In this valley there are many underground tombs. We were able to visit three of them. By the time we exited the third tomb I was not feeling too grand. It must have been the banquet the night before. Quite a few of our group were sick, but I tend to do things in extremes. I just about filled the Valley’s sewerage system, stopping at each toilet on the way out. Then we took the bus onto the Valley of the Queens. Our colloidal silver was out of date and it didn’t work.

At 6:45pm we boarded our flight to Luxor (one hour), then were transported by bus to a beautiful resort, the Jollie Ville, where we had a banquet followed by a few hours sleep. We had to get up at 4am to visit the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, before it got too hot.

From Cairo onto Memphis (the ancient capital) to visit the Great Step Pyramid. We lunched by the Nile and then visited the massive statue of Ramses I, then to a carpet factory. All the various factories and shops that we visit pay 30% commission to the tour company for introducing their groups. Many of our co-tourists have been buying up big. That is probably why the Grand Tour of Egypt is such good value. They probably make more on the commissions than the tour fees. Fortunately, we have hardly bought anything.

The next morning most of our group got up before sunrise to visit temples, mosques and churches in Old Cairo. We slept in and had a quiet breakfast on our own. The bus came back to get us at 10am. We visited a gold and jewelry factory, and then we went to the place where President Sadat was assassinated by eleven of his generals in 1981. He was sitting in a grandstand watching his troop’s parade past when the generals all shot him because he had made peace with Israel. They had planned a coup, however the Vice President and majority of the army were loyal to Sadat. The attempted revolution lasted 3 months. Then the generals were arrested. Nine were executed and two got life in prison. There is now a memorial across the road from the grandstand with Sadat’s body and a monument to the Unknown Soldier. It is guarded 24 hours a day by guards who never move a muscle.

We arrived back in Giza at 8:30am. Debbie retired while I checked out the restaurants. There were six in the hotel. I reviewed the menus then somehow I ended up back in the restaurant where the belly dancer was doing her act. She seemed quite excited to see me again. She came to my table, placed her hand on mine and said “Good Evening!” (in Egyptian). When she finished her dance all the other people in the restaurant left, so I had 7 waiters fussing over me while a four piece band of old Egyptian men serenaded me with old fashioned tunes from the 60’s and 70’s. In spite of all that attention I was lonely without Debbie there to enjoy it with me.

The next morning we were on the road at 7am for a 230 km bus ride to Alexandria. This city was designed and built by Alexander the Great and now houses a population of 7 million. It is a strategic sea port on the Mediterranean. The city coast line makes the Gold Coast look like a small fishing village. There were thousands and thousands of high rise apartments stretching for over fifty kilometers along the coast and at least one kilometer deep. They were all very old, but very impressive. We had lunch in a restaurant within the royal palace grounds of King Farouk. He was overthrown by the military in 1952 and had to do a fast exit on his yacht. He sailed from his royal harbor to Italy where he spent the rest of his life. Egypt then became a republic. King Farouk’s palace is magnificent. He also built another beautiful palace for his two wives, in the same grounds but about a kilometer away. We visited a number of sites in Alexandria including the remains of Egypt’s biggest ever temple that was destroyed by an earthquake in 729.

We dined in an Indian restaurant inside the resort then took desert in an Egyptian restaurant across the hall where a male dancer was spinning around his body producing amazing patterns and shapes. He looked like a gyroscope and he continued spinning for over half an hour. Fortunately he didn’t spew or we would have all been sprayed, but some of the audience got giddy just watching him.

His act was followed by a stunning belly dancer. She obviously picked us for conservatives, because she went to a lot of trouble to get my attention. When she noticed Debbie’s consternation she did a little dance in front of her and called her “Simba.”(whatever that means?). It was a great night that we shared with a lovely couple from Mona Vale in Sydney.

After the pyramids we visited the Sphinx, the mummy embalming building, a papyrus institute and then a restaurant for a fantastic lunch. We spent the afternoon in the Cairo Museum and returned exhausted to our hotel.

The next morning we joined our group of 38, and were bused to the pyramids, even though they were only 200 meters from the hotel. Our bus is escorted by a police car with three armed men to protect us. We also have a security guard wielding a machine gun on our bus. These safety measures have been initiated by the government to protect tourists, especially when Americans are on board. There are lots in our group. Stepping out of the bus, we were harassed by a multitude of traders trying to sell to us, con us and rob us. We fought our way through them to find a safe spot around the side of the Great Pyramid. I was about to take a photo when an Egyptian snatched my camera right out of my hand and wanted to take a picture of me in front of a camel, “No charge.” I refrained from socking him because I didn’t want to risk my camera getting damaged in a squabble. He beckoned a camel rider to come over, then before I knew it, I was sitting on the camel being led off into the wilderness. I was enjoying the ride, but I had a few questions, “Where are you taking me? How do I get off this animal? Give me back my camera!” These questions along with several extra explicit exclamations all fell on deaf ears. I looked back toward the pyramid and could barely make out Debbie’s desperate countenance.

When far enough away, the Egyptian took a few shots of me with the pyramid behind. He then told me how poor he was and desperate to feed his family. He told me that most tourists pay him 300 pounds ($60) for his services. I laughed, then tried to get the camel to kneel so I could get off. The stubborn beast stood higher so I beckoned its keeper to discipline his animal. But he just led me further into the desert, while the photographer took more shots. This time I advised them of the consequences if they refused to let me down and give back my camera. They got the message, let me down and returned my camera. I gave the crook $10 then high tailed across the sand to find Debbie, only to discover that I was being pursued by another Egyptian, who claimed to be the owner of the camel. He wanted $80. I told him I had paid the photographer already. He said that he didn’t even know the photographer. He just owned the camel and required his fee for my ride. I gave him $12 on the condition that he went south while I headed north. The whole adventure was worth every cent!

On arrival at Cairo Airport we were confronted by a lady wearing an official badge, claiming to be from the Ministry of Tourism. She offered us free help to find a taxi, buy water, get maps, money, etc. She ushered us into an office and sent a guy to get a taxi. Then her male accomplice high-pressured us to buy tours, river cruises, restaurant packages, etc. Our refusal was so definite that they were glad to move us on. The taxi man put our two small bags on a trolley in spite of the fact that we were happy to pull them ourselves. We followed him to the taxi area. Then he told us that he was not the taxi man. He was the bag man and he demanded $20 for pushing our bags. I gave him $4 and advised him that it would be in his best interest to move on. The taxi driver was praying on a mat on the bitumen next to his taxi. At first we thought he was praying to get another customer, but when we got into the Cairo traffic we started praying ourselves. There are 24 million people in Cairo. We taxied through New Cairo, Old Cairo, then Very Old Cairo, then crossed the Nile into Giza. Our hotel was 200 meters from the three main pyramids and not far from the Sphinx. It had hundreds of rooms. We were given the corner room on the top (twelfth) floor at the very end of the main building with windows on two walls facing the pyramids. Unquestionably the very best room in the resort. We were very thankful to God. His blessings at times are overwhelming.