Saturday 13 June 2009
Highlights: Valley of the Kings, Mummification Museum

Today we got up early to visit the Valley of the Kings. This is the location of 62 Pharaohs including Tutankhamen (King Tut). After a boat ride over the Nile and a short truck journey we all got to ride a donkey to the valley. Luckily I didn’t fall off (or anyone else) but I’m sure it made quite a sight.

There were 3 tombs open for the general public, Ramesses II, IV and IX. The tombs are cut into the ground and can get very deep. The length of a tomb is determined by the length of the Pharaoh’s rein. Ramesses II was the most impressive of the tombs with some great art work and only a couple of ‘I was here’ cravings by visitors at the start of last century. No photos are allowed inside the tombs so I bought some postcards of the area. We then visited a temple for one of the Queens of Egypt.

At night the group went to the Mummification Museum and learned how they mummify the dead. They had some displays of animals that got the same treatment.

Amy, Lesley and Stephanie then went shopping for the perfect gift, the poor shop keeper had to watch them go over different papyrus gifts for well over an hour but I believe it was all in good fun. Lesley was particularly happy with her additional purchases of Anubis and an Egyptian medical book (Lesley is a dentist).  A search for a restaurant found a nice cheap place already I didn’t find the food particularly good.