Nicole's Grand Adventure (cont.)

Unreal sunrise balloon ride. That shining ribbon you see is the light reflecting off the Nile River.

Day 9

It was another early wake up call this morning, but this time, it was of my own choosing. When you purchase your group tour from EF Go Ahead Tours, you have the opportunity to add optional experiences and excursions. One of them was a sunrise balloon ride over Luxor, and I jumped at it.

Cue a 3 a.m. wake up call. (Ouch. In hindsight, it was probably not wise of the tour operator to offer this excursion after we'd had a 2 a.m. wake up call the day prior for our flight to Luxor. My energy was beginning to flag.)

The travelers that had opted in for the flight met in the cruise ship lobby, picked up our boxed breakfasts,  and boarded a van for the balloon takeoff site. When we arrived, we were one of many taking off in hot air balloons, and it was gorgeous to see all the balloons getting set up and inflating in the dim light. 

Our view of the Valley of the Kings from the air

After some photos and videos, we were loaded into our King Tut Balloon, and up we went! On one side of our balloon, you could see the city of Luxor and the shining ribbon of the Nile River. On the other side, the Valley of the Kings spread out beneath us. And all around, we saw other hot air balloons gliding upward. 

It was truly magical and completely worth the early wake up call. It was almost too beautiful and felt surreal, like I was the lead character in an epic movie. A wonderful experience that I'd recommend to anyone. 

The Colossi of Memnon

After a feather-light landing, our van collected us and took us to meet up with the rest of our group at the Colossi of Memnon. After a bit of time here, we all boarded the charter bus together and set out for the Valley of the Kings. 

The standard entry ticket at Valley of the Kings allows visitors access to three included tombs of their choosing. However, if you want to visit King Tut's tomb (and I did), you had to purchase a separate ticket. We did this quickly, then hopped a golf cart for the short ride to the base of the attraction, which is near most of the tomb entrances. 

From there, our tour guide turned us loose to explore. As I had purchased the extra ticket for King Tut's tomb (and there was no line there), I headed there first. It's smaller than you might expect, and his mummy is there on display (though not in the sarcophagus). Though visitors are cordoned off from walking around the sarcophagus itself, there was an attendant there. Remember what I said about keeping small bills with you? This attendant would take your phone from you and capture photos and video for you, either of you in the tomb or from a vantage point farther in the tomb where visitors aren't allowed to go. So, if this is an opportunity you're interested in, keep those small bills with you.

From King Tut's tomb, we visited three others, and there were a lot of similarities amongst them. My advice would be to look for tombs that don't have long lines and/or crowds, as the spaces inside are fairly close and tight. Fewer people means that your experience will be less hot/stuffy. In addition, you will have better views to appreciate the intricate hieroglyphics all around you. 

The sarcophagus of King Tut

As I walked these long interior hallways, I thought a lot about the artisans who labored in these tombs, knowing that their creations would be bricked up and hidden from appreciating eyes. How fortunate, both for them and for me, that centuries later, I can see and marvel at their work. 

Jill and I also decided that the Valley of the Kings is missing a revenue opportunity, which is so unlike Egypt. First off, they need to have some costumed pharaohs milling about, much like the gladiators you find at the Colosseum in Rome. They would do brisk business and could charge perhaps $5 per photo. 

In addition, during the warmer months (and when we visited, it was unseasonably warm), they should sell folding fans at the mouth of each tomb, emblazoned with the name of the royal and some images of the hieroglyphics inside. When it's hotter, such a thing is a necessity. And when it's not, people would purchase them as souvenirs.  

After our adventure at Valley of the Kings, we had one last stop before heading back to the boat - the Temple of Hatshepsut. I loved the concept of the temple - a female ruler in a traditionally male position of power, choosing to firmly establish her authority and legacy by building a giant monument to herself, just like the men did. Classic flex. (And FYI - her reign was one of the most peaceful and prosperous in Egypt's history. #girlboss)

Upon returning to our cruise ship, we had lunch. Then, as we set sail up the Nile River, I took a much-needed nap! I awoke in time to have afternoon tea on the sun deck and admire the scenery slipping slowly by us. Absolutely beautiful. The further we traveled from Luxor, the greener and more agrarian the landscape became. We dined onboard that night, and I finally got to catch up on a bit of sleep!

The Temple of Hatshepsut

Day 10

We sailed most of the day today. I took the opportunity to get some sun in the rooftop pool and enjoy the scenery. After such a brisk pace during the trip so far, I was thankful for a little downtime. (Honestly, I tend to pack a lot in when I travel solo and/or plan group trips. But the first few days of this tour had me on the ropes. I think it was partly due to those two consecutive wake up calls in the wee hours. And there were plenty of travelers in our group that were well older than me - some in their 70s.) While on board the ship, we were largely able to sleep a bit later, relax in the afternoons, and take things a little easier. 

Kom Ombo Temple

In the evening, we'd docked not far from Aswan. We hopped out for a quick tour of Kom Ombo Temple that night. Much like our post-sunset tour of Luxor Temple, Kom Ombo was lit brilliantly. Kom Ombo is a small double temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Horus the Elder. It's completely symmetrical, with one god dominating each side, and there's a shared altar in the front. The structure overlooks the Nile, at a spot our guide told us was once a popular place for crocodiles to sun themselves. In addition to being a place of worship, the temple has also been used as a place to buy/sell/trade animals like elephants for ancient wars. Because this temple is newer, you will notice more detail depicted in the bas-relief carvings. People have visible kneecaps, more defined shape and musculature, etc. The carvings of people are less flat and more rounded out.  

Egyptian shadows at Kom Ombo Temple

That evening on board our cruise ship, we had an "Egyptian night" party. I wore a galabeya I'd purchased from a tourist vendor the day before. (He'd wanted $70 for it! Ridiculous! I kept walking, with him following at a clip, until he offered it to me for $20. When I finally turned and handed him the money, he broke into a grin, tilted his head toward me, and said "You scared me!" Again, negotiating is a sport in Egypt.) 

This party was a very touristy affair. We all danced a little and had a drink, but the emcee had us playing some games that were a little cringe. Towards the end, he blindfolded three women and wanted them to feel around on the dance floor - which we'd all just been hoofing it on - for a spoon that he DIDN'T EVEN PUT THERE. I was having none of it. Two of the girls playing this "game" were from our travel party, and I hollered out to them to not bother searching. He may poke fun at paying customers from other groups, but I wasn't standing for it with our girls. So, that was that. 

After a little more dancing and a drinking, I headed back to my room to bed. 

Day 11

Our first full day in Aswan! We had a filing breakfast on board, then boarded our charter bus to a small port. There, we got on a charming small boat and motored out onto the Nile to the island of Agilikia. We were going to visit Philae Temple, which was originally on the island of Philae (hence the name). But after the old Aswan Dam was built, the waters of the Nile flooded that island, partially damaging the temple. So the decision was made before completing the Aswan High Dam in 1970 to relocate the structure to Agilikia. 

Philae Temple, perched on its island in the Nile

We disembarked on the island and began exploring. Cats have the run of the place; there are tons of them there, and some will allow themselves to be lightly petted. More than two thirds of Philae's surviving structures were built in the Ptolemaic era, during which the temple became a prominent site of pilgrimage not only for Egyptians and Nubians, but also for pilgrims from as far away as mainland Greece. Situated on its island in the Nile, the temple enjoys beautiful water views and fresh breezes. 

After exploring Philae Temple (I may have gotten a quick ice cream cone at the cafe. Ahem.), it was on to our next destination - the Aswan High Dam. If you're anything like me, you learned about this massive public works project in school. It's one of the world's largest embankment dams, and it was built in the 1960s (and completed in 1970) with the aid of Russia. It's a miracle of engineering. The dam is not only designed to allow operators to manage the river for irrigation purposes. It's also a hydroelectric plant. And though the visitors' area of the dam is popular with tourists and planted with lovely gardens, it's also under armed guard. Our tour guide told us that, were the dam to fail, Cairo would be flooded within 5-8 hours. 

Then, we returned back to the ship for lunch, a rest, and dinner. I caught up on my reading and may have taken a short nap. 

We had one last engagement for the day, and it ended up being one of my favorite activities of the trip! We went on a gorgeous sunset felucca ride. Feluccas are simple wooden sailboats that have been adapted to carry visitors around the Nile. If you visit Aswan, you'll see many of them on the water, their distinctive tall triangular sails billowing in the breeze. 

Enchanting sunset felucca cruise

The captain offered us tea and other refreshments, and then we set off. This experience was so wonderful and relaxing - the wind, the water, the sun, watching the shoreline and the other boats. From the water, we saw tombs in the hillside, bullrushes along the shore, and even the Old Cataract Hotel, where Agatha Christie set part of her novel Death on the Nile. I so loved this evening. 

Then, off to bed! 

More to come . . .