Our day began when this gentleman
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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
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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
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next you go through the snack bar
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and take a tram
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to reach the ticket booth
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after which you walk through the street vendors
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to get to the path to the tombs.
Then you are in this remarkable setting
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where you can walk up a long path
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and stop at tombs
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which may be entered
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but there is no photography inside.
But, be careful as you leave
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and watch out for the guards
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Next we stopped at an alabaster factory
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where they did a demonstration of the
process
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and showed someone pounding the material
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and another person sawing
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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.
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We saw the monumental tree stump
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and then her statues
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and some beautiful hieroglyphics
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after which we were told that her
statue (meant to look like Ramses II)
had some feminine features ( you be the judge )
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We also took a picture of the view she gets
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and the soon to be obligatory photo of Suzanne taking a photo
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On the way out, we saw construction workers preparing to add to the temple
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Our final stop was at the Valley of the Queens
where Jane did her Nefertari imitation
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we waited to go into a tomb
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and took an obligatory phone booth picture
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