SABAH EL KHEER HABIBI !!!
Our boat arrived in Esna at 4:30am.... I had a good night's sleep except for the early chanting of the Arabs. Do you know that they chant 5 times a day??? They usually start their chanting as early as 4:30am and end up at 8:00pm. These chants usually take at least 10 - 15 minutes. It was good in a way.... I was able to get a nice sunrise shot from the deck of the boat. It was a bit chilly that morning up on the deck but it did not discourage me in taking my photos. I guess I will have to get used to the change of temperature when you are travelling in the desert..... HOT HARSH temperature during the day and it cools down around 4:00pm. Be sure you bring a sweater when you take the cruise!!
We will be disembarking our boat and riding a tourist bus to visit the west bank of the Nile River. Our destination?? The Valley of the Kings. Randa warned us ----" It will be a long day.. "... and she was right!!!! It was a long tiring day....
While having breakfast ---- I heard that 4 persons in our group fell ill. I started to get picky with the food I was eating.... I didn't want to get sick on this trip. No one knew what caused it... Was it the food?? was it the water??? Upon learning about the casualties in our group --- the captain of the ship gave them some Egyptian medicine to take .... and in less than 2 days they were up and about again. But they had to be left behind for today's tour.
What to do in order to avoid getting sick:
* Make sure to drink ONLY bottled water. Even if they say that their tap water is safe to drink, DON'T DO IT. You can buy bottled water on the tour bus ( they sell 2 bottles of medium-sized water for $ 1.00 ).
* The rule of water also pertains to ice. You cannot be sure that the ice was made using bottled water. However, they serve sodas and bottled water cold.
* AVOID eating raw vegetables and fruits unless you can peel them. Save your binges for salads when you get back home.
IF YOU GET SICK------ your entire vacation will suffer. BE CAREFUL and you will be fine.
That evening I had a back and feet massage ( yes, they even have a spa and gym ) aboard the ship. Can you imagine having a massage while watching the sun go down on the Nile River???? The massage was really good --- I needed that kind of pampering after all that walking around I did that day! They charged $80.00 for an hour - full body massage and $50.00 for 40 minutes - a foot and back massage. IT WAS WORTH IT!!!!!
Our first stop was at the Colossi of Memnon
Towering like sentries in the sky above the necropolis of Ancient Thebes in Egypt. These statues are all that remains of the funerary temple of the 18th dynasty of king Amenhotep who ruled the Egypt in the 18th century. Hopefully in the coming years the statues of Amenhotep III will rise again. It will be a hundred meters behind this 2 existing colossis that mark the entrance to the temple.
The statues are 59 feet high... and it seems like they are watching the roads leading to the temples of the Valley of the kings. These statues are made from blocks of sandstone which was quarried in Giza.
Unfortunately we only stopped here for 15 minutes. We visited this statue on our way to the Valley of the Kings and I highly recommend this timing for those who like to take photos... The sight of theses huge monuments being kissed by the sun is remarkable. But I think it is surely worth a visit especially since you do not need hours in order to appreciate these impressive statues. Make sure to walk around the statues. The sides and backs of the statues are covered with hieroglyphics.
