Middle East Memoirs: Day 2

Date: Friday, April 1
Location: Luxor, Egypt (Formally known as Thebes in the Bible)
Temperature: Very Hot
Excitement Level: *****
Disclaimers: Asthma is the silent killer. No, asthma is the wheezing, lung collapsing killer.

Our day began in the lush fields of Luxor. As I stated in my previous post, the Nile brings life. This life was evident in the moisture and richness of the soil.




From there, we hopped back on the bus and headed into the wilderness, or chaos. Our destination? The Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom. The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes (modern Luxor).

The women always needed a bathroom. Always. George, our beloved Rabbi, could have given us bathroom breaks every 15 minutes and we would still all have a great desire to go.



Bricks vs. Stones

Bricklaying was a dehumanizing job. Brick after brick after brick. The world wants us to be bricks. The same. Everyone alike. Our God, however, calls us to be stones. "And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple." 1 Peter 2:5a


We had the opportunity to visit an ancient Egyptian temple. Notice the bricks. Inside the walls, we were able to step into 3 different Egyptian holy places. As eerie as it was to be surrounding by ancient Egyptian deities, it was remarkable to see the vibrancy of the colors.








After our visit to the temple and a quick trip underground to visit an ancient tomb, we wandered over to some steps. These steps led all the way to the top of the mountain that separated the Valley of the Kings from the Valley of the Queens. Awwww, those look like nice steps. All 600 thousand of them. It was during these positive reflections that I noticed our Rabbi began to make his ascent up these steps. OK, let's go. It can't be that far, right?

Lord. Have. Mercy.

This is the half way point. I don't recall how I got up here, because I'm pretty sure I passed out on step 256,345.

But look at the view! In ancient times, the Nile (way in the background near the horizon line) would flood almost every year. And again, the Nile brings life. The Nile would then recede back to it's banks; leaving behind rich soil. It's been a few years since the Nile came out of its banks, but just look at the cut off point?! As we were driving to the Valley of the Kings, to our left was green, lush farm land. To our right, dry wilderness. Chaos.

And again my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of our Rabbi, "Come, let's go".

Fast forward through burning thighs, 4.5 asthma attacks, and another 250,000 steps...

The top! Beautiful. And a bit hazy. The pictures don't begin to do the view justice. Can you see the Nile?

And down below on the other side - The Valley of the Kings.

And commence the hike DOWN the mountain. So. Much. Easier.

The Valley of the Kings is where archaeologists discovered King Tut's tomb. We were not allowed to go inside, however, we did go down into another king's tomb. A king whose name apparently wasn't important enough for me to write down or remember. Hmmmm....

Following our jaunt up and back down the Mountain of Massivity and Muscle Spasms, we got back on the bus and headed for lunch. Yes, this was all done BEFORE lunch.

And lunch, was to be held across the Nile.

"How are we to get there, Rabbi?"

"By boat, my dear lambs."



After lunch, we divided ourselves between two sailboats and took a nice afternoon sail on the Nile. An afternoon sail that very nearly became an evening sail as there was absolutely NO wind that day. I, for one, was thrilled to have no wind, because this meant more time to sail and take in the amazing sights along the Nile shore.








We arrived safely on the other side where our Rabbi promptly waded into the water and said, "This is where we separate the men from the boys." And he dove in. With all of his clothes on. Then someone else followed. Then another. After all, we are told to follow the Rabbi. So, Meagan and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and began taking our hiking boots off. 10 seconds later, we were fully submerged and LOVING it.


The Rabbi with two of his favorite lambs. He knows its true.

The day was still young, so we climbed back into the boats, wet clothes and all, and headed to our bus. Our next stop, Karnak. Karnak comprises a vast mix of ruined temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings, notably the Great Temple of Amun and a massive structure begun by Pharaoh Ramses II (ca. 1391–1351 BC). The complex is a vast open-air museum and the largest ancient religious site in the world. It believed to be the second most visited historical site in Egypt, second only to the Giza Pyramids near Cairo.

I took so many pictures of this temple, because I knew I would never see anything like this ever again. The size, the height, the stories in the hieroglyphics, it was all absolutely remarkable.

















At the end of the day, we boarded a plane bound for Sharm El Sheik on the Sinai Peninsula. And I like to think that the other passengers on the plane rather enjoyed the aroma of Eau de Nile wafting off of those of us who submerged in seaweed. With Day 3 will come off-roading in the desert, camel rides, and a minor hike up Mount Sinai. No biggy.