Temple Fatigue

Our last day in Luxor dawned bright and clear. It was time to visit the West Bank and all it had to offer. And believe me, it offered a lot. The Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens lay in the western hills, replete with tombs and temples. It was going to be a busy day.

After devouring our breakfast at the hotel, we were on our way to the ferry dock. A short ride later we emerged into the chaos of the West Bank. As was so often our experience, we were instantly assailed by vendors and tour guides. Amidst the rabble we had a quick team meeting and decided to hire a taxi. It wasn’t difficult to leverage competing drivers’ prices, and in short order we had a taxi hired for the day for a scant 150 LE.

Our first stop was the much ballyhooed Valley of the Kings. A veritable treasure trove of famous tombs for pharaohs including Ramses II and Tutenkhamen, the Valley of the Kings is set in a steep and narrow canyon between mountain rifts. Before leaving our taxi, we agreed to meet our driver at Hatshpsut’s Temple on the side of the next ridge, accessible by a pathway in the King’s Valley. And so with these instructions still fresh in our minds, we prepared to explore.

We were sad to learn that a ticket for the King’s Valley only applied to any three of the tombs (excluding the fantastic tombs of Ramses VI and King Tut for which separate tickets are needed). However, we couldn’t change this fact, and so with the help of our trusty guide book we selected Thutmosis III’s tomb as our first stop. Entering a tomb is like walking into a stuffy oven. I couldn’t believe how hot it was inside. A sign was posted declaring ‘no photos’. I noted this and made sure to be careful when taking my pictures. It’s really difficult to compose shots with an SLR when you can’t use the viewfinder, especially when tomb guards are watching. Nevertheless, I made a valiant effort, and was just getting the hang of it when I heard a ruckus rising behind me.

I turned to find Eric and one of the guards in a heated discussion. The guard was accusing Eric of taking photos and demanding that he surrender his camera. Simultaneously, another guard accosted Kevin with the same accusation. Both Eric and Kevin refused to give the guards their cameras, and this only served to anger the guards more. Basically, if they had given the guards their cameras, they would have had to pay a ransom to get them back. It was that simple. During all this, I made sure that my photos were well shuffled, so that when a third guard asked if I had taken photos, I could show him a string of innocuous photos and still retain my tomb pictures. So now the discussion had turned into a shouting match. At one point the guard tried to grab Eric’s camera and was pushed away. Enough was enough. Eric stepped up and in his most intimidating voice, asked the man if he was willing to fight for the camera. Upon the realization that these tourists weren’t going to be pushed around, the guards retreated to their corner, still breathing threats.

We made our way to the surface while we still had the chance, and headed to our next tomb of choice—That of Seti II. We were sorely disappointed to find that this was a rather simple and bland tomb, carved in a straight line descending in several levels. Little of the original color remained, and the inscriptions were damaged in many places. After spending a few minutes in the lackluster confines of Seti II’s final resting place, we headed topside to choose our last stop. We wanted our last tomb to be spectacular, so we again consulted the guide book. Based on its description we opted to head to Saurent’s crypt.

Unfortunately, once again we were greeted with a less than spectacular tomb. So much for the glory of the Kings’ Valley. Now we had to make a decision: buy a second ticket and try our luck once more, or call it a day and start our hike towards the Temple of Hatshepsut. While contemplating this, a middle-aged American man and his wife strode up to us. They offered us their tickets which still had one tomb visit left on them. We heartily thanked them for their gift and once more considered which tomb to risk visiting next. We decided to break with tradition and not consult the book. Heading down a side canyon, we came to the entrance of Thutmosis IV’s tomb. There was still one problem: Eric and I had a ticket, but Kevin had none. We attempted to baksheesh (bribe) the guard to allow Kevin to enter, but at that moment the man’s supervisor was standing only a few meters away, looking on intently. We struck out. Kevin volunteered to stay behind, and so Eric and I plunged into our fourth tomb of the day, hoping for something spectacular.

The best part about the tomb of Thutmosis IV was that there were absolutely no guards or tourists inside. Due to its location off the beaten track, we were able to explore its chambers uninhibited. The tomb was larger than the previous two we had entered, and its l-shaped layout made it a touch more interesting. We stayed below for long enough to take some photos and see the sites (not much to see, really) and then reunited with Kevin on the surface.

Time was growing short as we headed back down the trail, and so in one last ditch effort to see something worth remembering, we purchased tickets to see the tomb of Ramses IV. It was worth it. The tomb was made up of a large hallway that descended at intervals. There were two chambers where the hall opened up into a high-vaulted room. The best part about this tomb was the remarkably preserved hieroglyphics that decorated both walls and ceiling. Rich blues and yellows showed the story of Ramses IV’s life and conquest. Finally we had found something worth looking at, and I wasn’t about to waste this opportunity. While Eric distracted the guard by asking questions, I was able to enter the burial chamber and take photographs. Once the deed was done, we thanked the guard for his help and exited the premises posthaste.

Hiking up the steep grade to reach the Temple of Hatshepsut was rewarding in its own way. When we crested the ridge, a fabulous panorama opened up before us, revealing the Nile, Luxor, and into the distance far beyond. Just below us in the shelter of the cliff we had conquered, was Hatshepsut’s Temple with its long stairways and tiny ant-like people scrambling about. They were quite humorous to watch from above, but our amusement had to be cut short. We were already late to meet our taxi driver, and there was still much to see. Wasting no time, we scrambled down a shale-strewn path to the ticket booth adjacent to the temple.

Our taxi driver advised us that given the lateness of the hour, we should go and purchase tickets for all the sites we planned to visit right away. The reason for this being that the ticket offices closed an hour before the sites themselves. We heeded his words and he escorted us post-haste to the ticket window. And so, in the last hour of daylight, we completed a whirlwind tour of three temples: Habu, Seti, and finally with the sun setting, we completed our day at Hatshepsut’s temple. I am very happy to say that this concluded the temple and ruin section of our trip. All three of us were burned out on history, and enough was enough.

We returned from the West Bank and arrived at the train station with plenty of time to spare. As promised, the French girls were waiting for us on the platform. When the train finally arrived, I had the pleasure of keeping company with Adeline Samain for the duration of our trip. Out of the group, she spoke the least English, but this only served to keep our conversation creative, as each of us used unique gestures and explanations to fill in the language gaps. I learned that Adeline was 21 and resided in the South of France. She had one year left in college, with a major in language and international business.

All too soon, the train pulled into our stop—Sohag. We bid our French counterparts adieu, stepped out of the car and headed to our next adventure.