting on carts to go to the Valley of Kings. As we walked through a shopping arcade where the salesmen were very aggressive, we all started laughing as we understood who the Vultures were.
After the cart ride, Ramy told us that we could first go through three tombs and pointed out his suggestions. The first tomb I went into was Rameses I. We had to go down a steep shaft to get to the burial room. The drawings on the walls have not been touched. The coloring is 3,000+ years old. It is incredible.
The second tomb was for Ramses III. Ift too had a long shaft with multiple rooms to the sides. The ceiling had hieroglyphics painted on it. The final tomb was Rameses IX. The line was very long and at the end you could only look into the burial chamber and take one photo.
There are 63 tombs that have been opened in the valley. The 62nd was King Tut’s tomb found in 1922. The 63rd tomb was found in 2010.
When we were done with the 3 tombs, Ramy gave us each a ticket to go into King Tut’s tomb. His mummy is still there and photos of the mummy are not allowed.
After leaving the Valley we stopped at an alabaster shop and learned how they make vases and statues. Of course there was the obligatory stop in the shop for those wanting to buy.
At noon we stopped at the temple of Queen Hatshepsut who was the only Queen of Egypt to rule. It was very hot but I made it to the top level.
Last stop was 2 large statues just in front of an area where a German group is excavating.
We were back on the ship at 1pm when the temp hit 105F. We had a cocktail party at 7pm to meet the ships managers and captain followed by a welcome dinner.
I was in bed by 10pm.

Tomorrow is an easy day. One excursion at 10:15am.