The West Bank!

Day 6 (Jan 7)

The Colossi of Memnon on our ride to Medinet Habu

Fridays are our day off so we headed off to the West Bank by ferry. My first time on the Nile! (Unfortunately I look horrible in the pictures so I will have to take more of me on the boat.) The boatride took less than 5 minutes and once we got off, we took a taxi to Medinet Habu, Ramesses III's mortuary temple. The front pylon is enormous and the inside is known for its amazing color preservation (my favorite part of these temples). I love looking up at the ceilings which in most tombs or temples are painted blue with white or yellow stars. I've decided if I ever re-paint my bedroom, I'm going to paint my ceiling that way. Looking up, often forgotten when walking through a site because of the uneven ground, is essential even if to avoid birds pooping on you! Another fun part of the day was seeing the housing quarters of the king. I felt like brownielocks and the 3 Egyptians or something!

The front of Medinet Habu. That's a large image of a smiting king, no?

Look at the color!

Brownielocks sleeping in the king's bed. It's too small!

Brownielocks going to the bathroom on the royal toilet! Just right!

After a pretty crappy lunch right next to Medinet Habu, we walked over to Deir el Medina. This is the village and necropolis of the workmen who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Our special pass gave us access to 3 tombs, one of which wasn't open to other tourists. We went in the tombs of Sennedjem, Pashedu and Inherkha: my first tombs in Egypt! We went down the tiny shaft dipping under, and sometimes crawling through, the small doorways into a tiny chamber. It was high 70's out and I had the chills.Very few times in my life have I been in complete awe and this was definitely up there on the list. The first tomb we went into was the one only we could go in, so we got to stay as long as we wanted. I felt super special when the guard turned away other tourists. We weren't allowed to take pictures so unfortunately I don't have anything to show. Even though the tomb decoration (mostly faces)  in one of the tombs was purposely destroyed by idiots of the past, to be completely immersed in color and standing in the resting place of an ancient Egyptian is indescribable. I can't WAIT for the tombs of the kings!

Deir el Medina!

These never get old. This time from the boat.