Valley of the Kings

Rising before even the sun god could blink his weary eyes and shine down upon the land of Egypt, we packed our bags and boarded our buses for our flight to Luxor. Taking in the last sights of Cairo we departed. After our arrival in Luxor, we visited the Valley of the Kings, the place where the famous archaeologist Carter discovered Egypt’s glittering ambassador, the Golden Boy, Pharaoh Tutankhamen and his many treasures. Once protected by the anonymity of the shifting sands, the painted carvings found inside the tombs of Ramses I and Ramses III are as vivid as they are enigmatic; their scenes depicting triumph and warning in blues, yellows, reds and more.
Transferring to the temple of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, this immense structure was erected to honor the woman strong enough to be Egypt’s first female Pharaoh and maternal enough to nurture it into bloom. From a distance we took pictures of its unique architecture towering above as if it was created by the gods of Egypt and not its people. The columns of the Temple were strong and powerful --just like the woman they were meant to honor. Stopping at the Colossi of Memnon we viewed the two seated statues considered ancient even by the ancients. The Greek soldiers stationed there often reported hearing the sounds of ethereal wailing as if the statues themselves where mourning.
We once again boarded our buses and traveled to a historical burial ground, the Valley of the Queens holding beauty and mystery in their expansive caverns. We visited the tomb of a small child of the Pharaoh who died before his time. His grieving father had a tomb built near his mother so that the boy would not be afraid. Again the vibrant painted carvings held knowledge that they shared only at their discretion, the Mona Lisa’s of the past held our imaginations without competition. Now tired and sand-blown we made our way to our beautiful cruise boat. The Nile Adventurer would now be our home until reaching Aswan. The beautiful curves making it look like a yacht and the friendly crew making it feel like home. Exploring the ship and anticipating tomorrow’s adventure is all that is left yet to do. In the land of the Pharaohs all is well and life is good.

Sarah Shaw (Collegeville, Pennsylvania, USA Delegate)