Our 2nd Day of Holiday
Stones, Sand and Grafitti
At 5 oīclock the Psion beeps. 5:30 is wake up time and breakfast is from 5:30 till 6:30, 6:30 departure. Thatīs a little bit too hectic thatīs why the early beep. After the third time beeping we got up. Shaving, a shower and getting dressed, do not forget the sun-oil and really, at 6 oīclock we are sitting in the dining room having breakfast. "In time" only with a delay of 10 minutes we started the trip. The air is still wonderful and fresh.
Only one couple is missing, may be they didnīt hang up the phone correctly so they couldnīt receive the wake up call. Life is not easy some of us envy them. We had made less than 2 kilometers Arabis mobile beeped again. Surprisingly it is not a friend of him, the couple showed up and is now looking for the bus. So a u-turn and back to pick them up. Now we can start really, about 7 kilometers direction south along the Nile until the next bridge and than again along the Nile to the Valley of the Kings.
Passing the Colossi of Memnon, we can visit them on the way back, passing some less famous temples we enter the mountains.
The fertile area of the Nile we have left already and we are now driving through poor mountains of sandstone. Even knowing that this plateau rises only up to 200 meters it is impressing us.
From the parking-lot at the Valley of the Kings it is only 200 meters by feet to reach the point where we can enter a "train" that brings us up the hills to the entrance. The 200 meters are heavy. The tourists were directed by barriers through the Bazaar. One needs a lot of experience and and has to be hardened to get rid of the "dealers (hawkers)". Always two or three of them "attack" one tourist, offer "genuine handmade articles", for sure made in China. Everything that looks a little bit like belongig to Egypt is available, even more or less good copies of Nofretete are available in every size. We were successful and didnīt buy anything.
At the entrance for the Valley of the Kings the tickets, which Arabi gave us in the bus, are cancelled (piece torn off). Subsequently, security check. We already left the video camera in the bus, which is not permitted to bring along here. Bag open, a joke. In Tanjas backpack one looked only into one of the 3 compartments and when searching with the detector my hunting pocket-knife, which I had at the belt, was not noticed.
We have luck, it is not yet very full here and we enter as the first the tomb of Ramses VI. I ask Arabi, where I get a photo ticket? 
At the entrance! Such a muck. Back to the entrance, out by the exit and 3 tickets rose. 15 LE (Egyptian Pound), cca. 4 Euro, again by the "security check" and fast to the grave. The others are already in the mountain, also Tanja, although I have nevertheless the tickets for the tombs.
To be honest, if one not consideres with which technical possibilities these were build centuries ago, thousands of years, one could also say, only Grafitti. How it looks in the grave, you can see here in some pictures. The lighting conditions are not camera friendly particularly and flashlights are forbidden. It prevails a mixing light from fluorescent lamps and yellowish shining headlights. One for sure, air in the graves is more badly than outside and warmer it is here too.
Thus photos made and again out to the air. Here meanwhile it is already very hot, since the sun shines direct into the valley of the kings.
Everywhere the hawkers. 3 set of postcards only 10 LE. "La, schukran!" (No, thanks!), I do not know, how often I said this today in the valley of the kings. At least 200 - 300 times. The dealers attack everyone like the flys.
Thus far to the grave of Ramses III., which should be particularly beautiful. Overfilled perfectly, unfortunately too late. Arabi asks, whether we are interested, as replacement for doing the daily dozen, on a special grave? To do one's daily dozen? What is this?
Thus purely in the grave of the Meneptah and 130 meters deeply into the rock. Tanja lost a belt at the sandals. Up to the empty Sakopharg, which is deeply in the rock, everything as usual; bad air and Grafitti. Whatīs to see, the pictures down obtain a small impression.
Outside for sure again the hawkers with their Special Offers (3 set of postcards...).
The third grave, which is contained in the entrance fee, everyone can select himself. Arabi recommends to me the tomb of Ramses III., that particularly is photogenic. Lets do so. Tanja grumbles on me, she would like to go into the grave of Tut Ench Amun, OK then Tut. As she recognised the additional admission fee (about 10 euro/person), it seemed to her to be too expensive. Thus Ramses III. Arabi was right, beautiful Grafitti. Can see a small selection below.
Out of the grave and by the dealer crowd, in my opinion they doubled themselves at least in the meantime. I couldnīt pass without asking a "dealer" for his price for the Skarabaeus. He has 2 differnt kind, one from "granite" and one from "alabaster", 50 LE per figure. After some minutes negotiation he asked 10 LE for both. No need. Back to the bus and letīs enjoy the air conditioning system.
Letīs go ahead to the temple of queen Hatschepsut. 
There is before still another small intermediate stop in a workshop for "souvenirs". Been ashamed hidden behind a bar somewhere, Tanja finds in a shelf this group of 3. I think, it is a "special production" for Beate Uhse (best known sex mail order shop in Germany) and CO, but later then I experienced that it should be the fertility God min of the Egyptians. In addition the 2 feathers/springs are missing to them as hat, thus nevertheless probably special production for Beate from Flensburg.
It had somehow the character of a sales show, but we had read that already before on the InterNet. Look at the pics below.
I assume that all here is pure cheating of tourists. If everything in the shelves is manual work, where are then those ones, which manufacture also the figures. With the "work speed" that the "stone-cutters" put when working on the vases, then for each vase they will need months. All machine-work, make is probable in Taiwan, Pakistan or somewhere else, or manufactured in countries where the wage level is still under the one in Egypt.
Click for the 2
nd part of the day
September 12, 2002 - Flying to Luxor, our Boat and und Trip by Curricle Through Luxor
September 14, 2002 - Karnak und Luxor
September 15, 2002 - Edfu, Kom Ombo, Scenery at Nile and Galabeiaparty
September 16, 2002 - Our fifth day - Philae, Assuan, Obelisk, Souk and Nubian Village
September 17, 2002 - Tanjas Birthday, Abu Simbel, Kitchenerīs Island
September 18, 2002 - Our seventh day - Traveling back to Luxor
September 19, 2002 - From Luxor to El Gouna
September 20, 2002 - Relaxing in the Hotel
September 21, 2002 - Snorkeling in the Red Sea
September 22, 2002 - Deserttour
September 23, 2002 - The Yellow Submarine
September 24 and 25, 2002 - Our last two days in Egypt
September 26, 2002 - Return journey with obstacles
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