On the sun-deck and travelling south further into Egypt. The Hamees seems to be making about 10-15 knots going upstream against the Nile which is flowing quite fast against us. We will be at the first lock at Esna in time for afternoon tea. (All British on board). I am reading “Death on the Nile” and following Hercule Poirot’s antics as we travel.
We had a wake-up call at 5.30am today and were at the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at 8.00am and then on to the Valley of the Kings. 63 tombs discovered there so far (including Tutankhamen’s) and they think another 17 or so remain hidden so the search continues. The ticket allows you to visit any three of ten tombs that are open at that moment. They rotate the ten to allow them to continue restoration or excavation on the others. It’s an amazing place. They stopped building the pyramids because they advertised their presence to all the tomb robbers and so they started to go underground in this valley with their individual tombs starting around 1300BC. We pay extra and actually visit four of the currently available ten. Down a ramp in each of the tombs and into a several hundred meter tunnel to the burial spot itself. The colors on the hieroglyphics are really vivid even after 3,300 years. We are beginning to learn the meanings of the various signs and the stories they tell about the King buried there. Then it’s back to the boat for lunch and a lazy afternoon. But it’s going to get busy. We are told that this area has about 1/3 of the world’s antiquities.
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