Still hot, dusty and full of creepy men, but…

Luxor is infinitely better than Cairo! There’s abundant farmland along the banks of the Nile, so one actually sees some green. It’s much less crowded, both in terms of tourists and locals, and walking around is not as scary. Interestingly enough, locals here seem more amenable to tourists than Cairo and surprisingly, more people seem to speak and understand English.

Today, I visited the Valley of the Kings, with these incredible tombs built deep into the hillsides. What a feat of engineering, you’ve got to see the size of these things! Giant limestone or marble sarcophagi were transported (or maybe built) underground. Elaborate burial chambers with the most intricate decorations on the walls and ceilings. Vibrant blues, yellows, greens, and reds! I feel pity for the laborers that worked on these, was obviously back-breaking work. Unfortunately, pix are not allowed but take my word for it….it was truly other-worldly and quite humbling. Just think about what these civilizations were able to accomplish, with what were very rudimentary tools by today’s standards. So why is it that we take eons to fix something as simple as the potholes on our roads?

Also visited the Temple of Habu, a memorial to battles, which was built by Ramses III.  While this is not nearly as famous as some other temples, I found it more interesting on a comparative basis. The carvings into the stone was much larger, deeper and more colorful that others. The colors were made from ground up semi-precious stones (like lapis, malachite) and mixed with honey and painted on. Archaeologists still haven’t been able to figure out how the colors stayed so vibrant, after thousands of years.