Our day began when this gentleman
knocked at our door at 6AM so that we could get
to breakfast and be ready to leave at 7AM for sightseeing.
We began by going to see the statues
guarding the burial temple of Amen-Oifs III -- the
co-called colossi of Memnon
which were quite impressive.
Next we went to the Kingdom of the Gods.
Getting there was quite a challenge. When your bus
stops you have to deal with peddlers
next you go through the snack bar
and take a tram
to reach the ticket booth
after which you walk through the street vendors
to get to the path to the tombs.
Then you are in this remarkable setting
where you can walk up a long path
and stop at tombs
which may be entered
but there is no photography inside.
But, be careful as you leave
and watch out for the guards
Next we stopped at an alabaster factory
where they did a demonstration of the
process
and showed someone pounding the material
and another person sawing
All of this was to hustle our money and give a commission
to the tour guide.
Our next stop was at the Temple of Hatshephust, one
of the queens.
We saw the monumental tree stump
and then her statues
and some beautiful hieroglyphics
after which we were told that her
statue (meant to look like Ramses II)
had some feminine features ( you be the judge )
We also took a picture of the view she gets
and the soon to be obligatory photo of Suzanne taking a photo
On the way out, we saw construction workers preparing to add to the temple
Our final stop was at the Valley of the Queens
where Jane did her Nefertari imitation
we waited to go into a tomb
and took an obligatory phone booth picture