Page 64 - Turkey & Egypt 2020 HQprint_Neat

Instead of sailing down the Nile today, we went on the bus to explore the Valley of the Kings,
known as the "Gateway to the Afterlife"; which provides a window to the past. Many of the
tombs within the valley were once filled with an abundance of antiquities. Though many suffered
at the hands of grave robbers, others thankfully remained unscathed. Next is a visit to Deir el-
Bahari, the mortuary temple of ‘Pharaoh Queen’ Hatshepsut. Rising out of the desert sands in a
series of terraces, it’s an incredible sight to behold. On the way back to the river Nile, the road
passes by the famed Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep
III. However, on the bus we found out that Sharon and Ron had organized flights to fly out from
Cairo tomorrow morning. We also found out that the Cairo airport is definitely closing after
midday on Thursday. With the help from Cath and with little internet along the way, Sil managed
to book new tickets to get out. (Nile Airway from Luxor to Cairo the next morning $455.00/ and
Cairo - Abu Dhabi- Sydney for $2500.00 on Thursday b4 midday) We left the group on the boat
and booked into the Karnak's Mercure Hotel near bý, this way we could get to the airport quickly
in the morning. We thought that was the best chance to get to Cairo and back to Aust.